2007 Geneva Motor Show: Jaguar XKR Portfolio

Jaguar has a hit on its hands with the new XK sports coupe and convertible. The even more expensive XKR features a supercharged V-8 engine, and now there’s an even higher trim level, just introduced at the Geneva Motor Show: the XKR Portfolio.

The XKR Portfolio starts out life as a regular XKR but adds unique 20-inch wheels, custom Celestial Black paint, larger brakes, new interior trim choices and an upgraded stereo system with Bowers & Wilkins speakers.

No prices have been announced, but dealers are taking orders. Photo gallery below.

2007 Geneva Motor Show Recap

We’ve been doing our best here at KickingTires to keep track of all the happenings in Geneva this year, but some things slip through the cracks. Luckily, the rest of the Cars.com editorial staff has been thoroughly reporting on the most significant vehicles from the show on the main Geneva Motor Show page.

There, you’ll be able to check out a lot more on the following concept and production cars. 

Concept Cars

• BMW M3
• Dodge Demon
• Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept
• Hyundai QarmaQ
• Lotus Exige GT3
• Mazda Hakaze
• Saab BioPower 100
• Toyota Hybrid X

Production Cars

• 2008 Audi A5/S5
• 2008 Bentley Brooklands
• 2008 BMW 1 Series
• 2008 BMW 5 Series
• 2008 BMW M5 Touring
• 2008 Jaguar XJ
• 2008 Maserati Gran Turismo
• 2007 Volvo V70
• 2008 Volvo XC70

KickingTires’ Geneva Coverage

2007 Geneva Motor Show: More on the Mazda2

Mazda unveiled its all-new global B-car — industry speak for subcompacts — the Mazda2 at the Geneva Motor Show yesterday. Powering this little guy are two four-cylinder gasoline engines, one producing just 75 hp and the other 103 hp. We’d guess only the more powerful engine will come to the U.S., but if Mazda does go ahead and import the Mazda2 here it might add an even bigger engine to satisfy American expectations. We’re still extremely impressed with the Mazda2, and are glad there are new images showing it in a non-neon green paint scheme. Check out the gallery below.

Related:
Ford's Next U.S. Subcompact Based on Mazda2
New Mazda2 For the World, U.S. Next?

VW Jetta SportWagen on the Way

When Volkswagen unveiled the polarizing design of the new Jetta in early 2005, we in the media expected a wagon version to arrive a short time later. Fast forward more than two years, and the wagon is finally here. Don’t be confused by the European name “Golf Variant,” that’s just the silly way they name the Jetta wagon over there.

After a quick look at the new wagon, we can’t really say it was worth the wait. Sure, the front and profile seem to be in proportion, but VW just lost us with the bland back end. It looks like every other car on the road, not something unique. Many may not like the design of the sedan, but at least it stands out.

We do like the utilitarian functionality of the wagon, though, with its fold-flat floor expanding the cargo area to 55 cubic feet. The Jetta SportWagen will arrive in the U.S. around September as a 2008 model, with the same base engine as the Jetta sedan — an inline-five-cylinder — and the peppy 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder we’ve driven extensively in other VWs and Audis. A diesel version will probably go on sale alongside the Jetta TDI sedan in 2008. Photo gallery below.

The Almost Full Monty: BMW M3 Concept Debuts

Ever since the new-generation BMW 3 Series debuted in 2005, we’ve been waiting for the top-of-the-line, high-performance M3 version. Today in Switzerland, BMW made us wait a little longer, but gave us a good hint at the next M3 with the M3 Concept. BMW isn’t one of those companies that offers many concepts, and usually they’re just thinly disguised versions of the final product.

That means you can expect the real deal to look a lot like the photos here. We’d guess that the hump on the hood might go, but the side inlets, body panels and 19-inch wheels should stay put. The roof is made of carbon fiber, like the M6, and the hood is aluminum. Both materials help save weight. Oh, the power? It’s a V-8, based on the V-10 in the M5, and should produce more than 400 hp, and yes, it’s rear-wheel drive. There’s a rumor that an M3 convertible and sedan will also become available. A full photo gallery of the coupe concept is below.

