Italian company UP Design took the chance offered by the Bologna Motor Show to release the first teasers of the Vittoria, a new sportscar that is set to make its official debut at the next Qatar Motor Show (25-28 January 2012). This versatile company is ran by renowned Italian designer Umberto Palermo (the name of the company actually stands for Umberto Palermo Design) and is involved in many sectors as different as electric appliances, furnishing, construction and, well, cars.

The Vittoria (’Victory’ in Italian) is going to be a 2-door sportscar that will be produced in very limited numbers. At the moment there are not many figures or data to talk about, but it seems certain that the model will be equipped with a not-better-specified V8 engine. One of its strong point should be its interior design, that promises to be quite innovative for a 2-seater. UP Design confirmed that more video teasers of the model will be released ahead of the official presentation in Qatar. To find out more about UP Design, check out their official website.

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Main Audi designer and top executive Walter de’ Silva confirmed at the Bologna Motor Show that the German carmaker is planning to launch a rival to Bmw X6, and could even come up with a challenger for the upcoming Bmw X4 inspired by Volkswagen Cross Coupe Concept.

The car is currently dubbed by the press as ‘Q6′, and it is quite likely to adopt a low-roof SUV-coupe crossover shape, and will be positioned between the Q7 premium large SUV (pictured above) and Q5 premium medium SUV. De’ Silva also said that Audi is still considering whether to add a smaller SUV, likely named the Q4, to be placed in Audi’s range right in between the Q3 and Q5 and in charge of competing with Bmw already confirmed X4 model.

As for now, no release date or other info have been released, but it is fair to assume that the project (or both) will lead to the unveiling of the actual car(s) within three years, as the VW Group aims at overtaking Bmw in the realm of premium brands by 2015.

via | Automotive News Europe

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Mercedes-AMG and Ducati came together last year when they announced a new cooperation agreement. Besides the AMG logos that are on the factory MotoGP team and being their Official Car Partner, Mercedes-Benz also did a few various marketing and crossover promos with the Italian motorcycle manufacturer, showing off their respective machines and also debuting the Diavel AMG Special Edition.

Inspired by the Ducati Streetfighter 848, Mercedes has decided give their new SLK 55 AMG a special ‘Streetfighter Yellow’ paint job’ to show off at the Bologna Motor Show to continue underscoring the importance of their partnership.

Apparently if there is a certain demand, this colour could also be made available as an individual optional extra from the AMG Performance Studio. The photo gallery of the presentation in Bologna are courtesy of our buddies from Autoblog.it.

View the full Ducati Streetfighter 848 and Mercedes SLK 55 AMG photo gallery
View the full Ducati Streetfighter 848 and Mercedes SLK 55 AMG in Bologna photo gallery

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Our buddies from Autoblog.it just sent us an exclusive video starring the most important models that Mazda brought at the 2011 Bologna Motor Show, in Italy. The undisputed star of the booth is quite obviously the new CX-5, a new compact SUV that seems to have what it takes to be successful in a very competitive niche of the market where it will have to face direct competition from Nissan Qashqai, Honda CR-V, Volvo XC60 and the likes. Check out Mazda CR-5 official photo gallery by clicking on the link below.

Another pretty interesting model from Mazda at the Bologna event is the restyled CX-7, a quite bigger Sport Utility model that now sports a definitely more modern look. Our friends from Autoblog.it will soon test this model on the road, so expect a more in-depth look at the CX-7 pretty soon.

View the full Mazda CX-5 photo gallery

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Three years after its debut, a revamped version of Renault Laguna Coupe has been presented at the Bologna Motor Show in view of its debut on the market in 2012. The model now boasts modern LED day lights, 17″ wheels for the whole range, an Energy Smart Management (ESM) system that improves fuel consumption an CO2 emissions, sat-nav and AUX, USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

Renault Laguna Coupé Model Year 2012 will be available with two diesel units: a 2.0 litre dCi - in power steps of 150 and 175 hp - and a 3.0 litre V6 dCi delivering 240 hp. These engines will get their power transferred to the front axle through a 6 speed manual or automatic transmission. Thanks to the ESM system, the CO2 emission of the 150 hp configuration will go down from 149 to 126 g/km, while the 175 hp and 240 hp models also got better from that point of view although no official figures on the subject are currently available. Renault will also release two special editions of the model called Monaco GP and Monaco GP Racing.

The Monaco GP will come with 18″ Chrome Shadow alloys and black Nero Nacré roof, and it is basically a slightly modified edition of the current version of the Laguna Coupe bearing the same name. The Monaco GP Racing is based on the dCi 150 hp model and will be produced in 49 units only: all of them will come with manual gearbox and can be ordered on-line from the 3rd of December. Standard equipment of this version will include the 4Control chassis (with all four wheels steering), matt black paintjob, metalized black roof and wing mirror covers and exclusive aerodynamic bodykit. To put the proverbial icing on the cake, all 49 owners will be invited to a driving course that will have them sitting in the cockpit of a Formula 3 racecar.

View the full Renault Laguna Coupé MY 2012 photo gallery

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Fiat is at the Bologna Motor Show with a few interesting models. The Italian carmaker anticipates the 2012 version of the Fiat Punto with the Punto Born This Way Concept, sporting a matt yellow paint job in contrast with the glossy black roof, door handles, wing mirror covers and 17″ rims. Besides, all four brake disc calipers are also painted in matt yellow. Under the bonnet there is a supercharged 1.4-litre MultiAir engine with start-stop system delivering 135 hp and 206 Nm of peak torque. The Punto Born This Way Concept can reach 205 km/h top speed (127 mph) with just 129 g/km of CO2 emissions.

