Volvo unceremoniously killed off their S60R and V70R some years ago, but they still kept their R-design appearance packages around, for those who wanted a more aggressive looking Volvo.

With the new S60 and V60 R-Design, the cosmetic upgrades are back, but a few mechanical changes are taking place as well. A strut tower brace, firmer springs and bushings make up most of the upgrades, but the real treat is a torque-vectoring traction control system that will appear on S60 AWD models. The new package will debut at the Paris Auto Show next week.

Hit the jump to read the official press release

Gallery: Volvo R-Design

[Source: Volvo]

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The Hyundai Sonata has officially bumped off the Nissan Altima to take 3rd place in the mid-size sedan sales race. The Sonata sold 21,399 units in August, closing in on the Honda Accord, which sold 22,506 units. The Toyota Camry enjoys a comfortable lead, selling just over 30,000 units in August. The figures exclude fleet and rental sales.

The Sonata has bested tough rivals like the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu. Buyers are apparently enticed by a strong warranty, low MSRP and generous equipment levels. About 75% of Sonata customers are “conquest buyers” who have traded in other brands for a Hyundai.

[Source: Detroit News]

Red Bull has done some impressive things lately with their marketing involving all forms of motorsports. This time around, they took their Toyota Camry NASCAR race car, tossed in their driver Scott Speed and headed out to Chicago. But it wasn’t to attend a race or put their car on display. They slapped on a taxi sign to the roof and drove all over Chicago, picking up passengers and taking them to their destination in a fully decked out NASCAR race car.

Speed even does some stunt driving, revving up the big V8 and doing a few donuts in downtown Chicago.

We imagine it was a ton of fun to film and produce, and we’re jealous that the residents of Chicago got to take in on the action.

Check out the video after the break, it’s awesome.

[Source: CarDomain]

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Rhys Millen, pilot of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe Formula D car, will drive a Hyundai Accent WRC car at the U.S. Rallycross Championship in New Jersey on October 2-3 and November 6-7.

“We’ve really benefited from our Genesis Coupe Formula Drift partnership with Rhys, and so we’ve decided to expand on that with this move into Rallycross,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. ”Our participation this year is all about learning the ropes of this new series. Next year, we’ll campaign with an all-new car that’s also going to be an exciting entry to Hyundai’s U.S. production lineup.”

Rallycross is more in line with drifting than WRC-style competition, featuring jumps and slides over a pavement and gravel course. This year marks the first time that RallyAmerica will sanction the competition, and the popularity of XGames Rally has undoubtedly helped the sport gain traction in America. This season of Rallycross will feature big name stars like Ken Block, Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra in their Ford Fiesta and Subaru WRX STI rally cars.

Hit the jump to see the official press release

[Source: Hyundai]

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This is most certainly a surprise from Mansory. After making huge splashes with their customized Aston Martin DB9, Bugatti and Maserati Gran Turismo, the last thing we expected to see from the wild German exotic car tuner was a BMW X5 M. Even more shocking is that it’s not a 9-inch widebody with 24-inch gold wheels, matte-orange paint and more carbon fiber than an Airbus A350.

Instead it’s quite tame, perhaps an acknowledgment that folks will actually use their X5 M as a daily driver.

Possibly even more remarkable is how toned-down the interior is. We’ve spotted an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel and a refreshed two-tone interior. But of course, Mansory would be more than happy to indulge any owner with any sort of interior modifications they want, no matter how gaudy or tasteless they are.

The X5 M wouldn’t be considered customized if it didn’t include a heavy horsepower gain. Mansory does that too, offering several levels of performance with the top gains sitting at a hefty 670-hp and 700 ft-lbs of torque. That’s quite the increase from the factory 555-hp and 500 ft-lbs of torque.

In the press release, Mansory notes that they are working on a big brake upgrade though it didn’t find its way on the demo car. The SUV is lowered 1.6-inches and sports massive 23-inch wheels all around with Michelin tires.

Interestingly enough, Mansory stated that this is just one of a few BMW endeavors with the X6 and 7-Series on their radar. We’re guessing they’ve realized more people own BMWs than Bugattis. We’re more curious to see if these tuning packages’ price range is more in line with BMW owner’s budget than Bugatti and Rolls-Royce owners’ budget.

GALLERY: Mansory BMW X5 M

Official press release available after the jump:

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Land Rover‘s new Range Rover Evoque two-door SUV is on a publicity blitz ahead of its deubt at the Paris Auto Show, and details are begging to emerge.

