Opel boss Reilly confirms new coupe and convertible for 2012. Buick versions under discussion

Opel boss Nick Reilly has revealed plans to revive one of the company's historic names on a production version of the well received Gran Turismo concept first revealed at the 2007 Geneva auto show.
The bullish coupe, conceived to sit between the Astra and Insignia, will also sire a new four-seat soft top convertible as part of post bankruptcy financing plans to further extend the Opel line-up and provide General Motors' European subsidiary with a more viable business plan.
“At the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 we will launch a new coupe and cabriolet,” Reilly told Germany's Auto Strassenverkehr magazine, adding, “They will be all new and positioned between the Astra and Insignia.” Asked whether Opel planned to provide the new door with a historic name such as Calibra, Reilly replied: “We have strong names in our past. And we can imagine resurrecting one or the other”.
As part of parent company, General Motors', plans to further consolidate its worldwide operations, the new BMW 3-series rivalling coupe and convertible are planned to be produced in Germany and exported to North America where they will be sold by Buick likely under the Riviera name.
Further images after the jump

Citroen thinks big. Metropolis concept to see production . . . in China!

Citroen is set to make a stunning return to the upper luxury segment with a production version of its spectacular Metropolis concept.
The 5300mm long and over 2000mm wide sedan, on display in the French pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai since May, is planned to crown the French car maker’s premium priced DS range when it goes on sale in 2013 wearing the name DS9.
At this stage, the new range topping Citroen model is only confirmed for sale in China. However, Citroen is expected to export the DS9 to Europe and other key world markets as a rival to the Mercedes-Benz S-class, BMW 7-series and Audi A8.
Speaking about the decision to place what is arguably its boldest concept ever into production, Citroen’s head of Asian operations, Gregoire Olivier said: The Metropolis will happen, it will become a real car. The styling elements will be used for a high-level Citroen to be developed in China. We want to build up the premier line in the country, and this concept is central to this approach.”
Further details and images after the jump

The Kubang lives! New Maserati SUV aimed at Porsche Cayenne.

Sergio Marchionne is at it again!
After confirming plans originally made public by research and development boss, Harald Wester, for a new Alfa Romeo model designed to go up against the BMW X5, the hard working Fiat and Chrysler Group boss has let slip on a secret new Maserati  conceived to take on the Porsche Cayenne.
Without giving too much away, Marchionne hinted in a conference call with journalists that the new Maserati would share the same Jeep Grand Cherokee sourced platform and four-wheel drive underpinnings as the range topping Alfa Romeo that Wester says will follow a successor to the 159, a smaller and more affordable compact SUV in the spirit of the earlier Kamal concept and a modern day Spider to showrooms in 2013.
Known under the codename GC, the unitary body structure was originally designed for the Mercedes-Benz M-, R- and GL-class back in the days of DaimlerChrysler and is currently used by the Jeep Grand Cherokee and, in a slightly modified form, its more overtly sporting Chrysler Group sibling, the Dodge Durango.
"One of the things we are now looking at in some detail is utilising this architecture and extending its application for future products both within Chrysler and outside Chrysler," said Marchionne. The Fiat boss also conceeded he is looking as using existing Maserati engines in the new model.
Maserati originally flirted with the idea of producing an SUV back in 2003, going as far as to commission ItalDesign to create a concept called the Kubang.

Official images: Buick GL8

General Motors has issued official images of the new Buick GL8 ahead of its introduction later this month.
Designed and developed for the Chinese market, the new seven-seat MPV will replace the aging Terraza when it goes on sale on November 28 with the choice of either a 2.4-litre four-cylinder or 3.0-litre V6 gasoline engine - both mated to a standard six-speed automatic gearbox.
First previewed by the Buick Business Hybrid concept at the 2009 Shanghai auto show, the GL8 retains the same dimensions and layout, with an overall length of 5278mm and sliding rear doors that provide adequate access to the rear. Unclear at this stage is whether Buick will also offer the GL8 with hybrid drive as featured on the concept.