2007 Geneva Motor Show: Audi S5 Photo Gallery

Like the A5, the high-performance S5 also officially debuted to the world today. It too will go on sale this November, with a powerful 354-hp V-8 engine and Quattro all-wheel drive. And yes, there’s a new photo gallery below.

Cars.com’s Full Report on the Audi S5

2007 Geneva Motor Show: Audi A5 Photo Gallery

We brought you early word on Audi’s all-new sport coupe last week, and today the world gets to see it in person. There’s nothing new to report about the 265-hp coupe, besides a slew of new photos in the gallery below. Interested shoppers will have to satisfy themselves with the eye-only-candy until the A5 goes on sale in the U.S. in November.

Cars.com’s Full Report on the Audi A5

A New Old Man Bentley Coupe: Bentley Brooklands World Debut

Bentley’s recent success has revolved around the new Continental GT and its Hollywood connection to Paris Hilton and other young celebs. Well, the old men in Palm Beach and the Hamptons now can ride in a Bentley two-door without fear of being mobbed by paparazzi. The new Brooklands four-seat coupe will also be a bit more exclusive than recent Bentleys. There will only be 550 built, with production starting in 2008.

Bentleys are all hand-made and can be custom ordered to meet almost any customer demand, but all Brooklands will feature the company’s most powerful engine, a 530 hp twin-turbo V-8, and standard 20-inch wheels. The design is a bit more old-fashioned than the Continental, but the sloping rear and pillar-less windows add a bit of flash to an otherwise elegant design.

There’s no price announced yet, but expect it to be much more than the Continental line. We’d guess upwards of $200,000. For those that like to window shop, there’s a full photo gallery below.

Lean and Green: Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept

The Geneva Motor Show is abuzz with hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, many of which will be for sale in Europe only. Honda’s Small Hybrid Sports Concept — can they seriously come up with some more interesting names here — is just another design study. Unlike Toyota’s Hybrid X though, this one is a bit different than what we’ve seen from the company before. Honda is trying to shrink its future hybrid vehicles so that the lighter weight and slimmer dimensions aid in boosting the overall mileage. This hybrid shows that such a package can also be sporty.

The Small Hybrid Sports Concept is powered by a four-cylinder gasoline engine teamed to an electric hybrid system and CVT transmission.

We’ve heard that Honda will start producing a small hybrid in the next year, but we expect it to be a much more conservative body style than this concept. It’s still cool to look at. Unfortunately we only have one more photo below.

Cars.com's 2007 Geneva Motor Show Coverage

Toyota's Next Prius: Hybrid X Concept Unveiled

Most automakers start to think a little outside the box when it comes to concepts, not Toyota. The Hybrid X debuted this morning at the Geneva Motor Show and is meant to be a look at the future of Toyota hybrid vehicles. Anyone who’s seen a Prius in the past few years won’t be a bit surprised by the electric blue concept car’s open cabin with lots of glass. We’re a bit surprised Toyota didn’t announce any details about its efficiency, instead this is purely a “design” concept. The Hybrid X uses the same Hybrid Synergy Drive that powers the current Prius, but rumor has it the next generation Prius will get considerably better mileage than the current gas sipper’s 60/51 mpg city/hwy.

Photo gallery below.

2007 Geneva Motor Show: Opel GTC Concept

What you’re looking at is a concept car for GM’s European nameplate, Opel. The GTC concept was created to show off the future design direction for Opel. Why should anyone in the U.S. care? Well, if you’ve been following this blog closely, you already know that many of Saturn’s new and future models are shared with Opel, including the new Saturn Vue and Astra.

