Here’s a look at the new Audi A1 competition kit which has been created in honour of some of the more legendary episodes in Audi racing, for example Walter Rohrl’s Pikes Peak campaign with the Audi Quattro Sport S1. If the A1 competition kit hasn’t already, it should really consider a career in rally car driving, if a hot sports version that goes beyond the level of aesthetic is produced.

The A1 competition kit uses the livery of Audi’s racing days in a complete accessory package which also includes ornamental touches to the air intakes, internal colour trim on the central console, door handles and external rear vision mirrors. Specially branded floor mats and sports steering wheel, gear lever and hand brake in red leather complete the look. To examine this A1 sports model more closely, check out the video after the jump.

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The Aston Martin Cygnet in this gallery, shows off its various colours to emphasise the limited edition, exclusive nature of this car. As we saw with the Cygnet live pics from Geneva, it’s the interior that lets you know you’re driving an Aston, otherwise it is just a Toyota iQ in disguise. The Cygnet can be ordered in all kinds of different tints, kits and finishings in accordance with the one-off idea.

Only 2,000 units of the Aston Martin Cygnet will be produced, although the date when production will start hasn’t been announced. Neither has the Cygnet price, although rumours suggest it could be about 22,000 euros, which 7,000 euros more than the Toyota iQ. The Cygnet is equipped with Toyota’s 1.33 litre engine with 100 hp.

Aston Martin Cygnet new pics

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The first Audi A1 on-road video shows the new compact driven by Markus Winkelhock (official Audi DTM driver), in a more modest standard version than those we’ve seen so far, although we do get a look at the famous “wasabi green” interior inserts and trim. With commentary from Horst Glaser of Audi’s chassis department, this is the first real sense I’ve got that the A1 could be a serious contender to the Mini, without the retro style, of course.

The A1 debut at the 2010 Geneva motor show was almost overshadowed by the A1 E-Tron prototype; the third in the E-Tron family, none of them are headed for production in the near future, although the second compact E-Tron is said to be the future Audi R4. In any case, if we were to see an A1 E-Tron in production, it could be a coup for Audi in conquering the urban electric market. We’ll have to wait and see.

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The 2010 Opel Corsa, Flextreme GT/E electric concept, final version Opel Ampera and the new Opel Meriva all appeared at the Opel stand at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. While the Opel Ampera with its range extending technology is now ready for its 2011 roll-out, the Flextreme GT/E represents another new electric-based model for Opel. It also uses the EREV architecture with range extending principles, using an electric motor with 163 hp, 16 Kw lithium batteries and a 1.4-litre engine with 72 hp. It has a total range of 500 km and an average fuel consumption of 1.6 l/100 km, with CO2 emissions of 40 g/km.

The new Opel Meriva with its Flexdoors is also on show at Geneva, displaying a vehicle that is taking on more ‘people mover’ features on a model that while larger, is still classed as a compact MPV. Also on display is the new 2010 Opel Corsa which, with its new makeover, should only continue the success of one of Europe’s most popular cars.

Opel stand live pics Geneva

Continue reading: Live at Geneva: new Opel Meriva, Corsa, Opel Ampera and Flextreme GT/E concept

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The Abarth Punto Evo and Abarth 500C were the only models occupying the Abarth stand at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, but we think the Punto Evo and the SS certainly make up for the lack of anything else. The Punto Evo is equipped with the 1.4-litre Multiair ’standard’ engine with 165 hp, while the Abarth Punto SS model has 180 hp and more aggressive styling, including 18-inch alloy wheels and brake cooling outlets. The Abarth Punto Evo also debuts with new “manettino” feature in front of the gear stick, which manages the engine, brakes and steering modes in Sport and Normal.

The Abarth 500C is one very chic, hot little cabrio for your city ride, equipped with the 1.4 T-Jet with 140 hp. It’s on show in a black-white colour combo, which is the only alternative to the grey tint seen in the official Abarth 500C pics. It comes with two transmission options: the ‘Abarth Competizione’ five-speed gearbox, or the MTA electro-automatic with steering wheel paddles. According to the press conference, the Abarth 500C will also get its own SS version, but no further information was available. The Punto Evo and 500C will both be available on sale from May this year.

2010 Abarth Punto Evo live pics Geneva

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The Aston Martin Cygnet interior is what makes this a special compact, city car. The exterior has been modified just enough to make it more pleasing to the eye than the Toyota iQ, but it hardly screams the Aston brand. The interior, on the other hand, is truly amazing - just like a luxury, 12 cylinder coupé. We won’t hazard a guess as to how successful this will be for Aston, as it seems more like a fun experiment for Aston owners than anything else, but we still enjoyed seeing the Cygnet in the flesh.

