Kia has already released two images of its 2011 Optima [Magentis] family sedan before its world premiere at the New York Auto Show later this month, but thanks to an amateur spy photographer in Korea we now have a few extra shots. These new angles confirm the Optima’s handsome good looks, especially as the car still manages to look stylishly European, even without the help of a pro photographer.

The 2011 Optima is longer, lower and wider than its predecessor, which should result in a more comfortable ride, better handling and more interior room. Based on the same platform as the newly released Hyundai Sonata, the Optima doesn’t have quite the coupe-like look, with a rather high Lexus IS-like rear end. It features Kia’s “tiger” front end design with a flat nose and large grille, while LED lights are used on the bumper.

While no powertrain info has been provided, it’s safe to assume that much like the Sonata (reviewed here), it will receive a GDI (gasoline direct injection) 2.4-liter 4-cylinder with 198-hp and a six-speed transmission. In the Sonata that engine gets 22/35 mpg (city/highway). With Hyundai set to unveil a 250-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged Sonata and a Hybrid at the NY show, it’s likely that Kia will do the same either in NY or soon after.

Kia claims the new Optima will have class-leading safety and luxury equipment.

AutoGuide will be on hand in New York for the official debut, with live coverage starting March 31st.

GALLERY: 2011 Kia Optima [Magentis] Spy Photos

GALLERY: 2011 Kia Optima [Magentis]

[Source: TheCarBlogger]

Kia has just released a selection of photos of the all-new 2011 Optima (known as the Magentis in some markets), ahead of the car’s world premiere at the New York Auto Show. Simply put, it’s stunning, looking like a more premium German model with a touch of Ford Taurus muscle.

This new model is longer, lower and wider than the predecessor, which should result in a more comfortable ride, better handling and more interior room. Based on the same platform as the newly released Hyundai Sonata, the Optima doesn’t have quite the coupe-like look, with a rather high Lexus IS-like rear end. It features Kia’s “tiger” front end design with a flat nose and large grille, while LED lights are used on the bumper.

While no powertrain info has been provided, it’s safe to assume that much like the Sonata (reviewed here), it will receive a GDI (gasoline direct injection) 2.4-liter 4-cylinder with 198-hp and a six-speed transmission. In the Sonata that engine gets 22/35 mpg (city/highway). With Hyundai set to unveil a 250-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged Sonata and a Hybrid at the NY show, it’s likely that Kia will do the same either in NY or soon after.

Kia claims the new Optima will have class-leading safety and luxury equipment.

“It’s a car that people will simply not expect from Kia – and that’s exactly what we set out to achieve,” says Peter Schreyer, Kia’s Chief Design Officer. “The Optima embodies Kia’s confident new design direction. It’s a global car with individual appeal.”

AutoGuide will be on hand in New York for the official debut, with live coverage starting March 31st.

GALLERY: 2011 Kia Optima (Magentis)

Official release after the jump:

Suzuki is looking to get back into the U.S. auto market in a big way and to do so it launched the Kizashi mid-size car last year to compete with hallmarks like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord. Initially offered with only a 4-cylinder, Suzuki doesn’t want anyone walking away from its dealerships wanting for power and so the automaker is expected to deliver a more powerful V6 model. A Suzuki rep told the folks at LeftLaneNews that Suzuki has, “more exciting Kizashi product news to share” in New York, leading to the obvious conclusion of the V6 model’s debut.

When the 4-cylinder was launched, Suzuki also showed off a V6 prototype car, which featured a 3.6-liter V6 making 260-hp. The prototype also included a more aggressive bodykit, which we expect will be a part of the high-end V6 model’s package.

We quite liked the 4-cylinder model when we reviewed it last year, which offered a more dynamic driving experience than most mid-size sedans, making us eager to see how the V6 delivers.

We’ll be on hand to bring you live coverage of the New York Auto Show starting March 31st.

[Source: LeftLaneNews]

If you’re eager to know what the upcoming 2012 Chevy Malibu will look like, thanks to some new patent drawings, we now have a pretty darn good idea. Sort of. You see, the sketches were recently filed by General Motors with the U.S. patent office for an unnamed Chevrolet sedan. In other words, this could any any number of models, but with the Malibu set to arrive next year as a 2012 model, it’s a safe bet.

What the photos do show is a more muscular appearance that takes the current ‘Bu’s styling to a new level. The Malibu, we should remind you, was the first to get Chevy’s new front end, which is now seen across the rest of the product line, so the 2012 Malibu is likely to inspire all other future Chevys as well.

The windows appear to be a bit smaller with a higher belt-line, giving a more aggressive (300C-like) look, while the rear end is most certainly inspired by the Camaro.

Chevy has already shown a select few an early version of the 2012 Malibu and with the auto show season about over, if the car doesn’t make an appearance at the New York Auto Show in just a few weeks time, we don’t expect to see it until the end of the year at either the LA or Detroit shows.

GALLERY: 2012 Chevy Malibu Patent Drawings

[Source: CarScoop]

We’ve already seen a few spy photos of the updated Dodge Charger, but a selection of new images now reveals some impressive updates to the big sedan’s interior. Likely a high-end trim level, the photos show an impressive two-tone interior with leather door inserts, stitched into patterns. The instrumentation looks nicer overall and the new gauges have a retro feel with plenty of aluminum color trim. There’s also a sporty three-spoke steering wheel and a push button ignition.

These updates, along with a revised exterior with a more sloping rear roofline, should arrive for the 2011 or 2012 model year. The updated car is also expected to get a new standard 3.6-liter V6 with more power (280-hp most likely) and much improved fuel economy, while the HEMI 6.1-liter V8 will be replaced by a 6.4-liter V8 with cylinder deactivation and Fiat’s MultiAir variable valve timing.