Rather than the usual 8-cylinder powerplant, the Evoque will use a 2.0L Ecoboost 4-cylinder, dubbed the Si4, which makes 240 horsepower.  Land Rover will likely have to resort to some creative marketing to sell customers on the idea of a 4-cylinder, even if it’s likely more than adequate for urban driving.

A 2.2L turbodiesel has also been announced, but power figures haven’t been announced yet beyond the 187 horsepower number. The torque figures will be far more important, and expect this engine to be sold in most of the Evoque’s 160 world markets, but not the United States.

Gallery: Range Rover Evoque

[Source: Land Rover]

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Celebrating its 200th anniversary, Peugeot will be showing off its EX1 electric roadster concept at Paris Auto Show at the end of the month. The EX1 is a uniquely designed, lightweight two-seat roadster that’s all electric. Peugeot even claims that their concept car “has already broken several world records for acceleration from a standing start.” Peugeot claims the electric roadster is capable of 0-62 mph in 3.55 seconds and a top speed of 161 mph.

The performance comes in with 340-hp through a pair of electric motors to all four wheels. The overall design is what we’re loving though with an edgy and futuristic design that retains some conventional vehicle styling to keep it realistic. The overall sleek profile is really accented by the spectacular photographs Peugeot has released.

This is just another addition to the already long list of vehicles we’ll be spotlighting when we head to the Paris Auto Show later this year. Stay tuned!

GALLERY: Peugeot EX1 Electric Roadster

Not to be outdone by the folks at Nissan, Scion has released its own augmented reality experience on the Web to promote the all new 2011 Scion tC. And just to one-up their competition, Scion’s application utilizes Flash and works straight on the website instead of having to download an application. Plus, it’s an interactive game rather than just showing off the features of the car.

Basically the application consists of a steering wheel that you are able to point towards your webcam and steer in order to control the virtual tC. The goal is to avoid all the obstacles in your way in order to achieve the fastest time through the city. And if you don’t have a webcam, you could play it in keyboard mode, though it’s not very exciting that way.

Our only major complaint is that the game doesn’t really show off the tC – although it should help generate some buzz. And besides, the rest of the website does its job of of highlighting the car.

So head on over to the website to Take On The Machine.

[Source: Scion Take On The Machine Augmented Reality]

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Scion tC Review by Clicking Here

No that is not a toy model car you’re looking at sprawled out over the floor. Those are actual, genuine Bentley replacement parts. Bentley is looking towards reminding classic Bentley owners that they have a plethora of heritage parts available for all makes and models and the automaker has embarked upon a six state, 8,000 mile tour to showcase 1,000 select parts in an effort to ensure customers of the automaker’s longstanding commitment to its owners.

“We have a unique but also very enjoyable challenge at Bentley,” explains Steve O’Hara, Director for After-Sales, Bentley Motors Limited, Crewe. “Nearly 80 per cent of all the Bentleys ever built are still in existence. They have been cherished by generations of owners and are often considered a part of the family. In many cases these classic cars are still being driven and enjoyed, rather than living in museums, and our task is to continue to provide these passionate owners and drivers with the service and parts they need.”

They may look like pieces of a toy sprawled out across the floor, but those are full-size Bentley parts. Another photo from the gallery puts things into perspective with human beings sprawled out along with the heritage replacement parts.

So if you’re looking for any sorts of replacement parts for your heritage Bentley, you can be rest assured that Bentley’s warehouse in Crewe has what you need.

GALLERY: Bentley Heritage Parts

Official release after the jump:

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Get ready to upgrade your driving directions. Garmin has just updated the 1600 GPS series with the new Garmin NuLink 1695.

Available this September, the Nuvi has changed its name to NuLink for the 1695. This is to signify the importance of the NuLink service, which offers a data connection to the portable GPS unit. The NuLink service brings drivers traffic information, weather forecasts, fuel prices, flight status, and other real-time, location-relevant content, including Google Local Search for points of interest, right to your dashboard.

Also new for the NuLink 1695 is the addition of the NuLink Store, where you can buy optional premium services. Purchasers of the 1695 receive one year of the NuLink service.

There are plenty of features that come with the NuLink 1695. A few notable ones include myTrends destination prediction, trafficTrends, ecoRoute software for fuel-efficient routing and driving, and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity and a speakerphone. It also comes with a 5-inch screen (that’s an upgrade from the 1690’s 4.3-inch display).

The Garmin NuLink 1695 sells for $449.99. The NuLink service will be free for the first year after purchase, and you can continue to receive the service for $5 per month after that.

[Source: Cnet]