After debuting the IPL (Infiniti Performance Line) G Coupe at Pebble Beach, Nissan’s luxury arm has unveiled the IPL G Convertible at the Paris Auto Show. Those eager to get their hands on this more attractive G Coupe will have to wait, however, as it’s technically a concept car. But don’t let the name fool you, Infiniti will most certainly bring this car to market – likely with an announcement just before orders can be placed for the Spring.

Like its coupe counterpart, the IPL G Convertible makes 348-hp from a 3.7-liter V6 and gets a solid list of performance and aesthetic enhancements. Included in that list is a retuned suspension, 19-inch wheels with sport brakes, a performance exhaust and a limited slip differential. Plus there’s a unique aero kit, special IPL badging, an IPL engine cover and unique interior treatments including red leather.

GALLERY: IPL G Convertible Concept Debut in Paris

GALLERY IPL G Convertible Concept

Volvo is adding even more style and a touch more performance to its new S60 and V60 models thanks to an optional R-Design package. Officially unveiled at the Paris Auto Show, the R-Spec package is available with any engine choice (in Europe anyway).

R-Design models are easily distinguishable by their new front-end, as well as an aggressive rear diffuser with twin exhaust pipes. Plus, there are special 18-inch five-spoke rims. Handling is then optimized thanks to a front strut brace, rear monotube shocks and lowering springs that drop the height of the sedan or wagon by 15mm.

Inside, there’s a more sport-oriented interior with new sport seats, an R-Design steering wheel, gear shifter, sport pedals and floor mats.

R-Design packages should be available at Volvo dealers in the U.S. shortly – although don’t plan on picking up a V60 R-Design as Volvo has yet to confirm the wagon for North America.

GALLERY: Volvo S60 R-Design

GALLERY: Volvo V60 R-Design

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Infiniti still doesn’t have much of a presence in Europe, but the brand it looking to continue to grow thanks to a strong lineup of sport-oriented luxury models on one side, and an expanding hybrid and EV initiative on the other. The latest addition to the Infiniti lineup, the M35h, has plenty of potential with a strong combination of luxury, performance and fuel economy.

On display at the Paris Auto Show, the M35h uses a 3.5-liter V6 engine to produce 302-hp and 258 ft-lbs of torque and is joined by an electric motor that adds 67-hp more. The system uses a lithium-ion battery pack that Infiniti says allows for more driving to be done under electric power. Infiniti also boasts an industry-first clutch setup that has been installed between the gasoline engine and electric motor.

What really maters, however, are the numbers, with Infiniti making some impressive claims. The car is touted to get 38.6 mpg, while also being able to hit 60-mph in just 5.9 seconds. What isn’t clear is if those mpg numbers are based on the more generous European test cycle.

GALLERY: Infiniti M35h

Citroen’s Survolt electric car is pretty single-minded. While the Tesla Roadster is an electric sports car for the road, the Survolt is meant to be an outright race car.

With two electric motors making 300 horsepower, the Survolt has muscle, and can hit over 160 miles per hour. 0-60 comes in just under 5 seconds, and the best part is the 124 miles means that you can put a fair number of laps in before it needs more juice. Inside, full bucket seats and a roll cage keep you safe, while the rest of the interior matches the funky styling.

Gallery: Citroen Survolt

Most of you are familiar with the Chevrolet Orlando, the minivan touted by Chevrolet as a game-changer that was canned at the last minute for the United States.

We were lucky enough to get our first glimpse of the Orlando during its unveiling here in Paris, and it’s actually a bit larger than expected.

The Orlando gets a choice of 4-cylinder engines, ranging in displacement from a 1.8L four-cylinder to a pair of 2.0L diesels, with a max output of 163 horsepower. Inside, the Orlando is pretty similar to its Cruze stablemate, but with a couple extra seats. Ford’s C-Max, which is going to be sold over here, is the more interesting American minivan if you ask us.

