Spy Shots: Five-door Ford Fiesta snapped, still not the sedan

Filed under: Spy Photos, Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford

Click above for more high-res spy shots of the Ford Fiesta five-door hatch

We can't wait to see the production three-door Ford Fiesta in person tomorrow at the Geneva Motor Show, though there are plenty of other model variants planned for this Mazda2-based B-segment car, including this five-door hatchback caught testing near the slopes of Sweden. As the photographers noted to us, adding an extra pair of doors does dampen the sleekness of the three-door model, but with the same front and rear end, as well as identical surfacing on the sides, even the five-door model impresses us with its outward attractiveness. While there are plans to sell the new Fiesta in the U.S., don't expect either hatchback to be offered. Ford hinted at what model would be sold in the States when it showed off a new version of the Verve four-door sedan concept in January at the Detroit Auto Show. Thus, we Yanks should expect a saloon version of the Fiesta and that's it, but we can always hope.

Gallery: Ford Fiesta Five-Door - spy shots

Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta

[Photos: KGP Photography]

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Spy Shots: Five-door Ford Fiesta snapped, still not the sedan

Filed under: Spy Photos, Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford

Click above for more high-res spy shots of the Ford Fiesta five-door hatch

We can't wait to see the production three-door Ford Fiesta in person tomorrow at the Geneva Motor Show, though there are plenty of other model variants planned for this Mazda2-based B-segment car, including this five-door hatchback caught testing near the slopes of Sweden. As the photographers noted to us, adding an extra pair of doors does dampen the sleekness of the three-door model, but with the same front and rear end, as well as identical surfacing on the sides, even the five-door model impresses us with its outward attractiveness. While there are plans to sell the new Fiesta in the U.S., don't expect either hatchback to be offered. Ford hinted at what model would be sold in the States when it showed off a new version of the Verve four-door sedan concept in January at the Detroit Auto Show. Thus, we Yanks should expect a saloon version of the Fiesta and that's it, but we can always hope.

Gallery: Ford Fiesta Five-Door - spy shots

Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta

[Photos: KGP Photography]

 

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Geneva '08 Preview: Lotus goes <i>tri</i>-fuel with Exige 270E

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrids/Alternative, Sports/GTs, Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Green, Lotus

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel

While assorted activists, politicians and random individuals carry on about the spectres of global warming, imported oil, CO₂ emissions and other issues that combine to create timetable-free doomsday scenarios, there are people working on potential solutions that do not involve us driving around four-wheeled Segway scooters. That's right: the "dreaded" internal combustion engine might yet provide the answer -- or at least an answer. And because Lotus is the entity searching for the answer in this particular case, the end result might not only be green -- it looks ridiculously fun, too.

The car you see here is the Geneva-bound Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel concept, the successor to 2006's Exige 265E, which made 265 horses running on E85. The 270E goes a step further. Not only can it run on gasoline or ethanol, it achieves its peak output -- 270 horsepower and 184 lb-ft -- on methanol, hence the Tri-Fuel label. Incidentally, that power figure is the highest yet for an Exige coming out of Hethel. Even more interesting, however, is Lotus' research into producing carbon-neutral synthetic methanol. You can read about it in detail after the jump, but in summary, the process involves using atmospheric CO₂ and reacting it with hydrogen created via renewable electrical power to create methanol. Liquid methanol could be transported and distributed much in the same way gasoline is now, making for a feasible infrastructure if the idea were to take hold somewhere down the line.

Lotus is also hunting for solutions involving EVs, as well as optimizing the traditional gasoline-powered ICE through its Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Group. One must admit, however, that the idea of a sustainable, synthetic, carbon-neutral fuel driving internal combustion engines with the same levels of power we currently enjoy is the equivalent of having your cake and eating it. Press on, Lotus.

Gallery: Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel

[Source: Lotus via AutoblogGreen]

Continue reading Geneva '08 Preview: Lotus goes tri-fuel with Exige 270E

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Geneva '08 Preview: Lotus goes <i>tri</i>-fuel with Exige 270E

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrids/Alternative, Sports/GTs, Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Green, Lotus

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel

While assorted activists, politicians and random individuals carry on about the spectres of global warming, imported oil, CO₂ emissions and other issues that combine to create timetable-free doomsday scenarios, there are people working on potential solutions that do not involve us driving around four-wheeled Segway scooters. That's right: the "dreaded" internal combustion engine might yet provide the answer -- or at least an answer. And because Lotus is the entity searching for the answer in this particular case, the end result might not only be green -- it looks ridiculously fun, too.

The car you see here is the Geneva-bound Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel, the successor to last year's Exige 265E, which made 265 horses running on E85. The 270E goes a step further. Not only can it run on gasoline or ethanol, it achieves its peak output -- 270 horsepower and 184 lb-ft -- on methanol, hence the Tri-Fuel label. Incidentally, that power figure is the highest yet for an Exige coming out of Hethel. Even more interesting, however, is Lotus' research into producing carbon-neutral synthetic methanol. You can read about it in detail after the jump, but in summary, the process involves using atmospheric CO₂ and reacting it with hydrogen created via renewable electrical power to create methanol. Liquid methanol could be transported and distributed much in the same way gasoline is now, making for a feasible infrastructure if the idea were to take hold somewhere down the line.

