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Geneva Motor Show 2007

Highlights from the 2007 Geneva Motor Show include the Giugiaro Vadho concept, Renault Clio Grand Tour concept, Toyota Hybrid X, Ford Mondeo, Mazda 2, Rinspeed eXasis, Opel GTC concept, Dodge Demon concept, Hyundai HED-4 Qarmaq concept, Bertone Fiat Barchetta concept, Mazda Hakaze concept, Maserati GranTurismo, Audi A5, Mercedes C-Class. Go to the Geneva Motor Show 2007 index  

Art Center Summit - Designing Sustainable Mobility

Shrinking oil reserves, global warming, failed political administration policies, the car as an avatar, industrial humanism and the motorized shoe were just a few of the topics and ideas discussed at the Art Center College of Design 'Designing Sustainable Mobility' conference, held in California in February. For the designers in the room, a bright light was shone from BMW's Chris Bangle. A lively speaker with an optimistic speech giving us terms like "Industrial Humanism" and "design with meaning".

Skoda Fabia concept

By Tim Pollard Motor Shows 06 March 2007 03:50 Skoda looks to the Mini for Fabia body kit Expect to see some Mini-inspired styling cues on Skoda's new Fabia, taken from this concept car unveiled today at the Geneva show. Tucked in a corner alongside a rally car concept, the funked-up Fabia had a silver roof and door mirror caps; although not yet officially confirmed for production, officials reckon the new look will make it to showrooms, unlike a Fabia Scout faux-by-four, which was ruled out. The Fabia goes on sale in May for around £8000.

Volvo XC70 (2007): first official pictures

By Chris Chilton First Official Pictures 06 March 2007 05:48 I see Volvo hasn't given up on the halfway SUV idea Far from it. In fact Volvo UK watched sales of the old V70-based XC70 rise after the introduction of the full-blown XC90 off-roader. Apparently many buyers were lured into showrooms by the XC90 but found themselves signing on the dotted line for its smaller brother.

TVR interview exclusive

By Ken Gibson Motor Industry 05 March 2007 07:18 The TVR saga has taken another twist. Young Russian millionaire Nikolai Smolenski has bought back the collapsed sports car maker and gone into business with two Americans. We've interviewed them all.

Geneva Motor Show 2007 - Preview

The 2007 Geneva Motor Show opens its doors with the media preview days starting March 6th. This year's show is set to be a vintage year for production models with a small cars such as the new Renault Twingo, Mazda2 and Skoda Fabia all being launched. Further up the scale, both Ford and Fiat will show replacements for key models - the third generation Mondeo and stunning new Bravo respectively.

Chrysler in crisis

By Liz Turner, in the US Motor Industry 02 March 2007 04:28 The trouble with Chrysler: the background In 1996 when Chrysler opened its $1.1bn headquarters in Auburn Hills, 30 miles north of Detroit, executives joked that if things didn’t work out, they could always sell it as a shopping mall. Following DaimlerChrysler’s annual press conference on 14 February, local realtors are, no doubt, sneaking in to take measurements. Chrysler Group announced a staggering operating loss of $1.5 billion for 2006, and in the subsequent question time, DaimlerChrysler’s CEO Dieter Zetsche said the company ‘will examine far-reaching strategic options with partners’.

Insurance shake-up

By Richard Yarrow Motoring Issues 02 March 2007 09:14 4x4 drivers to pay more for insurance The biggest shake-up in Britain’s car insurance for 15 years is to take place – and 4x4 drivers are facing policy price hikes. That’s because for the first time a vehicle’s weight is to be taken into account when its group rating is calculated. The move means heavier cars such as SUVs will suffer.

Hyundai i30 (2007): First official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 01 March 2007 02:35 Hyundai i30: the lowdown The Koreans are continuing to assault the mainstream European market - and Hyundai's new Golf rival is its latest effort. The unusually named i30 is the production interpretation of the Arnejs concept car shown at Paris last autumn. It heralds a new nomenclature for Hyundai's models, which have previously relied on straightforward names.

Lotus 2-Eleven (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 01 March 2007 03:40 Lotus 2-Eleven? What's all that about? Colin Chapman always wanted performance through light weight, so he'd be justifiably proud of the new 2-Eleven track-day special, unveiled today and on sale in April.

