Lancia Ypsilon Versus edition

The other day I was sitting at a beachside bar where they had Fashion TV playing on flatscreens around the place and I couldn't help notice that while some of the stuff looked great, the rest looked horrible. Looks like the same trend has applied itself to automotive design, as Italian fashion house Versace has forged a new relationship with another automaker. But while the Versace edition Lamborghini Murcielago looks cooler than air conditioning in Alaska, somehow this new Lancia Ypsilon doesn't quite cut it.

That's probably more Lancia's fault than Versace's, but the overall package, thorough though it is, leaves much to be desired. Created with Versace's second brand Versus, the special edition Ypsilon is sprayed bronze, much like the customers likely to buy it. The Versus logo is applied all over the interior and exterior of the car, which features matching bronze chromework and rims. The Lancia Ypsilon Versus edition will be unveiled in concept form next week in Paris, and will be produced in a limited run of 500 examples starting in March next year. This isn't the first designer edition Ypsilon, following the previous Momo edition, but Lancia's going to need something better than a new paint job to extract itself from the bronze age. For our part, we'd sooner go for the Diesel edition Fiat 500.

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Skoda Octavia Facelift: Official Photos, New 1.4 TSI

The first official images of the facelifted Octavia made an unexpected appearance on the web today ahead of the mid-size model’s world premier at the Paris Motor Show later this week. For the 2009 model the Czech carmaker redesigned the Octavia’s front end bringing it in line with the new Fabia and Superb models while changes at the rear are narrowed to the restyled tail lamps and the tweaked bumper. The revised Octavia liftback and station-wagon models also feature door mirrors with integrated turn indicators and new alloy wheel designs. -Continued

Inside, the 2009 Octavia benefits from a new generation of three and four-spoke steering wheels, air-conditioning, radio and navigation system controls as well as new materials and colours for the seats and the lining of the door panels.

Despite the fact that we’re still waiting for the official press release, Carscoop sources report that the new Octavia will be available with five petrol and three diesel engines, including for the first time, VW Group’s turbocharged 1.4-liter TSI gasoline engine with 122 HP.

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Skoda to Unveil Octavia Facelift at the Paris Show

The oldest model in Skoda’s European line-up, the mid-size Octavia that has been around in this form since 2004 will receive a mild facelift at this week's Paris motorshow bringing the Czech manufacturer’s biggest-selling and most successful model up-to-date with the rest of the range. Details are still sketchy but expect to see the 2009 Octavia liftback and estate models getting a new face inspired from the Czech firm’s latest models like the Fabia and Superb.

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New VW Golf VI GTi 210HP: 31 High-Res Photos and Official Details

Behold! Following last night’s pre-reveal and as we first told you a couple of weeks ago, Volkswagen has uncovered its sixth-generation Golf GTi that gets an updated 210HP 2.0-liter turbocharged ahead of its world debut at the Paris Motor Show. At a first glance, it seems that not many things have changed in terms of styling with the outgoing GTI. And truly enough, VW dressed the body of the Golf VI that looks very similar in appearance to the previous model, with the same visual effects used in the GTI V. These include a red surrounding for the smaller in dimensions, honeycomb grille, black side skirts and oddly enough, the same set of 18-inch five-hole alloy wheels. No wonder VW believes it’ll make more money from the Golf VI… -Continued

When put aside to the standard Golf VI models, the 2009 GTI manages to stand out thanks to the new headlight clusters, a distinct front bumper with repositioned fog lights, a larger roof spoiler and a new rear bumper that integrates dual exhaust pipes that have been moved to the far corners of the car.

Inside, owners of the previous Golf GTI will feel right at home as with the exception of a few parts that were pinched from the Passat CC, the overall styling of the fifth-generation model has been retained on the new GTI. The most unique features on the car are the black-and-white checkered tweed bucket seats and the sporty, flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Under the bonnet, the new GTI gets a slightly more powerful latest generation turbocharged 2.0-liter TFSI engine that delivers an output of 210HP, up from 200HP and a maximum torque figure of 280 Nm or 207-lbs/ft at 1.800 rpm (same as the previous GTI).

Hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox or optionally, a dual clutch DSG semi-auto gearbox, the 2009 Golf GTI accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) in 7.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 239 km/h or 148 mph. For the record, the outgoing 200HP GTI features the same 0-100 km/h sprint time and a maximum speed of 235 km/h or 146 mph.

In terms of fuel consumption, the new GTI returns an average of 31.4 mpg or 7.5 lt/100km which is slightly better than the GTI V’s 29.4 mpg or 8.0 lt/100 km. Sales of the Golf GTI VI are expected to begin in Europe in spring 2009 with the rest of the world following shortly after.

[Source: Carscoop]

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Insider: VW to Unveil Golf GTI VI in Paris

Continuing our 'Tour de Paris', we have just received word from our European inside sources that along with the more humble versions of the sixth generation Golf, VW will also take the wraps off the highly-anticipated 2009 Golf GTI at the Paris motorshow. Unfortunately we weren’t able to obtain any official information (or unofficial for that matter) on the GTI’s powertrain options. Most likely, the range-topping Golf will get the latest version of the VW Group’s 2.0-liter turbocharged TFSI engine channeled through a six-speed manual or the highly acclaimed DSG dual-clutch semi-automatic transmission.

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2009 VW Golf GTI VI: Official Images Appear on the Web!

The first official pictures of Volkswagen’s all-new (or, sort of all-new) sixth generation Golf GTI somehow found their way into the net ahead of the car’s scheduled debut at the Paris Show. As you can see in the photos, nothing much has changed compared to the fifth generation Golf GTI –at least in terms of styling. Even the alloy wheels appear to be the same… Compared to the standard Golf, the GTI gets a set of redesigned bumpers, side skirts, a larger roof spoiler and quad exhaust pipes that have been pushed to the corners of the car. –Continued

Inside, the photos reveal that VW maintained the tweed bucket seats as well as the flat-bottomed steering wheel of the outgoing GTI. In terms of power, we’re still short of official information, but according to our European contacts that we just talked to a few minutes ago, the new GTI will most likely get a 210 HP 2.0 TFSI engine matted to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed DGS dual clutch gearbox. Stay tuned on Carscoop as we'll update the GTI story as soon as we find out more details.

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New Mercedes C250 CDI BluEFFICIENCY: 45.2mpg and 0 to 62mph in 7.0’’

Mercedes-Benz has developed a completely new turbo diesel engine generation that will make its world premiere on a C-Class model at the Paris Auto Show. In the limited production C250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Prime Edition, the 4-cylinder 2.2-liter diesel produces an output of 204 hp and a massive 500Nm or 368 lb-ft of torque. Combined to a 6-speed manual gearbox, the premiere model can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in just 7.0 sec and on to a top speed of 250 km/h (155mph).

Despite the impressive performance figures –especially for a diesel engine with just 2.2-liters of displacement, the C250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Prime Edition consumes an average of just 5.2 litres of fuel per 100 km (NEDC), with CO2 emissions of 138 g/km. Apart from the C-Class, the new diesel engine will also be installed in the E-Class, in the new GLK-Class and in the future E-Class Coupe. -Continued

In the case of the premier model, production of the C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Prime Edition will be limited to 5,000 units with prices in Germany starting from €40,638. The special edition sedan will be offered in obsidian black, palladium silver, iridium silver and in the special paint finish diamond white metallic.

Special features of the Prime Edition include airflow-enhancing exterior-mirror housings as well as smooth underbody cladding, low rolling resistance tires, and a an efficient energy-management system with adaptive power steering, which with the help of an additional valve, closes the flow of the power-steering pump when it is not required.

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