Volvo plans to polish its image with styling, high-tech engines

Volvo's brand image is stuck somewhere between "premium" and "luxury," but the Swedish automaker aims to move further upscale with a fresh design language and a new generation of vehicles powered by more fuel-efficient engines. New mid-sized and large models will begin arriving in 2014 based on Volvo's lightweight SPA platform. The vehicles will use Volvo's coming generation of smaller four-cylinder engines.

SEAT SUV confirmed for 2016

SEAT Compact SUV gets a green light for 2016 (SEAT IBX Concept pictured) SEAT has been threatening to build a compact SUV for years, and back in 2011 it revealed the IBX Concept (pictured above) which was the SEAT take on the Audi Q3. Now, finally, it seems VW has signed-off on SEAT’s compact SUV and the new compact SUV will hit the market in 2016, hopefully giving SEAT’s poor sales a real boost. Expected to be based on the VW MQB platform, the SEAT SUV should enable SEAT to properly compete in Europe and tap in to a market that has grown by 40 per cent in the last few years whilst SEAT’s existing market for its cars has shrunk and been compromised by a weak economy in Europe where the vast majority of SEAT’s sales are made.

Italdesign to unveil fast but frugal hybrid car at Geneva motor show

Italdesign Giugiaro will unveil a concept for a fast but fuel efficient hybrid coupe at the Geneva auto show. The Italian design and engineering company says the two-seater can reach a top speed of 186 mph (300 kph) and accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in less than 4 seconds. The still unnamed concept will travel 117 miles on a gallon of gasoline, Italdesign says.