Autoblog

Click for a hi-res gallery of the Renault Symbol/Thesis

As Russia develops into an increasingly important market for many Asian and European carmakers, the Moscow Motor Show is becoming a more important venue. Alongside such new launches as the Lexus LS460 AWD, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Audi RS6 sedan, Renault will be unveiling a new version of its simple Symbol sedan. The car will be sold in such markets as Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, Turkey and North Africa, labeled alternatively as the Symbol or Thalia. The styling is rather uninspired, and the mechanics are nothing to write home about, with power anticipated to come from the same range as found in the new Dacia Logan unveiled by Renault's budget subsidiary just last month. Hard to believe we almost didn't notice this one.

You know the drill: Follow the jump to read the press release, and click on the thumbnails below to view the images in our high-resolution gallery.

[Source: Renault]

More spy shots of the Porsche Panamera have emerged, and in addition to wearing almost no camo, it is missing one other thing: any hint of beauty, anywhere. In fact, we can now definitively say that Porsche has one of the world's greatest ever surprises up its sleeve: the company either has a titanic makeover regimen planned for the car that will turn it into something attractive, or Porsche plans to release a truly regrettable looking vehicle.

Looking like a slammed Cayenne with a fastback and front fender vents, the Panamera is caught from several angles. In our opinion, the only nice angle is the front, because you don't have to see the rest of it. Having said that, we don't doubt the car -- even if it looks like the one pictured -- will find buyers. It is a 4-door Porsche that will sport better MPG than the Cayenne, after all. But Porsche, there's still time to make the car look like this. Please, think about it. Because if it's between this car or an A7 or Rapide? Well, um... don't wait by the phone is all we're saying... Thanks for the tip, Ross!

[Source: Global Motors]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Cruze

The 2011 Chevy Cruze is a big deal. It's not Tom Cruise big, but when was the last time GM offered a truly competitive small car? The Cobalt has been around since 2005, and the Cavalier dates back to 1982. So it's been at least 26 years of Chevy offering a back of the pack small car. The Cruze is a bit different, having been developed not by GM's designers and engineers in North America, but by its European and Asia Pacific teams. It will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October and go on sale in Europe and Asia next year. About a year after that the Cruze will go on sale in the U.S., and that version will be built at GM's plant in Lordstown, OH. GM CEO Rick Wagoner was at the plant today to announce a $500 million investment in its U.S. operations to build the Cruze here, with more than $350 million earmarked for the Lordstown plant where the current Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 are built.

The Lordstown plant will likely build the new Cruze side-by-side with the Cobalt and G5 for a while until the latter two are phased out. It rides on GM's new compact Delta platform, which itself will eventually underpin a number of new products including the highly anticipated Volt, the next-gen Astra and an upcoming MPV to replace the Euro-only Zafira that's likely coming to the U.S., as well.

UPDATE: Two live shots of the Cruze from today's announcement from GM's Lordstown plant have been added to the gallery.


[Source: GM]

750-hp 7.5-liter V12 from the Cadillac Cien concept

Here's a shocker: Cadillac has reportedly canceled plans for a range-topping V12 engine. Really, you don't say? Last we checked, General Motors didn't seem to have any problems extracting plenty of performance from its 6.2-liter supercharged and 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 engines, and the majority of the development work has already been done for a Caddy installation. Additionally, we've heard some rumors of a possible twin-turbo version of GM's excellent 3.6-liter direct injection six, which could find a cozy spot under the hood of the next Cadillac sedan.

Cadillac is also said to be reconsidering its premium large sedan, where the V12 was originally intended to reside. In its stead, GM's classiest division will focus in on the replacement for the STS and DTS sedans. Also rumored is a new naming convention, as if the waters weren't already murky enough. Will the next Caddy sedan be known as the DT7? We sure hope not. Will it be based on the new Zeta platform? Well now... that decision would get our seal of approval.

[Source: Inside Line]

Click above for more detail shots of the Kia Forte

Kia's new Forte sedan will make its formal debut in Korea any time now, and, as often is the case, some shots have leaked just a bit early, including images of the interior. According to the press release that's pasted after the break, the Asian Forte will come with two separate 1.6-liter four cylinder engines, one gas and one diesel. Both of them pack a bit over 120 horses under the hood while the diesel, as expected, returns better fuel economy. The new Forte will begin at 11.9 million won in Korea -- about $11,300 in U.S. currency -- and reach 19.6 million won when totally loaded. We wouldn't put too much stock in those numbers when the car finally makes it Stateside, as the Spectra that it will replace costs over $13,000 to start. Unlike its Korean counterpart, though, the U.S.-spec Forte will likely be equipped with a larger 2.0-liter engine as its sole powerplant option. We'd imagine all that equipment, including the excellent iPod integration, will make it to our shores, as well.


[Source: Kia-World]

click above image for high-res gallery of the Koenigsegg CCX

We've seen stretched out exotics before, but Koenigsegg is reportedly planning on producing a model with four doors right from the factory. Carbon-fiber saloons from the Swedish automaker have been undergoing testing for the past two years, with the new model set to be debut in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010. Sales of the car are planned for 2011 with a sizable allocation destined for the U.S. The other big market for the brand is the Middle East, where much of the development money is said to have been sourced. Powered by a 700-horsepower V8 not shared with Koenigsegg's other exotics, the new super saloon is expected to surpass 200 miles per hour. Pricing would almost surely be higher than its closest rivals, the upcoming Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide, but lower than the marque's other carbon creations.


