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Geneva 2008: Renault Megane Coupe Concept - more details, more pics, more slick -

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Hatchbacks, Renault

Renault is known for doing hatchbacks, and it does them well, but that’s about it. Seeking to increase its market share, Renault’s range is rapidly expanding to include a more diversified line-up. Unveiled alongside the new Laguna GT and the Koleos crossover - both also divergent models from the company’s small hatch mainstream - the Megane Coupe Concept aims to show the way forward for Renault.

Although what you see here is not what will hit the road when the new Megane arrives, Renault insists that its “dynamic voluptuousness” is a direct indicator of the more fluid form its upcoming Golf-fighter will take. While everyone else was scrambling to come up with new ways to reinvent the wheel internal combustion engine, Renault’s new concept is powered by a regular old 2-liter turbocharged four with 200 horsepower, which frankly doesn’t seem that impressive considering that the Clio Renaultsport’s naturally-aspirated 2.0 produces just three negligible horsepower less. Fine, so notwithstanding its F1 cars, big impressive engines aren’t Renault’s thing. Meanwhile, the big gullwing doors are the most obvious element to get axed along the next Megane’s road to production, but if the road car bears even a passing resemblance to what could easily be labeled as Renault’s most engaging show car in years, European customers will have reason to celebrate and we’ll have one more entry on our list of cars we wish we could get Stateside.

Right up until its unveiling, Renault was highly secretive on the Megane Coupe Concept, revealing only that there would be a fourth model premiering in Geneva alongside the Koleos and Laguna GT. Now that the veil has been lifted, however, we’ve garnered all the details in the press release after the jump and Renault’s images, which join our own in the gallery below. Check ‘em out to learn more about Renault’s vision for the future of the automobile.

Filed under: Sports/GTs, Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Supercars, Lamborghini

The changes made to the Lamborghini Gallardo as it evolves into the spectacular LP560-4. And while the name might not be exciting, the car sure is. New front and rear fascias, as detailed here, give the “baby” Lambo a menacing new look that’s backed up by an upgraded 5.2L V10 that reportedly dishes out 560 PS/ 552 HP while tipping the scales at 44 lbs. less than the Gallardo. That’s what fast is made of. We’ll continue to update the photo gallery and post the official specs as soon as they’re released.

You can do compare the LP560-4 to the the pre-facelift bodystyle, here’s a gallery of the current Gallardo Superleggera.

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

Hyundai i-Blue Fuel Cell Car To Have North American Debut At Chicago Auto Show

We have confirmation from Hyundai that they’ll be premiering the Hyundai i-Blue fuel cell concept at the Chicago Auto Show. This is the North American debut as the company already showed this particular concept in Frankfurt last year. What’s interesting is that the company has promised to have a production ready version by 2012, but we just assumed that was for the Korean domestic market. Does mean that the company is planning on bringing it here? Or was it just a matter of not wanting to waste a perfectly good concept car? Only time will tell.
[Source: Hyundai]

YES! Have confirmed that the 3.2 Roadster will be sold in America. Usually, we in the US are left to look on in envy as Europeans get all manner of wacky low-volume sportscars, but the firm’s parent company, Funke & Will AG (How’s that for ’80s flashback?), will be showing the vehicle at the Chicago Auto Show in February. Sales will commence later this year. The base Roadster has a 3.2L Volkswagen V6 with 255bhp powering 890kgs. A Turbo model brings 355bhp and a 0-60 time of 3.8secs, while a further 415bhp upgrade is capable of nearly 200mph. No prices yet, but the company plans on announcing which dealerships they’ll be working with in late February, so expect more details then. Yes! The full press release follows the jump.

GROSSENHAIN, Germany, January 28 /PRNewswire/ — The YES! Roadster 3.2 will be on display during the 100th Chicago Autoshow from February 6th to February 17th 2008. We are looking forward to welcoming on the exhibition stand SH34 in the South Hall.The overwhelmingly positive response from media, customers, experts and business partners reflects the great interest of the public in the puristic lightweight and proves once again the successful implementation of this concept, true to the motto: PURE DRIVING PLEASURE.Due to the equally positive feedback from America, Funke & Will AG has extended distribution of the YES! Roadster 3.2 to North America and Canada this year. For this purpose the company has founded YES! North America Inc.

Following our first post on the R8 V12 TDi Concept yesterday, Audi came out with an official press release and a high-res image gallery on its diesel powered supercar. Rumoured to go into production before the end of the decade, the R8 V12 TDi is powered by a 5.9-liter V12 turbodiesel that generates 500 HP and 1,000 Newton-meters (737.56 lb-ft) of torque. According to Audi, the diesel-powered R8 sprints from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.2 sec while its top speed is in excess of 300 km/h or 187 mph.

AUDI R8 V12 TDI Concept: Detroit 2008

Audi is presenting a revolution in the top class at the North American International Auto Show 2008 – the first 12-cylinder diesel engine in a high-performance roadgoing sports car. The V12 TDI with a displacement of six liters powers a concept car based on the Audi R8. This unit generates a huge 500 hp and 1,000 Newton-meters (737.56 lb-ft) of torque. Audi is writing a new chapter in diesel technology with this power unit. Equipped with the expertise that Audi has built up through its motor sport activities, the R8 V12 TDI in matt “Grace Silver” embodies superb road handling, pioneering technology and fascinating design. The V12 TDI is closely related to the engine in the Audi R10, the two-time Le Mans winner – so it catapults the Audi R8 into supercar terrain concerning performance too. It sprints from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 4.2 seconds and its top speed is well over 300 km/h (186.41 mph). The peak torque, reached at only 1,750 rpm, paves the way for effortless acceleration that is unrivaled even at this level. 

The new V12 TDI belongs to Audi’s family of V engines but has the ideal included angle for this engine type of 60 degrees between cylinder banks. Its highlights include the new chain drive layout that includes the two newly developed high-pressure pumps for the common rail injection system. 

Its sound is as thrilling as you’d expect in a sports car of this caliber. For all the subtle smoothness that typifies this design principle, the twelve-cylinder unit is full-bodied and equipped with energetic overtones that make no secret of its performance potential.