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Paris Show 2010 Highlights: BMW 6 Series Concept

Sleek, sporty and oozing style – that’s the promise of BMW’s new 6-Series, which was officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.

The newcomer displays classic coupé proportions, with its long bonnet, short front overhang and low-slung silhouette. Smooth lines mimic the design cues first seen on the latest 5-Series and 7-Series.

A shark-like nose features glass inserts at the top of the grille bars for a modern look, while the distinctive headlights are, for the first time, entirely LED, producing a dazzling white light and reducing energy use. Adaptive light technology also means they swivel according to the steering angle and speed of the car, while the daytime running lights are in BMW’s familiar ring design.

At the rear, twin trapezoid exhaust tips create an aggressive look, while LED light strips inside the rear clusters ensure the 6 even has a distinctive appearance at night. Unique 20-inch alloy wheels, each milled from a solid piece of aluminium, finish off the handsome exterior design. The elegant new 2+2 cabin has a full-length glass roof to flood the interior with light, and a tilted centre console to put the emphasis on the driver. Two individual leather-lined rear seats have enough room to accommodate a pair of adults.

There’s a wealth of technology, too. Taking pride of place is a huge 26cm flatscreen displaying the audio, climate and sat-nav menus. A head-up display and digital panel, in place of traditional dials, show a range of information, while a Bang & Olufsen stereo with 16 speakers, including one that rises from the top of the dash, delivers superb sound quality.

The engine range is likely to match the current line-up, with straight-six and V8 petrol offerings. But since the diesel 635d accounted for around 70 per cent of sales, a new range-topping 306bhp 640d is expected to scoop up the majority of buyers.

Still officially a concept, the BMW Concept 6-Series Coupé, to use its full name, could receive some minor tweaks before it arrives in showrooms. But essentially this is the car that will make production.

Despite the coupé breaking cover, it will be the convertible that arrives first in March. The hard-top follows in September 2011. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

Paris Show 2010 Highlights: 2011 Bentley Continental GT

Bentley has made a splash at the Paris show with its all-new Continental GT. The super-coupe made a dramatic entrance at the VW Group's pre-show party when hi-tech water jets spelt out the newcomer's name.

The Crewe firm has also now confirmed that the luxury coupe will cost from £135,760 when its reaches dealerships in the first quarter of 2011. The price includes the new 20 per cent VAT rate that comes into force in January and adds up to an increase of almost £10,000 on the current car's £126,500 price.

To get the full story on the new Continental GT, Auto Express was granted exclusive access to the car ahead of the show with Bentley’s head of exterior design, Raul Pires.

“We had three key goals for this car - to improve the proportions, to make the signature lines more contemporary and to give the car a more bespoke, handmade feel,” Pires explained. Get up close, and the Continental’s sharp new look is immediately noticeable - every panel is new except the wing mirrors, which are borrowed from the Mulsanne.

Thanks to a new cutting-edge process known as aluminium super forming, the muscular bodywork has been given a sharper edge. All the major feature lines, especially the trademark rear wheel arches are crisper and more defined, smartening up the coupe’s appearance. Whereas before the GT featured a steel bonnet and plastic bumper arrangement, now the entire front wing is made from one single sheet of metal.

“This proces is more expensive and more time consuming, but with a low-volume car like this it’s possible to try new things.” said Pires.

The imposing front grille now sits more upright and 40mm lower, allowing the sculpted bonnet to fit snugly between the bulging front wheel arches. The four headlight layout is familiar, but now each of the lamps features jewel-like LEDs surrounding the main bulb. A wider track, front and rear, as well as the double-elipse LED taillights that wrap around the corners of car add to the GT’s already impressive width, while the height and length remain roughly the same. And for the first time 21-inch wheels are offered as an option, in either ‘Elegant’ or split-rim ‘Sports’ design.

