Nissan will show their ESFLOW electric car concept at the Geneva Auto Show, a vehicle that has more in common with the Tesla Roadster than Nissan’s compact Leaf EV.

While the Leaf is based on a traditional car chassis, the ESFLOW is a clean-sheet design, that uses two motors in the rear wheels to allow for sub-5 second sprints to 60 mph. Torque vectoring is also present, allowing for the kind of handling sports car enthusiasts can only dream of.

Although the ESFLOW does share the same battery system as the Leaf, these are strategically mounted along both axles as a means of optimizing weight distribution. Range is up to about 150 miles, boosted in part by a lightweight aluminum chassis.

Inside, the pedals and steering wheel adjusts, while the seats stay fixed. We’ll be on hand at Geneva to check out the ESFLOW in the flesh, so stay tuned at the very beginning of March as coverage gets underway.

GALLERY: Nissan Esflow Concept

Geneva Auto Show coverage starts March 1st. Until then, get more news on the show with AutoGuide’s complete 2011 Geneva Auto Show Preview here.

Ford of Europe CEO Stephen T. Odell announced a “groundbreaking” new vehicle set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show at the beginning of March, but gave no details as to the nature of the car.

Some have speculated that the car could be an larger version of the Fiesta, dubbed the B-Max, that would take on cars like the Honda Fit. Presumably, an alternative powertrain would be part of the package, since a small compact hatch isn’t exactly what we’d call “groundbreaking”

[Source: AutoExpress]

Our first look at the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan comes from an Italian car blog, and even though we don’t speak the language, we can surmise that no details have yet to appear. What we do know is that the styling apes the big brother Touraeg with its new corporate VW front end. You’ll have to wait for the Geneva auto show to find out the rest.

[Source: Autoblog.it]

Although Volkswagen and their respective brands occupied a massive section of the Paris Auto Show’s main hall, they were a little light on new product. This won’t be the case at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show in early March, as the Volkswagen Group will debut 7 concept cars at Europe’s main auto show.

Details are slim at this point, but Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda plus “plus one – if not two – for Audi,” according to the Group’s design boss Walter de’ Silva, the man behind gorgeous designs like the Audi R8 and Volkswagen Scirocco. Guigiaro, the legendary design firm acquired by VW in 2010, will also display two concept vehicles.

Most concepts never see the light of day, but even if the models shown are a PR exercise, they should help further establish Volkswagen’s credibility in their quest to be the world’s number one automaker by 2018, a goal that they have spared no hesitation in promoting over the past year.

[Source: Automotive News]

With hatchbacks playing a significant role in auto markets outside North America, the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback will bow at this year’s Geneva Auto Show, where Chevrolet will try and further its push into the European market with a well-targeted product like the 5-door Cruze.

While Chevrolet showed a concept version at the Paris Auto Show this past September, the production Cruze will retain the same styling and come with a 2.0L diesel 4-cylinder making 165 horsepower, with a 6-speed manual as standard equipment. The Cruze has been a strong seller across the world, despite only being offered as a sedan, and the hatchback version will undoubtedly add significant sales volume in other regions. No plans have been announced as far as bringing the car over to the United States, but with Ford and Hyundai’s moves towards compact 5-doors, it’s certainly feasible.

[Source: World Car Fans]

The Mitsubishi Colt is one of the oldest nameplates in the compact car market, having been sold across the globe in fairly substantial numbers. While North Americans missed out on the previous incarnation, the Colt was well regarded as a practical and inexpensive subcompact that was also a competent driver’s car.

For the next generation of Colt, known as “Mitsubishi Concept Global Small”, the focus is naturally on fuel economy and frugality. The concept version will debut at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show while the production version will hit the road in 2012, and be produced at Mitsubishi’s facility in Thailand. Technical details are scant, but a CVT gearbox will be employed to help bring the new Colt to the top of the fuel economy standings, while the car is said to emit 90 grams of C02 per kilometer, an important figure in Europe, where cars are taxed on emissions.

Get more 2011 Geneva Auto Show news here.

[Source: AutoExpress]

The Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel wasn’t long for this world in its previous iteration, but the oil-burning Jeep will soldier on in Europe, where diesels enjoy massive popularity.

Bowing at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the Grand Cherokee CRD will likely use a version of Chrysler’s previous diesel engine which made 218 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque. Despite the highly touted Pentastar V6 and HEMI V8 sold here, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see the diesel make a return.

[Source: Jalopnik]

When most people think about Saudi Arabia, they think about a country that produces 10-million barrels of crude oil every day, a country where temperatures in the summer can reach over 130-degrees, and a country where the Sheikhs live in mansions bigger than some high-end resorts.

While there is a huge car culture there, with the well-to-do acquiring just about every exotic car ever made, the country isn’t known for producing its own car.