Autoweek Design Forum 2007

The North American International Auto Show press days were followed again this year by the AutoWeek Design Forum. For this 14th edition of the Forum, the organizers picked 'Design for Success' as a theme for the conferences. And this theme was quite relevant given the gloomy forecasts made by some about the financial health of the Detroit-based car manufacturers.

Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera

By Chris Chilton First Official Pictures 28 February 2007 01:29 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera: the lowdown Lighter, faster, louder: the most exciting Gallardo yet seems to tick every box. The limited edition baby Lambo – around 350 cars will be built over the next couple of years – was conceived as the ultimate small supercar and a genuine rival for Ferrari’s hardcore Challenge Stradale models, the next of which, the F430, arrives early next year. Prices are still to be confirmed but are expected to be around 10 per cent higher than the standard car, which would make the Superleggera £143,000.

Autos to overtake manuals

By Jack Carfrae Motor Industry 28 February 2007 07:39 Automatic transmissions will finally overtake manuals as the top-selling gearbox choice in 2007. Autos have been long established as the more popular option Stateside and in Japan, but it seems that Europe has now finally caught the two-pedal bug. With the ever-increasing popularity of semi-automatic gearboxes (Tiptronic, DSG, CVT and a whole flood of other acronyms), it isn’t hard to see why.

Renault Scenic Conquest (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 28 February 2007 09:38 Renault Scenic Conquest: the lowdown Manufacturers just can't stop adding wannabe 4x4 styling cues to regular models at the moment. The latest car to get the soft-roader look is the Renault Scenic. The new Conquest, unveiled today, gets the full treatment: tough body cladding, 20mm higher ride height and suspension tweaks.

Euro NCAP latest

By Jack Carfrae Motor Industry 28 February 2007 10:12 Euro NCAP releases results on five new models Should Euro NCAP recalibrate its results? We suspect it should, as virtually every new car launched these days scores a high four- or five-star overall rating for occupant protection. The new results announced today are no different: Small family carsFiat Bravo: 5 stars (occupant safety), 3 stars (child safety), 2 stars (pedestrian safety) Toyota Corolla saloon: 5 stars (occupant), 4 stars (children), 3 stars (pedestrian) Small off-roaders Honda CR-V: 4 stars (occupant), 4 stars (children), 2 stars (pedestrian) Mitsubishi Outlander: 4 stars (occupant), 3 stars (children), 2 stars (pedestrian) Executive Honda Legend: 5 stars (occupant), 4 stars (children), 3 stars (pedestrian) Dig below the surface, though, and several disappointments emerge.

Jaguar XJ facelift (2007) first news and photos

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 28 February 2007 11:29 2008 Jaguar XJ: the lowdown Jaguar is sprucing up its XJ luxury saloon at Geneva next week to keep it fresh until a radical new model arrives in 2009 – and these pictures show the big cat for the first time. There are numerous subtle changes to Jaguar’s flagship saloon, most of which are well within the ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ category, but they add a little more polish to the big saloon, which has always suffered criticism for its conservative design. Most of the changes involve the bumpers, which have been given a more distinguished, deep and chunky look, and a more prominent growler on the revised grille.

Volkswagen Golf Estate (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 27 February 2007 11:32 Yawn... it's just a slightly bigger Golf, isn't it? Yes it is, but VW reckons the Golf wagon is a strategically important car in its range; it's flogged 1.2 million of them since the first estate was launched back in 1993.

Design Contest: Pininfarina Student Awards 2006

In conjunction with Pininfarina Deutschland and VDC Fellbach, the Society for the Advancement of Architecture, Engineering and Design in Stuttgart (AED) awarded prizes to up-and-coming young designers as part of a competition that made its debut last year. The Pininfarina Student Award represents a platform intended to make entering professional life easier by offering internships at prominent design companies for successful entrants. In 2006 the Pininfarina prize was awarded in the following categories: - Building Design (Architecture & Engineering) - Transportation Design (Cars and Vehicles) - Industrial Design (Industry and Product Design) All students and graduates at schools in Germany who were not older than 28 at the time of submission could participate.

Vauxhall VXR8 (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 26 February 2007 08:01 Vauxhall VXR8: the lowdown Fans of the recently departed Monaro, rejoice! Vauxhall has today announced its replacement, and it's another hairy-chested, Aussie bruiser: this VXR8 four-door. Although lacking the badge pedigree of the Lotus Carlton, comparisons with the fabled 1990s hot saloon aren't wide of the mark.