As with all Bentleys the devil is in the detail, and Pires was keen to point out some of the car’s finer points: “This car has the least amount of chrome detailing of any model in the range, but it all has a function. The rubbing strips on the side of the car are now protruding, to help prevent stone chips on the rear wheel arch.” Other clever touches include headlight washers incorporated into the light assembly and no shut lines running through the rear lights - both to create a less-cluttered surface. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

Paris Show 2010 Highlights: Audi e-Tron Spyder Concept

A little more than a year after first showing off the first e-tron Concept to the world, Audi has unveiled the roofless version, known as the e-tron Spyder. But the differences between the two concepts are far more substantial.

Unlike the all-electric e-tron, the e-tron Spyder is a complex diesel-electric plug-in hybrid. The internal combustion engine is a twin-turbo 3.0-liter diesel V-6 that makes 300 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The mid-mounted engine drives just the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The front wheels, meanwhile, are driven by a pair of electric motors with a combined output of 88 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.

Performance-wise, the e-tron Spyder can accelerate from 0-62 mph in a claimed 4.4 seconds. More impressively, Audi claims that the 3,200-pound car achieves a stunning fuel economy figure of 107 mpg and a range of over 621 miles from its 13.2 gallon tank. It is also capable of operating in full-electric mode for 31 miles at speeds of up to 37 mph thanks to its front-mounted 9.1-kWh battery.

Because it has motors for both axles, the e-tron Spyder operates as an all-wheel drive vehicle, with 25% of torque going to the front wheels and 75% to the rear wheels in normal operating conditions.
The e-tron Spyder rides on a 95.7-inch wheelbase, which is 8.7 inches shorter than that of the R8. At 159.8 inches long, 71.3 inches wide, and 43.7 inches tall, it's slightly larger than the second hardtop e-tron that Audi showed in January at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show but still considerably smaller than an Audi TT.

Design-wise, the e-tron Spyder is similar to the Detroit car, but with a more aggressive look thanks to its crisper lines and new fascias. The front fascia has larger, bolder-looking grille elements, while the rear end is completely different.

Though nobody is quite sure yet if the rumored R5, which these e-tron concepts are said to preview, is actually real, some of the hybrid elements of the e-tron Spyder are likely to end up in future Audi production models.
Thanks to: Motor Trend

Paris Show 2010 Highlights: Audi Quattro Concept

Audi is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its iconic Quattro with this Paris show star: the Quattro Concept.

Based on a shortened RS5 platform, the concept is actually closer in spirit to 1984’s Sport Quattro, a more compact version of the original coupé that was designed to improve the car’s agility on the world’s rallying stages.

Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn has told Autocar he wants the firm "to do" the Quattro, with the possibility of it entering production within three years. He said the cost of putting a new body on an existing platform was between 400-500 million euro and this money would be recouped by either high volume or high prices. If it makes production, Winterkorn expects a combination of both strategies in making and selling the car: around 30-35,000 Quattro units would be made per year with a "solid price" tag.

The concept’s wheelbase is 150mm shorter than the RS5’s, its roofline is around 40mm lower and the 4.28m overall length is around the same as a Volkswagen Scirocco’s. That's 200mm shorter than an Audi A5. Unlike the RS5, though, the concept is a strict two-seater.

Most of the bodywork is aluminium, but the bonnet and rear hatchback are carbonfibre. Audi says the car weighs approximately 1300kg, around the same as the Sport Quattro.

Power comes from a 408bhp version of the TT RS’s twin-turbocharged five-pot, mounted north-south insetad of its transverse installation in the TT-RS. This is comfortably more than the 300bhp of the original roadgoing special. It is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and the Quattro is good for 0-62mph in just 3.9sec.

Like the RS5, the Quattro "has full four-wheel-drive, not the TT's [part-time] Haldex system," the Quattro Concept's designer, Steve Lewis, told Autocar.

The front styling is dominated by a huge rectangular grille, while the side profile’s key feature is an extra-thick C-pillar that also has Audi’s four-ring logo stamped into its metal. No images of the cabin have been released, but Audi says it features a slender, ‘floating’ dashboard and bucket seats that are 40 per cent lighter than regular items.

The concept was built at Volkswagen Group's latest acquisition, Italdesign, which has form in producing limited-run sports cars, such as the BMW M1. However, even if it does get the green light, don't expect a public announcement on that for another year.

Thanks to: Autocar