Jaguar Land Rover, Bladon Jets and SR Drives are in a joint venture consortium to develop a new ‘micro jet turbine’ for use in range extender hybrid drives. By now all of you should know what a range extender series hybrid system is, since once was featured in the Proton EMAS Concept.

The aim here is to replace the piston combustion engine in the range extender with a very compact jet turbine that is capable of burning a wide range of fuels. The turbine would be hooked up to a high-speed switched-reluctance generator to produce electricity to either recharge the batteries or power the electric motor that drives the series hybrid. The consortium has been awarded a juicy £1.1 million grant by the UK government’s Technology Strategy Board for the research and development. The total project cost is £2.2 million.

According to the consortium, replacing a petrol-powered piston engine with an axial flow micro jet turbine can save up to 15% of overall vehicle weight. Some of the weight savings will be from the engine’s supporting parts such as the lack of needing water cooling, oil or catalytic converters. You can also reduce emissions by burning cleaner fuels other then regular petrol.

But more importantly, Bladon Jets says the actual physical size taken up by the micro turbine is much much smaller, and could potentially only take up 5% size, weight and parts count of a typical piston engine. A prototype christened the BJ-300-P measures only 4 inch in diameter and 12 inches in length. Also, with a turbine there is only one moving part.

Production versions of the ‘Ultra Lightweight Range Extender’ as it is called could take between 5 to 15 years though – hopefully by then it will still be relevant to the motorist, as it definitely sounds like a cool idea.

There were very strong rumors and unnamed sources before this in the papers but now it’s official – the tiered fuel subsidy plan has been scrapped! Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consu­merism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob made the announcement today and also said that there would be no increase in fuel prices for now. I think that we’re going to see is the fuel price being raised slowly and slowly to let us slowly get used to unsubsidized fuel prices.

The highest fuel price we’ve had to endure so far has been RM2.70 per liter for RON97 fuel and RM3.15 per liter for Shell V-Power. This was between the 5th of June 2008 to the 23rd of August 2008. However, there was also a RM625 fixed fuel subsidy issued through Pos Malaysia during that period. You could claim the money when you renewed your road tax. Petrol prices remained high throughout most of the second half of 2008 but was slowly reduced during that period until it settled down to the current prices of under RM2 per liter in December 2008.

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This is Honda’s only all-new Geneva Concept – the 3R-C which seems to be some kind of three wheeler motorcycle kinda thing that seats only one person. Honda’s concepts seem to be either very close to production or really far off, and this one is of the far off category. It’s their idea of what a future minimal urban transport vehicle for a single person might look like. It does not have a roof so you’ll still get wet in the rain but once the vehicle is parked, the ‘windscreen’ that protects you while you are on the move will fold down and become a cover for the driver’s seat. The two other cars that are Honda’s highlights at its Geneva stand are the production CR-Z and the EV-N that was previously shown in Tokyo 2009. Look after the jump for 4 pix and a video of the 3R-C.

Click here to read the rest of Honda 3R-C – mass use ‘cub’ of the future?

This is the new Kia Sportage, which replaces the second-gen model that has sold 860,000 units since 2004. The Geneva showstar looks nothing like that car though, dumping the stodgy image to join Kia’s Peter Schreyer led design revolution.

Immediately recognisable as the younger brother to the Sorento, this new Sportage is longer, wider and lower than the previous model (by 90 mm, 15 mm and 60 mm respectively). Its 2640 mm wheelbase is 20 mm longer than a Honda CR-V’s even though the Kia is shorter overall by 80 mm – minimal overhangs see to that. Despite the size increase, weight is down by 91 kg model for model.

Two engine variants are available now; a 2.0-litre CRDi diesel with VGT (134 bhp/304 Nm) and the Theta II 2.0 petrol with 161 bhp/194 Nm. In both camps, smaller engines with Start/Stop will join later this year – a 1.7-litre CRDi (113 bhp/255 Nm) and a 1.6-litre version of the Theta II with 138 bhp and 166 Nm. The 2.0 models can be had with on-demand AWD with lock function for 50:50 torque split. All variants but the 2.0 petrol manual have six forward ratios.

