Roewe 550
The
first of the reborn, Chinese-made MGs will come back to the UK by the
end of the year, an MG UK spokeswoman has said this week. Automotive
News Europe reports that two models, a four-door saloon and five-door
hatch developed from the Roewe (itself based on the former Rover 75) will join the reanimated MG TF on sale.
This 'MG6' is a small family car, on a shortened version of the 75
platform, and will be targeted against the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra
and soforth. It will go on sale in China first - where the 75-derived
MG7, the 25-derived MG3 supermini and TF roadster are already on sale -
before coming to the UK and Ireland. Main production of the car will be
in China, though MG UK does intend to assemble vehicles from
pre-fabricated kits at the remains of the Longbridge site in the West
Midlands.
A city car is said to be under development as well, and then a replacement for the aged TF.
Toyota talks about Yaris-based hybrid
27 Mar 09 13:44
Toyota
is working on a new small hybrid based on the Yaris, developed
specifically to be low-priced and accessible. Engineer Akihito Otsuka
told the Nikkei newspaper this week that the car will undercut the
Honda Insight, and be offered as a considerably more affordable option
than the latest Prius. It will also rival the upcoming Honda Jazz
hybrid.
This model, which will probably not take the 'Yaris' name and will be
thus marketed as a standalone vehicle in its own right, is due for
launch around 2011. It will use Toyota's own lithium-ion battery packs
(the Prius has nickel-hydride batteries supplied by Panasonic), as
Toyota aims to make more of its technologies in-house. Global sales are
planned for this car.
Leipzig: Audi unveils TT RS Roadster
27 Mar 09 15:06
Audi TT RS Roadster
Audi
is launching its TT RS Roadster at the Leipzig Motor Show this weekend.
This 340bhp drop-top has the new five-cylinder, 340bhp 2.5-litre engine
as in the TT RS Coupe, featuring direct injection and turbocharging,
and is good or 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds. It'll only do 24.8mpg, however.
The TT RS Roadster comes with quattro four-wheel-drive,
specifically-tuned sports suspension and high-performance brakes. It
goes on sale later this spring; UK prices will be confirmed shortly.
Citroen C4 sported up by Loeb
24 Mar 09 12:20
Citroen C4 By Loeb
Citroen is offering a special edition C4 celebrating French World Rally Champ Sebastien Loeb.
Loeb's signature appears on the 'by Loeb' car's doors and on the
tailgate, and the car also gets red or black/aluminium mirrors, a
spoiler, black or white 17-inch alloys, steel and aluminium interior
trim details, red-stitched leather steering wheel and gear lever, black
and red mesh cloth sports seats and red-trimmed floor mats. There's a
choice of red or black paint only. Equipment includes air conditioning,
rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, an auto-dimming rear-view
mirror, an MP3-compatible audio system, cruise control with speed
limiter, and traction and cruise control.
Engines on offer with this edition are the 110bhp 1.6 HDi 16v
diesel or the 1.6 16v VTi (120bhp) and 1.6i 16v THP (150bhp) petrols.
Prices start from £14,395.
Read more...