We’re interested to get a closer look when these much-needed updates make it to market. In the mean time, See more Charger spy photos here

[Source: Autoblog]

Hyundai unveiled its i-Flow concept vehicle, calling it a preview for a future D-Segment contender. According to Hyundai, we may see the i-Flow’s styling and technology in a 2011 production model. Would it be too much to expect it in the 2011 Euro-spec Sonata?

The seventh of a series of concepts from the Russelsheim design studio, the i-Flow extends upon Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture” philosophy. The outside offers a futuristic look while inside, the i-Flow has an alien, Hyundai calls it “bionic”, feel.

Under the futuristic shell, the i-Flow is Hyundai’s first diesel hybrid powertrain. At the i-Flow’s heart is the U2 1.7L two-stage turbo engine combined with a lithium-ion powered motor. No horsepower or torque figures were provided, but Hyundai says the i-Flow gets 78.4 mpg.

Like the Blue Will concept unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the i-Flow recycles exhaust heat, capturing the energy and using it to power auxiliary systems.

The i-Flow also uses a thermal engine encapsulation technology which helps the engine reach optimum operating temperature quicker by retaining heat when the engine is idle. According to Hyundai, the i-Flow’s engine will stay above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 14 hours, much longer than a non-insulated engine’s time of three hours. Hyundai estimates this will cut 5% of emissions in the summer and up to 9% in the winter.

Gallery: Hyundai i-Flow concept

Hyundai has just revealed the first photo that shows its new i-Flow concept in full. The concept car is set to be revealed at next week’s Geneva Auto Show and is a look ahead at the future of the Sonata in Europe. With a new Sonata having just been launched in North America and Korea, Hyundai has decided to shy away from the global vehicle approach and instead create a new Europe-specific Sonata replacement that is likely to be both more premium and more expensive.

With a hybrid version of the new Sonata set to debut this year in North America, Hyundai’s i-Flow concept looks ahead at a possible hybrid diesel for Europe. The i-Flow is powered by a 1.7-liter 4-cylinder turbo-diesel and Hyundai’s Blue-drive hybrid system, as well as a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Hyundai boasts that this engine, combined with a ultra-low drag coefficient of just 0.25 cd helps the concept achieve 78.4 mpg (U.S.).

In addition to this concept, Hyundai will show off low emissions and increased range “blue” versions of it’s i10, i20, i30 and ix35 (Tucson) models. A fuel cell Tucson will also be on display.

Click here for AutoGuide’s live 2010 Geneva Auto Show coverage starting Monday, March 1st.

GALLERY: Hyundai i-Flow Concept

Official release after the jump:

Kia has just released a single teaser image of the aggressively-styled 2011 Kia Optima (sold as the Magentis in some markets), which will debut at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Based on the same platform as the Sonata, this Optima is also likely to get coupe-like styling and feature Kia’s bold grille (as shown in the sketch above).

We can also expect similar engines, including the Sonata’s GDI 2.4-liter 4-cylinder with 198-hp, with a turbocharged 4-cylinder and hybrid model to follow. In fact, it’s possible that Kia will launch the 2011 Optima as a hybrid.

We’ll be sure to bring you full details on the car when it debuts at the New York Auto Show in late March.

Official release after the jump:

While we can’t write any driving impressions about the new 2011 Hyundai Sonata due to an embargo that lifts Monday, we can tell you that during the vehicle’s launch our car achieved an incredible 46.8 mpg. And as impressive as that number sounds, it was still only enough to earn the team of AutoGuide.com Editor-in-Chief Colum Wood and TopSpeed.com Senior Editor Philippe Daix a bronze medal. First place went to the team of Donald Buffamanti of AutoSpies and Jaime Florez of Ruedas ESPN with a 52.8 mpg rating that would even impress a Prius.

The gold medal winners got more than just praise, however, as Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik offered to treat anyone who could beat his personal time of 47.8 mpg to a private dinner.

We’ll be the first to admit that the 46.8 mpg rating was hardly done under real world conditions. Although while Buffamanti and Florez used cruise control up hills and coasted in neutral down hills (despite engineers saying that it shouldn’t matter), we even used our air conditioning, albeit only when going down hill.

For the record, Hyundai officially rates the 2011 Sonata at 24/35 mpg (city/highway) for the manual transmission and 22/35 mpg for the automatic. To put these numbers, and our 46.8 mpg number into perspective, the Toyota Prius is rated at 51/48 mpg, while during a similar fuel economy challenge we managed 65 mpg in the Prius. And while you won’t get Prius fuel economy numbers out of a Sonata, you will get a vehicle that is so spacious its technically classified as a large sedan by the EPA, plus it delivers 198-hp!

With a mild facelift for 2011, the important changes to the Hyundai Azera come as a result of changes to the two V6 engines, delivering more power and improved fuel economy. Both the standard 3.3-liter V6 and optional 3.8-liter V6 are still part of the package, but both mills now get added power and improved fuel economy thanks to DCVVT (Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing) and a new six-seed automatic transmission. Output for the 3.3-liter V6 is now rated at 260-hp and 233 ft-lbs of torque, an improvement of 26-hp and 7 ft-lbs respectively. Fuel economy is also up, rated at 20-mpg city, 28-mpg highway, an improvement of 11 and 8 percent

As for the 3.8-liter V6, it now makes 283-hp and 263 ft-lbs of torque (and improvement of 20-hp and 6 ft-lbs), while delivering 19-mpg city and 27-mpg highway (and improvement of 12 and 4 percent).

Other highlights include revised headlights and taillights, with revised front and rear bumpers, as well as some new wheel designs.

GALLERY: 2011 Hyundai Azera

Get all the details on the 2011 Azera after the jump: