New Car Collection Blog's

A legend is returning! In one of the most dramatic comebacks in British motoring history, Auto Express has learned that Jaguar is set to resurrect the best-loved machine in its stable – the E-Type.In a bid to take on the Porsche 911 and Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the Coventry manufacturer is planning a sensational two-seater sports car. It will revive the spirit of the original Sixties coupé and introduce the Jaguar brand to a whole new range of buyers.Hot on the heels of the XF – which is driven in the UK for the first time on Page 8 – and the forthcoming new XJ saloon, which we told you all about in Issue 987, the 21st Century E-Type should arrive in show-rooms in 2011. The sale of the firm is likely to be completed within the next couple of weeks, and giving the green light to the sports car is one of the first major decisions faced by Jaguar’s expected new owner, Indian giant Tata. The big cat’s chairman Geoff Polites has confirmed that the company is looking at a number of options for future models, including the two-seater sports car.From the C-Type of the Fifties to the legendary E-Type, Jaguar has a history of making great sporting machines, and our illustration shows how the newcomer might look. Mixing the marque’s brand new grille and headlight arrangement with a muscular coupé body, it is simply stunning. Senior bosses believe that a two-seater would be a better bet than replacing the current X-Type saloon. The X-Type has always struggled to compete with rivals such as the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4, but a pure sports car is seen as fitting in perfectly with Jaguar’s new niche line-up led by the XK Coupé and XF.The big cat came very close to putting a sports car into production back in 2000. That model was based on the F-Type concept, a vehicle which won rave reviews when it was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show. Design chief Ian Callum developed a machine based on the study, but Ford bosses in America opted instead to invest in both the X-Type and diesel power. The F-Type was targeted directly at the Porsche Boxster, yet the latest model is aiming even higher. Designers and engineers are now working on a sports car that would be seen as a direct rival to the German company’s 911. It would be based on a shortened version of the XJ’s all-aluminium chassis, making it lightweight with Porsche-matching performance and handling.A decision on the car’s name is some way off, but it will be aimed at real sports car enthusiasts, leaving the current XK Coupé and convertible to cater for owners wanting a more luxurious Grand Tourer.Power will come from the firm’s V8 engines, with a 4.2-litre unit for the entry-level model which will give scope for a 500bhp 5.0 supercharged flagship. All motors will be hooked up to Jaguar’s six-speed automatic gearbox, and come complete with steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters, while the suspension will feature special Audi-style magnetic dampers. However, the company’s priority for the next few years is the stunning new XJ saloon. Polites has told designers to “let your creative juices run free” and tells us that the result is simply the “best car I have ever seen”. Evolving the look of the XF, it will feature an even more rakish shape, and will be powered by a range of revised engines, including the company’s first hybrid.With a two-seater sports car giving an added dimension to the line-up and underlining the firm’s recent revival with the sexy XK Coupé and XF saloon, the future looks extremely bright for the big cat.

