Rinspeed Previews BamBoo EV Concept well Ahead of 2011 Geneva Show

The 2011 edition of the Geneva Salon won't open its doors to the press and public for another three months and the organizers haven't even begun promoting the show yet, nevertheless, Frank M. Rinderknecht, the man behind wacky Swiss design house Rinspeed, has already revealed details about the company's all-new Geneva-bound concept model.

The latest creation from Rinderknecht is called the “BamBoo” and it's an open top four-seater electric-vehicle supposedly resembling a grown-up golf cart. The car's name is somewhat justified by the use of bamboo fibers for many interior components.

According to Rinspeed, "It is a reminiscence of the Seventies, of the south of France and St. Tropez" and "one would expect to find Brigitte Bardot behind the wheel with playboy Gunther Sachs at her side heading towards Tahiti beach." Oh Rinspeed...

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Report: "Minier" MINI in the Works, Could Debut at 2011 Geneva Show

It's only natural for the BMW Group to look for ways to expand the MINI range into new territories and increase the brand's profitability. And while some may question MINI's recent move with the Crossman crossover, a smaller model than the current three-door hatch makes a lot of sense for a brand that has become known for its city cars. Apparently, MINI thinks so too.

Autoweek reported today that the company is working on a such a smaller, entry-level model, called the "Mini Minor" or "Mini Mini" and it could be revealed in concept form as early as next year's Geneva Salon.

"The idea to create a highly compact Mini model is one that has been on the agenda for quite a while," an unnamed inside source told Autoweek. "On the outside it would appear a natural fit for the brand, but profitability is a major concern at this end of the market. It's one thing making a good-looking small car, but it's another thing making money on it."

That might explain the fact that while the new small Mini has been conceived as part of BMW's project "i" mobility initiative that will also spawn the advanced BMW-badged Mega City Vehicle, it will reportedly make use of shortened version of the three-door MINI's platform.

The new MINI, which will be evidently shorter than the 3,723mm-long hatch, is believed to be developed as either a two- or three-seater model, the latter featuring a similar layout to the Toyota iQ.

This isn't the first time that MINI has toyed around with the idea of a smaller city car as the company introduced a pair of concept models called the Spiritual and Spiritual2 that you see pictured here, back in 1994,. The Spiritual2 measured just 3.1 meters in length.

Source: Autoweek

Saudi Arabia King Greenlights Gazal 1 for Production

Remember the Saudi Arabian SUV concept called the 'Gazal 1' from this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show in March? Well, it's officially going into production. The announcement was made by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah himself during a special ceremony earlier this week.

The original Gazal 1 concept study was created by the students of Saud University in Riyadh with some help from Magna Steyr and Studiotorino. Despite the deign similarities with Toyota's FJ Cruiser, the Gazal 1 is actually based on the underpinnings of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and is powered by a V8 engine.

Its makers told Arab News that the Gazal 1 "is designed to match the climate of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries" and that there are plans to build up to 20,000 examples a year.

Source: Arab News , Via: Autoblog.com

VIDEO: 2011 Volkswagen Polo GTI Snow-Sliding

Hoping to repeat the success of its Golf GTI series, Volkswagen applied the same spicy recipe to its smaller Polo hatchback with the launch of a GTI version that was unwrapped at last week's Geneva Motor Show. And this here is the first official video of VW's hot supermini on the move.

The second and smallest member of Volkswagen's GTI family gets a punchy 1.4-liter twin-charged petrol engine pumping out 180 horsepower and a 250Nm or 184 lb-ft of torque.

Power is sent to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission with the German firm announcing 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 228 km/h (142 mph).

VIDEO: 2011 Kia Sportage Filmed on the Road, Inside and Out

If you're not content with the pictures we showed you, then you'll be happy to know that Kia has released a whole bunch of promotional and B-roll videos of the new 2011 Sportage compact SUV that had its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show last week.

Featuring one of the nicest exterior designs to come out of the Kia / Hyundai group, the new Sportage shares its platform and mechanical underpinnings with its Hyundai brethren, the Tucson, or as it is known in Europe, the iX35.

Engine options in Europe will include two gasoline and two turbo diesel four-cylinder units ranging in output from 115 to 163 horsepower.

When the 2011 Sportage arrives in the U.S. this fall, it will most probably be offered with the same 2.4-liter four cylinder petrol hooked up to six-speed transmission found in the latest generation Tuscon with a smaller 2.0-liter engine to be added at a later date.