Check out the press release after the jump

Gallery: Chevrolet Orlando

Continue Reading…

Looking nearly identical to the production model, Chevy has unveiled the hatchback version of the Cruze compact car at the Paris Auto Show. We say nearly identical because Chevy refers to this as a “show car”; more commonly called a concept.

But like the Aveo that morphed from concept to reality with little changed, the same is expected for the Cruze hatch. About the only adjustments will be the removal of items like LED daytime running lights.

The Cruze hatch is expected to use the same engines as found in the sedan and cargo room is rated at 14.1 cubic feet.

A hatchback version of the Cruze is no surprise for the European market as hatchbacks are a favorite there. “Hatchbacks play a critical role in many markets,” says Wayne Brannon, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe. “The total compact segment in Europe represents around 4.8 million units which is over a quarter of the total market, with hatchbacks representing around 65% of that volume. We therefore expect to see increased business in a number of regions, while sending out a signal that Chevrolet is now a serious mainstream player in Europe.”

It’s not yet known what other markets will get the Cruze hatch and while it would seem more likely that North America would get a coupe model, we can’t rule the hatchback out yet – especially as Ford will deliver a 5-door version of the new Focus here shortly.

Get more Chevy Cruze news and info at CruzeTalk.com

GALLERY: Chev Cruze Hatchback Concept

After rotting on the vine of General Motors for a few too many seasons, the Chevy Aveo has just been replaced with a new generation model sporting the same subcompact’s badge. Unveiled at the Paris Auto Show, the new small car retains many of the features from the Aveo RS Concept car, including the large front grille, oversized headlights and rear door handles that are hidden into the C-pillar to give the 5-door a sporty 3-door look. And while the design is nice, the taller dimensions of the Aveo do make it look more functional than fun. That’s not always a bad thing, however, as the Aveo looks to have significantly more cargo room than the Ford Fiesta – although no official cargo numbers have been released.

Inside there’s an improved interior although it’s not thrilling. Then again, it might change when it makes it to North America as in Europe Chevy is GM’s entry-level brand, below Opel. Of note is the  “motorcycle-inspired” instrument cluster with an analogue tachometer and digital speedometer. Chevy says the new Aveo will get a modern audio system with compatibility for USB and Bluetooth.

Also promised is “involved handling” while all models will get electric power steering, stability control and ABS brakes.

As for what’s under the hood, Chevy will offer both a 70-hp and 86-hp 1.2-liter engine, a 100-hp 1.4-liter and a 115-hp 1.6-liter in Europe. (Sorry, no 1.4T…. not yet anyway). Both of the larger engines will, however, be available with a 6-speed automatic, while a 6-speed manual is standard. Also available (in Europe) are two 1.3-liter diesels making 75-hp and 95-hp respectively.

Chevy has not yet announced how soon the new Aveo will go on sale in North America.

GALLERY: 2011 Chevy Aveo

News doesn’t necessarily have to be new. Sure, that goes against the age old rules of journalism… but it’s true. Case in point: the Porsche GT2 RS.

Unveiled at the Moscow Auto Show, it’s still worth covering here at the Paris Motor Show – although part of the reason is that we never covered the Moscow show because like almost every other automotive publication we value our lives. It’s also really far away.

With a total of 620-hp from its twin-turbo flat-six engine, the GT2 RS is the most powerful street legal Porsche ever. It’s also incredibly light thanks to a reduction in weight of 154 lbs. Looking at the car it’s easy to see where the weight went, with carbon fiber body panels and exterior trim items, carbon fiber seats, carbon ceramic brakes and light-weight forged RS Spyder wheels with center locks.

In fact, Porsche went to such extremes to save weight that the hood logo is actually just a sticker.

Along with a host of other upgrades, the proof comes with a Nürburgring lap time that’s well beyond any of the competition, besting the Viper ACR’s best time by 4 seconds with a 7:18.

Just 500 GT2 RS models are being built at a price of $245,000.