Further images after the jump

Official images: Range Rover Evoque five-door

Following an initial unveiling in three door form at the Paris motor show last month, Range Rover has revealed a more practical five-door version of its stylish new Evoque in a series of official images ahead of its public premiere at next week's Los Angeles auto show. 

Sister car to the recently facelifted Land Rover Freelander, with which it shares much of its mechanical package, the five-door Evoque is the same length and width as the three-door version of the new entry level Range Rover.
But in an effort to provide greater rear seat headroom Range Rover designers have given it a flatter roof that sits 30mm higher than the more heavily sloping structure of its overtly sporting sibling. The changes to the turret have necessitated a 60mm longer windscreen for improved frontal vision while the side windows are also more upright in a move that brings an added 50mm of shoulder room according to Range Rover’s own figures.

Further details and images after the jump

Audi Q5 Hybrid leaks out ahead of Los Angeles auto show.

Images and technical drawings of Audi's new Q5 Hybrid have hit the Internet a week before it's official unveiling at the Los Angeles auto show. Details to follow . . .

Honda CR-Z takes JCOTY honours

Honda's quirky CR-Z has been crowned Japanese Car Of The Year for 2010. The compact, gasoline-electric powered Honda coupe narrowly beat off competition from the Volkswagen Polo and Suzuki Swift. Here's how they scored:

1 Honda CR-Z 406
2 Volkswagen Polo 397
3 Suzuki Swift 228
4 Peugeot RCZ 190
5 Nissan March 67
6 BMW 5-series 62
7 Jaguar XJ 54
8 Mazda Premacy 51
9 Toyota Mark X 26
10 Mercedes E-class 19

Smart to revive ForMore with the help of Nissan.

Plans by Mercedes-Benz's troubled Smart division to develop a series of new models, including a successor to today's ForTwo and the discontinued FourFour, with alliance partner Renault-Nissan were made official by Dieter Zetsche and Carlos Ghosn at a press conference in Brussels in April.
What was not communicated back then is that high ranking officials at both the German and French car makers are also considering design proposals for a third new Smart model: a replacement for the stillborn ForMore.

Further details and images of the original Smart ForMore after the jump

Dodge Neon to be revived . . . on Alfa Romeo Guiletta underpinnings

Fiat boss Sergio Marchionni has confirmed a revival of the Dodge Neon is well on track. The third iteration of the compact Dodge sedan is tentatively planned for US sale in 2012, when it will go head-to-head with the new Ford Focus and a upcoming Buick Excelle sedan. The new Neon will be a much more modern car than either of its predecessors, sitting on the same front-wheel drive C-Evo underpinnings as the recently introduced Alfa Romeo Guillietta and powered by a range of Alfa Romeo developed four-cylinder gasoline engines complete with the company's patented TwinAir induction technology.

Fiat readying new Panda

Fiat is little more than a year away from introducing a third-generation version of its much beloved Panda. The tall four-door hatchback is planned to make its public premiere at the Frankfurt auto show in September, 2011 just prior to the start of European sales. Unlike the second-generation Panda which was produced in Tichy, Poland - the site responsible for the Fiat 500 and mechanical identical Ford Ka, the new model will be built in at the old Alfa-Romeo Sud plant in Pomigliano dÁrco, Italy. Fiat plans to invest around $US900 million modernising the sprawling site in a move insiders suggest will increase annual capacity to 300,000 cars per year.

Mercedes-Benz F800 granted production codename name. Sales set for 2013.

Mercedes-Benz has formalised plans to produce the striking F800 Style concept by giving it an official codename: C117.
The new four door is planned to enter the German car maker's line-up as a replacement for the discontinued CLC in 2013 positioned below the soon-to-be-facelifted C-class.
Based on Mercedes-Benz new MFA platform, with a transverse engine and front-wheel drive (and the option of four-wheel drive), the producton version of the F800 Style will offer a choice of gasoline, diesel and hybrid drive.