Lotus is also hunting for solutions involving EVs, as well as optimizing the traditional gasoline-powered ICE through its Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Group. One must admit, however, that the idea of a sustainable, synthetic, carbon-neutral fuel driving internal combustion engines with the same levels of power we currently enjoy is the equivalent of having your cake and eating it. Press on, Lotus.

Gallery: Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel

[Source: Lotus via AutoblogGreen]

Continue reading Geneva '08 Preview: Lotus goes tri-fuel with Exige 270E

 

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Geneva '08 Preview: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 caught hanging out

Filed under: Coupes, Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Supercars, Lamborghini

Though the 2008 Geneva Motor Show doesn't officially start until tomorrow, the show floor is open and it's amazing what you can find just parked out in the open. Some Geneva show-goers, for instance, have already caught the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 uncovered at Lamborghini's display. While we won't have any official info from the Raging Bull until tomorrow, reports speculate that the car's name is derived from its new 5.2L direct-inject V10 producing 560 PS (552 hp), and its four-wheel-drive system. The new engine, expected to become the Gallardo's sole motor eventually, is reportedly derived from the same V10 in the Audi RS6 Avant. The new LP560-4 is also said to be lighter than a standard Gallardo by some 20kg (44 lbs.), and features some important styling tweaks to the now five-year-old coupe.

While the exterior upgrades are minimal, once spotted they jump out at you. Up front are what appear to be new headlights, as well as a third intake or inlet that possibly directs air underneath the car. Positioned front, center and low between the two larger intakes, the new inlet adds some angles to the front end that are very reminiscent of the angular Reventon. Lamborghini has also added new vertical intakes ahead of the front wheels, though otherwise the profile remains the same except for new (and gorgeous) wheels. The largest exterior alteration is the rear end, which has been totally redone. The taillights are wider and shorter, a black grille stretches the entire expanse of the rear, and a pair of dual exhausts now exit within a black housing above a purposeful looking rear diffuser.

We'll have our own pics early tomorrow, but until then click the source to see a few more from the show floor. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: Asphalt.ch]

 

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Geneva '08 Preview: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 caught hanging out

Filed under: Coupes, Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Supercars, Lamborghini

Though the 2008 Geneva Motor Show doesn't officially start until tomorrow, the show floor is open and it's amazing what you can find just parked out in the open. Some Geneva show-goers, for instance, have already caught the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 uncovered at Lamborghini's display. While we won't have any official info from the Raging Bull until tomorrow, reports speculate that the car's name is derived from its new 5.2L direct-inject V10 producing 560 PS (552 hp), and its four-wheel-drive system. The new engine, expected to become the Gallardo's sole motor eventually, is reportedly derived from the same V10 in the Audi RS6 Avant. The new LP560-4 is also said to be lighter than a standard Gallardo by some 20kg (44 lbs.), and features some important styling tweaks to the now five-year-old coupe.

While the exterior upgrades are minimal, once spotted they jump out at you. Up front are what appear to be new headlights, as well as a third intake or inlet that possibly directs air underneath the car. Positioned front, center and low between the two larger intakes, the new inlet adds some angles to the front end that are very reminiscent of the angular Reventon. Lamborghini has also added new vertical intakes ahead of the front wheels, though otherwise the profile remains the same except for new (and gorgeous) wheels. The largest exterior alteration is the rear end, which has been totally redone. The taillights are wider and shorter, a black grille stretches the entire expanse of the rear, and a pair of dual exhausts now exit within a black housing above a purposeful looking rear diffuser.

We'll have our own pics early tomorrow, but until then click the source to see a few more from the show floor. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: Asphalt.ch]

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Geneva '08 Preview: Bertone B.A.T. 11 concept will debut in Geneva, but not at show

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Geneva Motor Show, Supercars, Alfa Romeo

The saga of whether Bertone will or will not be at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show to debut its Alfa Romeo B.A.T. 11 concept is over. Automotive News Europe is reporting that the Italign design house will display the vehicle you see above in Geneva, just not at the Palexpo where the auto show is taking place. Bertone's Vice Chairperson Marie-Jeanne Bertone told AN that her mother Lilli, who is also Bertone's Chairperson, had cancelled the company's booth at the Geneva show. Unfortunately, it's not yet known where within the city limits of Geneva the car will debut. We assume it will be a shady part of town and a password might be required to get in. Despite the highly unorthodox unveiling, the B.A.T. 11 looks every bit as dynamic as the original B.A.T. concepts from which it takes inspiration. Being that it's based on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione platform, it probably goes like stink, too. We'll do our best to infiltrate the Swiss underground scene and bring you back some live shots.

[Source: Automotive News Europe, sub. req'd]

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