2011 Frankfurt: Euro-market 2012 Toyota Avensis Unveiled

Toyota unveiled the updated look of its Euro-market Avensis at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show this week. The Avensis, originally launched in 1997, is a Camry-sized sedan and wagon designed and engineered in Europe for the European market.

Toyota says the updated car features “bolder, more refined exterior design and improvements to the finish quality, comfort and NVH in the cabin.” The automaker says the Avensis’ driving dynamics have been improved as well.

The Avensis sports a new grill flanked by narrower headlights featuring new daytime running lights. The lower bumper design is bolder giving it “a wider, more purposeful stance and ground-hugging appearance.” The rear bumper and taillights have also been updated. Wheel choices have been freshened with new designs and finishes. The new design looks more like the U.S. market Venza than the new 2012 Camry.

The interior of the Avensis hasn’t been neglected either. The leather upholstery is available in new colors and the dashboard’s feel is improved, while switchgear on the center console is more intuitive. New metal-look paint and chrome have been added. Toyota has also given the Avensis its new Touch and Go Plus multimedia system featuring 11 speakers.

Touch and Go Plus features voice recognition for navigation address input, one-shot destination entry, music search and play, and phone contact search and call. The system can also send and receive email, convert text-to-speech message readout, a calendar and a ‘Play More Like This’ music function.

The Avensis is powered by a 124-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine that has been revised for better power delivery, fuel efficiency, and emissions which may qualify it for tax breaks in many European countries. A 148-horsepower 2.2-liter turbo diesel and a 145-horsepower 1.8-liter gas engine are also available.

All engines are mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission, with a six-speed automatic available for the 2.2-liter diesel and a CVT optional on the 1.8-liter gas engine and the 2.0-liter diesel.

The Avensis comes with an alphabet soup of Toyota’s latest safety equipment standard or optional including: Advanced Pre-Crash Safety (PCS) system, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) systems, ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Traction Control (TRC), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC+), and High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps fitted with an Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS).-motortrend.com

Source: Toyota

SsangYong XIV-1 Concept previews production model

SsangYong has unveiled the SsangYong XIV-1 Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The ‘eXciting user Interface Vehicle’ is an urban SUV that showcases various technologies which heighten the interaction between the vehicle and its passengers.

At first, the SsangYong XIV-1 Concept was developed as a design study and as an insight into what to expect from the Korean manufacturer in the future. SsangYong describes the XIV-1 as “premium crossover utility vehicle” while also presenting a sporty theme, similar to the Range Rover Evoque.

Plans have now been announced as part of a $12 billion deal with Mahindra to see through the development of an XIV-1 production vehicle. Although it is a little early for definite specifications, the SsangYong XIV-1 Concept features a number of fresh, interesting and futuristic elements to the small SUV segment.

At the front there’s a wrap-around windscreen which blends into the side windows, while a raising door line flows up towards the rear pillars leaving a sporty coupe look. The concept also feautures a glass panoramic roof as well as those hard-to-miss front and rear doors which open up like French doors, leaving an open, pillar-less view of the inside.

The SsangYong XIV-1 interior showcases blue LED lighting, a large central touchscreen panel for most media and comfort controls, while all surfaces and contours present a futuristic theme. SsangYong spoke about the interior, which it says is the highlight of the XIV-1:

“The user interface embraces the concept of an extended living space rather than providing just a means of transport. Control of many of SsangYong XIV-1 Concept functions is via the interaction of smart mobile devices and the vehicle itself.
“Using the kind of devices that the driver and passengers are likely to be carrying at all times, they can control everything from the audio system, the display of information on the dashboard and online communications.”

We’ll be sure to provide more updates on the production version of the SsangYong XIV-1 as soon as we hear more. In the meantime, what do you think of the design of the new concept? Is it something you would like to see hit the market?-caradvice.com.au

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S is seven shades of awesome [video]

We like the new 2012 Porsche 911 so much that we thought, heck, why not show it to you twice. This time, however, we bring you the more powerful 911 Carrera S from the floor of the Frankfurt Motor Show. It's the more powerful sibling to the standard 911, and a German sports car that we're eager to get some seat time in.

Buried in the tail is a 3.8-liter flat-six engine that produces 400 horsepower, and can be paired with either a PDK or the new seven-speed manual gearbox. A 911 Carrera S equipped with the auto-shifting unit can run from 0-62 miles per hour in just 4.3 seconds. If you opt for the Sport Plus package, that time drops to just 4.1 seconds. Seeing as this is a Porsche, the Sport Plus package is just one of many things you will be opting for.

Regardless, the new 911, while looking similar to all past examples, offers subtle styling cues that reveal it as the latest member of an iconic family. The wheelbase is 100 millimeters longer and the height of the car has been reduced. Both of these factors give the 2012 911 Carrera S a slightly sleeker profile.

Are you in the market for the latest 911? You'll need at least $96,400 to put a Carrera S in your driveway. That's $13,771.43 per gear.

Audi urban concept envisions crowded cities

Audi is joining the list of brands infatuated with a car they never seem to build -- the slender, super-tiny, twin-seat urban commuter car.

Audi calls its version simply the "urban concept," as unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week. Interestingly, sister brand Volkswagen premiered a very similar car at the same show, which we take to be proof that the two design groups don't have much contact with each other. Other automakers have been showing similar cars for more than a decade.
As envisioned by Audi, the urban concept would be electric powered with recharging of its lithium-ion batteries. The driver and passenger sit in slightly staggered positions apart from each other.The car rides on 21-inch wheels.

Audi unveiled the car after holding a conference in which experts held forth about what to expect from cars of the future. The small-car vision of the future reflects a belief that many cities around the world will grow even more dense. Cars will get more features that help them drive themselves and passengers will be continuously connected to the Internet and social media as they drive.-content.usatoday.com

Volkswagen introduces Beetle R concept at Frankfurt auto show

Volkswagen used the Frankfurt motor show to introduce its newest creation from Wolfsburg, the hopped-up Beetle R.

The concept uses the same 2.0-liter, turbocharged engine from the all-wheel-drive Golf R and the for-Europe-only Scirocco R. It makes about 250 hp in those applications, so we would expect this to be similar, even though the company insists that this is still a design study.

The Beetle R is coated in Serious Grey paint and sits on 20-inch chrome wheels that hide blue brake calipers. Both the front and rear bumpers were redesigned for a sportier look. The front now has three intakes styled in gloss black while the rear gets integrated exhaust vents. A diffuser is included in the lower area. Together with the rear spoiler, they provide ideal downforce over the wheels, according to VW. Two sets of chrome tailpipes finish the package.

The interior is upgraded. Driver and passenger are treated to racing seats covered in black napa leather with embossed R logos. Seams are stitched with a contrasting blue. Much of the interior is finished in the same gloss black as the bumper including dashboard accents, decorative elements and around the gearshift. Brushed aluminum is used for the pedals.

The Golf R sits just above the Golf GTI in the price hierarchy, so we’d guess that the Beetle R would follow the same logic. Of course that only applies if VW builds it.-autoweek.com