After having announced the possible presence of two prototypes at the next “Concorso d’Eleganza” at the Villa d’Este, Lake Como, Carrozzeria Touring has sent out the first images of the Maserati Quattroporte Bellaggio Fastback: an experiment in style.

There’s he who says hatchback and he who says fastback - a question of your point of view. And of the emblem as the Bellagio mixes the front shape of the Quattroporte with an expanded and sporty rear, characterised by a tear drop-shaped window: to which one could even be inspired to give the definition of Station Wagon or, more elegantly, “shooting brake”.

We’re waiting for additional photos, particularly of the rear door, without forgetting about the Superleggera, the other T-signed proposal expected at the show.

Thanks to enr

Via | Autowwek.nl

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The ever-jovial and knowledgeable Chris Harris puts the 572 bhp Audi RS6 Station Wagon to the test. During the test-drive Mr. Harris admits that the immense weight of 2025 kg does somewhat compromise the agility and the driving-experience despite the awesome performance figures of the twin-turbocharged V10.

For the most part, it is an easy car to drive in all driving conditions, provided that you do not violently over steer, a problem also
seen in the Audi’s adversary, the BMW M5 Touring.

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Mini is resuming production of the John Cooper Works-tuned Mini, both in the hatch and Clubman version.

The engine of the new John Cooper Works Mini will be the 1.6-litre turbo-charged 4 cylinder unit, tuned to produce 211 ps and a torque of 260 Nm (temporarily boostable to 280 Nm). The sprint from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) will take only 6.5 seconds. The modifications are extensive (details in the press release below) and include a bigger turbocharger with a higher charge pressure. As an added bonus, the JCW Mini will be the first to comply with the Euro5 emission regulations.

Sales of the Mini John Cooper Works and Mini John Cooper Works Clubman will start in July 2008. Prices are yet to be announced.

Continue reading: Mini John Cooper Works

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Audi has a new batch of photos of the new A4 Avant: 28 hi-res pictures in all. Enjoy (see our previous post for all available information about the new A4 Avant).

Continue reading: New images of the Audi A4 Avant 2009

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Audi presents the new Audi A4 Avant. Compared to its predecessor, the new estate from Ingolstadt is quite a bit longer, at 4.70 cm. The external dimensions are the same as the saloon, with its shorter front overhang and a body that is both more rigid and lighter.

The A4 Avant has a luggage capacity of 490 liters with the rear seat up and 1,430 liters with the rear seat folded.

The engine range will be the same as the saloon: at the start there will be two gasoline engines, the 1.8 TFSI (160 ps, 250 Nm) and the 3.2 FSI (265 ps, 330 Nm), and two diesel engines, the 2.0 common-rail TDI (143 ps, 320 Nm) and the 3.0 V6 TDI (240 ps, 500 Nm). The 2.0 TDI engine will also come in a 170 ps version, with a torque of 350 Nm.

Continue reading: Audi A4 Avant 2008

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Honda unveils the new Accord for Europe, with a sportier design, a whole slew of new safety systems and three new engines, all Euro 5 compliant. The new Accord is both wider and slower than the current model, with sharp edges and a wider stance.

The engine line up includes a 2.0-liter i-VTEC gasoline engine (156 ps). Power output is unchanged compared to the current model but fuel economy and emissions are much improved. The 2.4 i-VTEC engine gains 10 ps (200 ps now), as does the new 2.2 i-DTEC diesel engine compared to the i-CTDi engine of the current Accord. The i-DTEC engine outputs 150 ps with 350 Nm of torque. All engines are matched to a 6 speed manual gearbox, Automatic transmissions are an optional for the gasoline engines. Below you can find the full text of the Honda EU press release.

Continue reading: Honda Accord 2008

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Today, the 15 millionth Passat produced throughout the world rolled off the assembly line at Volkswagen’s Emden plant. Official DKMS ambassador Sybille Beckenbauer accepted the vehicle as a donation from Prof. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Pavel Vacek, plant manager at Emden and Peter Jacobs, Chairman of the Works Council of Emden plant. The car is a Passat Variant BlueMotion 1.9 TDI 105 HP in arctic blue silver metallic.

The Passat is one of the most successful models in Volkswagen history and also one of the most popular mid-size models in Europe. Heizmann stated: “Fifteen million Passats produced in 34 years are a fantastic result which everyone at Emden can take pride in together with all the other members of the Passat family at plants throughout the world”.

Plant manager Pavel Vacek added: “This round figure has a very special significance for our plant. Of the 15 million Passats produced in total, 5.9 million were made in Emden. This indicates the strategic importance of the model as a symbol for Emden plant and the whole region.” On the presentation of the vehicle in Emden, Sybille Beckenbauer stressed the importance of the charitable work of the German Bone Marrow Donor Center: The Passat donated to the organization will be employed in the large number of campaigns organized by the DKMS.

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The new Mini Clubman John Cooper Works is the new top version of the trendy estate built by Mini. It looks very similar to the Mini Clubman Challenge Safety Car.

The Clubman JCW is largely based on the Mini Cooper S Clubman, it has a different low front grille, new logos and the twin-black stripes alla along the body. There is also a new design for the 18 inches alloy wheels.

Continue reading: Mini Clubman John Cooper Works with 192 bhp

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Fiat has announced the restyling of its flagship Croma. The Nuova Croma is now called a station wagon.

The Nuova Croma is unchanged in size (4.78 m long, 1.77 m wide and 1.60 m high, with a 2.70 m wheelbase). The trunk volume is unchanged too (500 liters with 5 passengers, 1,600 liters with the backseat folded).

The main changes to the exterior are the radiator mask now more similar to the Fiat Bravo’s one, and the rear bumper, that gets a new two-colour tone; in the side view the Nuova Croma remains the same as the old model. The engines too are the same available for the pre-restyling version: Multijet diesels (1,9 in two power steps, 120 bhp and 150 bhp and 2,4 five-cylinders 200 bhp) and gasoline units (1,8 140 bhp and 2,2 147 bhp).

Continue reading: New Fiat Croma

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Here you are the first pictures of the 2009 Mercedes E-Class Station Wagon caught during tests in Germany. The camouflage is still pretty heavy, so this is not enough to have a definitive say on the final looks of the car, but we can assume that the body style will inherit many of the new C-Class and S-Class features. Plus, we know that the front will no longer feature the twin round headlamps. The new E-Class’ body seems to be sleeker than the previous model’s, especially in the rear.

Mercedes engineers are still working at quality and electronic glitches that have afflicted the current generation E-Class since its debut, so we should expect some simplification on the W212 (the next-gen’s codename). Problematic components such as the SBC, the electronic braking system developed by Mercedes-Benz, will be abandoned in favor of more conventional components.

Continue reading: Mercedes E-Class SW spy-shots

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