Official: Super-Duper Audi A1 Quattro with 256-Horses [44 Photos]

Audi has officially presented the meanest and baddest production version of its A1 series yet, aptly called the A1 Quattro. Both its name and styling details such as the white colored alloy wheels clearly draw on Audi's rallying heritage.

The first ever quattro version of Audi's premium supermini, which was previously thought to be named RS 1, will be produced in a limited run of just 333 units with sales to start in the second half of 2012.

Powering Ingolstadt's hot hatch is a tuned 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection and turbocharging technologies that produces 256HP at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 350 Nm (258.2 lb-ft) continuously available between 2,500 and 4,500 rpm.

The 2.0 TFSI is couple to a six-speed manual gearbox and Audi's quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. Audi says the A1 quattro sprints from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.7 seconds and has a top speed of 245km/h (152mph), while it consumes on average less than 8.5 lt/100km (27.7 US mpg).

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New Citroën DS5 Poses Next to the Concorde Supersonic Passenger Airliner

Citroën is building on the attention brought about its new DS5 high-riding hatchback through a series of cinemagraphs released in November, by publishing a new set of artistic photographs.

This time, the DS5 poses under the wings of the iconic Concorde aircraft, which was the first, and to date only, supersonic passenger jet in the world, just as the legendary DS did back at its time.

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2013 Mercedes-Benz SL: Feast Your Eyes on 60 High-Res Photos and the First Official Videos

The last couple of days, the sixth-generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL roadster has been one of the hottest subjects on the web – and rightly so, as it introduces several new technologies that will eventually trickle down to the premium automaker's other models.

There's a lot to mention, but one of the highlights is the aluminum bodywork, which significantly reduces weight and has a positive effect on both agility and handling as well as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

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2012 Fiat Panda: New Mega Gallery with 171 Photos

We have already seen the 2012 Fiat Panda at its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this past September, but the Italian brand has just dropped a massive gallery comprising of more than 170 high-resolution photos, some of which are quite picturesque.

To refresh your memory, this is just the third iteration of the Panda in the model's 31-year history. It's predecessor were extremely successful and popular throughout Europe having sold some 6.5 million units over the past three decades.

Fiat hopes to build on the success of the Panda's predecessors with the new model, which is available exclusively with five doors and comes with a slightly larger body that measures 3,650 mm long, 1,640 mm wide and 1,550 mm tall for improved passenger space.

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New BMW 6-Series Range Grows with the Addition of the Four-Door Gran Coupe [146 Photos]

It took BMW 20 months from the presentation of the Concept Gran Coupe at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show in April of 2010 to present the production version of its foray into the premium four-door coupe segment, the all-new 6-Series Gran Coupe.

The new model is essentially a four-door version of the latest 6-Series Coupe and will allow the Bavarian automaker to compete head on with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Audi A7 Sportback and Porsche Panamera sports saloons.

Given that the original concept was production ready, it doesn't come to much of a surprise that the only styling changes made concern the lower part of the front bumper, the re-positioned reflectors on the rear bumper and the different tail pipes.

The Gran Coupe's exterior styling builds on 6 Series Coupe adding an extra pair of doors while keeping the low-slung appearance.

Measuring 197 inches (5,007mm) long with a wheelbase of 116.8 inches (2,968 mm), the Gran Coupe is 4.4 inches (111mm) longer than its 2-door coupe sibling, with most of the extra length going towards the rear passengers.

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Toyota Debuts New 2012 Camry Sedan in Australia [52 Photos]

Toyota continues its global roll out of the seventh-generation of its Camry sedan with the Australian launch. The down-under version of Toyota's bestseller is identical to the North American model sans for the interior fabrics, colour, and trim as well as the steering and suspension settings that were adapted for the local market.

The Australian Camry is produced in Melbourne with the factory being heavily dependent on exports, mainly to the Middle East region.

"Camry will be a significant contributor to the Australian and Victorian economies, and holds the key to a strong future for the local automotive sector," said Toyota Australia senior executive director sales and marketing, David Buttner.

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Scion Releases Footage from FR-S Presentation in Los Angeles

Last week, Scion lifted the curtains on the third and final (unless Lexus and Daihatsu have other plans…) iteration of the 2+2 rear-wheel drive coupe developed by Toyota and Subaru, the North American market FR-S.