The most important new Rolls-Royce in a decade is coming closer to a road-going reality, and these are the pictures that prove it. According to Autocar’s information, you’re looking at one of the first full-bodied prototypes for the car known internally at Rolls' Goodwood HQ as ‘RR4’ - the firm's all-new smaller saloon model due to go on sale in 2010.
A Phantom that will fit on your driveway
Our spies have exposed the new smallest Rolls-Royce in its entirety for the first time. These shots, snapped recently in Munich, show how faithfully the new car will adopt the Phantom’s design language (reference the car’s thick C-pillar and suicide rear doors). However, it’s also significantly lower and shorter than a Phantom, has a shorter bonnet, and a much less upright grille, than its bigger sibling.
Rolls-Royce’s plans to build RR4 have been public knowledge since the Paris motor show in 2006, when CEO Ian Robertson announced them on the eve of first press day. Construction is already underway at the firm’s Goodwood factory to expand production facilities and increase capacity in preparation for the new car.
RR4 should be in showrooms by the end of the decade and, priced from around £175,000, will make entry to one of the most prestigious owners’ clubs in the motoring world almost £50,000 cheaper.
BMW mechanicals; special engines
Unlike the Phantom, which has its own extruded aluminium monocoque skeleton, RR4 will have a steel body structure shared, in many respects, with the new BMW 7-series. As Autocar understands it, the new BMW’s platform is a hybrid of aluminium and steel, and is flexible enough to allow Rolls-Royce to give RR4 a wheelbase, roof height, bonnet height and track widths all of its own.
Various chassis, cabin, drivetrain and electrics components will also be shared with the new Seven, but according to one RR source, they’ll be confined wherever possible to those components the owner can’t see.
One area where Rolls won’t look to save costs is under RR4’s bonnet. The car will have at least one, and possibly two multicylinder powerplants that, like the Phantom’s 6.75-litre V12, will be exclusive to Rolls-Royce. Developments of the 407bhp 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 from the BMW X6, or the 441bhp 6.0-litre V12 from the current 760i, are possibilities. Neither would be allowed to eclipse the Phantom’s 453bhp and generous 531lb ft of torque though, in order to maintain the brand’s model hierarchy.
One company source told us that Rolls-Royce high-ups are even warming towards the idea of a diesel-engined Rolls-Royce. “It would have all the important characteristics of the Rolls-Royce driving experience,” he said – “i.e. plenty of low-range torque and ‘waftability’.”
“What’s more, the old-money buyers who might have been put off by the idea of a diesel engine are becoming a much less important part of our customer base.”

There’s a bejeweled look to the Equator compact pickup truck that marks Suzuki’s entry into the segment in North America.
This is the first illustration the Japanese automaker has released of the new Equator which makes its world debut at the Chicago auto show. Nissan promises to show “several lightly modified versions of its new truck,” which could suggest more cab configurations than the one in this teaser picture.

The Suzuki “S” is prominently displayed on a grille that adopts some cues from other Suzuki vehicles, but no whole-scale familiarity. The bumper shares styling with the Suzuki X-Head concept. The truck also relies on chrome accents, door handles, and a running board to add a bit more bling.
The Equator is essentially a Nissan Frontier and Nissan will build the Suzuki-badged version at its plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, starting in 2008. We must wait for the Chicago show to learn to what extent the two share components, including powertrains, as well as common sheetmetal.
The two automakers reached an agreement in 2006 for Nissan to build a mid-size pickup for Suzuki to sell in North America as well as a version of the Nissan Serena mini-minivan for sale in Japan. In return, Suzuki was to produce a mini-vehicle for Nissan in Japan and a new A-segment car for Europe.
The move mirrors that of Mitsubishi, which contracted Chrysler to build the Raider pickup as a rebadged Dodge Dakota. The Raider has not been a sales success and will be dropped from the Mitsubishi lineup when the assembly contract between the two automakers expires.
Suzuki has modest sales goals in the 20,000 range for the Equator, saying it largely is a vehicle for loyal customers to haul their Suzuki-brand powersports toys without having to turn to the competition.

Pininfarina has released a sketch of a new concept car on a dedicated microsite, counting down the weeks before the car's debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
Dubbed the Sintesi, the concept is claimed to be the 'natural heir' to the last two prototypes unveiled by the Italian coachbuilder: The Birdcage 75th and the Nido. Created under the direction of Design Director Lowie Vermeersch, the Sintesi was inspired by the 'sportiness and innovative styling' of the Birdcage 75th unveiled at Geneva in 2005, but also incorporates functional aspects learned from the 2004 Nido prototype.
According to Vermeersch, the prototype "embraces innovative technologies that allow us to explore new typologies of mobility, active safety and packaging solutions."

Hummer enters the pickup market with the H3T after flirting with the notion with its H2 SUT (Sport-Utility Truck). The H3T, unveiled at the Chicago auto show in February, will be available this fall.
“We’re in the pickup business now,” says Carl Zipfel, director of Hummer exterior design, in describing the five-passenger H3T crew cab that is sized between a mid-size and a full-size pickup, as opposed to the H2 SUT, which is an SUV with a quasi-bed that’s shorter than four-feet long.

