There are no more surprises left in Renault’s product portfolio for next year. The French company’s GCC plans include the introduction of the Safrane, the Logan, the Symbol and the Megane, along with the mysterious new Megane Coupe. That Megane Coupe has now been exposed, and it isn’t even a coupe.
Lotus, the company that pimps out their engineering expertise to the highest bidder, has done it again. They’ve handed over their Lotus Europa to Chrysler, and the result is the Dodge EV, a sports car that looks exactly like its Lotus counterpart, but comes with a hybrid-electric engine. Alongside the Dodge EV, Chrysler has also introduced near-production hybrid versions of the Jeep Wrangler and the Chrysler Grand Voyager.
Saab is going to show a soft-top version of an earlier concept car at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. Dubbed the Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept, it offers a look as the future of Swedish car design.
To celebrate 100 years of General Motors as a company, the electric 2011 Chevrolet Volt was finally revealed. Though the technology under the skin is not ready yet, this will be how the production version of the car will look when it finally reaches showrooms.
Mercedes-Benz will be showing off this concept model at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. Called the ConceptFASCINATION or whatever, it offers a clear preview of the upcoming 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
BMW will be showing a crossover version of the Mini at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. Although only a concept for now, it hints at the design direction for future Minis, while gauging consumer reaction to a possible new variant to the Mini line.
Chevrolet’s last attempt at a minivan, called the Uplander, was a total disaster. Their new attempt will be shown off as a concept at October’s Paris Auto Show.
Indian conglomerate Tata, makers of the controversial Nano and owners of two British marques, has introduced an all-electric version of their Indian-market Indica V2 hatchback. The kicker is that this Indica EV will be ready for production by 2009.
If you keep track of the American car market, you’ll know that the four-door Toyota Prius is a seriously popular car there, since its launch a decade ago. Being a hybrid, it runs on a petrol engine which shuts off to use electric power as much as possible, and it generates this electric power simply from energy released during braking. Honda also had its own hybrid car a decade ago, called the Insight, which was cancelled by 2006 since it was a two-door hatchback and wasn’t as popular. Now Honda has revived the Insight nameplate for their latest hybrid,
While it was all but ignored at the 2007 Dubai Motor Show, the Chevrolet Volt has been doing rounds of international auto shows in concept form, and is set for release in 2010. As brash as the deadline is, the Volt is a game-changing car, designed to run purely on electricity from on-board lithium-ion batteries for up to 64 km, enough for commuting to work, while charging the batteries overnight every day. Also, with the use of a small petrol engine driving a generator to resupply the batteries, the Volt’s range is potentially increased to 580 km on the highway.