Audi A5 (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 24 February 2007 08:09 Audi A5: this time it's official Stung by the leak of A5 photos, Audi has brought forward the first official pictures of its new A5 mid-sized coupe. It's the car designed to bridge the gap between the TT sports coupe and the R8 supercar - Audi's calling it a modern grand tourer. CAR Online brought you theleaked photos of the sporty S5 earlier this week; today we can publish all the official details of the regular A5, which goes on sale in June.

Fioravanti Thalia concept

Fioravanti will be represented at the Geneva Motor Show by this, the Thalia, named after one of the three Graces of Greek mythology. The rear hump means a staggered silhouette, reflecting the rear seating which has been elevated to accommodate 'the most recent alternative energy technology.' Along with its unusual architecture, the sketch also shows a unique graphic break, with the dominant sweep and rear-biased mass reminding a little of the Mazda Senku concept. It will be interesting to see the model in Geneva.

Kia Ex_Cee'd Cabrio Concept (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 23 February 2007 09:40 Kia Ex_Cee'd Cabrio Concept: the lowdown The Koreans' ambitious growth plans show no signs of slowing down; last week, Kia unveiled the Cee'd estate production car - today, it slides the covers off a soft-top version of the same model. Dubbed, somewhat cornily, the Ex_Cee'd Cabrio, the convertible will be shown officially at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. And don't laugh at the back - it was designed by Peter Schreyer, formerly head of Audi design and now boss of the Koreans' studio.

Maserati GranTurismo

Maserati has released photos of their new coupe, the GranTurismo, in advance of its unveiling at Geneva next week. Designed by Pininfarina, the sketches also circulating were by Jason Castriota who penned the Maserati Birdcage concept shown in Geneva in 2005, before it turned heads at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that year. There is affinity between the two designs, and a more aggressive look than the current car designed by ItalDesign.

TVR sold

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 22 February 2007 10:30 Russian businessman Nikolai Smolenski is back in charge of the failed TVR business - and looks set to move production abroad. The deal was announced on Thursday evening, after the administrators PKF Partners struck a deal with Smolenski to buy TVR's assets for an undisclosed sum, thought to be in excess of £2m. The Russian businessman bought TVR in 2004 for around £15m, but sales stalled and the Blackpool factory crashed into administration at Christmas time.

Design Contest: Peugeot Design Contest 2007 winner announced

The 'Flux' concept by Mihai Panaitescu, a Romanian design student studying in Turin, has been announced as the winning project in the fourth Peugeot Design Contest. The runners up in second and third places were 'Njooy' (Wesley Saikawa from Brazil), and 'Allscape' (Gustavo Ferrero from Venezuela). At 20 years old, Mihai is the youngest ever winner of the Peugeot Design Contest.

Vauxhall Antara (2007): first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 21 February 2007 07:46 Vauxhall Antara: the lowdown After a few years away from the thriving SUV market, Vauxhall is returning with the new Antara. Priced from £19,850 for the entry-level 2.4, the Antara is pegged slightly above the £17k Nissan X-Trail and £18k Honda CR-V. Rather awkwardly, it’s also around £3000 more than the Chevrolet Captiva, its sister car with which it shares its mechanical gubbins.

Hyundai HED-4 concept

4x4's have become for many shorthand for the cause of climate change, demonised as emblems of irresponsibility. To launch one that pats the environment on the back rather than stamping all over it in neutral, ergo pure, Switzerland is therefore a welcome repost to typical media hysteria. So alongside the unveiling of their new C-segment rival, the FD, Hyundai will present the latest example of their advanced vehicle research, the HED-4 concept.

Maserati Granturismo (2007) first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 20 February 2007 01:02 Maserati GranTurismo: the lowdown Maserati has finally revealed its new GranTurismo coupe, the replacement for the ageing Coupe/Gransport. As you can probably tell from these first photos, the newcomer is based on the existing Quattroporte saloon. The similarities go further than just the tasty curves - the new coupe will share most of its running gear with its GT sister, including the same 4.2-litre V8.

Ferraris on film

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 19 February 2007 01:24 Ferraris on the silver screen Ferrari has issued previously unseen photos of its cars alongside Hollywood stars for a new exhibition celebrating the marque's role on the silver screen. There is new footage of Ferraris on set and with big-name actors, as part of the company's 60th anniversary celebrations. The exhibition at the Galleria museum in Maranello runs until 30 June.

Hyundai joins the crossover set

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 February 2007 09:39 Yawn... not another crossover concept? Afraid so.