Mini Convertible (2009): the new R57 cabrio

By Simon Stiel First Official Pictures 28 November 2008 10:46 Mini has just issued the first photos of the new R57 Mini Convertible, which rolls into dealerships in March 2009 and follows the lead set by the latest hatchback. So it's cleaner, a little bit more polished inside and out, and there will probably be evidence of some middle-aged spread when we drive it in 2009.So what's new on the R57 Mini Convertible?All the changes are in line with the Mini hatch, so you get the latest PSA-shared 1.6 petrol engines, BMW group Efficient Dynamics – now redubbed Minimalism in Minispeak – stop-start and intelligent alternator control, helping to contribute to a 22% jump in fuel efficiency, Mini claims. The 1.6 Cooper pumps out 137g/km of CO2.

Mercedes M-class facelift (2008): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 13 March 2008 11:43 Believe it or not, but this is the facelifted Mercedes M-class. And despite the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it styling, Merc claims to have meticulously revamped its SUV. The nose gets a new front bumper, new headlights, and in case the M-class wasn’t in-your-face enough, there’s also now a ‘more dominant radiator’.

Peugeot Onyx Concept: Paris 2012

The Peugeot Onyx Supercar Concept is a concept that will never be built and based on the underpinnings of the Peugeot Le Mans car. So Paris 2012 gets treated to the appealing Peugeot Onyx – a Gallic Jaguar C-X75, if you like – looking sexy and sleek on the floor in Paris with its copper and carbon fibre body and use of unusual materials like crystal glass and compressed paper. But it seems, as if we didn’t already know, that Peugeot aren’t planning to build an Onyx supercar – or at least not in their current financial muddle - and have even nicked its underpinnings from their own Le Mans 24hr diesel engine car to give the Onyx some eco and supercar credibility.