Here are live pics of Volkswagen at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, and a gallery of the 2010 Volkswagen Touareg after the jump. Much like its German counterpart, BMW at Geneva, Volkswagen is focussing on its green credentials for the environment, or blue in this case, with its Bluetec models. The new Touareg Hybrid was on display, for example, which weighs 208 kg less than the original version. With its V6 333 hp engine combined with an electric motor of 47 hp, it should compete directly with the BMW X6 hybrid, and the Audi Q5 hybrid.

Other models on show at the 2010 Geneva motor show from Volkswagen include the Amarok pick-up and the Polo GTI, which is more economical than the previous version despite an increase of 30 hp. The CrossPolo also debuted, which can only be described as a hatchback soft off-road model.

Below is a full gallery of the 2010 Volkswagen Touareg, which could be quite a successful model for the brand in the future. It is roomy, with more luxury internal finishings than the previous generation, and large boot capacity. The Touareg is already available on the German market, costing 50,700 euros for the entry level model, and 73,500 euros for the top-of-the-range Touareg Hybrid. The 4.2-litre TDI V8 costs 70,800 euros. Click on the galleries for more pics.

Continue reading: Volkswagen live at Geneva and new Touareg pics

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The 2010 Geneva Motor Show afforded us our first glimpse of the Mini Countryman live, and we’re a little nonplussed about this new Mini crossover and the departure from the core of the Mini brand. The Mini Countryman is a five-door Mini with the possibility of ALL4 all-wheel-drive and a differential with DSC which manage the torque distribution of the vehicle. We don’t have a problem with any of this technology per se, we just don’t really understand its inclusion on a Mini. We guess the only explanation lies in the pressure to frequently create something new for the Mini image, not to mention jumping on the SUV band wagon.

The Mini Countryman appeared with the new Mini One petrol engine line-up, and the Mini One cabrio model. The Countryman is available in the following engine options: One 98 hp, Cooper 122 hp, Cooper S 184 hp, One D 90 hp, and Cooper D 110 hp. The ALL4 option is available only with the Cooper S and Cooper D. After the jump is the first Mini Countryman video, where the philosophy behind the model begins to make more sense. Only time will tell whether that translates into sales or not.

Mini Countryman live at Geneva motor show

Continue reading: Mini Countryman live pics from Geneva and Countryman promo video

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The new Volkswagen Polo GTI and Volkwagen CrossPolo will be presented at the 2010 Geneva motor show, marking the further development of the new Polo range. The Polo GTI is the sports model and the CrossPolo has been designed as an all-terrain vehicle with front wheel drive.

The Polo GTI is equipped with the 1.4-litre TSI engine with 180 hp and 250 Nm of torque. It has a seven-speed DSG gearbox and XDS electronic differential. The Polo GTI is available in both three-foor and five-door versions and has a top speed of 229 km/hr, reaching 100 km/hr in 6.9 seconds. It’s a model that can only build on the success of the standard Polo version, providing a sporty alternative to the conservative compact car.

In contrast to the Polo GTI, the CrossPolo has a heightened wheelbase of 15 mm to the standard version, and will only be available in a five-door version with six engine options. In the fuel range we see the 1.2-litre with 70 hp, the 1.4 with 85 hp and the 1.2 TSI with 105 hp. Among the diesel options is the 1.6-litre TDI available in three power steps of 75, 90 and 105 hp.

Continue reading: Geneva preview: Volkswagen Polo GTI and CrossPolo

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After the leaked pics of the new Mini crossover vehicle, the Mini Countryman, appeared on the internet, the company has moved fast to present the rest of the details and some more pics ahead of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show launch date. The Countryman is seen as an important model for the brand, bridging the gap between the classic retro appeal of the Mini and the current trend of SAV and SUV vehicles.

We can see the company was not yet ready to release details, with some confusion over the technical specs that will be available in Europe or the US. The press release after the jump is from the US, and so the technical specs are provisional, as the car will debut on that market a full year after its European appearance.

From what we can understand though, the Mini Countryman in Europe will be available with a range of five engines, in the different kits on offer. The Countryman One is equipped with a 1.6-litre aspirated engine with 98 hp, the Cooper will have the same engine but 24 hp more, while the Cooper S will have the 1.6-litre Twin-Scroll single turbine engine with Valvetronic technology and 184 hp. The diesels on offer include the One D with a 1.6-litre engine and 98 hp, and the Cooper D with 112 hp.

