All these years, Volvo has never been one to think outside the box when it comes to car design because let’s face it, their cars haven’t exactly been the eye-popping type.

But recently, the Swedish brand has been surprising a lot of auto scribes for being just that – thinking outside the box. And just so to prove that they don’t have a as boxy a personality as people think, they’re teasing us with a ‘naughty’ version of one of their cars – possibly a sportier S60 sedan – which they’re bringing to the Geneva Motor Show next week.

Rarely do we see automakers subscribe by the adage, ‘perception isn’t always reality’, but it looks as if Volvo may be jumping on the chance to prove to people that they’ve also taken their designs to the streamlined – or in their own words, ‘naughty’ – level.

Video: Volvo teases ‘naughty’ cars headed for the Geneva Motor Show originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 1 March 2010 16:00 EST.

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If there’s one car that has been kept close to its vest by its manufacturer this close to the Geneva Motor Show, the I.D.E.A. Institute’s Sofia hybrid sports sedan takes the whole cake.

While most automakers have started supplying us with teasers and first official photos of their entries to Geneva, the I.D.E.A. Institute has given us three CGI images of the car. That’s about it. Then again, beggars can’t be choosers so we’ll take these photos over nothing.

In addition to these renderings, the I.D.E.A. Institute did give us something
to work with, saying that the concept car will be instantly recognizable through its “Italian styling and beauty”. Like we said, it’s better than nothing.

In any case, this is the second year in a row that the I.D.E.A. Institute has booked a ticket to Geneva after a long sabbatical, and if last year’s concept car – the ERA roadster – is any indication, then we might be in for another pleasant surprise from these fellows.

I.D.E.A. Institute releases CGI renderings of ‘Sophia’ sports hybrid concept originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 27 February 2010 17:30 EST.

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At this year’s 2010 Detroit Auto Show were revealed many significant vehicles, the overall impression we got is that the industry has scaled back. But there is one area where automakers seemingly didn’t skimp. Yes, it’s beautiful booth professionals who graced displays at this year’s show. View full gallery with awesome pretty babes in continue…

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The German automaker BMW has quite a bit in store for the upcoming model year, from the Z4 hard top roadster to the 335is that squeezes into the range right below the factory tuned track day special M3, there is even an all new set of twin scroll turbochargers bolted to the 3.0 Liter straight six that will spool up faster offering even more power off the line as well as improved efficiency. However one member of the Bavarian lineup that the luxury automaker is keeping a bit tight lipped about is the upcoming M5.

With the current trend favoring fuel economy over sheer horse power, automakers around the world are downsizing their engine lineups in order to meet stringent efficiency regulations and that means that the current 500 HP V10 found under the hood of the high performance four door is more than likely to go the way of the dinosaurs. BMW states that “a new M5 Sedan based on the upcoming 6th generation 5 Series is planned but not ready to be unveiled yet,” this means that BMW either has something big in the works or they don’t want to rain on the all new 5 Series GT’s parade.

However in these fossil fuel conserving times BMW was already expected to drop the high revving teen cylinder in favor of a twin turbo V8, similar to the setup found under the hood of the X5 M and X6 M, but don’t expect for the future M5 to make anything less then the current M5, and should remain somewhere in the 550 HP range if they want to stay competitive with their German rival, the 572 HP Audi RS6. Nevertheless you should remember Toyota’s fifth generation Supra turbo, powered by a stout 3.0 Liter straight six and capable of making as much as 1000 HP without even having to crack open the engine. The inline configuration has long been considered the perfect configuration because of its ability to rev smoothly and if BMW can apply some of their new twin scroll technology to the next generation M5, loads of power shouldn’t be that far off.

Press release after the jump.

BMW has big plans for 2011 but no news about an M5 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 28 January 2010 20:00 EST.

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If you are up to date on the latest on goings in wireless technology, then you should be familiar with Steve Job’s latest offering, the iPad. Like a plus sized iPhone the new 21st century tablet will offer the world a simple, sleek and lightweight PDA that is capable of doing everything from surfing the web to playing videogames and even reading virtual magazines in a way that the much more compact iPhone never could, even if it is 3Gs equipped. This is all well and good for the techies out there, but what does this mean for us automotive enthusiasts.