BMW greenlights Vision EfficientDynamics coupe

BMW has formerly announced what was widely suspected when it first went live with the mysterious dontblogaboutthis.com website featuring an electric version of the 6-series coupe back in September: the Vision EfficientDynamics will be built.
And not just in small numbers like those Audi is planning for the first of its eTron models and Mercedes-Benz indicates for its SLS E-Cell – just two of the new BMW’s alternative drive rivals. Klaus Draeger, head of research and development at BMW, told TheAutoInsider he's looking at volumes of "thousands rather than hundreds over a life cycle of around seven years" for the new car.
He also confirmed the production version of the Vision EfficientDynamics due out towards the end of 2013 would be sold directly to customers rather than be offered on a limited period lease deal, as BMW as did with its first limited production alternative drive model, the Mini E, and plans to do with next year's 1-series ActiveE.
Further details and video after the jump.

Second Alfa Romeo SUV to lend Jeep Grand Cherokee underpinnings

Alfa Romeo looks set to add a second SUV based on the same underpinnings as the Jeep Grand Cherokee to its line-up as part of plans to re-enter the US market in 2013. Already hard at work on a compact SUV based on a four-wheel drive version of parent company Fiat's new C-segment platform to challenge the likes of the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLK, the Italian car maker is also laying the foundations for a more upmarket SUV to go up against the Qudi Q7, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz M-class, according to the head of development, Harald Wester. Nothing has been made official just yet, but indications are the Alfa Romeo's future range topping model will sit on the same GC designated platform as the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee. 52-year-old Wester outlined the company's new model plans in a recent interview. "In 2012 we plan to launch a successor to the 159. At around the same time we'll introduce a compact SUV. A year later, in 2013, follows a new Spider and an even larger SUV." The big question is: will Wester look to the Jeep Grand Cherokee plant in Detroit to produce the large Alfa Romeo SUV or will it run down production lines at Magna in Austria? With BMW and Mercedes-Benz already producing the X5 and M-class in North America, the former scenario is not without precedent. Wester says Alfa Romeo's long term goal are global sales of 350,000 - up from just 120,000 in 2009.

Mercedes-Benz gives production go-ahead to CLS Shooting Brake

Mercedes-Benz boss, Dieter Zetsche, has confirmed the CLS Shooting Brake will head into production. Revealed in concept car form at this year's Beijing auto show, the new four door coupe-cum-wagon is planned to go on sale in 2012 with the same range of engines as the new second-generation CLS sedan: naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 and turbocharged 4.6-litre V8 gasoline units and a 3.0-litre V6 common rail diesel. Also planned is a range topping CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake that, in combination with a optional performance package, is set to pack up to 571bhp. Ever since the CLS Shooting Brake was granted the official codename X216 back in June, rumours have circulated about its probable production future. Production of the new car will take place at Mercedes-Benz's Sindelfingen plant in Germany along the CLS sedan.

Audi S7 set for Geneva auto show reveal

Production of the Audi A7 may have just got underway but the German car maker's engineers are already well advanced on a S7 version of the new upmarket liftback.
Planned to make its public premiere at the Geneva auto show in March 2011, the Mercedes-Benz CLS500 rivalling four door flaunts a series of exterior styling changes aimed at giving it a more aggressive appearance than its milder A7 siblings.
Included is a deeper front bumper providing added cooling capacity to the engine bay, a unique grille treatment, wider sills underneath the doors, aluminium look mirror housings and deeper rear bumper with twinned chrommed tailpipes.
The naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine used in the S6 has been overlooked in favour of a more economical but no less powerful twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8. The new engine, developed in partnership with Bentley, is claimed to deliver in the region of 450bhp and close on 600Nm of torque. . . enough, one Audi engineer told TheAutoInsider, to endow the four-wheel drive S7 with 0-62mph acceleraton in under 5.0sec and a top speed limited to 155mph.