General Motors' new city car, the Chevrolet Spark, will make its German market debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The Spark, which was shown in final production form at the Geneva Salon earlier this year, is due to go on sale in the majority of European markets at the beginning of 2010 where it will be offered with a choice of two newly-developed, all-aluminum 1.0 and 1.2-liter gasoline engines, generating 66HP and 78HP respectively.

Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox with the 1.2-liter unit expected to deliver zero to 100km/h (62mph) acceleration in 12.4 seconds while returning a combined fuel consumption of under 5.0lt/100 km (47+ mpg US).

The Spark is expected to arrive at U.S. showrooms during the first half of 2011.

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Bavarian tuner Motoren Technic Mayer, best known for its high-performance Audi models, has turned its attention on the German firm's new 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine. On the Audi S4 sedan and Avant models, MTM's treatment lifts output from 333HP and 440Nm (324.53 lb-ft) to 430HP and 515Nm (379.8 lb-ft) of torque which is even more than the previous generation RS4 that churned out 420 horsepower and 430Nm of torque.

Among the other hardware being offered on the Audi S4 are 19- and 21-inch Bimoto alloy wheels and a quad-pipe sport exhaust system plus a height adjustable suspension and a high-performance brake system.

As for the Audi A6 3.0 TFSI, MTM's engine kit boosts the supercharged V6's output from 290 horsepower to 360 horsepower.

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These are the first official photos of the Peugeot RCZ sports coupe that will be unveiled for the first time to the public in its final form at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Though the 2+2 seater coupe is not fully reveled in any of the photos, there's no doubt that the final production model keeps the original concept's styling right up to the double-bubble rear windshield and roof panel. The French automaker had shown the 308 RCZ concept model in 2007 at the Frankfurt motorshow.

The RCZ that will be the first model in Peugeot's range not to use the usual 'zero' or 'double-zero' numbering system is slated to enter production in Spring 2010.

Details on the engine-lineup are still sketchy but it is expected that the 'French TT' will make use of the BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroen co-developed, twin-scroll turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine which will be offered with various outputs, including a version with 218HP.

We also expect to see Pug's diesel engines including the new 2.0-liter four pot with 163HP and 340Nm of torque that recently made its way in the 407 Coupe.

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How many times have we seen spectators and professionals alike being hurt or even killed at rallies simply because they were standing in a prohibited area? The answer is more times than we can remember. In this incident that occurred in Russia, two foolish -and that's an understatement- cameramen provoked their fate by trying to capture the moment at a man-made overpass.

The result? The driver of a Nissan Patrol rally truck lost control of the vehicle hitting one cameraman and running over the other one. We had to watch the video several times to believe it, but amazingly, both men actually got up all by themselves - at least that part of the brain works. Even though we can't say if they suffered any injuries or not, they should consider themselves lucky just for being alive.

As for the driver in the Nissan, what can we say; dim-witted as the two men may be, they are still human beings and we cannot comprehend the fact that he didn't even stop for a moment to see if they were okay...

Thanks for the tip Chris!

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Our man with the long lens has caught the European version of the subtly-facelifted 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. The freshened model, which has already been unveiled in South Korea, will make its European debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and is expected to reach showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2009. The only visible cosmetic differences between the KDM and EDM Santa Fe concern the specific grille treatment with the chrome trim surround and the clear-colored lower section of the headlamps.

Other than that, the European variant features the same exterior upgrades as the Korean model which consist of redesigned bumpers and new tail lamp covers plus revised exterior mirrors that house turning signals and the new exhaust tips.

We suspect that the European Santa Fe will also receive similar updates to the interior including higher grade materials along with a redesigned center and new equipment features.

In South Korea, the redesigned Santa Fe gained a new pair of turbo diesel engines, a 2.0-liter unit with 184 horsepower and a 2.2-liter with 200 horsepower, both of which are linked to a 6-speed automatic transmission. While these fuel-efficient powertrains won't be offered in North America, our sources state that they will be available in Europe.

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For some twisted reason, Honda likes to remind us every once in a while that the CR-Z hybrid sports coupe and the hybrid version of the Jazz - Fit will enter production. But to completely fair, at least this time the Japanese automaker released some new information in the form of the JDM launch dates. According to Honda, customers in Japan will be able to buy the CR-Z from February 2010 and the Fit Hybrid (Jazz in Europe) sometime before the end of 2010.

