Automotive Keyword: 2009

2011 Alfa Romeo Giulia: 159's Successor Illustrated

What you see pictured above is an artist's impression of the Alfa Romeo 159 replacement that is reported to revive the Giulia nameplate as the Italians are swapping their current system of numeric names for more personal ones (e.g. the 147's successor will be named Milano). The CGI, courtesy of Motorionline, is apparently more of a wild guess on the Guilia's styling than anything else, but in any case, we'll let you decide if you like it or not.

The Giulia, which isn't expected to surface on the market before the second half of 2011, will make use of Fiat Group's new versatile C-Evo platform that will also underpins the forthcoming Milano hatchback.

And yes, unfortunately this means that the Giulia will not make the transition to rear-wheel drive. Instead, Alfa's 3-Series challenger will be offered with front-wheel drive with the option of the Italian firm's Q4 four-wheel drive system.

It's too early for any official information on the engine range, but we suspect that the Giulia will most likely be offered with Alfa's 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol as well as with a V6 petrol and numerous turbo diesels.

And how about a GTA variant? Well, that's a tough one especially since Alfa abandoned its plans for a 'hot' 159, but hopefully the Italian automaker will make it up with the presentation of the Giulia GTA.

Photo: Motorionline - Thanks Maurizio!

Nissan's Forthcoming All-Electric Hatchback Rendered

On Sunday, 2nd August, Nissan will reveal its new global electric vehicle to the media at the company's new headquarters in Yokahama, Japan. We've already shown you a couple of teaser shots released by Nissan, but today we found a new rendering of the dedicated EV that was created by the crew over at Japan's Best Car magazine. Judging by the teaser photos, the CGI shouldn't be too off from the actual production model. For more detailed information on Nissan's upcoming EV

Senner Tuning Mods the Nissan 350Z

While most tuners are working on the new Nissan 370Z, Senner Tuning decided to show some love for the previous 'Z model by releasing a new sport package with styling and mechanical enhancements. The body mods consist of a front apron, a large rear wing, new side logos and LSD doors complemented by a new set of 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in beefy high-performance tires (245/30 up front and 275/30 at the rear).

Senner's offerings for the 350Z Coupe and Roadster also include a lower suspension kit and a power package that boosts the 3.5-liter V6 engine's output to 338 horsepower.

2010 Smart Fortwo: 21 Percent More Power, Same Fuel Consumption for Diesel Model

Smart has introduced the 2010 model year Fortwo that benefits from a revised diesel engine as well as from minor optimizations for the petrol units. The re-engineered 3-cylinder diesel now has an output of 54HP or 21 percent more power than before and a maximum torque of 130Nm, an increase of 18 percent. Even though the more powerful diesel makes the Fortwo more lively allowing the mini to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 16.8 sec, combined fuel consumption still stands at 3.4lt/100km (69mpg US) while CO2 emissions also remain at just 88 g/km.

For the petrol range, Smart's engineers optimized the engine and the transmission management in order to comply with the more demanding EU5 exhaust gas standards.

Other changes for the 2010MY Fortwo include new contrast components in shiny pearl black for the interior along with a new folding armrest which is available as an option. Further optional equipment includes the smart hands-free system with a colour display and extensive multimedia functions.

In Europe, the updated Smart Fortwo is available for order now with prices for the petrol models remaining unchanged while the 54HP Fortwo cdi starts from €11,790 in Germany.

Limited Run Ford Focus X Road Compact SW Goes on Sale

Ford's European arm has announced the Dutch market launch of the Focus X Road special edition model that was first seen this past April at the AutoRAI motorshow in Amsterdam. Built in a limited run of only 300 unit all of which are destined for The Netherlands, the 'tough' looking Focus Station Wagon is priced from €25,175 or at today's exchange rates, $35,800.

Based on the Focus Station Wagon and available exclusively with a 125-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that can run on either regular unleaded gasoline or bioethanol (E85), the X Road features a special off-road bodykit with unique front and rear bumpers, protective trim on the fender arches and sides plus aluminum underbody skid trays. The car's looks are rounded off by a set of unique 17-inch alloy wheels.

Subaru Launches Limited Edition Forester SureTrak for UK Market

A new special-edition model has been added to the UK range of the Subaru Forester. Based on the XC variant with the 147HP 2.0-liter boxer diesel engine and limited to 150 units, the Forester SureTrak gets a bevy of extra equipment including rear privacy glass, full leather interior, parking sensors, electric folding door mirrors, front and rear underguards, a foldable, protective cargo tray, a re-designed instrument cluster as well as suspension upgrades.

The Forester SureTrak is available only in two exterior colours, a dark grey metallic finish with contrasting Platinum Leather interior and silver exterior trim, and a spark silver metallic paintjob with a black leather interior and lightly contrasting silver exterior trim.

Prices for the special-edition start from £25,965 OTR, with Subaru claiming that while the features are worth £3,960, the SureTrack costs only £2,935 more than the standard model.

2010 Acura RDX Facelift Appears on Official Site: Subtle Cosmetic Changes and new FWD Model

A couple of weeks ago we showed you a series of photos that supposedly depicted the redesigned 2010 Acura RDX. While the Japanese automaker has yet to release an official statement, Acura went ahead and posted a full gallery as well as initial details and prices on the 2010MY RDX on its public website. On the outside, the RDX has received Acura's controversial corporate grille along with a new front bumper and new trim for the lower part of the rear bumper that houses new hexagonal tail pipes. The redesigned alloy wheels complete the exterior enhancements.

We didn't notice any aesthetic changes inside, but it is said that the 2010MY RDX benefits from a series of convenience and equipment upgrades.

The most important news for the 2010 model year concerns the introduction of a new front-wheel drive model that carries a base price of $32,520, or $2,000 less than the all-wheel drive version that's equipped with Acura's Super-Handling AWD system.

Both models are powered by the same 240HP 2.3-liter turbocharged four linked to a 5-speed automatic transmission. However, the front-wheel drive RDX is more frugal returning 19mpg in the city and 24mpg on the highway compared to 17mpg and 22mpg respectively of the RDX SH-AWD.