Paris Show 2010 Highlights: 2012 Honda Jazz Hybrid

Say hy to the Honda Jazz hybrid! The Japanese firm's petrol-electric supermini mase its public debut at the Paris Motor Show.

The hybrid Jazz boasts the same petrol electric IMA hybrid system as the Insight, mating an 87bhp 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol unit to a CVT gearbox with an electric motor sandwiched in between. Like the Insight and Civic hybrid, the Jazz will be able to run on electric power alone for short distances.

As the Jazz is smaller and lighter than the Insight, it achieves a combined economy figure of 64.2mpg and emissions of 104g/km - a figure that's 21 per cent less than the Jazz 1.2 petrol.

To set the newcomer apart, the Jazz hybrid gets revised blue-tinted headlights, a new grille and tweaked bumper at the front, while the rear is treated to clear taillights lenses. The hybrid can also be specified in this striking shade of Lime Green metallic.

Inside, the cabin gets blue-lit dials and can be specified with leather upholstery, which is the first time Honda has offered the trim in Europe.

The hybrid Jazz goes on sale in Japan in October, where it’s badged as the Honda Fit, and will go on sale in the UK early in 2011. Prices will be announced closer to the time.

In Japan the Fit hybrid costs more than a conventionally-powered Fit supermini, but less than an Insight. Apply this logic to the UK Honda range, where the Insight starts at £16,325, while a top-spec Jazz costs £15,770, and the Jazz hybrid should be priced at around £16,000 when it arrives here, making it the cheapest hybrid on the market. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express

Paris Show 2010 Highlights: 2012 Ford Focus ST

Ford has unveiled its new Ford ST at the Paris motor show.

The next generation car will arrive in 2012 and the firm says that customer feedback on the outgoing version of the car - one of the more subtle hot hatchbacks on the market - has persuaded it to create more extreme styling for the new version.

The choice of the ST model designation for the show car is likely to prove significant. Ford is said to be keen to rationalise the branding its high-performance variants, which have also been called XR and SVT in other markets.

As expected, the new ST uses a retuned version of Ford’s four-cylinder, turbocharged Ecoboost engine, now producing 247bhp.

That figure puts the Focus on a par with Renaultsport’s Mégane 250 and lifts it above the 223bhp of the old model, which was powered by a Volvo-derived, turbocharged five-pot.

However, its figure is likely to be topped by Vauxhall’s next-gen Astra VXR, which should have north of 280bhp when it arrives at the end of 2011.

Ford has yet to issue any details on the car’s transmission, but the show car appears to have a six-speed manual gearbox. A version of its Powershift dual-clutch set-up is likely to be offered as an option.

The new car’s styling takes the latest five-door Focus’s looks to extremes, with deep air intakes, side skirts and a roof spoiler.

Ford’s head of design, Martin Smith, told Autocar, “The new Focus ST is more of an overt performance car than its predecessor in response to customer feedback.

We knew that the Focus ST customer wanted something less subtle than the standard design, with a more sporty feel.”

The front of the new car is dominated by a gaping single-piece grille, in contrast to the two-piece item that will feature on regular next-gen Focuses.

It’s entirely black, apart from a small ST badge. Ford draws comparisons between the ‘blade’ front spoilers, which emerge from the centre of the front bumper and extend around the sides, and the rear end, which features sharp creases above the bumpers.

The firm also claims that the central exhaust has strong ‘kinetic’ design cues.

The show car’s paint colour, called “Tangerine Scream”, is an evolution of the bright orange that was the signature finish on the previous ST. It’s likely to be offered as a cost option on the new model.

Thanks to: Autocar

New Fiat 500 Millesima (Thousandth) - video

New Fiat 500 Millesima (Thousandth) - video

Paris Show 2010 Highlights: 2011 Ferrari 599 SA APERTA

Meet the sensational Ferrari 599 SA APERTA! Just 80 examples of the super-desirable drop-top will be built and each car has already been sold.

Ferrari chose the number 80 to celebrate design house Pininfarina’s 80th anniversary. The SA in the name stands for Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina, whose company and work has been linked to Ferrari’s most successful road-going cars ever built.

APERTA is Italian for open, which is appropriate, given that the car is designed to be driven predominantly with the top down - a light soft top which Ferrari says is “designed to be resorted to only if the weather gets particularly bad” is included.

The SA APERTA features a low-slung windscreen and suspension that is lower than the standard 599 to give it an even more dramatic appearance. The A-pillars have been designed to retain the flying buttresses of the hard-top car, but also incorporate two roll bars which mimic the lines of the seats.

Under the bonnet the engine is the same 661bhp 6.0-litre V12 that powers the Ferrari 599 GTO, while the chassis has been redesigned to deliver a standard of stiffness comparable to that of a closed berlinetta with a negligible weight difference.

Prices have not been released, but a spokesman confirmed that the car will cost in excess of £340,000. However, just like the 599 GTO, APERTA buyers will be encouraged to personalize their cars at extra cost, ensuring that each of the 80 examples produced is unique. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express

New Fiat 500 "c i n q u e c e n t o"

New Fiat 500 "c i n q u e c e n t o"
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