Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse – Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse New Grand Sport Vitesse gets the same 1,184bhp W16 engine as the Veyron Super Sport and becomes the world’s fastest convertible
This is the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse – a convertible version of the record-breaking Super Sport and the world’s fastest convertible. 

It will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and features the same 8.0-litre W16 engine as the Super Sport, which produces 1,184bhp and 1,500Nm of torque, thanks to enlarged turbochargers and intercoolers. 

That should mean the Grand Sport Vitesse has a top speed only slightly lower than the Super Sport, which scored a new world record when it hit 268mph. 
  
In addition Bugatti will make changes to the car’s chassis to handle the extra power. Prices are yet to be announced but the Grand Sport Vitesse is expected to cost around £2m.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse New Grand Sport Vitesse gets the same 1,184bhp W16 engine as the Veyron Super Sport and becomes the world’s fastest convertible
This is the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse – a convertible version of the record-breaking Super Sport and the world’s fastest convertible. 

It will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and features the same 8.0-litre W16 engine as the Super Sport, which produces 1,184bhp and 1,500Nm of torque, thanks to enlarged turbochargers and intercoolers. 

That should mean the Grand Sport Vitesse has a top speed only slightly lower than the Super Sport, which scored a new world record when it hit 268mph. 
  
In addition Bugatti will make changes to the car’s chassis to handle the extra power. Prices are yet to be announced but the Grand Sport Vitesse is expected to cost around £2m.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

Lamborghini SUV confirmed New SUV will be a successor to the Lamborghini LM002 and is set to debut at the Beijing Motor Show
Italian supercar maker Lamborghini has confirmed it will re-enter the 4×4 market with an all-new, three-door SUV, due to be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show in April. The model is the spiritual successor to the LM002 of the eighties, and will be called the MLC.

The Lamborghini SUV is the firm’s second attempt at a third model line, and it had been desperate to keep details of the SUV under wraps. But leaks from parent company Audi have forced it to admit to the concept car’s existence. Yet Lamborghini insiders also admit that the SUV project has gone beyond being a simple concept car, and is almost certainly bound for production in 2015.

The SUV will be based on a platform that will also be used on the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, VW Touareg and new Bentley SUV. However, Lamborghini has been given free reign to modify the platform to bring the car’s kerbweight down.

To that end, engineers who worked on the carbon-fibre construction of the Aventador have been developing carbon fibre versions of key cabin structures, such as the dash bracing and the full-length transmission tunnel. As a result, Lamborghini has already pulled 400kg out of the car’s total mass already, and it’s keen to keep the final figure below 2,000kg. 

Unlike the Aventador and Gallardo, the new SUV will be front engined. Power is likely to come from a 584bhp version of the 5.2-litre V10 from the Gallardo, which will produce more torque from low revs.

Not only will this be Lambo’s first SUV, but it’s also likely to be offered as the firm’s first hybrid model. The layout will be able to accommodate an electric motor and lthium-ion battery pack, which will boost power over 600bhp.

People who have seen sketches of the SUV concept suggest that its nose looks a lot like a high-rise version of the Estoque, the luxury saloon Lamborghini, which was shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The three-door layout further enhances the aggressive look, and the car will have flared rear wheelarches.

Lamborghini will introduce the SUV concept to the developing Chinese market first, and the expectation is that it will join the Aventador and next-generation Gallardo in 2015 or 2016. Lambo is predicting global sales in the region of 1,500 cars a year, most of which will be in the US and China.

With a price tag of around USD200,000, it will clearly sit above current fast SUVs such as the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, BMW X6M and upcoming Maserati Kubang.

While the SUV is a near certainty, there’s still hope for a production version of the Estoque saloon. Sources insist the four-door is still in the product planning mix, and could be fast-tracked into production by using a lower-riding version of the MLC’s platform, in much the same way as Porsche has done with the Cayenne and Panamera models.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

Next Ford Transit The Ford Tourneo shows what the next Ford Transit will look like

The Ford Tourneo Custom Concept previews the look of the next Ford Transit. 

