New Car: 2011 Citroen DS3 Ultra Prestige

Citroen will launch a Ultra Prestige edition of its DS3 at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The special-edition model celebrates the supermini's success, with more than 100,000 orders placed in 18 months.

The Ultra Prestige model features a range of premium materials not currently offered in the DS lineup. Exterior changes include exclusive 17-inch charcoal-grey design wheels and a dark chrome finish on the wing mirrors, door strips and front grille.

On the inside, the roof lining gets DS badging, a white leather dash and leather sports seats, which gradually blending from white to black.

No details on pricing have been released, but buyers can expect the model to arrive later this year at a small premium over the standard lineup. The same petrol and diesel engine lineup is likely to feature.

The DS3 is now also available with a Pink roof and matching pink door mirrors, wheel centre caps, and interior finishes. A new Flower roof design will also be shown at Frankfurt. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

Sneak Peek: 2012 Honda Civic (European Version)

This is the first official image of the new Honda Civic, which will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in a few weeks' time.

Although this is the only picture the Japanese firm has chosen to release, it does reveal that the the Ford Focus rival gets a dramatic new rear-light bar.

Designers have moved the tailights higher up on the body and incorporated a single bar which continues to split the rear window and runs all the way across the screen. The lights themselves appear to be made up of LEDs too.

The rest of the rear end appears to be influenced by models such as the Insight, losing the angular slashes of the current Civic. Honda promises that the new compact family car will be very aerodynamic – Honda has called on the expertise of its ex-Formula One engineers – while it says it has significantly improved the car's ride and refinement.For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

New Concept Car: Alfa Romeo 4C

Alfa Romeo has stopped releasing vague teaser shots ahead of next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show and has opted instead to show us photos of exactly what it’s bringing. Though we’d hoped for an updated version of the 4C concept, it seems Alfa is just repainting the sexy show car, and bringing it to Germany for enthusiasts to drool over yet again.

The 4C concept originally debuted at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, but the car destined for Frankfurt now wears what Alfa calls “liquid metal” paint. The gunmetal-like hue is a stark contrast to the red used for the Geneva debut, but it looks sensuous on the shapely 4C.

The color shift changes absolutely nothing beneath the 4C’s skin. Despite looking and sounding a bit like the exotic 8C Competizione, the 4C has half the cylinder count. The turbocharged 1.75-liter I-4, borrowed from the Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde, sends somewhere between 235 and 250 hp to the rear wheels via a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission. Extensive use of aluminum and carbon fiber allow the 4C to remain supermodel thin, and keep its curb weight below 1900 pounds. With that sort of power-to-weight ratio, the car could sprint from 0-60 mph in about 5 seconds.

Little — if any — of the 4C concept seems too pie-in-the-sky, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the final production-spec version — which is due to arrive sometime in 2012 — is almost a carbon copy of the show car. The model has also been theoretically confirmed for the U.S. market, provided Alfa’s rebirth in the new world isn’t delayed yet again. In any event, the car should sell for close to $57,000, and Alfa hopes to sell about 5000 copies annually.

Thanks to: Motor Trend

Hot News: Abarth Plans to Introduce 3 Hot Fiats

Fiat’s scorpion-stamped hatches will be making a big sting at this year’s Frankfurt show, as three new Abarth specials prepare to bow at the upcoming show. But these special go-fast editions represent more than just fun – each one symbolizes each of the brand’s core values.

First up: The 500 Cabrio Italia Sport projects sportiness and Italian style, and only 150 examples are being made to pay special tribute to the 150^th anniversary of Italian unification. The vehicle sports a bold blue paint job and black top that folds back, with 17-inch wheels offset by yellow Brembo brake calipers. At the heart of it all is a 160-hp 1.4-liter turbo four, capable of going 0-60 in 7.4 seconds with a top speed of about 131 mph. Rounding out the pint-sized performer’s specs is an overboost function, with a 5-speed manual standard.

Fiat’s heritage is represented through a two-toned Punto SuperSport. Matte black stripes appear on the hood and on the roof, and red Brembo brake calipers add some flair to the 18-inch wheels, resembling the designs offered in the Abarth “esseesse” kit. Suspension modifications include specially-tuned Koni shock absorbers, and the performance exhaust is finished off with an oversized tip. A 180-hp version of the 1.4-liter Multiair engine cranks out pushes the super-sporty Punto to a top speed of 132 mph.

Last, is what Abarth says is its first “street legal” racing car. The 695 Competizione keeps true to the performance brand’s racing spirit. Designed for the road and track alike, the 695 Competizione is packaged similarly to the 695 Tributo Ferrari, with a matching body, wheel design, and the high-output 180-hp 1.4-liter 16-valve turbo I-4. The electro-mechanical five-speed transmission has operating modes for street and track, and its interior is equipped with two seats, with roll bar replacing the rear seats.

The 695 Tributo Ferrari debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt show and is the fastest 500 yet.

Thanks to: Motor Trend

New Concept Car: Ford Evos

At the 2005 Frankfurt auto show, Ford’s stunning Iosis concept car debuted the company’s “Kinetic” design language, which shortly thereafter debuted on non-U.S. models like the Mondeo, European Focus, C-Max, and Kuga. Our first taste of Kinetic design came more recently with the 2011 Fiesta and 2012 Focus models. But now Ford’s look is evolving, with another Frankfurt concept—the 2011 show’s gorgeous and aptly named Evos—previewing the next evolution (get it?) of Blue Oval design.