That is all about to change, as the King Saud University (KSU) announced recently that it has signed a $500-million deal with South Korea’s Digm Automotive Technology, to produce the nations first ever production car.

KSU surprised everyone when it showed a concept vehicle at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show called the Gazal-1, based on the Mercedes G-Class platform. Now this forward thinking university has set up a fund, where it will come up with 10 to 15 percent of the investment, Digm will contribute about 30 percent and the rest to be covered by investors.

KSU president Abdullah Al-Othman said the first car will be a five-passenger vehicle. He added, “Our aim is to market a low-cost car of high quality priced at between SR35,000 and SR45,000, ($9,300 to $12,000).”

The aim is to have the car ready in about two-years, and in the beginning the car will be marketed in its home country, plus other neighboring Arab nations and North African countries.

[Source: Carscoop]

Arguably the most prestigious auto show of them all, this year’s Geneva Motor Show looks to combine the venue’s usual theme of high-powered exotic and luxury cars with new, green hybrid technology. With the 2010 Geneva Auto Show officially kicking off its schedule of world premieres on Tuesday, March 2nd, the show will also be open on the 1st allowing us to bring you plenty of early coverage – particularly on the wild creations from the German tuning industry.

Along with our usual fast-paced blogging of all the new vehicles, we’ve launched a complete Geneva Auto Show coverage hub, where you can find all of our stories in one convenient location. To access that page click the link below, where we’ve already assembled as much show news as possible:

2010 Geneva Auto Show Coverage

World premieres for this year’s show include a long list of high-end hybrids, from the Ferrari 599 Hybrid Concept, Porsche GT3 R Hybrid, 2011 Porsche Cayenne (including a Hybrid model), 2011 Volkswagen Touareg (including a Hybrid model), BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid, Audi A8 Hybrid and Lexus CT200h – the first full hybrid in the premium compact class. Lotus will also show a hybrid concept based on the Evora sports car. Called the 414E Hybrid, it works like the Chevy Volt, delivering 35 miles of emissions-free electric driving before the gasoline engine kicks in to extend the car’s range to 300 miles. Oh, and it also makes 400-hp!

Not all unveilings will be hybrids however, with several high-performance models relying on good-old internal combustion technology. These include a new high-performance version of the Lamborghini Gallardo, referred to as either the LP570-4 SuperVeloce or the LP570-4 Superleggera, as well as Audi’s new RS5 and the Porsche 911 Turbo S. Plus, there will be plenty of wildly modified cars from renowned German tuning houses such as Brabus, TechArt, Hamann, Carlsson, ABT Sportsline and Mansory.

See after the jump for quick links to our 2010 Geneva Auto Show preview stories:

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They’ve gone and done it; the tuning gurus at Brabus have stuffed a V8 engine in the new GLK SUV. And as though replacing the V6 with a larger and more powerful V8 powerplant weren’t enough, Brabus had to go and modify the entire thing.

Brabus engineers completely rebuilt a 5.5-liter motor (as found in vehicles like the S550) and increased the displacement to 6.1-liters. The modifications involved a larger bore and a longer stroke, with a lighter crankshaft, stronger pistons with a compression ratio of 11.0:1 and a modified cylinder head with larger valves and new cams.

In total the new engine makes 456hp at 6200 rpm and 453 ft-lbs of torque at 3100 rpm. Brabus says the V8 GLK can hit 62 mph in just 4.9 seconds and blast on to a top speed of 172 mph.

Other modifications on the car include a lowered suspension (1.2-inches), 21-inch Brabus Monoblock F wheels and a big brake upgrade. The new brake system uses six-piston front calipers with 14.2-inch rotors and six-piston rear calipers with 11.8-inch rotors.

Technically, this Brabus GLK is also a Widestar, meaning that it features the Widestar line of aerodynamics, including a new front fascia that reduces lift and, of course, those flared fenders.

GALLERY: Brabus GLK V8

Rear more on the Brabus GLK V8 after the jump:

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Mazda has crushed speculation that there may not be a new version of the MazdaSpeed3 by announcing that the new performance version of the popular Mazda3 5-door hatchback will be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show in March.

The 2010 model will continue to use the 2.3-liter direct injection and turbocharged four-cylinder engine although power should receive a mild increase.

The Mazdaspeed3 is sold in Japan as the MPS Axela and in Europe as the MAZDA3 MPS.

Sharing the press conference in Geneva will be the Mazda3 i-stop, which features a new technology paired to the Mazda3′s 2.0 DISI (Direct Injection Spark Ignition) engine for a 12 percent reduction in fuel-consumption.

We’ll be sure to bring you more info and photos from the show floor in Geneva starting March 3rd.

Official release after the jump:

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