The other star at the Fiat’s stand is the 500 Nation Limited Edition, adopting a mostly pearl-white color scheme called Blu America also featuring an American Flag theme for the wing-mirror covers, customized decals and 16″ alloys with a thin red outline. Then there is the even more exclusive 500C National Limited Edition, with red foldable roof top, American Flag graphics and 16″ alloys with thin blue outline. Last but not least there is the new Panda, which is likely to become the more sought-after model at the booth once the fair will open its doors to the general public. We will have a more in-depth look at this model soon.

View the full Fiat line up at the 2011 Bologna Motor Show full gallery

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Ferrari will introduce at the upcoming Bologna Motor Show a very interesting active aerodynamic package for the 599XX, called Evoluzione. The main feature is by far the brand new rear wing, which uses new winglets in place of the usual vertical elements and, especially, two electronically adjustable flaps. These parts change their angle of incidence accordingly to the speed of the car, balancing the downforce between front and rear in order to achieve faster cornering. The way these flap work is regulated by the Evoluzione electronics, which elaborates such parameters as speed, acceleration, steering angle as well as lateral and longitudinal forces and combine them with the feedback coming from ESP, ABS, SCM and F1-Trac systems.

The Evoluzione upgrade package also includes newly designed lip spoiler and rear diffuser that - in combination with the new rear wing - provide the car with 330 kg of down force at 200 km/h (124 mph) with the flaps open and 440 kg when they are closed. Completing the package is a new exhaust system with muffler on the side, giving an extra 20 hp over the standard unit for a total output of 750 hp at 9,000 rpm with peak torque of 700Nm. The Ferrari 599XX Evoluzione is also 35kg lighter than the standard version and, thanks to all these modifications, it was able to lap Ferrari’s test track in Fiorano in just 1 minute and 15 seconds, which is quite impressive in light of the fact that the FXX - which has a mid-mounted engine and 110 more hp - did it in 1:16.

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Maserati will show up at the imminent Bologna Motor Show (3-11 December) with a tribute-car dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification: the GranTurismo S Limited Edition. Maserati will produce only 12 models of the series, which will be put up for sale in Italy only. All units will come with exclusive matt Blue Sebring paint job and 20″ alloy wheels, while other highlights include some carbon fibre bit such as lip and rear spoiler, wing mirror shells and door handles as well as polished aluminum calipers, matt black finished side sills and head lamps. As for the interior, the model will use carbon fibre finishing for instrumentation panel, dashboard and console, just like the MC Stradale.

Right in the middle of the console will be placed the usual commemorative plate with official logo and serial number of the model. Technically speaking, the powertrain of the standard model hasn’t been modified, still boasting the already impressive 4.7-litre V8 engine producing 440 hp coupled with signature MC-Shift electro-actuated transmission. As a quick reminder, Maserati GranTurismo S goes from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.9 seconds, reaching 295 km/h (183 mph) of top speed.

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Abarth will introduce four new models at the upcoming 2011 Bologna Motor Show (December 3-11): 595 Turismo, 595 Competizione, 695 Assetto Corse and Punto Scorpione. The 595 model is inspired by the famous 595 that Karl Abarth himself presented in 1963 - based on the Fiat 500 of that period - and comes with the maximum power upgrade (that boosts the output up to 160 hp) as standard equipment. The “Competizione” version will be the more track-oriented of the two whereas the “Turismo”, although quite sporty, won’t be that extreme.

However, the real star at the Abarth’s stand in Bologna will be the new 695 “Assetto Corse”, the new small super-sports car designed for racing on the track, arguably the ultimate evolution of the whole Fiat 500 concept. This new car will pair up with the 500 “Assetto Corse”, the highly successful star of the track over the past three years. Another new model that Abarth will take to Bologna is the Punto Scorpione, an evil looking all-black limited edition of the Fiat Punto. By the way, Abarth will also introduce a special “winter kit” for this model, featuring among other things an actual Nitro snowboard “powered by Abarth”.

Abarth sold in excess of 9.000 units so far in 2011, with valuable contribution coming from Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari model (about 1,500 units sold since its debut in 2008). It is interesting to notice that since its re-launch in 2008, Abarth has been growing constantly in numbers, selling a total amount of 38,000 Abarth Punto and 500s as well as 9,500 kits for these two models.

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Mahindra will officially unveil the XUV500 for the European market at the 2011 Bologna Motor Show (December 3-11). The new SUV from the Indian manufacturer is expected to represent a huge step forward for the carmaker, with a number of innovative solutions. The XUV500 will be powered by a 2.2 litres diesel engine courtesy of Hawk - with an output of 140 hp and 330 Nm - coupled with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

The model will come with switchable four wheel drive, alloy wheels, parking sensors and will also feature as standard equipment 6 airbags, automatic climate control, keyless go, stability control and LED daylights. In the cabin we will find leather upholstery, a modern touch screen infotainment system and a third row of seats that will allow the XUV500 to accommodate up to 7 people, driver included . Mahindra did not reveal the price for Europe, but in India the XUV500 costs between 16,000 and 19,000 €: we will see whether the car will be that affordable abroad too.

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