For those of you that missed the presentation in Los Angeles, Scion has released official coverage from November 30th's launch event that includes an introduction by the firm's Vice President, Jack Holl.

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Rare Find: Fully Restored 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal V8 up for Sale on eBay

Looking over at eBay's listings today, we discovered a very rare Alfa Romeo sports coupe up for sale.

The car is a 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal of which only around 3,900 examples were built over a period of seven years from 1970 to 1977, and none were officially imported to North America as the coupe didn't meet U.S. and Canadian emission control requirements at the time.

The Italian sports car was designed by the great Marcello Gandini of Bertone fame and was originally presented as a concept at the 1967 Montreal Expo in Canada before making it into production as the Montreal in 1977.

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High Heels and Shiny Wheels: The 2011 Tokyo Motor Show Edition

Gentlemen, you may start your engines because we have a special treat for you today. After all the metal from the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show, it's time for something a little bit different but equally, if not more, interesting.

If the opening picture caught you attention, there's a lot more from where that came from in our high resolution gallery that you're more than welcome to enjoy directly after the break.

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Marangoni's Range Rover Evoque HFI-R Puts on its Red Shoes

In keeping with its tradition of showing up at the Bologna Motor Show with an impressive concept, Italian tire manufacturer Marangoni chose this year's edition of the venue to reveal the Range Rover Evoque HFI-R.

The first thing that catches your eye as you look at the pictures is the experimental ruby red coloured Marangoni tires – well, for many it will actually be the curvalicious brunette model but that's irrelevant to this story.

Marangoni says that the bespoke “M-Power EvoRed” tires are made from special compounds with high silica content that helps rolling resistance and consequently fuel consumption. The 255/30R20 tires are wrapped around a new set of 20-inch alloy wheels from O.Z. Racing.

In addition, the bodywork of the car has been completely repainted in a special satin paint called Titanium Fluid Metal while the roof, the pillars, the door handles and the grille are finished in gloss black.

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Live Photos of the New Toyota Aqua or Prius C from the Tokyo Motor Show

Apparently, the Prius nameplate isn't as strong in Toyota's home market of Japan as it is in the rest of the world as what we will come to know as the new Prius C will be marketed locally as the Aqua.

Besides the name, there's nothing else different about the Aqua that made its world premiere this week at the 42nd edition of the bi-annual Tokyo Motor Show in Japan.

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2013 Scion FR-S: This is the Final Production Version and it goes on Sale Next Spring [Updated]

The third chapter of what has turned out to be a very long saga came to an end tonight with the official presentation of the new 2013 Scion FR-S, which follows the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ introductions at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier today.

The name Scion chose for the North American version of the Toyota 86 stands for Front-engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport. The 2+2 coupe is the fifth model to join the Scion family and will go on sale in the United States and Canada in the spring of 2012.

“Serving as a laboratory for Toyota, Scion is always experimenting with new things,” said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. “The brand is iconic with the xB, adrenalized by the tC, and groundbreaking with the iQ. The FR-S will no doubt serve as the halo car, expanding Scion into a new dimension of driving performance," he added.

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Subaru BRZ Joins its Toyota Sibling at the Tokyo Motor Show [Live Photos + New Videos]

Danny de Vito and body builder-turned actor-turned California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, were probably the only twins that were completely different to one another. On the other hand, that was a comedy film in which artistic freedom allows the producers to do anything they please.

In the real world, human twins may indeed differ, mostly in character – though not as much as Arnie and Danny by any stretch of the imagination. In the automotive world, however, when two manufacturers jointly develop a vehicle, 99.9% of the times it ends up being identical to its sibling.

Even Subaru and Toyota are not pretending that their BRZ and 86/GT86 are anything but the same car. They clearly admit it in their press releases and even inscribe it on the engine cover. It’s badge engineering, pure and simple.

Therefore, all the hoopla about the extremely low center of gravity, the compact dimensions, the fun to drive RWD configuration et al is repeated in the BRZ which also made its premiere today at the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show.

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Toyota's MR2 Based GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II gets its Motorshow Debut

Visitors at this week's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show will have the chance to see Toyota's MR2 roadster-based GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II in the flesh.

Developed by Toyota and its motorsports partner Gazoo Racing, the prototype made its debut at this year’s 24-hour endurance race at the Nürburgring in Germany.