It uses Ford’s kinetic design language, following in the footsteps of the Fiesta and Focus, with the same trapezoidal grille on its nose, while the headlamps taper upwards with a distinctive kick in the rear side windows and windscreen. LED lighting and 18-inch alloy wheels give it an upmarket look.

Visibility will still be good, thanks to a large glass area, but a reversing camera covers blind spots at the rear. The tailgate stretches from the floor to the roof, allowing for an almost uninterrupted rear loading area, and sliding side doors also appear. As with the current Transit, both short and long-wheelbase variants will be produced, and an eight-seat version will be offered as Ford chases both commercial and leisure markets. 

Ford has confirmed that the Tourneo will be powered by the 2.2-litre Duratorq diesel with 98, 123 and 153bhp power outputs. All will be front-wheel drive and come with a six-speed manual gearbox. Stop-start and regenerative braking will be standard. 

Inside, the fully trimmed cabin offers features such as driver and passenger side and curtain airbags, an Emergency Assistance system to locate the vehicle in a major accident, Lane Departure Warning and Driver Alert anti-fatigue systems, as well as voice control for audio and phone connectivity. 

The Ford Tourneo will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, and is expected on sale in 2013.

 

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

Volvo V40 leaked Official pictures of the Volvo V40 have appeared on the web ahead of the Geneva Motor Show
Images of the Volvo V40 have been leaked on to the Internet, ahead of its scheduled debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

Pitched as a seperate model to the C30 hatch, the V40 will give Volvo a direct rival to the five-door VW Golf, Ford Focus and premium rivals like the BMW 1 Series and new Audi A3 (which has also been leaked today).

As you can see from these low-res studio shots, the front end is inspired by the S60 saloon, but the wedgy profile is unique to this model. Most notable is the quirky shoulder line, which kinks underneath the rear window. Also visible is a full-length glass roof that flows seamlessly into the windscreen.

The links with the S60 continue under the skin – the V40 uses a modified version of the S60′s underpinnings, so it’s longer and roomier than the three-door C30.

There’s no news on the engine range yet, but a sub-100g/km DRIVe version is a certainty, while a plug-in hybrid using the same mechanicals as the forthcoming V60 plug-in is a possibility.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

Audi A3 pictures leaked Official pictures of new Audi A3 have been leaked ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show
Images of what’s claimed to be the next-generation Audi A3 have been leaked, weeks ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

While we’ve spotted masked versions in testing, these undisguised images show the new A3 in full. The white three-door hatch in these shots gets a sharper look that’s similar to the new Audi A6 and revised A4 and A5 ranges. It’s built on VW’s new MQB platform, and it should have a longer wheelbase to offer more interior space and a better ride.

There’s a bolder, more aggressive grille with detailed LED headlamps. There’s also a silver front splitter and integrated foglamps surrounding Audi’s signature grille. The front image also reveals a cluster of electronics in the windscreen around the rear-view mirror, suggesting new radar-based safety features.

The side profile features a narrow glasshouse with a strong waistline tapering towards the rear, with RS3-style alloy wheels and thick C-pillars. There’s a roof spoiler above the rear windscreen which should smooth out the aerodynamics to imrove economy. The tail-lights appear to be LEDs, while a pair of chrome-tipped exhausts poke out of a grey diffuser. 

There are images of the cabin too, which were shown earlier this year at the CES electronics show in Las Vegas. They show a cleaner, smarter dash and more sculptured seats. The smart circular air vents are a familiar Audi touch, and the dashboard display has been updated. The boot includes a 60/40-split rear seat with a ski-hatch.

We’ll be able to bring you more details when the A3 makes it global debut at the Geneva Motor Show on 6 March.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

For an alternative review of the latest Audi A3 visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

Latest Euro NCAP results Tougher Euro NCAP test makes five-star rating more valuable than ever, but some cars still fare badly
The Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Audi Q3 and Ford Ranger have all earned five-star ratings in the latest round of Euro NCAP tests.

The Ford Focus – the second-best selling car in Britain in January – earned a score of 92 per cent to secure a five star rating, while the Ford Ranger scored 96 per cent in adult and 86 per cent in child occupant safety, with 81 per cent in pedestrian safety to lock in its five star performance.