Measuring in at just over half an inch thick and tipping the scales at just over a 1.5 pounds, the iPad will bring a whole new level of wireless connectivity to in car passengers. And while the iPhone has apps that can measure your car’s 0 to 60 MPH time or check error codes, an iPad could be used to tune it on the fly just like Paul Walker in the original Fast and Furious film. If you thought texting and driving was a problem, the iPad could stir up a whole other round of driver distractions, but because of the electronic tablet’s inherent popularity automakers will almost certainly be forced to offer docking stations as well as iPod cables in their future models, but until then the sky is the limit as far as what the new portable computers will be doing on the regular highway as well as the information kind.

What would you do with an in car iPad?

Let us know what you think before checking out the video after the jump.

Apple iPad opens up a world of possibilities for automotive enthusiasts originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 27 January 2010 20:00 EST.

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After a lengthy back and forth between the American automotive giant General Motors and the Dutch based super car builder Spyker, the pair have finally entered into a binding contract regarding the sale of the Swedish automaker SAAB. According to GM vice president for corporate planning and alliances, John Smith, “Today’s announcement is great news for Saab employees, dealers and suppliers, great news for millions of Saab customers and fans worldwide, and great news for GM.”

So despite GM having to drastically downsize their production lineup around the world due to the recent credit crunch, this agreement means that Viggen fans around the world will be able to look forward to future models for quite some time to come because “General Motors, Spyker Cars, and the Swedish government worked very hard and creatively for a deal that would secure a sustainable future for this unique and iconic brand” with the newly formed Saab Spyker Automobiles corporation.

While SAABs are born from jets, Spykers are clearly inspired by them and all that is left for the two automakers to do is dot the “i”s cross the “t”s and file the last of the official paperwork in order to complete the transaction, something that is expected for mid February, and while this is good news for auto workers overseas as well as dealers here in the U.S. We can’t help but think about how the move will strengthen both brands, with Spyker adding a line of more affordable vehicles to its current exclusive super car lineup and a plethora of new high performance possibilities for the Swedish automaker, we are mainly looking forward to seeing a production version of the sweet looking SAAB Aero-X concept.

Press release after the jump.

GM will sell SAAB to Spyker originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 January 2010 17:20 EST.

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Any time you get to watch a mini-documentary about one of your favorite automakers in the world, it’s probably worth dropping whatever it is you’re doing to spend a few minutes of your time watching the mini-documentary. In this case, we bring you a four-part episode of Team Lamborghini Muenchen’s exploits during the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo at the “Norisring” racetrack in Germany.

Driving a Lamborghini Gallardo GTR Racecar, the team, which is comprised of veteran race car drivers Jens Klingmann, Maximilian Göetz and Achim Winter, managed to exceed everyone’s expectations by posting better-than-expected results with Klingmann winning all three races despite having never driven the car before. Goetz and Winter also racked up their own impressive results with the two bagging third place in Race 3.

You can find parts 2, 3, and 4 after jump.

Video: Mini documentary of Lamborghini Muenchen’s Blancpain Super Trofeo experience originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 21 January 2010 12:00 EST.

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Each year over 6000 hot rods, street rods, rat rods, muscle cars, low riders, pro-touring cars, pro-street cars and more invade Columbus, Ohio for the Goodguys PPG Nationals. This movie captures all the excitement of the 2005 event weekend. See the best of them in this one action packed DVD. You’ll tour the fairgrounds and you’ll cruise the streets. For you burnout freaks there is an extra 10 minutes of tire frying action at some of Columbus’ finer motel parking lots. Trust us, you’ll be …

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The year’s final auto show – the Dubai International Auto Show – is set to take place from December 16-20 and it looks like a number of supercar concepts are scheduled to make an appearance. Now on it’s 10th year, the Dubai Auto Show is shaping up to be the last big hurrah for a lot of automakers to showcase their concepts before the calendar turns to 2010.

One car that has already been given the green light to grace the event is BMW’s M1 supercar. First unveiled last year, the M1 is expected to hit Dubai as a mid-engined car with a number of modifications – it looks a little bigger from the one that was unveiled before and – from when we first saw it back in 2008. So the new BMW M1 will be inspired by both the original M1 and the concept. It will be wider, taller and wilder than the original M1 and will feature the same rear window and the front grille will be taken from the concept. But aside from that BMW has not given any further information on the M1’s appearance in Dubai so it’s anybody’s guess if the car that’s going to be bought is another concept or a production model. Nevertheless, news of the car’s scheduled appearance in Dubai should make it one of the most highly-anticipated items that’s headed for the show.

BMW’s M1 supercar set to make appearance at the Dubai Auto Show originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 10 December 2009 14:00 EST.

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