Aston Martin Lagonda Concept unveiled at Geneva motor show 2009

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 04 March 2009 06:57 Aston Martin shocked the Geneva motor show today when it unveiled the Lagonda Concept, a V12-engined SUV that’s designed to spearhead the expansion of the company into over 100 countries. And it's the first fruits of a new collaboration between Aston and Mercedes-Benz, which will provide the 4x4 hardware and engine tech - from the Merc GL SUV. Yes, or if you believe Aston Martin boss Dr Ulrich Bez, ‘the avantgarde luxury car of the future.’ The Lagonda Concept is based on the four-wheel drive chassis of the Mercedes GL (a fruition of the Aston Martin-Mercedes tie up first revealed by our very own Georg Kacher), so it’s four-wheel drive, but unlike like its donor car, the Lagonda version seats just four and features a V12 engine up front.

2014 Porsche Cayman gets a performance-testing iPhone app

To promote the new 2014 Cayman, Porsche has cooked up an iPhone app called “Cayman Code of the Curve.” You're probably already rolling your eyes at the prospect of another automaker app that is little more than a downloadable advertisement, but this seems to be something different -- the app is designed to record your driving performance in real-time and then share results with friends. Porsche enthusiast site flatsixes.com has an exclusive first look at the app, which is still in development but is reported to be coming “soon.” Based on preliminary screenshots provided by Porsche, the app instructs users to set up a variety of courses -- cone slalom, autocross and reaction-time challenge courses are shown -- then uses the iPhone's internal accelerometer and GPS receiver to track and record your performance. You'll also be able to use the app's “record your curve” function to share favorite drives with friends on Facebook.

Fiat to launch Panda Cross off-roader at Geneva

Fiat The Fiat Panda Cross will make its public debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next month. Based on the Fiat Panda 4x4, the Cross is pumped up with bigger tyres, extra body cladding, raised suspension and myriad technologies to help the little off-roader keep moving when the going gets tough. New off-road technology for the 2014 Fiat Panda Cross As standard, the Fiat Panda Cross comes with a ‘torque-on-demand’ transmission that uses the car’s electronic locking differential (ELD) and advanced electronic stability control (ESC) to send torque to the appropriate axle when slip is detected.