Euro-spec models come with lots of kit, including ESC with a new Rollover Sensor (that pre-deploys the side airbags, curtain airbags and seatbelt pretensioners), Hillstart Assist Control, Downhill Brake Control (to limit speed during a steep descent) and an optional rear-view camera with LCD display integrated into the rear-view mirror.

Sharing much of its underpinnings with the soon to be launched in Malaysia Hyundai Tucson (called ix35 in Europe), both cars will be built in Slovakia, besides Korea of course. We can look forward to Naza Kia bringing this car to our shores, although it won’t be before the Sorento, which should debut sometime this year.

More pictures after the jump.

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As Mazda replaces its range with the polarizing “smiley face” look model by model, a day will come when one will have to not consider the brand at all if he/she doesn’t “get” the design language (me for instance). The latest model to cross the bridge is the new Mazda 5 MPV launched at Geneva.

The standout aesthetic feature are those lines that flow along the 5’s profile, the first full application of the brand’s Nagare Flow design language previewed by its recent concept cars. The said lines combine with Mazda’s signature sculpted wheelarches and the curvy front end to create a cohesive look and a good Cd value of 0.30. Rear pillar metal have been deleted and the previous car’s high mounted tail lamps are ditched for conventionally placed items that go better with the new image. The 5’s segment unique dual sliding doors are of course retained. The overall look is very busy – either you like it or you don’t.

Inside, the 5’s cockpit follows the theme set by the current 3, but is less funky for this application. Seating for up to seven are available, including the occasional “Karakuri” seat, as per the old car, but comfort is improved via new seat designs.

The new 5 debuts alongside a new engine – the MZR 2.0 DISI (direct injection spark ignition) with “i-stop” start stop tech producing 148 bhp and 191 Nm of torque. This compares well to the current car’s 136 bhp/175 Nm, with 15% less CO2 emissions to boot. Paired to a six-speed manual with eco optimised gear ratios, its fuel consumption of 14.5 km/l is better than the 13.9 km/l of the MZR 1.8 engine with 113 bhp/165 Nm. Both engines come with single-nano tech catalyst and are Euro 5 compliant.

Mazda says that the 5, which was not bad to drive at all, is even better now thanks to increased spring rates and lighter stabilizers that improve straight line stability and makes body roll more linear. Rubber couplings added to the steering shaft and more rigid components provides a more linear steering feel while noise insulation is said to be improved.

Live pictures from Geneva and official gallery after the jump!

Click here to read the rest of New Mazda 5 joins the smiley faced family!

Remember the Satria Neo Unleashed with hitz.fm event last year? Proton and hitz.fm actually organized an event where avid autocrossers can try their hand at the Satria Neo. You drive through a straight line and obstacle course, and whoever clocks the fastest time wins a prize!

This year the challenge is back in Danga Bay Johor, and the event is even bigger this time. There’s not only a challenge for the Satria Neo but for the Proton Saga as well! Here’s the full lowdown on the activities happening this Saturday the 6th of March 2010 beginning from 4pm to 1030pm:

• Saga Ride & Handling Challenge – 25 participants
• Satria Neo Ride & Handling Challenge – 25 participants
• Test-drive activity (Satria Neo, Saga, and Gen2)
• PROTON Mini Technologies Display by R&D
• LOTUS Showcase (performance cars)
• Sales Activity (Satria Neo Saga, Gen2)
• Parts and Services display (genuine parts)
• Merchandize booth
• Demo performance by LOTUS
• Satria Neo, Saga, Gen2 Club gathering & car showcase
• Games and quizzes by Hitz.FM’s DJ and announcers
• Closing act by Artistes (Pesawat & One Buck Short)

As you can see above, the Ride & Handling challenge is open only to 50 participants – 25 for the Satria Neo CPS and 25 for the Saga. Participants need to have a valid driving license and need to fulfill the rules and regulations, terms and conditions, and signed indemnity form of the event. Interested person can register at the counter when the announcers announce the time for registration (4.00pm – 4.30pm). All participants will go through safety and course briefing handle by professional track safety instructors. Participant will be guided / supervised by professional instructor during the laps to explain about the cars and to ensure the safety of the participant/ public during the laps.

The first place winner of either category will win RM500 and a Sony Ericsson F305. The second place prizes are RM300 and a Canon 480 digital camera. The third place winners will get RM200 and a RM500 Padini Voucher.

