Ssangyong has announced that the company will be exhibiting a turbodiesel-hybrid concept at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show which will improve efficiency of their existing vehicles by about 30%. No other details has been released, so we’ll just have to wait until Geneva rolls by just next month to find out what the Korean manufacturers have in store for us.
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Audi has released a turbodiesel version of the Audi TT, powered by a 2.0 liter TDI turbodiesel putting out 170 horsepower at 4,200rpm and 350Nm of torque between 1,750rpm and 2,500rpm, taking the Audi TT Coupe up to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds, and up to a top speed of 226 km/h, while consuming an average of 5.3 liters per 100 km for the Coupe model, and 5.5 liters for the Roadster model.
The turbodiesel features common rail direct injection with eight-hole nozzle piezo injectors which can inject up to 5 distinct injection sequences per cycle at a 1,800 bar pressure. The turbocharger has Variable Turbine Geometry to reduce turbo lag.
In this particular installation, the piston geometry has been modified and the acoustics of the camshaft drive belt has been overhauled. Two balance shafts reduce crank vibrations. These are all measures to raise the maximum engine speed of the turbodiesel to 5,000rpm, relatively high for an oil burner. This engine is mated to a 6-speed short throw manual with long final drives to suit the diesel torque curve.
Of course being a performance Audi, it is equipped with quattro all-wheel drive, which can divert 100% of power to either the front or rear axle, but runs most of the time in a front axle-biased 85:15 ratio.
Click to enlarge
This is a little late as it is a Detroit concept, but since the Saab 9-4X Biopower Concept will be one of the two concepts shown by the boys from Trollhattan at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, and it will be the concept’s first public European debut.
On the outside you have a rather sleek SUV that carries all of Saab’s styling cues, especially the three section grille at the front, also seen on the new Saab 9-3 and the Saab Aero X Concept. On the interior, you have a typical Saab interior, with a black dash and driver-oriented instrumentation which lights up in a signature Saab green.
The all-wheel drive underpining the Saab 9-4X Biopower Concept is Saab’s Cross Wheel Drive system from Haldex, which features torque vectoring to channel power to the wheel with the most traction without cutting off engine power or applying the brakes. It also automatically adjusts torque bias to help the vehicle follow the course set by the driver. The chassis rides on MacPherson struts at the front couple with aluminium control arm and knuckle, and an anti-roll bar, while the rear suspension uses a multi-link setup with aluminium H-arm and knuckle, and an anti-roll bar.
Under the hood is a bioethanol capable engine, a Saab speciality since two thirds of all car sales in Saab’s home ground of Sweden come with flex fuel engines. The Saab 9-4X Biopower’s 2.0 liter turbocharged direct injection all-aluminium engine with variable valve timing is E85 bioethanol capable, and produces 300 horsepower at 5,400rpm and 400Nm of torque between 2,600rpm and 5,100rpm, if fueled with E85. Using regular gasoline, the BioPower engine puts out 245 horses at 5,300rpm and 353Nm of torque between 2,500rpm to 5,250rpm.
The turbocharger is a single twin-scroll unit, blowing a 1.2 bar boost pressure. Thanks to direct injection, this boost pressure can be used together with a high compression ratio of 10.5:1. The engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic with manual shifting via steering wheel controls.
Preliminary testing shows a 0 to 100km/h time of 8 seconds, and a top speed of 235km/h. Look at more photos of the Saab 9-4X BioPower Concept SUV after the jump.
Related Posts: Click here to read the rest of Saab 9-4X Biopower Concept SUV
Saab to get new Saab 9-4X SUV
2001 Saab 9-X Concept - click to enlarge
Saab will display a Saab 9-1X Concept at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show next month, and it will preview the upcoming Saab 9-1 hatchback that will go against the likes of the Volkswagen Golf, Volvo C30 and the BMW 1-Series.
You can expect the Saab 9-1X Concept to be a reworked version of the Saab 9-X Concept (image above) shown back in 2001 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, which was also a hatchback with a wheelbase of 2700mm. The 2001 concept car was powered by a 3.0 liter turbocharged V6 producing 300 horse and 410Nm of torque from a low 2,200rpm.
