Friday, 8 October 2010

Paris 2010: Porsche 911 Speedster is the Hunchback of Paris

You can tell pretty much everything you need to know about the Porsche 911 Speedster just by looking at it. It's a 911, which means it's got a flat-six engine in the ass-end and it's got... ahem, classical styling, for better or for worse. We'll just go ahead on record right now and say that it's not nearly as pretty as the original 356 Speedster it's meant to evoke, but what is?Moving on, there are 408 horsepower from the 3.8-liter engine driving...

Paris 2010: 2012 Ford Focus ST hatches early

To say that American enthusiasts have been anxiously awaiting a properly hotted up version of Ford's European hatchback would be a gross understatement. And while we're still waiting for a proper Focus RS to hit our shores, we're certainly happy to see its little brother, the Focus ST, hit the showroom floor with promises of coming Stateside in 2012 ringing in our ears.Here's why our interest is piqued: a turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder...

Paris 2010: Opel Astra Sports Tourer

Opel is keeping busy, and aside from moving into a handful of new markets and pulling the sheets off of a hot concept, the German manufacturer has been whittling away on its wagon interpretation of the company's Astra. The 2011 Astra Sports Tourer wears the brand's trademark nose and sculpted sheet metal, but throws in an arching roofline for good measure. Inside, buyers can look forward to a set of snappy folding seats in the rear Opel claims should...

Paris 2010: BMW X3 is new yet familiar

BMW has whisked the sheets off its 2011 X3, and the second-generation crossover looks suspiciously like its predecessor. Beyond a seemingly endless parade of spy shots over the last couple of years, that's predictable, as the X3 has been a considerable sales success for the German automaker.While the sheetmetal stays largely the same, the lineup receives new engines and an eight-speed automatic gearbox that's set to spread like kudzu throughout the...

Paris 2010: Peugeot 508 is a glimpse of things to come

Peugeot is celebrating its 200th birthday (as a company), and to mark the occasion, the French automaker is planning an all-out product offensive. Chief among them is the mighty 508 – a sedan that benefits from reduced weight and increased interior room compared to the old 407. In a word: Progress.Initially, the company says that the 508 will be available with everything from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 120 horsepower and 118 pound-torque...

Paris 2010: Volvo V60 and S60 R-Design models look a good bit naughtier

We recently drove the 2011 Volvo S60 in the wilds of Oregon and came away rather impressed with both its performance and in-person aesthetics. That said, we generally don't begrudge a bit more visual aggression, and to that end, Volvo has obliged with a pair of new R-Design models here at the Paris Motor Show that includes the S60 sedan and its not-for-North-America V60, a wagon so attractive that we couldn't help but lead off our live coverage...

Paris 2010: 2011 Audi A1 1.4 TFSI

Despite the success of the Mini Cooper and America's newfound love of hatchbacks, Audi continues to deny us the all-new A1. There are a variety of reasons for excluding the pint-sized hatch from the U.S. market (marketing, brand image, average transaction price, etc.), but the introduction of the twin-charged A1 here at the Paris Motor Show has us questioning all of them.Packing a 1.4-liter TFSI (read: both turbo and supercharged) inline four-cylinder...