Peugeot 308 facelift (2011)

Peugeot 308 facelift (2011) first official pictures

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

07 February 2011 16:30

It's facelift time for the Peugeot 308. The 2011 mid-life fillip  brings a modest refresh, with tweaked engines, the promise of emissions as low as 98g/km of CO2 and a raft of minor styling and spec enhancements.

How to spot the new facelifted 2011 Peugeot 308

Although this is a minor facelift, the 308 is easily spotted by its new-era Peugeot look. There are numerous front-end accoutrements pilfered from the 508 and, to a lesser extent, the SR1 concept car which laid a stylistic marker for the brand.
LED day-running lights are now de rigueur, nay mandatory with the impending EU rule change. Peugeot says the latest EU5 compliant engines have been fettled to lower emissions and fuel consumption, not least with stop-start. Thus equipped, the 1.6 e-HDi trims carbon down to 98g//km - the lowest in its segment, according to its maker.
Intrestingly, some weight has been trimmed from all models as part of the 2011 facelift. On average, 25kg has been removed, while aero tweaks have smoothed the shape to a slippery 0.28 drag coefficient.

When does the 2011 Peugeot 308 arrive?

In the UK Peugeot will market the facelifted 2011 308 with four model trims: Access, SR, Active and Allure; the top models in the UK are the THP 200 hatchback and CC. Prices start at £15,245 when it lands in dealers in May 2011, and standard equipment across the board includes stability control, remote locking, six airbags and a plethora of electro-handling nannies.

Infiniti small concept car (2011)

Infiniti small concept car (2011) teaser picture

By Sarah-Jayne Harrison

First Official Pictures

08 February 2011 09:43

Infiniti has released this solitary teaser picture of its small concept car to debut at the 2011 Geneva motor show.

It's confirmation that Nissan's upmarket wing is plotting a smaller car to sit below the current G saloon, coupe and convertible.

Can't see much in that picture!

Nope, indeed not. Infiniti is remaining unusually tight-lipped on the matter and we'll have to wait until press day at the 2011 Geneva show on 1 March for the full story.

CAR’s Ben Whitworth previously interviewed Infiniti chief Jim Wright who suggested that the smaller Infiniti was high up on the list for Europe in particular.

It's crying out for a model below G with which to take advantage of the boom in downsizing. This concept car is a signal that Infiniti could join the ranks of the 1-series/A3/A-class.

No word yet whether the sub-G Infiniti will be electric or hybrid, but bearing in mind parent company Nissan's experience with the Leaf EV and Infiniti's own experience in hybrids, we'd wager it's at least partly electrified.

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Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition (2011)

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

09 February 2011 09:00

Land Rover will showcase its luxury skills when it unveils this maxed-up Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition at the 2011 Geneva motor show.

Gaydon calls it the 'most luxurious Range Rover' and it has a pair of Apple iPads installed in to the rear entertainment system as standard so businessmen and kids can smear grubby fingers aplenty as they work and play. A pair of individual back seats is fitted in place of a rear bench, and there's an aluminium laptop table too.

There's an array of finery thrown at the interior: soft-touch leather is used throughout, as well as machined aluminium inserts and Kalahari wood veneers, while the rear load bay is lined with a teak decking.

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition: the engines

A pair of engines are available: the 4.4 TDV8 or the 5.0 petrol supercharged V8. Both come with ZF's eight-speed auto, and the petrol motor will thrust the top Rangie to 60mph in 5.9sec.

Outside you'll spot the Autobiography Ultimate by a pair of unique colours - red or stone - 20in alloy wheels, body-coloured handles, a smoked radiator grille and side vents.

Just 500 Ultimate Range Rovers will be built. What price such OTT luxury? We won't know until later in 2011 when the car goes on sale. It's a bit of a swansong for the Range Rover - the new one lands next year.

Nissan Esflow electric concept car (2011)

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Nissan Esflow electric concept car (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

09 February 2011 14:26

Nissan may be all goody two shoes with the Leaf electric car - but this new Esflow concept car is designed to prove to the world that Nissan can make EVs exciting too.

The new Nissan Esflow will be shown at the 2011 Geneva motor show. It's essentially a rebodied Leaf, using that car's battery know-how wrapped in a dramatic sports coupe body.

So the Nissan Esflow is a rebodied Leaf, right?

Not quite. It's rear-wheel drive, for starters, and each rear wheel has its own motor. And the performance figures won't be that familiar to anyone who's driven a Leaf.

The Esflow charges to 62mph in 'less than 5.0sec', although we suspect doing so may dent the claimed 150-mile range.

What's the purpose of the Nissan Esflow?

Remember the GT-R and 370Z? Nissan has a unique brand stretch, from some of the most monumental contemporary performance cars - stretching all the way to the saintly Leaf and a raft of upcoming battery electric vehicles.

The Esflow is designed to bridge those two extremes. The marketing department is desperate for us to latch on to Renault-Nissan's EVs, and showcasing a pie-in-the-sky electric sports car is deemed a great way to stoke interest in battery tech.

Speaking of batteries, the Esflow has the same laminated lithium-ion batteries as the Leaf, but mounted low and centrally in its aluminium chassis - the better to keep the centre of gravity low and central. The platform is then cloaked in composite panels.

Because the structure is inherently so strong and incrorporates a rollcage, there is no need for huge chunky A-pillars, claims Nissan. Hence the visor, wraparound windscreen.

Suzuki Swift S-Concept (2011)

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Suzuki Swift S-Concept (2011) at the 2011 Geneva motor show

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

10 February 2011 09:27

Suzuki has unveiled a warmed-up version of its Swift supermini at the 2011 Geneva motor show. The new Swift S-Concept is an indication of the forthcoming Swift Sport hot hatch.

