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Mercedes-Benz courts Renault for new Smart model based on Twingo

Mercedes-Benz is set to join forces with Renault in a deal aimed at providing its underdeveloped Smart division with a contemporary-engineered front-engine/front-wheel-drive platform as the basis for a frugal new Forfour model. The new Smart, due out in 2013, is planned to sit on a lightly modified version of the Renault Twingo’s underpinnings, complete with a 93.3-inch wheelbase. Speaking about the new car over the weekend, a highly placed Mercedes-Benz official told AutoWeek: “It’s a key component in plans to grow the Smart brand.

2012 Audi TT RS starting price set at $56,850

If you have your heart set on the top-shelf Audi TT RS, prepare to pony up $56,850 plus destination and what we’d assume are plenty of options to put one in the garage. Worth it? You decide: The highest-performance TT will get a 2.5-liter turbo five with 360 hp and 343 lb-ft of torque, with the twist available from just about off-idle to 5,400 rpm.

Pagani Zonda Tricolore: One-off Zonda at Geneva

The Pagani Zonda Tricolore - Geneva bound (click for bigger image) We already know that Pagani are taking the Zonda Cinque Roadster #4 to shove on their stand at the Geneva Motor Show, and you can add to that what could be considered an even rarer version of the Zonda – the Pagani Zonda Tricolore. This particulay Zonda has been created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Italian equivalent of the Red Arrows – the ‘Frecce Tricolori – and ordered up by a Pagani  distributor, which almost certainly means it’s already sold – for €1.3 million. Based on the Cinque, the Zonda Tricolore gets a fancy paint job which includes stripes which mimic the colours of the Frecce Tricori.