Mini Countryman official pics

Continue reading: Mini Countryman official pics and details

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Official leaked pics of the Mini Countryman have appeared, only one day after a teaser video of the Mini crossover vehicle. The version of the Mini Countryman seen in these pics is an all-wheel-drive Cooper S, with a new grille and front bumper. It’s similar to the Mini Beachcomber concept seen at the 2010 Detroit auto show, although appears to be slightly more compact, and with a hatch shape closer to the Mini Cooper.

This particular colour is Pepper White, contrasted with a black roof and blacked out wheels. The mini Countryman keeps the dual exhaust pipes, and has an interior design in classic Mini style, incorporating a speedometer in a centrally mounted position in the dash. It has black seats and white overhead, although the turquoise coloured door and centre trim is a bit bizarre.

The Mini Countryman won’t officially debut until the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March, and will be available on the market by the end of the year. It will cost about 25,000 euros, while you can expect to pay about 4,000 euros more for the Cooper S version. Expect to see more details soon, after these leaked pics, and check out the psychedelic teaser video after the jump.

Mini Countryman leaked pics

Continue reading: Mini Countryman leaked pics

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This video shows the French Formula One driver at the wheel of the new Dacia Duster crossover, rally driving the new car for its market debut. The Dacia Duster in the video has been designed for driving on ice and there’s plenty of sliding and drifting for the rev heads among you. The Dacia Duster is a low cost model based on the Nissan Qashqai and you can get a closer look of its style in this video.

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The new Bentley Mulsanne and upcoming new Continental range could be joined by two smaller and more economical models as Bentley keep sales up in what is now a very difficult market for the luxury brand. Bentley could be going downmarket with almost a sub-brand called New Compact Bentley (NCB), to sit somewhere below the Continental offering in the Bentley line-up.

It will focus on keeping weight and price down on Bentley vehicles, as well as providing smaller, more economical engine options. To achieve this, we could see a new Bentley four-seat shooting brake model, and a crossover which would be like a kind of Bentley SUV. While the new Continental range will still have the Bentley W12 engine, the NCB range would have a V8, 4.5-litre option, with about 550 hp.

There’s some conjecture, but overall the so-called “NCB” project makes a lot of sense, with Bentley exploring diesel and hybrid technology. It will have plenty of competition from Rolls Royce, who has announced the Ghost hybrid, electric Phantom, and its own smaller crossover project called the “Short High Rugged International Metropolitan Project” (SHRIMP). So far Bentley is ahead in the stakes in how to choose names, at least.

Source | AutomobileMag via Autoblog

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The Peugeot 3008 crossover is continuing its sales success in its local market of France, having already collected 50,000 orders. That’s 15 percent more than what Peugeot had aimed for, as it expands production to the UK, following France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The Peugeot 3008 is also proving successful with its engine range, as 75 percent of orders have opted for the HDi diesel motor, of which 80 percent have chosen the 1.6-litre with 110 hp. The other 25 percent is divided between the 1.6 VTi and the 1.6 THP, with the former being slightly more popular.

The order figures mean that the 50,000 units planned for production this year have already been purchased, and Peugeot is now increasing production capacity on this line, already at 530 vehicles a day. The new 5008 has also commenced assembly operations on the line, with 360 produced a day.

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Here are renderings of the Porsche Roxster compact SUV that may appear in 2012, as the company works on its “baby Cayenne” model. While Porsche has denied the project, the Roxster could be an ideal model in the aim of doubling sales within the next four years. Another model we might see as part of this project is the Volkswagen BlueSport-based roadster.

The Porsche Roxster, in these renderings, appears more as a crossover model than a real SUV, with sports-style design that reflects the Audi Q5. Meaning Porsche will be spoiled for choice on choosing a Volkswagen group model on which to base its compact SUV.

Source | Autosblog.fr

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If you’re a purist Maserati fan you’re not going to like this, but if you’re an SUV fanatic who wants a premium brand in that model, this could be for you. These renderings show a hypothetical Maserati SUV design in an attempt to migrate Maserati style over to the SUV category. The design is called the Maserati Kuba crossover.

It’s taking us some time to get used to and while we doubt Maserati will go the way of Porsche with the Cayenne and create its own SUV, it’s not a bad effort at all from designer Andrey Trofimchuk. See what you think.

Maserati SUV design

Source | Automotto

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