This new gallery of the BMW 5 Series Touring gives us a closer look at what is indeed a sporty and elegant style. While the video after the jump includes the usual marketing spiel, it certainly shows off some of the aspects of the new 5 Series Touring like the redesigned interior with more boot space and different seating set-up. This is probably about as sexy as a station wagon will ever get, but it certainly wins on the luxury comfort factor. See more in the gallery and video below.

BMW 5 Series touring new pics

Continue reading: BMW 5 Series Touring more pics and video

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The new BMW 5 Series Touring will be presented in April as the company keeps a couple of tricks up its sleeve for the post-2010 Geneva Motor Show scene. The 5 Series Touring will be available from September this year with the same engine line-up as the sedan: that includes the 523i fuel version with 204 hp, and the 3.0-litre turbo 535i with 306 hp.

The diesel versions are the 2.0-litre 520d with 184 hp as the entry level model, and the 3.0-litre 530d with 245 hp as the top-of-the-range model. The entry level petrol model consumes 5.2 litres per 100 km. Other modifications to the BMW 5 Series Touring include a larger boot space of 560 to 1,670 litres, which is 60 litres more than the current version. The rear seats can be moved forward for an extra 30 litres, which is more than enough family touring fun. Anyone for ‘I spy’…?

BMW 5 Series touring pics

Continue reading: BMW 5 Series Touring official pics

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Here are the first official pics of the Seat Ibiza ST station wagon version. The Ibiza ST will be presented at the 2010 Geneva motor show in March after initially being previewed by way of the IBZ Concept seen at last year’s Frankfurt motor show. The Ibiza ST is 423 cm long, which is 18 cm more on the standard five-door version. The boot has a 430-litre capacity, which can be extended when lowering the rear seats.

The Seat Ibiza ST will have the following petrol engine options: 1.2-litre with 70 hp, 1.4-litre with 86 and the 1.2-litre TSI with 105 hp. Diesels on offer include the 1.6 TDI with 90 and 105 hp and the Ecomotive 1.2 TDI with 75 hp. Optional DSG seven speed gearbox is available, and the Ibiza ST will appear in the Reference, Style and Sport kits. It will appear on the market at the beginning of summer.

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Here’s a rendering of the Opel Astra Sports Tourer, with the Astra station wagon expected to be one of the most important Opel models to appear in 2010. After the Insignia adopted the “sports tourer” name, the Astra will also take it up, while the car itself is expected to be assembled at the Vauxhall facilities of Ellesmere Port in England.

The Astra Sports Tourer should see Opel increase sales on the back of the successful new Astra, which has already achieved more than 45,000 orders. The Opel Astra range will extend from the standard hatchback model, to the station wagon and also an Astra coupé, which could appear under the historic “Calibra” name.

Source | Autoweek.nl

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The future for Saab looks bleak. With Koenigsegg no longer footing a purchase deal and General Motors laying off 9000 workers around Europe for Opel, I can only imagine how the test driver of this Saab must feel right now. Something like driving around in a coffin might come close.

The spy shots show a Saab 9-5 Station Wagon in testing, which should include most of the features of the lovely new 9-5 sedan, but obviously with a heap more luggage space and redesigned rear end. This Saab 9-5 estate could have been one to compete, dare I say, with some of the German touring estates and wagons, but as the guys at spyshots.nl say, a guardian angel for Saab seems a long way away.

Source | SpyShots.nl

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After the new BMW 5-Series sedan was released, here are renderings of what the 5-Series touring wagon might look like. Taking the front of the sedan, the 5-Series wagon will share a similar platform to the 7-Series, and should be even more spacious than the sedan.

The 5-Series wagon could appear about 12 months after the sedan, making it a 2011 model. It will likely have a 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo engine with 400 hp, and a 3.0-litre version with 300 hp. Like the 5-Series, a more comprehensive engine line-up will appear later in the piece with both petrol and diesel options.

Source | MotorAuthority

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Renault has announced the production end of the Vel Satis sedan, which first appeared in 2001. The Vel Satis was originally designed to replace the Safrane, but was unsuccessful due to its unusual design for a car of this segment. It was designed by Patrick Le Quément who is also behind the Avantime model, itself another flop.

It has also been the victim of overly optimistic sales targets from Renault, which were set at 50,000 units a year. The Vel Satis was supposed to compete on a par with German sedans and other similar models, but in eight years only 62,000 units have been assembled.

It will probably be replaced by a Samsung Motors model, which will adopt the Safrane name once again. After the jump is a video of the Vel Satis in action.

Continue reading: Renault Vel Satis out of production

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American investment group Crown, headed by former Ford president Michael Dingman, could put an offer on the table to buy Volvo, although a sale to Chinese company Geely seemed in the bag. Geely has been Ford’s preferred purchaser, although there have been industry concerns about selling Volvo to Asian interests, and losing possible brand image, intellectual property rights and technological know-how. The move could be a win for American patriotism if Ford were to prefer a home grown purchaser.

Reports say that Crown group could also enlist the support of Swedish investors and offer up to two billion dollars for the brand - a similar amount to what is on the table from Geely. In the meantime, the guys at Swedespeed have produced these renderings of what they think the V60 station wagon would look like, with a V60R sport wagon rendering, too.

Volvo V60 wagon renderings

Source | Es.autoblog.com and Swedespeed

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After the debut of the Mercedes E-Class Station Wagon at the Frankfurt motor show, here are more official pics of the E-class wagon, complete with technical details. The prestigious station wagon will be a successful model for Mercedes, particularly with its new sporty design and agile look compared to the previous model.

The E-Class station wagon comes with a large engine range including the E 350 CGI BlueEfficiency, equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 at 292 hp, and the E 500 with its 5.5-litre V8 at 388 hp. The E 220 has 170 hp, while the E 250 and E 350 have 204 and 231 hp respectively. See all the pics in the gallery below.

Continue reading: Mercedes E-Class station wagon new pics

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These new pics show the Mercedes E 63 AMG Station Wagon and while they’re not many, they demonstrate the important stuff is all under the bonnet, and in the substance of the car itself. This is not just an update to get greater power and performance, but can also be considered a mini-overhaul of the chassis, steering, suspension and brakes to achieve a sportier driving style.

The E 63 AMG Station Wagon is equipped with a 6.2-litre V8 with 525 hp and 630 Nm, combined with the AMG Speedshift MCT. This automatic transmission has seven speeds and a multidisc wet clutch which contributes to the sprint to 100 km/hr in just 4.6 seconds.

A throttle-blipping feature is included and the chassis has greater stability, with AMG Ride Control to electronically manage the suspension. A cooling system has been devised exclusively for track use and the steering has been firmed up for greater precision. The AMG E 63 should debut around Europe later this year and early next.

Mercedes E 63 AMG Station Wagon new pics

Continue reading: Mercedes E 63 AMG station wagon new pics

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