As for the test drive activity, Proton has set up a special course for you to be able to try out the car’s handling instead of a regular showroom test drive where you probably just drive around the showroom area. So if you’re in the market for a Proton sometime soon you may want to test drive the car at this course as well as a regular showroom drive so you can try how the car performs in both worlds – both under hard driving conditions and in a neighborhood.

If you book your car on the day itself there’s a low downpayment scheme and other promotions available. I don’t know what they are right now so you’ll have to pay a visit to the event to find out! Also, Proton Parts Center will be having sessions to educate the public on how to differentiate the original parts with non-genuine parts, and the causes and effect of using non-genuine parts.

A professional driver from Lotus will be showcasing the driving demo using their cars to highlight the capability of the cars’ handling. As you know Lotus cars are gokarts on steroids – usually people reserve that term for MINIs but these Lotus cars are the real thing. There will be opportunities for a taxi ride with the cars together with the driver.

Satria Neo, Saga and Gen2 club members will be there to display their cars at the event.A contest will be held to award the most outstanding car for each category. The criteria of the selection of the winner are exterior condition, paint job, decals, stickers, rims, interior cleanliness & practicality, and modification changes. Of course you’ll probably expect some really fast “Campro Turbo DIY” cars there or even some with MIVEC or GSR swaps, but engine bay will not be evaluated as Proton are not promoting any changes made to the engine. Judges will be appointed from Proton managements, the artistes and professional drivers.

Other than that, the public can also participate in any games activities on that day such as a be mini futsal challenge, team activities, and others. These games will be conducted by Hitz.fm announcers Natalie and Jin and they will also be having quizzes. The closing performance will be a performance by One Buck Short and Pesawat, which will start after the demo performance by Lotus mentioned earlier.

So this is something for you to check out this Saturday if you live in the south. RELA will be in charge on that day to handle traffic and parking. Just remember to bring a bottle of mineral water as I’ve been informed that Danga Bay did not give permission for the sale of F&B during the event so you’ll have to bring your own.

The Audi RS5 is one gorgeous, desirable machine, and now that I’m infected with the “RS” virus after close proximity to the red hot lady, I hope to spread the love by sharing some live images with you. Could have shot more if it wasn’t mobbed by crowds, so there you go, it’s after the jump!

As a recap, the RS5 is powered by a naturally aspirated 4.2-litre FSI V8 engine with 450 bhp at 8,250 rpm, while torque is rated at 430 Nm produced between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm. This hand made V8 is the same one as in the RS4 and R8, but with more power. Audi goes on to say that the engine is “right at home even at high revs – almost like a race engine”. The 1,725 kg RS5 manages 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds while top speed is capped at 250 km/h. Audi can increase that to 280 km/h if you ask nicely. With that kind of performance, 9.3 km/l is a very fair trade off.

Massive gallery after the jump!

Click here to read the rest of From Geneva with love – Audi RS5 virus of desire!

The main star of the vast Audi stand is its smallest model – the new A1. Ingolstadt has big plans for this Mini Cooper rival that’s bound to be its main seller, and is calling it the A1 “the sportiest car in the segment” – no small claim when BMW’s Mini is your classmate! Backing this up is the A1’s low weight of 1,045 kg, wide tracks, low weight resting on the front end and electrohydraulic steering that’s tuned to be “sportily direct”.

First shown to the world as the Metroproject Quattro Concept back in Tokyo 2007, the finshed product looks remarkably similar to its inspiration, down to this car’s red colour with a silver bar outlining the glasshouse. As we’d expect from a new Audi, the A1 features striking LED daytime running lights, and the brand’s single-frame grille is has two more edges at their top ends to create a trapezoidal shape. Audi’s “tornado line” joins both front and rear lamp clusters and is a main feature of the profile, along with the arching roofline. Coefficient of drag is 0.32, which is best in class.

Inside, the dash design is simple and classy; of note are the cool old-school air-con vents (supposed to look like jet turbines, says Audi) and an infotainment system that’s claimed to set new standards in the class. The A1’s MMI navigation plus system is taken from its bigger siblings and comes with 3D navigation system, 20GB of hard disk space for music and iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, all displyed on a 6.5-inch screen that emerges from the dash top. A 465-watt Bose stereo is optional.