GALLERY: Porsche GT2 RS

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Announced just a few weeks ago, Bentley chose the Paris Auto Show to debut “the new” Continental GT. We say “new” because it’s got the same chassis and engine, along with most everything else. And for the most party the body looks identical.

But wait… the minor changes made to the volume Bentley model wind up making a real difference, with the new Conti GT now being infused with more of the regal design cues of its forebearers. Plus, this particular model came coated in a particularly high-gloss (yet subtle) paint.

And while the twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 remains under the hood, power is up with 567-hp and 516 ft-lbs of torque. In addition, Bentley will also offer a 4.0-liter V8 that will cut emissions by 40 percent. A new “Quickshift” 6-speed automatic transmission sends 60 percent of the power to the rear wheels for a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 198-mph.

Also new is an improved infotainment system with an 8-inch touch screen and Google Maps.

Expect a drop-top in about a year’s time, with high-performance SPEED models and limited editions to follow.

GALLERY: 2011 Bentley Continental GT

Yesterday Lotus Cars began what the storied British automaker is calling a “New Era” launching an entire lineup of vehicles at one auto show. A total of five new models graced the Lotus stand, including the new Esprit, a second-generation Elise, the flagship Elite and even a 4-door model called Eterne. Details were scarce, but Kevin Smith, head of publications for Lotus Cars USA has shed some light on each of the five models.

Smith says the automaker is confident it will bring all five models to market, based on the same versatile vehicle architecture used for the current Evora and with a funding commitment from Lotus parent company Proton.

First to market will be the Esprit, with an on-sale date set for the Spring of 2013. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber it will be a true exotic, using a supercharged version of the Lexus 5.0-liter V8 making 542-hp in standard trim and a whopping 612-hp in R-spec trim. As Lotus Cars CEO Dany Bahar said at the introduction of the Esprit concept, “The icon is back.”

Following the Esprit will be the Elan, launching in the Fall of 2013 as a coupe, with a convertible model set to follow. As a competitor to the Porsche 911, Smith guarantees it will be a true rival. Using a 4.0-liter version of the Toyota-sourced V6 found in the Evora, the Elan will be 200-lbs lighter. An R-Spec model will also be offered, boasting 450-hp. Both it, and the Elise, will use a combination of aluminum and composite materials to keep weight to a minimum. In addition, Lotus will offer both the Esprit and the Elan as a hybird.

The flagship for the new Lotus will follow six months later in the Spring of 2014, with a standard trim making 612-hp. A hybrid option will be offered and this grand touring exotic comes exclusively with a retractable hardtop.

Spring of 2015 will see the launch of the second-generation Lotus Elise. Gaining size and weight over the current car the new Elise will come in at between 2,300 and 2,400 lbs and Smith promises will be easier to get into than even the new Evora model. Power will come from a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with forced induction (either a turbocharger or supercharger), making a total of 316-hp. That should be enough to deliver a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds. Plus, those in search of a fuel efficient sports car will be able to get it with the new Elise as Lotus also plans to offer a hybrid option. Unlike the rest of the hybrids in the Lotus lineup, the Elise will be a mild hybrid (like the Honda system) and feature start-stop technology. And while Lotus looks to expand and grow as an automaker, it also wants to retain its core customers with the next gen Elise, with Bahar commenting at the Lotus press conference that it would retain its, “cheaky charm.”

Completing the new Lotus lineup is the Eterne 4-door sports sedan. Again, based on the same architecture, its designed as a rival to the likes of the Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte, but wont hit the market until the Fall of 2015.

In addition to these, Lotus is also considering a city car, but that is very much up-in-the-air at this point says Smith. The goal with the five concepts shown is to expand Lotus production and sell between 7,500 and 8,000 vehicles annually.

Often production models don’t live up to the hype of the concepts, but Smith reassured us that the models on display in Paris are 90 to 95 percent representative of the planned road cars.