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Rumormill: Infiniti to present Z4 rival in Geneva?

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti, Rumormill, Luxury

Infiniti Etherea Concept

Infiniti Etherea Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti took the wraps off its Etherea concept, showing its vision for a future premium hatchback. Now reports from across the pond suggest that the premium Nissan division could be preparing to unveil something decidedly sportier at next year’s Swiss expo.

The report comes from Auto Express, and it suggests that the new sportscar will be targeted at the likes of the BMW Z4 and Audi TT, yet slot in below the G37 Coupe in the company’s lineup. A two-seater in front-engine, rear-drive configuration is being mooted for the project, leaving questions as to where such a model might fit in the corporate hierarchy vis-à-vis Nissan’s 370Z.

No word on potential powertrains, but a hybrid setup could be part of the mix. Rumor has it that Lotus is being brought in to consult on the chassis setup – a role often taken up by the British sportscar-maker and engineering consultancy. Us? We can’t help but wonder if this isn’t where Red Bull Racing’s expertise could be brought to bear as well.

Infiniti to present Z4 rival in Geneva? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 May 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why Geneva has evolved into the must-see motor show of the year

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show

Geneva Motor Show 2011

A recent study anointed Geneva the most livable city in the world. Sitting where Lake Geneva flows into the Rhone River, the old city has a surprisingly small town feel and probably wouldn’t even be on the global map were it not for the presence of the United Nations – and the annual Geneva Motor Show.

The Geneva Motor Show takes place on neutral ground. Switzerland has no car industry.

There are plenty of international auto shows in cities across Europe, yet with the exception of those in Paris and Frankfurt, which occur in alternating autumns, none bears the significance of Geneva. The 81st “salon,” which just opened to the public, will see 100s of thousands squeeze through the turnstiles at PALExpo, and for good reason considering the scores of new products unleashed during the two media days – which included 64 separate press conferences on the first day alone.

Why has the Geneva Motor Show become so important – so much so that industry leaders and media alike struggle to find $1,000 rooms, often staying an hour away and driving in during the pre-dawn chill? Organizers have taken to heart the very central tenet of Swiss existence – in a word, “neutrality.”

Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com, and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.

[Image: Martial Trezzini/AP]

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Why Geneva has evolved into the must-see motor show of the year originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every single car at the Geneva Motor Show, in one image

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show

Every car from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show Infographic

Every car from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, arranged by color – Click above to enlarge

We wrote about a ton of new vehicles at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show; 76 of them to be exact. Were we able to get to all of them? No… and apparently we weren’t even close. The folks at CarBuzz in the UK put together an image that shows us just how far off we were.

If you click the image above, you can see all 706 vehicles arranged by color. For those keeping track, by showing you 76 vehicles, we managed to cover just 11 percent of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

Now, it should be noted that not all of those vehicles are new or noteworthy, yet the image does a great job of conveying just how large a major auto show can be. If you want to see the vehicles laid out in extreme resolution, take a look at the 6748×7380 original image.

[Source: Carbuzz.co.uk]

Every single car at the Geneva Motor Show, in one image originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Geneva Motor Show: The 76-Car Ultimate Wrap Up

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show

And… we’re spent. Over the past three days we’ve tried to make you feel as if you were at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show with us, and in doing so showed you 76 production and concept vehicles that were unveiled or on display here. For those counting, that’s a new record for the number of vehicles that Autoblog has covered at one auto show, and you can find every single one below.

But now we’re done. Most of us are power napping right now so that tomorrow we can return to the normal business of Autoblog. It’s been fun and we hope you enjoyed the coverage. See you next month in the Big Apple for the 2011 New York Auto Show.

Production Cars

Lamborghini Aventador	2012 Ferrari FF	Pagani Huayra
2012 Jaguar XKR-S	2012 MB C-Class Coupe	Porsche Panamera S Hybrid
MB C63 AMG Estate	Saab 9-5 SportCombi	Alpina B5 BiTurbo Touring
Koenigsegg Agera R	Aston Martin Virage	Gumpert Tornante
Toyota Prius+	Chevy Cruze Hatchback	Lancia Ypsilon
De Tomaso Deauville	Morgan Threewheeler	Porsche Boxster S Black
Maserati GranCabrio Sport	Ford B-Max	Ford Ranger Wildtrak
VW Golf Cabriolet	VW Tiguan	Hyundai i40 Wagon
Opel Ampera	Mansory Cormeum	Fab Design SLS AMG
ABT R8 GTS	MTM R8 Biturbo	Lexus LFA Nurburgring
Audi RS3 Sportback	GTA Spano	Bentley Supersports ICR
2012 Kia Rio	Fiat 500 by Gucci	2012 Kia Picanto
Koenigsegg Agera	Range Rover Ultimate	BMW ActiveE
Volvo V60 PHEV	Ruf Rt 12 R	Novitec Ross Ferrari 458
Carlsson C25 Royale	Brabus 700 Biturbo	AC Schnitzer 99d