Four engines will be available at launch – two TFSI petrols and two TDI diesels. The entry 1.2 TFSI makes 86 bhp and 160 Nm from 1500 rpm, while the 1.4 TFSI produces 122 bhp and 200 Nm at the same engine speed sustained till 4000 rpm. Paired to the seven-speed dual clutch S tronic gearbox, this range topper does 0-100 km/h in 9.1 seconds on to a top speed of 200 km/h. We reckon that real world cut and thrust performance will be more impressive than the raw figures suggest, as is the case with VW’s TSI/DSG cars. Equipped with start-stop tech and brake energy recuperation, fuel consumption for the 1.4 TFSI is 19.6 km/l.

Live pictures and official gallery with 125 images after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Little Audi A1 creates big waves at Geneva!

The recall bug that’s been going around seems to have infected General Motors as well. They are recalling 1.3 million compact cars in North America, citing problems with the power steering. The problem has been linked to 14 crashes and 1 injury as of yesterday. The models affected are the US market 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, the Canadian market 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit, and the Mexican market 2005-2006 Pontiac G4.

Affected vehicles can still be ’safety controlled’ but will require ‘greater steering effort’ at speeds of under 24km/h. The problem is the poweer steering system, but the vehicle will warn you when the power steering system fails. A chime will sound and a “power steering” message will flash on the dashboard.

But here’s the funny bit – they aren’t really being so gracious about it. GM is actually blaming Toyota for the power steering problem. It seems that the defective power steering system contains parts manufactured by Jtekt Corporation, which is partly owned by Toyota – 22.5 percent. Yes, there is some form of connection there, but the propaganda is really being taken too far isn’t it? GM even claims the recall may cost around US$100 million. But aren’t you supposed to do some kind of check on the design of the components you source as part of your procurement system?

“This is a case where, yes, we would blame a partially Toyota-owned supplier. The supplier had not met all requirements for reliability and durability. So we will have to see who takes financial responsibility. But this is a risk you sometimes take when you buy a complete system from a supplier,” said GM’s Bob Lutz at the Geneva Motorshow.

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Let’s have a look at the very heart of the Proton EMAS Concept cars – the Lotus Range Extender Engine. There has been a lot of concerns from readers about the range which has been rated at 50km. First of all, the car is still a concept at this point of time, so these figures are generally quite meaningless unless the car gets closer to production.

Concept cars are generally done as a ‘what if’ exercise and to gauge public perception and interest before moving ahead with the production version. This is why the one big question put forth at the Proton Concepts microsite is “would you like this to be the future of Proton”. According to Datuk Syed Zainal, it may take another 2 years before we can see a production version of the Proton EMAS on the roads.

But in any case, one of the most common comparisons in the comments so far is between the EMAS and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. After all, the i-MiEV is somewhat similar – raised floor, compact size, rear motor and rear wheel driven. But the key difference between the two cars is that the i-MiEV is a pure electric car while the Proton EMAS Concept is a series-hybrid. But what exactly does series-hybrid mean? Does it mean it is not an electric car thus is not as ‘clean’ as an i-MiEV?

A series hybrid is basically an electric car, as long as you have enough juice in the battery packs for the electric motor to function. The Proton EMAS Concept has a range of 50km, which is shorter than the i-MiEV’s 160km range. But note that it isn’t an apple to apple comparison – the i-MiEV’s 160km range is calculated based on the Japanese 10-15 urban mode driving cycle, while Proton’s 50km range is not specified. It might be a mixed mode range or a ‘best effort’ range.

The difference is range can be quite easily explained – it is simply because the i-MiEV has a larger battery. It needs to have a larger battery because the battery is its only source of energy. Once you’re out of juice, you’re a sitting duck. With the Lotus Range Extender system, you do not need to have such a large battery – only one that is large enough to complete most city trips. That means less weight and less cost in terms of battery costs. Let’s say your office is about 15km to 20km from your home. You’ll hopefully be able to complete a to and fro trip on a single charge. When you get home, you plug the EMAS into your wall socket again to fully charge it up (3 hours on our 240V voltage – longer in 120V countries), and repeat the cycle the next day.