For those of you wondering, "GRMN" is an acronym for “Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of the Nürburgring,” the latter being a nickname for Toyota’s late test driver Hiromu Naruse who died in an accident last summer while driving a prototype of the Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition.

The GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II is a development of last year's racing prototype that was based on production MR-2. The second iteration of Toyota's hybrid sports car features a brand new body while also improving upon the first concept on the powertrain front.

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Suzuki Envisions a Global Compact Car with Regina Concept in Tokyo

The good thing with concept studies is that reality doesn't have time to sink in during their creation so designers can pretty much do whatever they want. And while Suzuki's Regina concept may not be to everybody's liking, its groovy -almost Citroen-like- styling won't go by unnoticed.

Suzuki says that the Regina embodies its vision of a next-generation global small car featuring a lightweight construction and impressive fuel economy.

The concept is 3.5-metres long and 1.6-metres wide, while it weighs in at just 730kg (1,609 pounds). According to the Japanese automaker, the quirky looking city car has a drag coefficient at least 10% lower than that of current models of the same size and category.

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Subaru's New JDM Impreza Sport Hatch and G4 Sedan Break Cover in Tokyo

While the new BRZ coupe and the Sports Advance Tourer concept are the ones to watch out for at Subaru's Tokyo Motor Show stand, the Japanese automaker also revealed the much more important from a sales perspective, domestic market versions of its new Impreza. Read more »

Toyota 86 in the Flesh from the Tokyo Motor Show, Plus New Promo Video

What is Toyota’s first car with a front-mounted, horizontally opposed engine and rear-wheel drive? Surprisingly, even to most motoring hacks, it’s not the 86 (or GT 86 for European buyers).

It's a car that goes back almost half a century: the two-cylinder, boxer-engined Sports 800. So there you have it: another piece of information with which you can impress your friends.

This is 2011 though, and the latest boxer-powered, rear-wheel drive Toyota is the much talked about 86. It may have been officially revealed four days ago (and unofficially even earlier), but the Tokyo Motor Show gives the public its first chance to see Toyota’s sports car in the flesh.

Even though Toyota claims a 50 year-old heritage behind the 86, as everyone knows - heck even Snooki should be aware of this by now…- the rear-wheel drive coupe has been developed in cooperation with Subaru, which in Tokyo is displaying its own version, the BRZ.

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Alpina's New 540HP BMW B6 BiTurbo Coupe Warms up the Tokyo Motor Show

The B3 GT3 limited edition isn't the only Alpina making its debut at this week's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show as the boutique automaker also brought along the coupe version of its B6 BiTurbo based on the latest BMW 650i.

Alpina has taken BMW's 4.4-liter V8 turbo engine to the next level with a series of upgrades including an intercooled dual turbo system and the addition a new titanium exhaust system developed in conjunction with exhaust specialists Akrapovic, that all help to lift output to 540-horsepower at 5,500 rpm and peak torque to 700Nm (516 lb-ft).

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Mazda Hints at Next Mazda6 with Diesel-Powered Takeri Concept in Tokyo

Arguably, the Takeri concept is Mazda’s most important attraction at this week's Tokyo Motor Show. Intended to showcase the styling of the Mazda6's replacement that is due in 2013, it adopts many elements of the new “Kodo” design introduced in the Shinari concept, which is also on display at the firm's Tokyo stand.

Powering the 4,850mm long four-door sedan study is the new SKYACTIV-D 2.0-liter diesel engine linked to the firm's new 6-speed automatic transmission.

The Takeri is also fitted with Mazda’s i-stop idling stop system and a unique regenerative braking system called ‘i-ELOOP’ (Intelligent Energy Loop). The i-ELOOP is billed as the world’s first kinetic energy recovery system that uses a capacitor and a 25V to 12V alternator instead of a traditional battery pack.

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Audi A1 Sportback Makes its World Premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show

The star attraction at Audi's booth in Tokyo is the new Audi A1 Sportback, which will be rolling into showrooms across the world – but not in the U.S.- in early 2012.

The more practical, five-door version of the A1 has the same length as the three door model at 3.95 meters (12.96 ft) but is several millimeters taller and wider thus offering a little more space in the rear seats – though don't expect any wonders.. In addition, buyers can order the Sportback with either a four- or five-seat layout at no extra cost.

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