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The return of the Real MINI

The MINI Concept - heralding the revival of the Isetta and Topolino marques [ad#ad-1] Back in January, we speculated on the return of the Topolino and Isetta marques in a joint venture by BMW and Fiat to launch a range of super-eco city cars to rival those that manufacturers like VW and Mercedes are developing. And according to Auto Express those plans are getting close to being realised. This is a bold move by BMW and Fiat to gain ground over their rivals with models that offer extreme economy, but sport a legendary moniker to give the models added kudos.

Peugeot 208 XY Concept – a 208 for the sybarite

Peugeot 208 XY Concept - Geneva bound The Peugeot 208 XY Concept – heading for a debut at the Geneva Motor Show – is Peugeot’s luxury take on the new 208. We’ve already had the concept for the new Peugeot 208 GTi as the performance extreme of the new 208 range, and arriving onside the 208 GTi on Peugeot’s Geneva stand will be the luxury extreme of the 208 – the Peugeot 208 XY Concept. The 208 XY looks like the second attempt by Peugeot (along with the GTi) to emulate the success Citroen has had with the C3 with the DS iconic badge, where style and performance combine with a lifestyle statement.

BMW X6 ActiveHybrid & BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid at Frankfurt

Production versions of the BMW 7 Series & X6 ActiveHybrid will show at Frankfurt The Concepts for the ActiveHybrids were originally shown in 2008, and the production models are expected to be pretty much the same. They are in effect ‘Mild’ Hybrids, using a 20hp electric motor – with an additional 155lb/ft of torque – to add efficiency to the 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8. The electric motor will be fitted in the transmission housing and replaces stuff like the alternator and starter.