What happens when you need to travel further than 50km? The internal combustion engine will turn on and run to generate power. Because it only generates power and does not drive the wheels, Lotus can optimize it to run only at certain RPM points, so there is no need for costly variable valve timing, or this or that. The engine is a very simple 1.2 liter 3 cylinder single cam engine with only 2 valves per cylinder and a 10.0:1 compression ratio. It does not have to be built to withstand high RPM speeds so it can be lighter and cheaper to manufacture. The Range Extender engine only runs at 2 points – 1,500rpm and a higher 3,500rpm when you need to generate power a little faster. Peak torque is 107Nm at 2,500rpm, while peak power is quoted at 51hp at 3,500rpm.

Thus the Proton EMAS is hybrid in the sense that the electricity that its electric motor requires can be obtained through 2 ways – either a wall socket, or by the range extender engine burning fuel to generate electricity. As long as you do not exhaust the 50km battery capacity, your EMAS is technically as good as an electric vehicle and there won’t be any exhaust gas coming out of your exhaust pipes. But we don’t know yet how the battery management system works so the range extender engine might kick in earlier to ensure the battery does not get too weak in order to preserve battery life.

What I want to know now is how efficient the engine is in burning petrol to generate electricity. How many km can the car go on the electricity generated by 1 liter of petrol? That will give us a “km per liter” measurement for when the car is not running on plug-in power. Look after the jump for 4 pix of the engine.

Click here to read the rest of How does the Proton EMAS hybrid system work?

We really have to take our hats off to Nissan for bringing the wacky Qazana concept (shown here last year) to production as the Juke without watering it down much. As a younger sibling to the Qashqai crossover, the Juke is meant to be an alternative to the B-segment supermini class, just like how the Qashqai tempted many Golf/Focus to opt for something less conventional.

And it’s not just the looks that stand out, for the Juke has surprisingly advanced mechanicals when Nissan could have got away relying on just the funky styling. Three engines will be available when European sales start later this year: a 1.5 diesel and two 1.6-litre petrol units, all Euro 5 compliant. The range topping engine is a new turbocharged petrol engine with direct injection, producing 187 bhp and 240 Nm. Nissan claims “performance from a 2.5-litre engine with the economy of a smaller engine”.

The other petrol unit is the HR16DE that Malaysian Latio and Grand Livina owners are familiar with. Improved for the Juke, the 1.6-litre engine gets a unique dual-injection system which allows finer metering of the fuel sprays for better combustion. Other changes include a larger exhaust manifold, retuned intake manifold, twin VTC, improved intake tumble flow and new catalyst with a hexagon cell formation. New pistons with revised crowns and integral oil jet cooling have been adopted along with low friction techniques such as diamond-like carbon coating on the valve lifters. With all those tweaks, vital figures now stand at 115 bhp and 157 Nm from 108 bhp/153 Nm, while fuel efficiency is claimed to be much improved. Petrol engines come with either a six-speed manual or Nissan’s Xtronic CVT.

The range topping turbo variant gets Nissan’s All-Mode 4X4-i electronic system with a new function – lateral torque vectoring capability. This not only splits torque between front and rear axles, but from side-to-side across the rear axle as well. The system counts wheel speed, steering angle, yaw rate and lateral G to distribute torque, and is effective in reducing understeer. In total, up to 50% of total available engine torque can be sent to either rear wheel. The rear axle incorporates electric couplings at either end plus a new final-drive. So now when your BMW X6 owner friend boasts about his torque vectoring system, share with him this piece of news.

I took the chance to sit in the Juke and found the rear quarters to be quite tight compared to superminis like the Honda Jazz and Perodua Myvi/Daihatsu Sirion. I fit in, but six footers are sure to brush their heads against the headlining. The driver enjoys a nice steering wheel with sporty instruments, while the climate control screen is a full-colour unit incorporating readouts such as fuel consumption. Pleasing design, but dash plastics are hard.

UPDATE: Fresh live pictures added to the gallery, including headroom shots that some have requested for.

More live pictures after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan Juke gets torque vectoring 4WD system

Nissan’s new B-segment ‘Thai eco-car’ has been unveiled at the Geneva show today. Like previously revealed, it uses a new family of inline-3 engines that also surprisingly include supercharged and direct injection versions that will come later. But for now we’ll make do with the HR12, which produces 80 PS and 108Nm.