The GTC concept is powered by a 300-hp turbo V-6 engine, features all-wheel drive and has a cool seating system with the rear seats sliding forward and integrating into the front seats to create a larger cargo area. The interior quality is also a noticeable step up from current models.

The GTC concept seems quite complete, meaning it might not take long for it to start pumping out of an assembly plant, but it might be a bit too upscale — and expensive — to be branded as a Saturn in the U.S. Whatever happens, there are two things we’re sure of: GM should build this right away, and it should make sure American shoppers get a chance to buy it, whether it has a Saturn badge or not.

Photo gallery below.

2007 Geneva Motor Show: 2008 Volvo XC70 Debuts

A month after we got our first glimpse of the all-new V70 wagon, Volvo delivers the first batch of information and images about the cross-country version of its family-hauler. It shares most of its design with the V70, and all of the same safety features are found here as well, including integrated child booster seats, extended side curtain airbags to protect smaller passengers, stronger side structure and new side-impact airbags that protect the hips as well as the torso.

Only one gasoline engine is offered, a 238-hp inline-six, along with a six-speed automatic with a manual shift mode. Of course, you can’t call a wagon a cross-country without standard all-wheel drive. There’s also standard hill descent control and stability control. We’re still waiting on word about when the 2008 XC70 and V70 will be available and how much they’ll cost, but for now check out the photo gallery below.

Related:
All-New 2008 Volvo V70
The New Volvo S80's Blind Spot Detector

2007 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Tuning Kit

The new 2007 Mini Cooper just went on sale in the U.S. last month, but now there’s official word on the John Cooper Works Tuning Kit. The factory-installed kit hasn’t been priced as a U.S. option yet, but it will be available this spring and can be combined with a number of other Mini add-ons, like suspension upgrades, exterior enhancements and interior accessories, to create something that looks like the vehicle shown in the pictures above and below.

What do you get with this particular performance package? A new exhaust system, air filter and engine-management system that provide more efficiency and add up to 192 hp, versus the standard Cooper S’s 172 hp. Will that alone be worth a potential price bump of $2,000? We’re not sure, but Mini lovers certainly won’t complain. We do like the fact that Mini allows such performance customization completely under warranty.

Source: Mini and MotoringFile

2008 Jaguar XJ World Debut

Switzerland will be the place to be next week, when the 2007 Geneva Motor Show officially kicks off, but we’re still getting plenty of new car news leading up to the big event. Today, Jaguar unveiled the 2008 XJ. The company’s flagship sedan receives some new body work, most noticeably a more aggressive grille and a side vent borrowed from the XK coupe.

The seats are new and provide more rear legroom. Otherwise, things look very much the same. The car should drive the same, as the engine choices have not changed; there are two V-8s, a 300-hp version and a 400-hp supercharged one.

If you’re into Bluetooth phones, the new XJ can handle up to five with its in-car phone system. There’s also an optional GPS antitheft device to track down your wayward Jag. Expect to see the new XJ at dealers this August. Full photo gallery below.

Ford's Next U.S. Subcompact Based on Mazda2

The eagerly awaited redesigned Mazda2 subcompact will debut in Geneva next week, but Ford told its employees yesterday that it would build a version of the small car with a Blue Oval badge for the U.S. market. Ford owns a controlling stake in Mazda.

There’s still no word on whether or not the new Mazda2 will come stateside — the current version is sold in Europe and other parts of the world — but because speculation has the Ford version taking another two years to arrive, we’d lean toward the Mazda2 joining the U.S. lineup before then so the company doesn’t give up market share to Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Suzuki and Hyundai. All of those companies already offer new models in the rapidly expanding subcompact category.

