Jaguar XKR-S Convertible (2011) first pictures

Jaguar has announced the smallest surprise of the year - a convertible version of the rabid XKR-S. We all knew it was coming, but it shouldn't take the sheen off the fastest and most powerful Jaguar open-top road car ever. It's essentially the cabrio bodyshell mated to the XKR-S mechanical spec.

Renault's four electric Frankfurt stars: the teaser

Renault will show off four electric cars at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 10 September 2009 17:18 Renault today trailed its electric car debutants for next week's Frankfurt motor show – revealing the four battery cars that will hog the limelight in Germany. The Renault zero-emissions cars will be shown in full on Tuesday 15 September 2009, but this image gives us a taster for what's to come.Carlos Ghosn, Renault's chief exec, will unveil four new electric cars, seen here for the first time. This overhead shot confirms that Renault will unveil a range of EVs – from a tiny city car through a supermini and van all the way up to what looks like an electric saloon car.Electric cars: the theme of FrankfurtPlenty of manufacturers will be showing off electric or petrol-electric cars at Frankfurt's IAA this year: there's an electric Merc SLS and Hyundai i10, plus more hybrids than you could shake a socket at – including debuts from Lexus, Peugeot and BMW.

Audi R8

Audi has unveiled the new R8 supercar, closely based on the Le Mans concept that was shown three years ago in Frankfurt. The two-seat car uses a shortened version of the Lamborghini Gallardo platform, and is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 using FSI technology first introduced by the A2. Like the now-obsolete small car the R8 is also constructed of an aluminum space-frame, keeping weight down to 1360kg.