The Aston Stand at the Geneva Motor Show also exhibits the DB9 Coupé, DBS Volante, the V12 Vantage and the Rapide sedan. It’s got to be one of the most elegant and sophisticated stands at the show and is well worth a look if you’re there.

Aston Martin Cygnet live at Geneva: the Aston stand

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Four models from Audi: the Audi A1, Audi RS5 and the two prototypes A8 hybrid and A1 E-Tron, have been presented at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. You can see all the new models in these live pics from the Audi stand at Geneva, with the A1 and RS5 appearing in dealerships in the next few months.

The Audi A8 hybrid is a classic hybrid model with combined electric and fuel power with a total of 245 hp. 34 hp come from the electric component while the 2.0-litre TSI supplies 211 hp. The A1 E-Tron on the other hand, is a range extending model that uses a fuel engine as a generator to the electric part. No impressive performance figures are to be seen here, just amazingly low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions - the former measures just 1.9-litres of petrol for every 100 km. At the show, Audi is also celebrating 30 years of its Quattro all-wheel drive technology.

Audi live pics from 2010 Geneva: A1 and RS5

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The new Audi A1 premium compact will be present at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, but a rumour has emerged that we could see an A1 electric model, too. In Audi’s press invitations for the show, we learn that the new A1 will be presented by Justin Timberlake, the RS5 will also be on show, and the A8 hybrid, and that a “surprise” is also in the works.

The idea for an A1 electric has come from an analysis of the recent presentations of the Audi E-Tron, when we first saw the E-Tron as an R8 electric version at last year’s Geneva show. The next E-Tron presented was a smaller model labelled as the fore-runner to the R4, while now bets are we could see a third E-Tron based on the A1 platform.

Whether this is a logical conclusion or not, you can decide, but with only a few days to go before the 2010 Geneva show kicks off, we won’t have long to wait to find out what this new Audi surprise is.

Source | LeBuzzAuto

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This week’s 2010 Geneva Motor Show will see the new Abarth Fiat line-up on display with the Abarth 500C and Abarth Punto Evo announced. The Abarth 500C is the first open top version for the tuning company, and will be equipped with the 1.4-litre T-Jet engine with 140 hp and 206 Nm of torque. It comes with either the “Abarth Competizione” transmission with five speeds, or the MTA gearbox with steering wheel paddles.

The Abarth 500C can reach 100 km/hr in 8.1 seconds and has a top speed of 205 km/hr. Fuel consumption is 6.5 litres for every 100 km, while CO2 emissions measure 155 g/km. It has the Torque Transfer Control system (TTC) which manages torque distribution and acts like an autobloc differential.

The Abarth Punto Evo is a strong offering from the company, with the impressive 1.4-litre Multiair featuring with 165 hp and 250 Nm of torque. It has a six-speed manual transmission and reaches 100 km/hr in 7.9 seconds with a top speed of 213 km/hr. With its Start/Stop technology, it complies with Euro 5 norms and consumes six litres of fuel for every 100 km and has CO2 emissions of 142 g/km.

Continue reading: Abarth Punto Evo and 500C: Geneva motor show preview

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Here are the official pics of the new Opel Corsa for 2010, giving the popular small car a complete makeover and some added driving fun. The 2010 Corsa has a full engine range starting with the enty level one-litre, three cylinder option with 65 hp, and topping off the fuel models with the 1.6-litre Corsa OPC with 192 hp. Diesel options available include the 1.3 and 1.7-litre CDTI engines with outputs from 75 hp to 130 hp. There is also an ecoFLEX 1.3 CDTI with low CO2 emissions of 98 g/km for the three-door version, or 99 g/km for the five-door.

The fuel engines, including the popular 1.4-litre option, come with either manual or Easytronic automatic transmission. The 1.4 engine comes in two power variants of 87 or 100 hp, while the top diesel version is the 1.7-litre CDTI with 130 hp and an impressive 300 Nm of torque. The 2010 Corsa continues the tradition of the three-door or five-door option, with the former taking on an attractive coupé look.

Optional extras include halogen Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL), heated steering wheel (I like this one!), Hill Start Assist, Panorama sun roof, FlexFix bicycle carrier and Start&Stop system (by end of year). The Opel Corsa accounts for about 30 percent of Europe-wide Opel/Vauxhall sales and this new version looks like an exciting update for the model. The Opel Corsa 2010 is already available on the market with the following price list:

Continue reading: 2010 Opel Corsa pics and info

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