The Nissan Leaf has scored a five-star rating after being reassessed, while the Volvo V60 scored 100 per cent in the Safety Assist criteria as part of its five-star rating. The Audi Q3, Honda Civic, BMW X1, BMW 1 Series and Subaru XV all picked up the top rating. 

The only poor result came from Jeep. The Jeep Compass underperformed in the side-impact pole test, while it fared even worse by scoring only 23 per cent in the pedestrian safety area. The low scoring meant that, even though it was tested with optional thorax airbags, it could only earn a two-star rating.

The next round of Euro NCAP results are due in late May 2012.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

Toyota FT-Bh teaser Toyota FT-Bh teaser shots shown ahead of Geneva reveal
These images confirm that the Toyota FT-Bh – which stands for Future Toyota B-segment Hybrid – will be on show at Geneva in a few weeks.

With an emphasis on its efficiency and environmental credentials, the FT-Bh uses existing technology to create a car that is realistically achievable in the short term. 

Toyota has focused on five key areas of the car. Weight of the five-door supermini is less than 800kg, which means that the second area under the microscope – the hybrid drivetrain’s efficiency – can be honed. 

The third area is thermal energy management, which also benefits from electricity saving (the fourth) and Toyota’s “total vehicle” approach that sees the fifth aspect – aerodynamic efficiency – improve by 30 per cent.

The Toyota FT-Bh will be revealed on 6 March at the Geneva Motor Show.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

BMW 3 Series Touring spotted New BMW 3 Series Touring has been seen cold weather testing ahead of its debut later this year
The BMW 3 Series Touring has been spotted testing. Following the saloon’s release late last year, the Touring version will benefit from the new model’s longer wheelbase and increased interior space. 

These images show a front end that’s essentially unchanged from the saloon, while the rear sees a sloping roofline towards a rooftop spoiler and BMW’s trademark rear pillars. Practicality is increased by the rear-opening glass, as well as 40/20/40 split rear seats that offer more flexibility than the current model’s 60/40 seating.

The new 3 Series Touring will also benefit from the saloon’s improved weight distribution, better fuel consumption and emissions, as well as the new range of smaller capacity turbocharged engines and eight-speed gearbox. 

The most efficient model in the saloon range is the 320d Efficient Dynamics. Its 2.0-litre four cylinder achieves 68.9mpg and 109g/km of CO2, so expect similar results when this driveline is installed in the Touring. BMW has also confirmed an ActiveHybrid 3 petrol-electric saloon, so expect a Touring version of the hybrid, too. 

BMW has officially ruled out an M3 Touring, making the 301bhp 335i the most potent model of the range. 

The BMW 3 Series Touring will be revelaed at the Paris Motor Show in October before going on sale in early 2013, with prices starting from £25,000.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

For an alternative review of the latest BMW 3-Series visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

Honda Civic achieves five-star Euro NCAP – Honda Civic achieves five-star Euro NCAP New Honda Civic given a five-star safety rating in latest Euro NCAP tests
The new Honda Civic has scored a full five-star Euro NCAP rating. The new model Civic, which features Vehicle Stability Assist, driver and passenger airbags, curtain airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners and Honda’s Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), continues Honda’s strong record of Euro NCAP results.  

The Civic’s CMBS is a radar-based emergency braking system that works above 10mph. In the event of an imminent collision, the system offers a series of warnings before activating the seatbelt pre-tensioners and braking the car, bringing it to a complete stop.

The Civic also scored well thanks to its ‘Advanced Compatibility Engineering’ body structure, as well as pedestrian protection features, including an energy-absorbing front end and bonnet hinges to minimise harm to pedestrians in the event of a collision.

The Euro NCAP rating system was introduced in February 2009 and uses a weighted score. Adult safety (50 per cent), child (20 per cent) and pedestrian protection (20 per cent) are combined with the availability of safety assistance devices (10 per cent). The Civic’s result means that every Honda currently on sale in the UK has achieved a five-star rating.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.

For an alternative review of the latest Honda Civic visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk