Chrysler Group to Celebrate Mopar's 75th Birthday with Four Specially Modified Vehicles

 

We are eagerly anticipating the first official teaser photo of the next SRT Viper in the early morning hours of Tuesday but that's not all the Chrysler Group has in store for us this week.

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Mopar, which is the group's automobile parts and service arm, the Detroit firm will present four specially modified vehicles that will go on display at next month's 2012 Chicago Auto Show (January 10 to 19).

Mopar is keeping the vehicles under wraps for now but we will get our first view of the four models on Tuesday, January 31, at 9 a.m. EST.

You can watch the event live via the streaming video box below, so bookmark this page and come back tomorrow morning.

Skoda Releases First Photo of the Five-Door Version of its Citigo City Car

Like clockwork, the Volkswagen Group is releasing pictures and details of its expanded range of city cars based on the Up!.

Following on from last week's introduction of the Volkswagen brand's five-door Up!, it's Skoda's turn to show a more practical but same-sized version of the Citigo.

The five-door Citigo will make its grand premiere at the 2012 Geneva Salon in March before it goes on sale across Europe together with the three-door version of the Skoda-branded car from mid-May.

Both body styles will share a common engine range comprising a 1.0-liter three-cylinder petrol engine in two states of tune delivering 60-horsepower and 75-horsepower.

The Czech automaker says that it most efficient Green tech variant, the Citigo returns a combined fuel consumption of 4.1lt/100km (68.9mpg UK or 57.4mpg US) with CO2 emissions of just 96g/km.

Next in line will be the presentation of a five-door body style of the Up!'s third sibling, the Seat Mii.

New Subaru XV Crossover Pricing Released for Britain

The already heavily populated C-sized SUV segment has a new contender from Subaru, the XV, which slots right under the Forester in the Japanese firm's lineup.

The XV is in essence a crossover version of the Impreza hatchback with a reworked body with plenty of plastic cladding and a jacked up suspension. It arrives in the UK with a choice of three engines and an equal number of trim grades with on the road prices ranging from £21,295 to £29,995.

The engine lineup includes two petrol units with a displacement of 1.6-liters and 2.0-liters producing 112HP (114PS) and 148P (150PS) respectively, both of which are available with either a five / six-speed manual or a six-speed CVT automatic.

There's also a diesel option with the 2.0-liter boxer unit that delivers 145HP (147PS) and 350Nm (258 lb-ft) of peak torque propelling the XV to 60mph (96km/h) in 9.3 seconds while returning a combined fuel economy of 50.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 146g/km. Subaru believes this version will likely be the best-seller in the range.

All three-engine variants come with Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system fitted as standard.

The entry-level S models are equipped with ABS, traction control, Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control (SVDC), front, side, curtain and knee airbags, 17-inch alloy wheels, daytime LED running lights and automatic air conditioning as standard.

Moving up to the SE trim adds a rear-view camera, cruise control, Bluetooth functionality and USB/iPod connectivity, while the range-topping SE Lux Premium models also get a sunroof, Keyless Smart Entry, push-button start, leather seats and satellite navigation.

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New Limited Edition Honda CR-Z 'Label α' for Japan

Japanese buyers are no strangers to special edition versions with extremely subtle modifications, the newest one coming from Honda with its CR-Z 'Label α' model, which goes on sale this week and will be available for a limited release until May 31. What makes the 'Label α' special in Honda's eyes is the bespoke burgundy pearl metallic finish on the outside with a matching interior color for the seats, door panels and the stitching on the leather steering wheel and manual gearbox shifter.
The hybrid sports hatch also gets alloy wheels and aluminum sport pedals.
The CR-Z 'Label α' will be offered with a CVT (continuously variable transmission) or a six-speed manual gearbox with pricing in Japan set at 2,510,000 yen (about €24,850 and US$32,150) for both models.

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New Four-Cylinder Honda Crosstour Costs $2,685 Less than V6, Starts at $28,465

Honda is expanding the range of its Accord-based Crosstour model with the addition of a four-cylinder, two-wheel drive version that goes on sale today priced from $27,655, or $28,465 if you include an $810 destination and handling charge. That's $2,685 less than the equivalent V6 model. The new entry level Crosstour sports a 2.4-liter i-VTEC inline four-cylinder engine that develops 192 horsepower matched to a standard 5-speed automatic transmission, delivering 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, an improvement of 3 mpg and 2 mpg respectively over the V6 model.
Speaking about the new model, John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda said: "The new four-cylinder Crosstour offers sleek design, unmatched passenger comfort and ingenious functionality now with four-cylinder pricing and fuel economy. With four-cylinder and V6 options and a long list of standard features, Crosstour should be on every CUV buyer's shopping list."
Along with the launch of the new four-cylinder Crosstour, Honda announced the addition of several standard features across the entire range, which include an automatic dimming rearview mirror, a rearview mirror back-up camera display (non-Navigation models), convenient auto-on/off headlights, Bluetooth HandsFreeLink and USB audio interface.

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Fiat to Launch New Strada Small Pickup Truck in its Home Market

Starting from next week, Fiat will offer its new Strada pickup truck in its home market of Italy. The Strada is Fiat's second best-selling commercial vehicle after the Ducato with 127,800 units sold worldwide in 2011. It is built at the company's FIASA plant in Betim, Brazil. The revised light commercial model comes in three flavors named Working, Trekking and Adventure plus three body styles, including short cab, long cab and the four-seater crew cab for a total of six different variants.
The most distinct model is the Adventure crew cab with its 4x4-esque looks thanks to a raised suspension and extensive body cladding. This version also features a new standard electronic locking differential called E-Locker and 205/65 R15 off-road tires.
Fiat says that the new Strada's overall dimensions are unchanged over the previous series with a length of 4,409 mm (4,457 mm for the Adventure), a width of 1,664mm (1,740mm for the Adventure) and a common wheelbase for all versions of 2,718mm.
The payload, including the driver, ranges from 630kg to 705 kg (1,388 to 1,555 pounds) depending on the version.
Power comes courtesy of a 1.3-liter Multijet 16v Euro5 diesel engine that delivers 95-horsepower and 200Nm (147.5 lb-ft) at 1,500 rpm and consumes 5.3lt/100km (44.4 mpg US) on the combined European driving cycle.
In Italy, prices before tax range from €12,900 (US$16,700) for the Working Single Cab model to €16,000 (US$20,700) for the flagship Adventure Crew Cab version.

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TRD Suits up the New 2013 Lexus GS F Sport Sedan in Japan

As soon as Lexus rolled out the new 2013 GS sedan in Japan on Thursday, its parent company's performance division, Toyota Racing Developments (TRD), came out with a selection of upgrade parts for the F Sport model.

We'll remind you that the F Sport package for the new GS already includes an aero kit with different front and rear bumpers, a mesh front grille, side skirts and a rear spoiler along with 19-inch wheels and a tuned suspension.

So what does TRD's package add on top of that? Well, namely a pair of splats for the front bumper, an add-on part for the side skirts, a larger boot lid spoiler, a rear apron and quad tailpipes with a blue outline.

Performance upgrades are limited to a sportier suspension kit and exhaust system and a set of lightweight 19-inch alloy wheels in a dark finish.

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