Concept Cars

Toyota FT-86 II	Alfa Romeo 4C	Volkswagen Bulli
Audi A3 Sedan	Wiesmann Spyder	Fiat 500 Zagato Coupe
Saab PhoeniX	Volkswagen Giugiaro Go	Volkswagen Giugiaro Tex
Mitsubishi Global Small	BMW Vision ConnectedDrive	Mazda Minagi
Nissan Esflow	Renault R-Space	Smart ForSpeed
Rinspeed BamBoo	Infiniti Etherea	Mini Rocketman
Renault Captur	RR Sport diesel PHEV	Rolls-Royce 102EX
Bertone Jaguar B99	Suzuki Swift S-Concept	Tata Pixel
IED Abarth Scorp-ion	Ssangyong SUT-1	SEAT IBX

Race Cars

Peugeot 908 Hybrid4	1908 Fiat “Mephistoles”	Lotus F1 & Evora GT4
Pirelli F1 tires

2011 Geneva Motor Show: The 76-Car Ultimate Wrap Up originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Ruf Rt 12 R is a 230-mph bolide

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Porsche, MISC

Ruf Rt-12R

Ruf Rt 12 R – Click above for high-res image gallery

Porsche makes some amazingly capable and exciting machines. The German speedmeisters at Ruf are fans of those cars, but they like to take them, lock them in their ~~insane asylum~~ factory and release them back into the world as roadgoing rocketships. The company’s latest creation, unveiled on the 2011 Geneva Motor Show floor, is the Ruf Rt 12 R.

Based on the (quite pedestrian by comparison) Porsche 911 Turbo, the Ruf Rt 12 R begins life with the stock 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine. That unit is good for 500 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque (516 lb-ft with the overboost function). After Ruf gets its mitts on the powerplant, output swells to 730 hp and 693 lb-ft of torque. The engine is paired to Porsche’s six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel-drive system. And if you’re a rich lunatic, you can opt for rear-wheel drive.

Ruf also works its magic on the body of the Rt 12 R. Carbon fiber is applied to the front fenders, hood, luggage cover, seats and is available optionally on the roof. The side and rear windows are plastic instead of glass to further aid in the quest for lightness. This weight reduction, along with the massive increase in power, has helped Ruf claim an impressive 230 mph top speed for the Rt 12 R.

Gallery: Ruf Rt-12R: Geneva 2011

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Geneva 2011: Ruf Rt 12 R is a 230-mph bolide originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: 1908 Fiat SB4 “Mephistoles” land speed record car baffles the mind

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Geneva Motor Show, Racing, Fiat

1908 Fiat SB4 Eldridge

1908 Fiat SB4 Eldridge “Mephistoles” – Click above for high-res image gallery

Way in the back of the Fiat booth at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, behind all of the shiny modern machinery with their tiny, fuel-sipping engines, sat a car that looks like one of those wood-carved models you see at every knick-knack store. Curious though it was, we knew right off the bat there is something far more significant to this car than met the eye. And indeed there is.

Nicknamed “Mephistoles” by the French public in the 1920s, this 1908 Fiat SB4 racer was, at the time, the fastest car in the world. Sir Ernest Eldridge bought it on the cheap after it crashed in a race at Brooklands in the UK, thereafter setting about turning it into a land speed record car. To get there, Sir Ernest and company replaced the engine with a 22-liter(!) inline six-cylinder aircraft engine that delivered 320 horsepower to the rear wheels via chain drive – a combination (hardly) kept in check by a single brake on the rear differential.

Mephistoles set a top speed of 143.26 miles per hour over a flying kilometer in Arpajob, France in 1924, but was later disqualified because the regulations stipulated the necessity of a reverse gear, which the Fiat lacked. Sir Ernest developed a system and came back, regulations satisfied, just days later to set a new record of 146 mph… the last such record achieved on a public road. To this day, according to the lore, nobody knows how Eldridge got the thing to go in reverse, but after over three years of restoration, Fiat is proudly exhibiting Mephistoles in Geneva, and we snapped a few photos to help you ponder the mystery and majesty for yourself.

Gallery: 1908 Fiat SB4 Eldridge “Mephistoles”: Geneva 2011

Geneva 2011: 1908 Fiat SB4 “Mephistoles” land speed record car baffles the mind originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Hamann Hawk is Barbie’s First Supercar

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz, MISC

Hamann Hawk

Hamann Hawk – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is certainly enjoying an interesting run at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. It’s had its ups and downs… and right now, it’s going through another low point courtesy of Hamann.

To be fair, the styling of the Hamann Hawk is almost kind of cool. But the matte pink pearl paint job does this car no favors. Hamann calls the color Everose Gold, but we’re going with Barbie’s First Supercar – it’s like Paris Hilton trying to act tough.

What’s certainly no act, however, is the work done under the hood. The Mercedes-Benz 6.2-liter V8 in the SLS, which normally produces 563 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, has been pushed to produce 636 hp and 502 lb-ft. This was accomplished through the use of upgraded manifolds, a new exhaust and adjustments to the engine mapping. Those changes help push the Hamann Hawk from 0-62 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds. Hold the go-pedal down and you’ll eventually hit 199 miles per hour.