[New Subcompact Coming to U.S., The Detroit News]

BMW's New 507-hp Wagon: M5 Touring Debuts

The Geneva Motor Show is fast approaching, and BMW just unveiled a lineup including the all-new M5 Touring, or station wagon to you and me. Both the regular 5 Series sedan and wagon have been slightly updated this year, but the M5 Touring is a first. It mirrors the M5 sedan — which costs a pretty $82,500 — in horsepower, with 507, with the same V-10 engine under the hood. But the M5 Touring also has station wagon utility and an available panoramic roof, so the kids can watch clouds whiz by as you hit 62 mph in 4.8 seconds.

There’s no word if the M5 Touring will come to the U.S. or how much it will cost, but we’re not overly optimistic. BMW only sold 72 of its 530xi wagons in January, compared to 527 530xi sedans. Mercedes-Benz does sell its 507-hp E63 wagon in the U.S., and perhaps the need to compete will lure this new M5 across the pond. Check out the photo gallery below and tell us if you want to see the M5 Touring running errands in suburbia.

New Mercedes C-Class Gets Diesel Treatment

The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class that was unveiled online last month will get a diesel powerplant that meets the highest European environmental standards, standards that don’t go into effect until 2015. The C220 Bluetec has a four-cylinder engine that produces just 170 hp but 294 pounds-feet of torque. The Bluetec system uses a series of filters and catalytic converters to clean the exhaust so the amount of pollution is slashed and mileage is rated at just under 43 mpg.

There’s no reason the C220 Bluetec couldn’t be sold in the U.S., but we’ve yet to see the latest clean diesel vehicles from Europe go on sale here. The introduction of a new diesel Volkswagen Jetta and cars from other manufacturers will show if buyers are interested in the improved mileage as gas prices continue to fluctuate, seemingly week to week. A couple of larger images are below.

Audi S5 Adds Power to All-New Model

Audi isn’t going to make us wait for the high-performance version of its all-new A5 coupe. The S5 packs a 354-hp V-8 and Quattro all-wheel drive and it hits 62 mph in 5.1 seconds.

That should be all we have to say about that. The S5 will go on sale in November with a six-speed manual transmission. An automatic will be available six months later. Having the choice between transmissions is a nice plus, since other Audi S models come with either one or the other, but not both. The enthusiast audience still prefers to shift for themselves, especially in a coupe, but there is a growing group of those who enjoy shift-paddle equipped automatics.

Audi A5 Coupe World Debut

Automotive journalists knew this all-new two-door coupe was coming from Audi, but it will probably come as a complete surprise to most car shoppers. The A5 — debuting at the Geneva Motor Show — is based on an all-new car platform that will serve as the basis for the next A4 sedan. The A5’s size is similar to the current A4, and it will compete with the BMW 3 Series coupe.

The design follows much of what we’ve seen from Audi lately, with its big-mouth-bass grille, but the curvy line down the side and two-door body style is unique to the A5. Audi decided against calling the new model an A4 coupe, which may confuse some shoppers.

Powering the A5 in Europe will be two gasoline engines, a 265-hp, 3.2-liter V-6 and a 170-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbo. The V-6 sees a 10-hp increase over the power plant in the current A4, while the four-cylinder is actually a smaller engine than what’s in the current base A4. Audi has confirmed that the U.S. will only get the larger V-6, first with a manual transmission, then later with an automatic. There are also two diesel power plants in Europe, but they’re not going to be brought to the U.S. The A5 we’ll get here goes on sale in November.

We’re not sure how well the A5 will be received in the states, but the A4 has held up well and this new platform should be a significant improvement. Either way, it gives us a glimpse of the future of Audi’s most popular model. We have a full photo gallery below.

Mazda's Latest Wild Concept: Hakaze

We’re looking forward to the Geneva Motor Show next month because a lot of the cars debuting there will come to the U.S. within the next year, like the all-new Audi A5 coupe. We’re not as excited about the usually wilder concept cars that European and other foreign auto shows get, like the Hakaze from Mazda.