The Saab 9-4X SUV concept which was unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Motor Show will also be displayed at the Geneva show. The Saab 9-4X Concept is an all-wheel drive crossover SUV powered by a 2.0-liter BioPower turbo engine that runs on E85 bioethanol fuel. It produces 300 horsepower and 400Nm of torque.
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Volkswagen works council chief Bernd Osterloh says what started as two German companies growing together has ended up as a hostile takeover of Volkswagen by Porsche. The Volkswagen works council and Porsche is currently in a legal battle over how many workers from Volkswagen should be represented on the supervisory board’s holding company. The current proposal is 3 seats from Volkswagen and 3 seats from Porsche on the board. Naturally, Volkswagen wants more seats, and they justify it with the fact that Volkswagen had over 30 times more workers then Porsche, so it should have greater representation.
Osterloh also thinks that the new holding company which will hold both Porsche and Volkswagen should be called Volkswagen and Porsche Automobilholding instead of just being called Porsche Automobilholding as it is now.
Renault’s agency Publicis produced this “Parts” advertisement for the new Renault Megane. It shows a mad rush of multiple similiar parts rushing down the corridors to be installed into the new Renault Megane Renaultsport 230 F1 Team R26. Kind of like how humans are produced actually - only the best makes it through 
View the ad after the jump. Click here to read the rest of Renault Megane “Parts” Advertisement
Citroen’s Unmistakeably German ad campaign for the new second generation Citroen C5 by Euro RSCG highlights the “Teutonic” qualities of the new Citroen C5. It further strengthens the fact that the typical “German-ness” of a car is something very desirable. Even when the Ford Focus was launched, ad campaigns delivered the message “European styling, German technology.” The Citroen ad features a traditional Bavarian bar and grill, sections of the Autobahn, and the historic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
Watch the Citroen C5 ad after the jump.
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The new second generation Citroen C5
General Motors will be showcasing the next generation Opel Meriva as a concept car next month at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The first generation 5-seater Opel Meriva which made its debut in 2002 has a flexible interior called FlexSpace.
The second row bench can be split apart to create individual seats, joined together to seat 3, folded into the floor, and it can also be adjusted fore and aft to vary the split between second row legroom and boot space. The seats can be pushed to the far rear of the car for maximum boot space.
The new Opel Meriva will continue the flexibility theme with new FlexDoors, They aren’t exactly all that flexible, it’s just that the rear doors are rear-hinged but they open independently of the front doors so they aren’t exactly typical suicide doors like the ones on the RX8. The Meriva will also most likely be badged as a Vauxhall and a Chevrolet, depending on markets. It will built on the new GM-Fiat Gamma SCCS (Small Common Components and Systems) platform.
More photos of the Opel Meriva Concept after the jump. Click here to read the rest of Opel Meriva Concept at Geneva 2008
BMW MINI has released the John Cooper Works kit for the MINI Cooper S and MINI Clubman S which ups power from 175 to 211 horses, with peak torque boosted up to 260Nm, or 280Nm with overboost. Watch the JCW Cooper S and Clubman S terrorize a track in a video after the jump.
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MINI John Cooper Works Cooper S and Clubman S
Click to enlarge
Mitsubishi Motors has released more photos of the upcoming Mitsubishi Prototype-S, which previews the soon to be launched 5-door hatchback version of the Lancer. A high powered Lancer Ralliart version featuring a 240 PS turbocharged engine and a less high tech version of Mitsubishi’s all-wheel drive system compared to the one installed in the Lancer Evolution X.
The version of the 4B11T in the Prototype-S puts out 240 PS and 343Nm of torque and is mated to the 6-speed Twin Clutch SST gearbox. The car has a wheelbase of 2,635mm, a height of 1,480mm, a width of 1,760mm, a length of 4,585mm and rides on 19 inch wheels wrapped with 215/45R19 tyres.
On the interior, Mitsubishi has given the car’s upper dashboard a black suede finish, while the upholstery gets light brown combination leather. The production version of the 5-door Lancer hatchback will be launched by the end of 2008, and is vital for Mitsubishi’s European plans.
More photos after the jump.
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Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Details
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Sketch
Mitsubishi Prototype-S to feature 240 PS turbocharged engine