VIDEO: Audi RS5 Meets Ur-Quattro Coupe on the Track in New Promo Film

All companies like to make a connection between their past and current offerings to try to promote the fact that DNA is passed on to their next generation of products and Audi is no exception to this rule.

For the first official film on the RS5 that premiered at this month's Geneva automotive gathering, Audi brought along the coupe's forefather, the original Ur-Quattro of the 1980s, which can be seen in the first video clip after the jump (from 3:00 to 3:45).

As we all seeing the two cars together, the first video also provides us with some 6 minutes of driving footage (don't forget to turn up the volume...) of the 2011 RS5 while the second film is all about beauty shots of the coupe's interior and exterior.

The top-dog A5 features a naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 producing 450-horsepower and 332lb ft or 430Nm of torque under the hood, with power transferred to all four wheels through a standard seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission and a center differential in the quattro drivetrain.

That's enough to propel the 1725kg / 3,803lbs four-seater coupe to 62mph (100km/h) in 4.6 seconds, before reaching an electronically limited top speed of 155mph (250km/h).

Sales of the Audi RS5 Coupe will begin this Spring with a European base price of around €77,000. For the full photo gallery of the RS5, click here to check out our previous post.

Toyota Remembers its Past as it... Accelerates into the Future with FT-86 Coupe

Knowing that "the past is only the future with the lights turned on", Toyota hopes to learn from its mistakes and take only the best from its times of yore and apply the lessons to its future products like the highly anticipated production version of the FT-86 concept study.

Or at least that's what the troubled Japanese automaker wants us to believe with the release of this family portrait that places the FT-86 (Future Toyota-86) Sports Concept alongside its closest relative, the Corolla AE86 as well as the Celica and Supra sport coupes.

The FT-86 study, which was designed at Toyota's ED² studio in Nice, France, had its European premier this week at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

The compact sized coupe measures that 4,160mm long, 1,760mm wide and 1,260mm tall, with a 2,570mm wheelbase, is being co-developed with Subaru that will also present its own variant of the 2+2 seater sports model.

As a reminder of Subaru's involvement in the project, the near production-ready FT-86 prototype uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine from the Impreza while power is sent to the rear-wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. The study rides on 19-inch wheels shod with 225/40R19 tires.

According to Toyota, the FT-86 is scheduled to be launched into the market towards the end of 2011 with Subaru's variant to follow later on.

Video Presentation of Hyundai's i-Flow Sport Sedan Study for a European Sonata

The biggest news at Hyundai's Geneva Motor Show booth is the world premiere of the i-Flow concept study. The sporty-looking mid-size sedan with the 'Cab-Forward' design is said to give Europeans a first look at the Sonata replacement (apparently the latest generation model wasn't cut for Europe) that will get a new name following the brand's alphanumeric nomenclature.

Hyundai confirmed that a production model based on the styling of this concept study will hit European showrooms sometime in 2011 offering the South Korean brand a new fighter in the D-segment that includes models like the Ford Mondeo, VW Passat, Toyota Avensis and Opel Insignia (Buick Regal). Hit the break for the videos.

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Ferrari Goes from Red to Green, Plans to Offer Hybrid Option on all Models

If you need further proof that the hybrid craze is sweeping across the automotive industry, consider that even Ferrari is planning to offer hybrid versions across its entire range of supercars within the next three to four years.

The announcement was made by Ferrari's chairman Luca di Montezemolo during the media presentation of the 'green' 599 GTB Fiorano Hybrid at this week's Geneva Motor Show.

"This is a first step of a long project and we want within three years, maximum four, to have a hybrid Ferrari car ready for every single product of our range. This is our goal," said Montezemolo. "In three years we aim to cut emissions by a minimum of 35 percent."

The prototype version of the 599 GTB uses a 100HP+ electric motor mounted at the back of the dual-clutch 7-speed F1 transmission and a set of flat lithium-ion batteries positioned below the floorpan of the car to back up a more traditional 6.0-liter V12 engine with 611 ponies under the hood.

The whole system (electric motor and batteries) tips the scales at a no-so-sporty 100kg or about 220 pounds, however, Ferrari says that the extra 100HP+ more than compensate for the additional weight in terms of performance, while at the same time, the system helps reduce CO2 emissions by 35 per cent over the stock model.

Via: Autonews (Sub. Req)