Of course, you’ll still be driving something that 16-year-old girls would find oddly endearing, like a pair of pajama pants with pink skulls on it. Hamann, please paint this thing black, lose the garish grille emblem, and then let us disappear with your gas card for a few days.

Gallery: Hamann Hawk: Geneva 2011

Gallery: Hamann Hawk

Hamann Hawk

[Source: Hamann]

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Hamann Hawk is Barbie’s First Supercar

Geneva 2011: Hamann Hawk is Barbie’s First Supercar originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: BMW ActiveE looking to become the Ultimate Electric Driving Machine

Filed under: Coupe, Geneva Motor Show, BMW, Electric

BMW ActiveE at 2011 Geneva Motor Show

BMW ActiveE – Click above for high-res image gallery

BMW showed us the ActiveE Concept back at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Now the automaker is using the Geneva Motor Show floor to roll out the latest version of its electrified 1-Series. The BMW ActiveE, following in the footsteps of the Mini E before it, will begin rolling out to select markets in the Fall of 2011.

Mini utilized a fleet of 600 electric Coopers for field tests, but BMW is upping the ante by producing 1,000 vehicles. The ActiveE will make its North American debut at the New York Auto Show in April. After that, it will roll its way into the driveways and garages of residents in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, New York, Boston and parts of Connecticut.

Powering the BMW ActiveE are a plethora of liquid-cooled SB LiMotive batteries. They provide enough juice to generate 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. The ActiveE uses that energy to run from 0-60 miles per hour in about nine seconds and the juiced-up 1-Series has a range of 100 miles. Check it out in the galleries below and read more about the car in BMW’s official release after the jump.

Gallery: BMW ActiveE: Geneva 2011

Gallery: BMW ActiveE

Continue reading Geneva 2011: BMW ActiveE looking to become the Ultimate Electric Driving Machine

Geneva 2011: BMW ActiveE looking to become the Ultimate Electric Driving Machine originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Carlsson C25 Royale makes large quantities of money magically disappear

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz, MISC

Carlsson C25 Royale premier in Geneva

Carlsson C25 Royale – Click above for high-res image gallery

Customized Mercedes-Benz cars have been in the spotlight at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Mansory, Fab Design and Brabus have all fallen in love with the SLS AMG, but Carlsson continues its affair with the SL65 AMG. At last year’s show, Carlsson unveiled its C25 super grand tourer. For 2011, Carlsson has come back with another iteration of the frighteningly fast two-door, this time called the C25 Royale.

What’s the difference between last year’s C25 and the 2011 C25 Royale? Both pack the same bone-crushingly powerful V12 under the hood, here producing 753 horsepower and 848 pound-feet of torque. The C25 Royale goes for a few extra steps in the weight savings department by utilizing a carbon fiber roof.

Just like last year, however, the C25 Royale will be limited to just 25 units. Also, to further increase the likelyhood that your neighbor will never have the same car as you, Carlsson says it will sell just one per country. Starting price on a Carlsson C25 Royale is €429,000, or just shy of $600,000 USD. Add in German VAT and the price rises to €510,510 (around $713,000 USD). As we said, that is the starting price. The options list is packed with further piggy bank busting features, which you see for yourself by reading the press release waiting after the jump.

Gallery: Carlsson C25 Royale: Geneva 2011

[Source: Carlsson]

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Geneva 2011: Carlsson C25 Royale makes large quantities of money magically disappear originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Brabus 700 Biturbo is SLS AMG turned up to 11

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury, MISC

Brabus SLS AMG 700 Biturbo

Brabus 700 Biturbo – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s become quite clear that Mansory and Fab Design should leave SLS-tuning to the experts. Brabus has pulled back the wraps on its 700 Biturbo, and the results are ~~pants-tightening~~ impressive.

Brabus has taken the 6.2-liter SLS AMG V8 and attached a pair of turbochargers to the already-excellent mill. Output has gone from 563 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, up to 700-hp and 626 lb-ft of torque. Brabus has also gone ahead and changed the intake and exhaust manifolds, engine mapping and exhaust system on the Mercedes-Benz flagship.

In fact, Brabus has gotten down to the nitty-gritty with its 700 Biturbo at the Geneva Motor Show. Traditionally, twin-turbocharged engines have a pair of turbos both spinning in the same direction. Brabus has fitted a right-turning and left-turning exhaust to the respective sides of the engine, and this allows for optimal air flow into the engine.

All of this work has produced a luxurious grand tourer that hits 0-62 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds, and can run on to top speed of 213 mph. Brabus has managed to do all of this without slapping on eye-searing paint an ill-advised body kit (though obviously there’s an extensive bit of aero-tweakery present), and for that, we thank them. (Next time, though, maybe we can find someone around to close the hood…)

Gallery: Brabus SLS AMG 700 Biturbo: Geneva 2011

Gallery: Brabus 700 Biturbo

Brabus 700 Biturbo

[Source: Brabus]

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Brabus 700 Biturbo is SLS AMG turned up to 11

Geneva 2011: Brabus 700 Biturbo is SLS AMG turned up to 11 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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