First Official Photos of New Audi A1

It was only a matter of time before Audi began expanding the range of its A1 premium supermini starting with a more practical five-door model - let's not forget that the German carmaker had teased the five-door body style with the 2008 Paris Motor Show A1 Sportback Concept.

And now we can show it to you in production form for the very first time thanks to an unceremonious online unveiling, courtesy of Russian website Cars.ru.

According to the author of the article, the exterior dimensions of the Sportback remain almost the same compared to the three-door model at 3.95m long, 1.42m tall and 1.75m wide with a wheelbase of 2.47m.

The exterior styling is what you would expect it to be: an A1 with five doors – nothing special here other than that the Sportback will be available with contrasting roof colors. The same goes for the interior, the only difference being that it is now easier to access the rear seats.

The A1 Sportback will be available in Europe with the same engine lineup as the three door model including the 1.2 TFSI and 1.4 TFSI turbocharged petrol engines and the 1.6-liter TDI diesel, all of which are offered in various outputs.

The new A1 Sportback will most likely receive its world premiere at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show on November 30.

Thanks to Mikhael K. from Cars.ru for the pics/tip

PHOTO GALLERY

2012 Honda CR-V

About four months after Honda confirmed that an all-new 2012 CR-V would go on sale in America this December, the next generation of the popular crossover model finally made its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday.

More than an evolution of the outgoing model than a revolution of the crossover theme, the new CR-V has been softly redesigned inside and out while it also sports a slightly more powerful and frugal version of Honda's 2.4-liter i-VTEC that produces 185-ponies and returns up to 31mpg (highway, FWD).

In this post, we bring you a new batch of photos from the L.A. Auto Show floors as well as three new official videos including the first driving footage and on a much less interesting note, a clip that shows several "Mommy Bloggers" and one "Daddy Blogger" talking about their experience driving Honda's new SUV – we know; you can't hide your excitement…

The new CR-V will reach U.S. showroom on December 15 (at least that's the plan), while European buyers, who will also get a turbo-diesel option, will have to wait until fall of 2012.

PHOTO GALLERY

Toyota Begins Production of New Generation 2012

While the Camry never managed to win European buyers, a little further to the east and in particular Russia and the surrounding countries, Toyota's mid-size sedan has successfully broken into the market.

Toyota hopes to further increase its share in the region with the launch of the next generation Camry, which began production on Monday at the company's Toyota Motor Manufacturing Russia (TMMR) plant in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Japanese company has been assembling Camry sedans at the St. Petersburg facility since December 2007 when production began for the previous generation of the model.

Yoshinori Matsunaga, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Russia General Director, said: “This full model change was a great opportunity for our employees to learn new skills and get extensive new knowledge. We are now fully prepared and very proud of our vehicle, its quality and safety features.”

While based on the North American 2012 Camry, the Russian-spec model gains a unique front end with bespoke headlamp, bumper, hood, grille and front fender designs as well as its own set of tail lamps.

Locally, the new 2012 Camry is available with a choice of two petrol engines: a newly developed 4-cylinder, 2.5-litre unit and an upgraded 3.5-litre, Euro V compliant, V6. Both powerplants are fitted with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

PHOTO GALLERY