GQbyCITROËN concept

GQ, the UK’s leading monthly men’s magazine, presents the new GQbyCITROËN concept. Besides the great color, the cabin of the car, accessed by rear-hinged coach doors, features a futuristic yet style, with detailing and upholstery selected by Patrick Grant, the creative director for E. Tautz, a men’s tailor found in the prestigious Savile Row in London. GQbyCITROËN is purely a concept car and the mechanical details are slim. Citroën says that the car has both a plug-in hybrid system as well as a 1.6-liter inline-four with direct injection, which achieves a 0-60 time of just 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited, of course). Seems a bit far-fetched, but no matter, because we doubt a production version will ever see the light of day. The car will be presented in the April number of the magazine.

918 Spyder

Porche provides the best of both worlds with exclusive with the 918 Spyder concept scheduled to debut tomorrow at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. It looks like Carrera GT evolved, and boosts a 500-horsepower V8 and a pair of electric motors, plus producing an additional 218 hp or 160kW. At full gallop, the concept can theoretically reach 62 mph in 3.2 seconds and nip 198 mph on the high end. On the flip side, Porsche says it can also achieve 78 miles per gallon and emit just 70 grams of CO2 per kilometer. This super car is a parallel hybrid. It has two powertrains, gas and electric, can operate together or separately to motivate the wheels into motion. The Sport Hybrid mode again uses both powertrains, but tips the needle a bit more towards performance with most power reaching the rear wheels. The concept will debut at Geneva these days.

The Battle Of The Ads

At the beginning of last year, on the main boulevard of Santa Monica – in  California, appeared a billboard from Audi with a provocative slogan : "Your move BMW"

The response from BMW was prompt. On the other side of the boulevard, in a very short time a billboard appeared that followed he Audi logic: "Checkmate"

How it all started?

It was in 2006 when BMW published the next ad:

The PR department from Audi responded in short time with the following advertisement that appeared in the newspapers:

Perhaps it would had ended if Subaru wouldn’t have entered the game with the following ad:

The battle of the ads was canceled by an Bentley with an ad that didn’t need any comments:

BMW Bike

Like many other automakers, the German company BMW has done  a lot of research and development on hydrogen fuels. But they have also focused all their efforts on the liquid hydrogen with internal combustion engines. A group of design S, France felt no such constraints and they have designed a special BMW badged motorcycle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell with a lithium polymer battery for electrical energy storage. The hydrogen is stored in a 20-liter cryogenic tank mounted where the engine would normally sit, with a suspension consisting of single-sided swing arms front and rear. Propulsion comes via a shaft drive system from the 100 kilowatt motor.

Tycoon Evo M

Last year Hamann presented BMW X6, a great car. Now they are presenting Tycoon Evo M at Geneva Motor Show. Under the hood there is a X6 M’s 4.4 liter twin turbo V8. The motor needs a high-flow exhaust system. The car has a reprogrammed ECU to reach 670 horsepower and 576 pound-feet of torque. Hamann now claims that the extra 115 horsepower is good for a 4.2 second sprint to 62 mph and a top speed of 186 mph. Besides, the additional power, Hamann developed a revised widebody kit to fit the X6 M. The car has fenders that is wide of 60mm. Not to mention the fact that the LED running lights are featured prominently on the front fascia. The upgrades include lightweight 23-inch forged wheels and aluminum, plus carbon fiber interior accessories.

5 by Peugeot

Some people say that the name is quite ridiculous: “5 by Peugeot”. Truth is the machine is inspired by sedan models and it is a competition for Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia. It has 191.3 inches in length and 74 inches in width, with a wheelbase of 110 inches. This new Peugeot is rather staid looking compared to the other previous models. The fascia looks production ready and the massive front air dam looks great. The car has taillights that stretch into the rear quarter panels, an Insignia-esque trunk and dual exhausts. 5 by Peugeot comes with a 163 horsepower 2.0-liter HDi FAP diesel which, combined with a rear-mounted, 37-hp electric motor, brings output up to 200 hp. The system, dubbed Hybrid4, will give it the possibility to run on electricity alone for an unspecified range. The new car will be seen at Geneva Show.

2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS

Here we have 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS, in sparse camouflage. The car has been taken out for a spin. The current CLS is based off the older platform from E-Class. The 2011 model is set to swap to the updated architecture (W212) and also have some new stylistic updates inspired by its siblings. The coupe-like roofline will remain, the rear fenders will gain the blisters originally seen on the new E, plus the upright grille pulled from the SLS. From what we can see, the car has more angular head- and taillamps. Specialists say it will be available in both six- and eight-cylinder configurations on the mid-400 horsepower range.

Nissan 370Z Black

A couple of months ago Nissan announced the 40^th anniversary model, the great looking 370Z mode. This photo that we got is confirming the car’s arrival, at Chicago Auto Show.  Now they are releasing the special edition for the European market. Europe’s 370Z Black Edition celebrates Nissan Z, and has many of the same features that distinguish its Yankee brother. It comes with beautiful darkened 19-inch Rays wheels, red brake calipers, red leather interior, some special badges and much more. The only difference is that in Europe you can get a second exterior color: while the American version can only be had in “quartz” dark grey. In Europe you can get it in full black.  There are 370 examples will begin distribution in April, after Geneva Show, for £33,645 (~$53k) price tag in the UK.

Hyundai 2011 Sonata $19,195

The new Hyundai 2011 Sonata will be on sale in dealerships in North America in just a few weeks and now we know the price tag. The “fluidic design” new challenger stakes a claim in the biggest segment in the U.S., and its price beings at $19,195. At this price tag you must add $720 for destination and delivery. The GLS sedan with a six-speed manual transmission is $500 more than the base 2010 model, but $200 less than the current class champion, the Camry. For your money you will get manual or automatic six-speed gearbox. The GLS and Limited are rated at 198 horsepower while the dual exhaust on the SE rounds it up to a nice round 200 hp. Plus, the car’s manual transmission GLS tops the segment in fuel economy for non-hybrids with a rating of 24 mpg city and 35 mpg highway.

Alfa Romeo Special-Edition MiTo for Maserati dealer network

Italianc ars are known for their exotic looks. Alfa Romeo has been a brand known for its jaw dropping car design.  Now the Italian manufacturer is creating a special eddition of MiTos. The car will be made in only 100 units and will be sold through Maserati dealers around Europe. Each is distinguished from the average MiTo by its Maserati Blu Oceano paint. Plus, another distinguishable item is the special plaque on the center console and “Alfa Romeo for Maserati” sill plate. This special edition comes equipped with top-of-the-range 170-horsepower, 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo engine, 18-inch wheels and rear spoiler, plus an interior decked out in sumptuous Pelle Frau leather and all the electronic bells and whistles on offer. More details will come in the following days.