[Source: CAR Middle East via Jalopnik]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Cruze

They're here! The first official pics of the 2011 Chevy Cruze have been released by General Motors, and we're not ashamed to say it – we like it. Of course, we're comparing it to the current small car in GM's lineup, the Cobalt, so the bar is pretty low. That said, GM's new small car takes the split-grille motif made famous by the Malibu and makes it more interesting with sharp creases rather than rounded corners. The front end features headlights that extend up and "point" to the A-pillars, and a strong character line running the length of the vehicle sits below a concave bend that sweeps up to meet the windows.

GM claims that fit and finish of the Cruze will be world class for a small car, and that its interior will use "grained surfaces, soft-touch materials and low gloss trim panels" to improve its perceived quality. Unfortunately, no shots of the interior were provided, but you can catch a glimpse in this rear 3/4 shot.

The Cruze will be a global car, and as such it's going on sale in Europe first. It will makes its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, where European customers will be the first to check it out in person before it goes on sale in March 2009 overseas. It will be available at launch with a 112-hp 1.6L engine, a 140-hp 1.8L and a 150-hp 2.0L turbodiesel. The North American version will likely get GM's upcoming direct injected 1.4L four-cylinder. The Cruze will also offer a five-speed manual and GM's first application of a six-speed automatic in a small car.

The kicker? The 2011 Chevy Cruze will be built at GM's plant in Lordstown, OH where the current Cobalt and Pontiac G5 are built. Though it'll be built right in our own backyard, the Cruze reportedly won't be available in the U.S. for at least a year or two.

Check out AutoblogGreen's report on the new Cruze to discover its close connection with the Chevy Volt.


[Source: GM]

InsideLine, no strangers to luxury, recently put the Hyundai Genesis up against the kind of competition the Korean automaker wants to be associated with: the Lexus GS 350. The GS 300 first came out in 1993 and had the luxury re-defining LS and ES for siblings; at the time, Hyundai was still making do with Excel, Sonata, and Scoupe, and parking any of them next to a Lexus would have laid bare the gulf. Now the marques are going head-to-head. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call progress.

Still, issues of cost -- and perception -- skew the comparison slightly. The V8 Hyundai goes up against a V6 Lexus, because adding two more cylinders to the Lexus would have meant a $12,000 difference. As it is, there's still almost $8,000 between them. And there's the fact that the Lexus and the Hyundai don't exactly compete with each other (we'd have thought an ES comparo would make more sense) in brief, either.

Nevertheless, it's not a bad bout, and it turns out to be one of the closest fights InsideLine has ever judged. The Lexus gets a win-by-a-nose for things like fit and finish and speed, while the Hyundai returns the favor in the highway performance and space issues. The flying H takes home the silverware by a mere two points, aided in part by the price advantage -- which, as far as Hyundai's concerned, is the point. Follow the link for the full story. Thanks for the tip, Charles!

[Source: Inside Line]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Hyundai Genesis sedan.

Hyundai's first foray into the world of rear-wheel-drive needs to be a success in order to justify the development, manufacturing and launching costs. Hyundai's vice president for product development, John Krafcik, told reports that the automaker expects to sell 50,000 Genesis models annually in the U.S. – 20,000 sedans and 30,000 coupes.

But the Genesis is only part of Hyundai's image makeover. The Korean manufacturer intends to launch its first hybrid model by 2010, equipped with a next generation lithium-ion battery pack. According to Krafcik, "Our first U.S. hybrid is going to be the Sonata," however, Hyundai has no plans to offer the new sedan with a plug-in option. That's a strategy that's served Toyota well, and Hyundai is clearly trying to follow in the Japanese juggernaut's footsteps.



[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Peugeot RC...

With the semi-annual auto salon returning to Paris this fall, you can expect France's major automakers to make a big splash this year. Peugeot is preparing to unveil a new concept car, and has given us a bit of a heads-up in the form of a few images and some teasingly cryptic details.

With the name of the actual car not yet released, Peugeot is referring to the show car as the RC, adopting the same thematic nomenclature as the RC Spade and RC Diamond concepts from 2002 and the 908RC concept sedan from the last Paris Motor Show in 2006. Like those concepts, this one is not meant to directly preview a production car in the pipeline. However, it does foreshadow Peugeot's new design direction. The four-door concept's styling melds smooth flowing lines and sharp creases to make for a stunning shape, and moves the huge lion emblem farther south, not unlike the Audi R8's grille. The echoes of Ingolstadt aren't new for Peugeot, with many asserting that the 308 RC Z borrowed too heavily from the Audi TT. As for propulsion, Peugeot insists that "respect for the environment and driving pleasure can be compatible", and so have fitted the RC with an unspecified hybrid powertrain producing a maximum of 313 hp and emitting only 109 g/km of CO2 in gasoline mode and, of course, zero in electric.

Check out the press release after the jump and the gallery below to view the teaser shots of the upcoming Peugeot hybrid concept, and stay tuned as we close in on the Paris show for more details.

[Source: Peugeot]