Honda added that the start date for European sales of the spiritual successor of the CR-X coupe that is based on the 2007 Tokyo Show CR-Z concept car will be released toward the end of 2009.

And what about the Jazz Hybrid? Well, Honda's exact words were "the IMA system will also be introduced into the award-winning Honda Jazz within the next few years." In other words, don't expect to see the hybrid supermini arriving at Honda's European showroom any time soon.

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Following in the footsteps of other automakers such as Nissan and Aston Martin, Ferrari has opened a new dedicated store at the Nurburgring race track. The 240 square meter Ferrari Store which happens to be the Italian firm's first shop in Germany, offers a wide variety of products from the Prancing Horse ranges for GT car customers as well as for enthusiasts while there's also a special lounge area for meetings and a relaxation area directly overlooking the circuit itself.

And if you have been wondering why so many makers have been opening stores lately at the 'Ring, the plan is to turn the world famous circuit into an all-year round "leisure and business center" - something like a 'Disney World' for car aficionados. For this reason, a great number of buildings are being added around the course including a dedicated shopping boulevard, an events and conference center and of course, hotels.

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Here's the first official photo of the updated 2010 Kia Cee'd facelift that made its way into the internet ahead of the compact hatchback's premiere at this fall's Frankfurt Motor Show. As anticipated, the Cee'd features a new fascia inspired by Kia's latest production and concept cars likes the Forte and KND-5 sedans. The cosmetic tidy-up includes the Korean firm's signature grille surround flanked by a pair of reshaped headlamps, plus a new bumper and hood design.

Furthermore, Kia's VW Golf contender also features restyled exterior mirrors with integrated turn signals while our spy shots suggest minor updates at the rear including a new set of tail lamps and quite possibly, a redesigned bumper.

As many of you might remember, a couple of weeks ago we showed you a trio of leaked shots of the 2010 Cee'd's dashboard which has been upgraded with new controls for the air-condition and audio system on the center console, a restyled steering wheel and updated gauges on the instrument panel.

Via: Automarket & Kia-World

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No sooner that we learned that Bob Lutz reversed his decision to retire from GM at the end of the year, deciding to extend his career as the firm's vice chairman in charge of all "creative elements of products and customer relationships", and the 77-year old is offering American car nuts a reason to celebrate. In an interview with Automobile Magazine, Lutz revealed that the Pontiac G8 isn't dead after all.

Despite the fact that only a month ago, in a live chat with online readers, GM CEO Fritz Henderson supported that the rear-wheel drive Pontiac sports sedan won't live in another brand, Lutz told the magazine that the G8 will be reborn in the USA as the Chevrolet Caprice.

"The last time we looked at the G8, we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste." Can't disagree with Lutz on that one....

He also added that other key factors in this decision were the export agreements with Australia and the fact that the Holden Commodore is already sold in many countries as a Chevrolet.

What Lutz didn't say is in what form the G8 will survive in the USA - as a Holden Commodore / Pontiac G8 with a Chevy grille or will GM prefer to import the longer-wheelbase Holden Statesman / Caprice? That's probably a good point to start the conversation in the comment section below.

In addition to the G8, Lutz told the magazine that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe could be closer to production than we think, noting that that members of the government taskforce were quite interested in the BMW M3-challenging sports coupe during the presentation of the firm's product plan.

"When we went through design and looked at the future product, the procession stopped at the model of the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe," Lutz said. "I think that some of these guys are personally going to buy CTS-V Coupes."

Source: Automobile , Via: Autoblog.com

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If you're looking for a salesman going "slideways" or 200mph on the highway with a $2 million supercar, then sorry to say, you'll be disappointed. This video of the topless Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport was created by Adrian Hill, client advisor at St. Louis Motorsports located in Missouri. Apparently Adrian has found a different way to pitch the dealership's products by creating a string of videos that are somewhat goofy, yet charming due to their simplicity and his personal down-to-earth attitude.

Can't say if this particular video actually reaches the right clientele, but watching it makes you feel no different than if you visited a pal of yours who works at a ritzy dealership and he took you for a quick spin in a uber-expensive supercar.

Via: Autogespot , Source: Adrian

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