We first saw an H3T concept from Hummer at the 2004 L.A. auto show. Now, four years later, we are seeing the production-ready model. Hummer took the H3 SUV (they are the same from the B-pillar forward) and essentially added rear doors and a five-foot box, Zipfel says. The four-door H3T’s 134-inch wheelbase is 22 inches longer than H3 SUV and the total length of the pickup is 210 inches.
The H3T shares powertrains with the SUV upon which it is based, which means the H3T Alpha has a 5.3-liter V-8 that delivers 300 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque, mates to a four-speed automatic transmission, and can tow up to 5900 pounds. The standard engine is the 242-hp, 3.7-liter inline-five with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. The new pickup has standard full-time four-wheel drive and skid pla

These are the first images of the hot hatch version of the Mitsubishi Lancer, the car it hopes will steal sales from the Impreza WRX when it goes on sale in Britain later this year.
To be officially unveiled at the Geneva show in March, the Lancer Prototype-S blends a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 237bhp (10bhp up on the Impreza), the same SST twin-clutch gearbox as the Evo X and a full-time four-wheel drive system. The car's front-end styling is pure Evo X, but the rear features a rakish tailgate that makes it more hatchback than pure estate car.
Mitsubishi expects the Lancer hatchback to account for 80 per cent of the model's sales in the UK when it reaches showrooms in the autumn. But if you're thinking of rushing down to your local Mitsubishi dealer to put down money on a hatchback Evo, don't; the hottest Lancer will continue to be available in saloon only.

Following on from Mercedes’ provocative teaser pictures of its new Sports Coupe replacing CLC, the firm has now revealed these official pictures of the new car.While it is not an all-new model, the three-door model takes its new front end from the latest C-Class, and has a total of 1,100 redeveloped parts.The biggest changes have been made to the Merc’s looks. Now clearly more conservative at the rear, the CLC falls in line with other models in the German firm’s current line-up.The interior has also been given a makeover, and while many parts will look familiar to Sports Coupe drivers, new dials have been fitted.Under the bonnet, the three-door benefits from new four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines offering improved efficiency, while Dynamic Steering alters the sensitivity of the wheel depending on the driving conditions.

Here’s a top-secret Peugeot you’re not supposed to see until late next year! This is the all-new 3008 off-roader, and it promises to be the most car-like SUV yet.
The tough-looking family model will go head-to-head with rivals such as Nissan’s Qashqai and the Volks­wagen Tiguan. And as our exclusive picture shows, it takes styling cues – especially those slanted headlights – from the 308 RC Z coupé, driven by Auto Express in Issue 993.
Our spy photographers have also captured a heavily disguised 3008 test mule undergoing cold weather trials (right). This confirms the newcomer’s chunky, estate-style profile and low ride height, which should mean a spa­cious interior and car-like handling.
Inside, as well as providing plenty of room, the model will be available with a range of luxury options. These are likely to include a pano­ramic glass roof and integrated sat-nav.
As its name suggests, the 3008 – which is referred to internally at Peu­geot as the T8 – will join the range below the Mitsubishi-derived 4007.
This off-roader sells along­side a Citroen sister model, in the shape of the C-Crosser, and engineers at the double chevron are also developing their own version of the new mach­ine, currently codenamed the B8.
Our sources have revealed that the 3008 will be available in both five and seven-seat configurations, with the latter featuring a third row of fold-flat chairs. Customers will also be able to choose between two and four-wheel drive on both models.
Entry-level variants will be front-driven, and promise lower CO2 emissions and strong fuel economy as a result. The four-wheel-drive transmission is to be reserved for top-of-the-range models, which will provide the go-anywhere traction of a proper 4x4 – although the car’s limited ride height prevents extreme off-roading.
The 3008 is set to borrow its engines from the 308 line-up, with a wide range of petrol powerplants on offer. These will include the turbocharged 1.6-litre seen in the 207 supermini, and shared with the new MINI line-up. Diesel models look set to account for the majority of sales, though, and the newcomer is likely to be offered with a choice of 1.6 and 2.0-litre HDi oil-burners.
Peugeot top brass are scheduled to take the wraps off the new model towards the end of next year. It’s expected to arrive in UK showrooms in 2010, with its Citroen counterpart following close behind.