So what do we know about the Suzuki Swift S-Concept and the next Swift S?

Although a concept, it won’t take a rocket scientist to work out the Swift S-Concept is very close to the production car. Technical details are still scant, but we do know that the production version of this car will be powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre four cylinder engine. Expect to see the production car at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show, will UK sales commencing shortly afterwards. There’s a high-riding roof spoiler visible at the back, while the front end does a mini-Testarossa with all those strakes pepping up the front apron.

What else is on the Suzuki stand at the Geneva motor show?

Check out the revised Splash with the more powerful 93bhp 1.2 VVT engine snaffled from the Swift supermini. Despite a power hike, emissions tumble to 119g/km and economy climbs to 55.4mpg.

Renault Captur concept car (2011)

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Renault Captur concept car (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

10 February 2011 11:08

Renault today whisked the covers off the new Captur concept car. It’s a compact SUV akin to alliance partner Nissan’s Juke – and the Renault Captur will be the French brand’s star at the 2011 Geneva motor show in March.

It’s certainly a welcome look at a clean-sheet proposal for an SUV. We’ve never fully warmed to the larger Koleos, a short-cut gleaned from the innards of Renault’s Asian partners.

Renault Captur concept car: the details

The Captur captures Renault’s new design DNA, as pioneered on the 2010 Dezir concept car. As well as the striking new-look Renault nose, there are some interesting design details: the LED indicators flow into a wave the full length of the flanks and there’s a pleasing chunkiness to its shape.

Crafted from carbonfibre, the Captur has a removable roof flipping the crossover between coupe and convertible. The Murano CrossCabriolet over at Nissan has clearly had an impact in the corridors of power at Paris.

Four passengers access the car through butterfly doors, settling into skeletal carbon seats.

Volkswagen Golf24 (2011)

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Volkswagen Golf24 (2011): VW's new 'Ring racer

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

10 February 2011 16:00

This flame-spitting beast is the Volkswagen Golf24, VW’s new Nurburgring 24hr racer. The Golf24 will race at the ‘Green Hell’ in the legendary endurance event on 25-26 June 2011, but although it’s been built as part of Volkswagen’s celebrations for the 35th anniversary of the GTI, it shares little with the hot hatch that we know and love.

So what’s the VW Golf24 based on?

All sorts of parts from within the VW Group. The Golf shell is instantly recognisable despite the blistered bodywork, and under the bonnet is the turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine that you’ll find in the RS3 and TT RS. But rather than the 335bhp and 332lb ft it produces in road-trim, in the Golf24 it’s been tuned to deliver 435bhp and 398lb ft. Of course the GTI’s front-drive chassis couldn’t cope with all that torque, so the Golf24 is four-wheel drive. The gearbox is a six-speed sequential paddle-shift unit.

The Golf24 has already completed its initial shakedown at the Portimao circuit in Portugal in December 2010, and further testing at Vallelunga in Italy. It will now compete in at least three Endurance Championship events at the ‘Ring before the full 24-hour race in June 2011.

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive (2011)

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BMW Vision ConnectedDrive (2011) first pictures

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

10 February 2011 16:00

This gorgeous two-seat roadster is the BMW Vision ConnectedDrive, set to be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show. Unlike some of BMW’s other Vision-tagged concept cars, this unfortunately isn’t a thinly disguised production car, but a study designed to highlight the company’s driver assistance systems. 

However, although BMW has released no details on the engine or layout under the sexy skin, thankfully the Vision ConnectedDrive’s stunning styling (including the shark nose, wrap-around rear lights and layered body) will find its way onto future production BMWs. 

So when I’ve finished gawping at the new BMW Vision ConnectedDrive, what should I know about the technology it’s showcasing?

For a start sensors in the headlamps and rear lights monitor the traffic situation and the environment around the car, while instead of wing mirrors there are antennas that receive navigation data and transmit other information.

Inside the driver has a 3D head-up display, and the system can project information about the chosen sat-nav route so it appears at the exact point of a possible turn-off. The 3D system also displays information in the foreground or background of the display depending on its relevance.

The passenger plays a part too, and a dashboard-mounted display allows them to access online information and pass it on to the driver if necessary. It’s all designed to make the processing of the ever-growing volume of data that cars can (and will be able to) receive become more manageable.

Concept car touches includes coloured fibre optics set within the bodywork and cabin, and a development of the Z1 roadster’s sliding doors: on the Vision ConnectedDrive, the outer shells of the doors slide forward into the body, and the inner shells glide backwards, allowing access to the cockpit.

Lotus Evora by Mansory (2011)

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Lotus Evora by Mansory (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

By Mark Hamilton

First Official Pictures

10 February 2011 17:31

In the avalanche of hype surrounding Lotus's future ambitions, the current range of Lotus vehicles has been largely overlooked. With this in mind, Lotus has turned to an unexpected source to inject some media buzz and visual freshness into the Evora for the 2011 Geneva motor show: Mansory.

Under the slogan 'Is it always wise to customise? If you must then do it with some style' Lotus has commissioned Mansory to customise the Evora – continuing the run of controversial new moves that the firm has made under CEO Dany Bahar’s leadership.

Lotus Evora: what Mansory's done

Mansory has applied its well-known carbonfibre fetish to the Lotus coupe, bringing the Evora closer to the edgy styling cues of design chief Donato Coco’s next-generation Lotus concept cars.

Readers fearing an Evora smothered by expensive materials with the exuberance/gaudiness Mansory has become infamous for may be mildly reassured by the preview photos: the Evora by Mansory features carbonfibre-trimmed extremities, but is not a comprehensive assault on the styling of the current car.

Lotus has officially denied that the Mansory-massaged concept previews an official Evora facelift, stating that 'it’s a taste of the future of Lotus product customisation.'