Sadly, the company won’t go so far as to adapt the Evos’s quad butterfly doors for production. But this fastback four-seater, which is shorter than a Focus sedan but wider than a Porsche Panamera, does embody a half dozen newly defined pillars of Ford global design—which will drop the Kinetic moniker. The Evos will provide the template for future Fords, and so we took a virtual tour of the car with Ford design chief J Mays, who explained those design pillars.

The first two pillars of Ford’s new design language are “silhouette innovation” and “perceived efficiency.” The former, according to Mays, represents a profile “that defines your automobile and looks different than most of the other cars in a particular class on the road,” while the latter equates to visual lightness and sleekness. “We’d like to have lightweight pillars [and] a teardrop cabin [where] the lines on the side disappear at a vanishing point somewhere around 100 yards behind the car.” The gist? Think less ‘traditional three-box sedan’ and more ‘four-door coupe.’

“Refined surface language” refers to a smoothing out of Kinetically sculpted body surfaces, among them the architectural fenders, creased door skins, and sculpted hoods. This directive also appears to be a reaction to other manufacturers that Mays claims have “annexed” and subsequently exaggerated Ford’s Kinetic motifs. Ford is going in “exactly the opposite direction” now, he said, keeping what he called the “excitement” of Kinetic design but rendered in “beautiful shapes you’d love to run your hands over.”

An emphasis on the fourth pillar, “technical graphics,” basically refers to the lamps and lower body addenda. “Headlamps seem to be growing to absurd proportions,” said Mays. “They’ve become less about technology and more about design flourish and style. And we think that’s reached its complete evolution. So we’re going to the minimal height for the headlamps and the taillamps and we’re going to let the technology speak for the graphics rather than overt style.” The headlamps on the Evos are rendered in LEDs “designed in such a way that you probably haven’t seen before.” Will every future Ford model get “razor-cut” headlamps such as these? Yes, and Mays told us that he is committed to LED headlamps on every new Ford, although we’ll have to see if those make it past the accountants.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

New Concept Car: Peugeot HX1

This is the Peugeot HX1 Concept – a stunning six-seater that previews a novel take on the MPV. And it’s set to make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

The newcomer is longer and wider than a BMW X5, but lower than a 1 Series, and follows the DS5’s lead by distilling people carrier proportions into a sportier shape. With its short overhangs and stubby bonnet, the HX1 aims to blend a spacious interior and a sleek profile. And Peugeot tells us it doesn’t only showcase future styling from the brand; it previews a luxurious production MPV.

The exterior has been styled with aerodynamics in mind as much as aesthetics – it has an impressively low drag coefficient of 0.28. At the front, the floating grille seen on the SR1 and HR1 show models is reinterpreted, and flanked by narrow raked LED headlights and aggressive lower air intakes. But there’s more to the HX1 than meets the eye – all four doors open upwards and outwards in a dramatic scissor style, creating one huge opening for easy access to the interior.

Peugeot has adopted active aerodynamics, so fans extend from the spokes of the alloys at higher speeds to create a smooth surface. A roof spoiler also deploys above 62mph.

As you’d expect with an MPV, designers have paid just as much attention to the interior – and it uses the finest materials. Natural oak with inlaid optic fibres trims the floor, while there’s brushed metal and swathes of leather. Hi-tech features include a head-up display, a digital instrument panel and a central touchscreen.

But what marks out the HX1 is its unique seating layout. It owes more to a London black cab than a conventional MPV, with two permanent seats in the front, two more in the rear and a further pair that fold out from the front seatbacks. Passengers in the back are well catered for, with a minibar and coffee machine integrated into the white marble centre console.

Providing the power is the same HYbrid4 system as already found in the 3008 and RXH. This uses a 204bhp 2.2-litre HDi diesel to propel the front wheels and a 95bhp electric motor to turn the rears; when the two work together, the car has all the benefits of four-wheel drive.

What’s more, the set-up allows the car to go 18.6 miles on electric power only, with the batteries feeding the motor rechargeable via a household socket. As a result, the HX1 claims 88.2mpg fuel economy and 83g/km CO2 emissions.

Further details about the pioneering MPV will be revealed on the stands at Frankfurt. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

New Car: 2013 Infiniti FX Vettel Edition

A teaser video from Infiniti told us that Red Bull Racing Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel was helping style a new concept vehicle for the Frankfurt Motor Show. Infiniti today released the first real photo of the modified “performance concept,” which is based off the 2012 FX Crossover.

Changes applied to the car apparently consist of carbon-fiber mirrors, new wheels, a large rear wing, a new front lip, new side skirts, and a tweaked front fascia with LED running lights. There’s also, of course, a chrome Vettel badge on the crossover’s front fender.

An earlier teaser video also promised a matte-gray interior and a steering wheel that was less “normal.” That may mean the Infiniti’s wheel will score an array of buttons and flashing lights like the expensive steering wheels in Formula 1 cars.

There’s still no word as to whether this modified Infiniti is a prelude to a new production model, or whether there are any performance upgrades in store for the car. We’ll find out more on September 13 in Frankfurt.

Thanks to: Motor Trend