The company uses the example of kite surfers to highlight the vehicle’s multi-functionality because, you know, everyone can identify with a kite surfer. Basically, any beachgoer or outdoorsman would enjoy the interior, which is designed to protect against sand, dirt and water. There are also LCD screens and an internet connection so you won’t be far from work, even when you’re out playing.

Yes, this is just another design flight of fancy, and we’ve seen plenty of that from Mazda this year.

Related:
New Mazda2 For the World, U.S. Next?
2007 Detroit Auto Show: Mazda Ryuga Concept
2006 L.A. Auto Show: Mazda Nagare Concept

First Look: Maserati GranTurismo

We’re not your normal exotic-car destination, but we still find wildly expensive, wildly powerful and wildly designed supercars fun to look at, especially when there’s a new one on the block. Today Maserati unveiled the first images of its new two-door sports car, the GranTurismo, which is sure to get ultraluxury buyers excited when it debuts at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

This is actually a very significant model for Maserati, as the company’s current coupes have not aged well. Most people know of the Quattroporte four-door sedan and its celebrity status in Hollywood, and Maserati’s close ties to Ferrari generate a lot of love from exotic car fans.

The GranTurismo was styled by Ferrari’s design house, Pininfarina, and is powered by a 405-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 engine. Weight is distributed almost perfectly, with 49% at the front and 51% at the rear. Like many new exotics, the GranTurismo features an automatic transmission with shift paddles for manual gear selecting. 

There’s no word on price or an on-sale date, but expect the price to be similar to or higher than Maserati’s current GranSport coupe, which hovers right around the $100,000 mark. For now, you can join us in just taking in this new exotic.

Related:
Cars.com Top 10 Most Memorable TV Cars

Suzuki SX4 Sedan Planned for Geneva Motor Show, Maybe U.S.

We hate to bring you news that isn’t complete, but sometimes web buzz dictates such. Today, MotorTrend brings us word that the new Suzuki SX4 — which we reviewed in a positive light — will add a sedan body style to its lineup. Currently in the U.S., the SX4 is an all-wheel-drive hatchback, and this sedan would only be available with front-wheel drive. For Europe, the new sedan will pack a smaller 107-hp four-cylinder engine. Like we said, we don’t have complete information yet, but we wanted to bring you these pictures of the sedan. An SX4 sedan would be a great replacement for the aging Suzuki Aerio here, if they gave it the 143-hp engine found in the hatchback.

[Suzuki Releases Photos of New SX4 Sedan Ahead of Geneva, MotorTrend]

Dodge Demon Concept Hits YouTube

Most automakers provide video for the media to use as a background to news coverage about auto shows and the vehicles themselves. It’s generally pretty boring stuff, but Dodge just uploaded more than 9 minutes of footage of the new Dodge Demon concept that will debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, and we’ll say it’s worth about the first 3 minutes of your time. We just like the fact that the video was shot someplace sunny and warm. Oh, and there’s no sound, so don’t worry, your computer’s speakers work just fine.

Related:
Dodge Demon Concept

Look Mom, No Gas: 100% BioEthanol Saab Concept

Today, GM announced its first BioEthanol concept, the Saab BioPower 100. It’s a Saab 9-5 SportCombi wagon that features a 2.0-liter turbo engine that runs on E100 — 100% ethanol. Currently, many manufacturers produce flex-fuel vehicles that run on E85, a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% regular gasoline. This concept gets rid of even that small percent of gas.

All that ethanol means the octane level is incredibly high. The small turbo engine produces a whopping 300 hp and 295 pounds-feet of torque and hustles to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds. The idea of running a car on ethanol has always appealed to us because of the possible performance aspect. Currently, the infrastructure isn’t in place to support a massive switch to ethanol-powered vehicles, and the cost per gallon of E85 is still quite high. Add that to the lower fuel economy the E100 would get, and we better see a lot more sorghum farms and ethanol refineries popping up to make it affordable. It seems car companies can build nice performance cars that run on alternative fuels; now alternative fuel production needs to catch up.

Source: GM