We’ve got the inside story on Vauxhall’s Vectra replacement. Not only have we spied virtually undisguised test mules for the all-new Insignia family model being put through their paces, but our photographers have even managed to get a sneaky look at the interior.
This is the best picture yet of the Ford Mondeo rival’s cabin and, as you can see, it looks set to up the stakes when it comes to quality. The smartly styled dashboard includes a four-strong instrument cluster featuring sporty Alfa Romeo-style cowlings angled towards the driver.
Smart alloy trim on the multi-function steering wheel adds a welcome touch of class, while there’s a user-friendly digital read-out for the stereo mounted high on the swooping centre console.
The new Insignia will make its hotly anticipated debut at the British Motor Show in London’s Docklands this July and hit UK showrooms in September. To help it come out on top in the competitive family car sector, the Insignia is even bigger than the Vectra, with more space for both passengers and luggage. The new model is inspired by the firm’s GTC Concept and bosses claim it will also deliver a much sharper drive than its predecessor, as well as improved comfort and refinement.
Engines will be carried over from the existing Vectra line-up but from the look of our pictures, it certainly promises to improve on the look of the firm’s current family model. Meanwhile, the flagship VXR version will feature a turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 engine producing 296bhp, and

Mazda has announced that it will debut a three-door version of its Mazda 2 small car at the Geneva auto show in March, the same venue where it unveiled the new, redesigned five-door last year.
The three-door Mazda 2 effectively doubles the 2 lineup, except in the U.S., where it doesn’t do anything—it isn’t available here. The platform it rides on, however, will underpin the Verve-concept-based subcompact sedan Ford plans to offer for U.S. consumption beginning in 2010.
Powertrains are unchanged from the five-door and consist of two gasoline engines—a 1.3-liter four available with 74 or 85 horsepower and a 102-hp, 1.5-liter four, the latter of which we’ve driven—and a 67-hp, 1.4-liter turbo-diesel.

The Eagle has landed! It’s a grainy spy shot, but this is the photo that gives Lotus fans their first glimpse of the firm’s next new model.Codenamed the Eagle, the newcomer is tipped to appear on the firm’s British Motor Show stand this summer. Based on Lotus's versatile platform structure, the high performance model will offer a similar package to the Europa grand tourer with the extra versatility of a four-seat cabin.Expect more official information to be revealed ahead of the car’s debut in July.

Fiat's going to roll back the years – literally. The firm will pull the wraps off a new soft-top 500 at the Geneva Motor Show in March. And in keeping with the city car’s retro design, it will have a similar roof mechanism to the original 500’s.The newcomer will use a full-length fabric roof that slides back to store on top of the parcel shelf. It will retain a glass rear window, plus full-frame doors and the hatch’s roofline. The Swiss show will also see the debut of the 500 Abarth SS hot hatch. This has a 1.4-litre turbo engine which delivers 155bhp. Expect these new versions of the 500 to arrive in dealerships by the end of the year.

Despite the cold there has been no freeze on development of the Volvo XC60. Our spies caught the exciting new compact SUV being put through tough winter testing.
Despite the heavy disguise it is possible to make out the rakish of profile of the newcomer. Influenced by the XC60 concept revealed at last year's Detroit show, the off-roader features a prominent Volvo grille, bold headlamps and deeply sculpted flanks. The low, sweeping roofline blends into a steeply raked tailgate that features a deep rear window to aid rear visibility
Inside, the XC60 will boast a cabin that's as stylish as the exterior. The main feature of the dashboard will be the trademark 'floating' centre console, which debuted on the S40 saloon, while in front of the driver gets cool aluminium faced dials. It should be practical too, with seating for five adults and plenty of space for luggage.
Despite its rugged SUV looks and an electronically-controlled four-wheel drive system, the XC60 will be tuned for on-road performance. Company bosses are keen to stress that it will be a sporty vehicle aimed at the lifestyle market. However, both hill descent and traction control are available for owners that want to head onto the rough stuff.
Power is likely to come for a range of engines already found in the S40. Entry-level models get the 2.0-litre turbodiesel, while range-toppers will boast the powerful turbocharged 2.5-litre 5-cylinder petrol. It's unclear whether the bio-ethanol 3.2-litre straight-six used in the concept will be made available.
The public will get its first glimpse of the production XC60 at the Geneva Motor Show in March The first UK examples are expected to hit showrooms later in the year.