The supercharged direct injection model will come later and that one will make 98 PS and 142Nm, the equivalent of a 1.4 to 1.5 liter engine. Both engines will be mated to either a 5-speed manual or a new CVT transmission. At least that’s what the planned offering in Europe is. Nissan has been known to swap out a CVT for a regular 4-speed auto. But since the new CVT has been touted as one of the main features of this new Micra, perhaps if it ever comes to Malaysia from the Thailand plant, we might get it with the CVT.

The new Micra sits on Nissan’s new V-platform. It was designed and tested in Japan, and Nissan has planned for four different production hubs for the car around the world. Thailand will definitely be one of them, and the other three sites are expected to be India, Mexico and China. Despite being a small car, the safety options that can be equipped is extensive, including ABS, ESP, dual front airbags, curtain airbags, and side airbags. In Europe, ALL of these will be STANDARD.

Look after the jump for hi-res images and a video of the new Micra.

Click here to read the rest of All New Nissan Micra unveiled at Geneva 2010!

I haven’t finished covering every hall of the Palexpo yet, alternating between going out for “war” and posting in the press centre, but so far, the SEAT IBe is one of the concepts that caught my eye. Low, wide, squat, and free from the severe “criss-cross” lines of the current range (which I personally dislike), the IBe could be VW’s Spanish subsidiary’s rival to the Scirocco. Although its 3.78 m length is 250 mm shorter than an Ibiza, the IBe measures 1.8 m wide and is only 1.22 m in height. The showcar’s 19-inch wheels also look good with almost zero overhangs beside them.

Unveiled here by managing director James Muir (right) and chief designer Luc Donckerwolke, the IBe is a zero-emissions electric vehicle powered by lithium-ion batteries. With a max output of 102 bhp and 200 Nm of torque, the IBe completes the century sprint in an unexceptional 9.4 seconds, although the 0-50 km/h time of 3.4 seconds suggest good point and squirt acceleration. Top speed is limited to 160 km/h.

An electric powered SEAT should be quite far away, since the brand only plans to launch its Leon Twin Drive plug-in hybrid in 2014. For now, SEAT has a popular range of diesel powered Ecomotive cars, the best of which (Ibiza Ecomotive) achieves 27 km/l and 98 g/km of CO2. More pictures after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of SEAT’s “Scirocco rival” is pretty and green

We have seen more Volkswagens than any other marque since stepping on Swiss soil yesterday (Audis also outnumber their premium rivals in the eye census) and Europe’s largest carmaker dominance of its home region won’t be ending anytime soon judging from its 2010 product blitz that continues in Geneva. Moments ago, Wolfsburg slid the cloth off few new models, namely the Sharan MPV, Touareg Hybrid, Polo GTI, Cross Polo and the Cross Golf. It was the first look of these cars in the metal after online reveals.

As a recap, the Polo GTI is powered by a 1.4-litre TSI engine with both turbo and supercharger, producing 178 bhp and 250 Nm of torque from 2000 rpm. Naturally, the Euro 5 engine is mated to a 7-speed DSG and power is channeled via VW’s XDS electronic differential lock. Compared to its predecessor, the 1194 kg new Polo is 25% more frugal with combined consumption of 16.9 km/l. VW calls this “textbook downsizing”. We agree.

Alongside the chilli red GTI is the CrossPolo with a “rugged, all-terrain look”. This pseudo-SUV variant of the Polo supermini sits 15mm higher than the standard car, as opposed to the GTI, which sits 15mm lower than the regular Polo. Besides the SUV-style body cladding and roof rails, the CrossPolo comes with really stylish 17-inch wheels and a wider range of interior trim colours. The first units will reach German customers in May; this model is bound to be popular if brought into Malaysia.

The second “Cross” model launched is the CrossGolf. Based on the Golf Plus, the CrossGolf aims to “bridge the gap between the SUV and MPV”. However, other than a raised driving position, we see very little of MPV or SUV qualities here – there’s no seating beyond five and no 4Motion AWD. However, like its smaller sibling, the CrossGolf gets SUV looks, 17-inch “Budapest” wheels, efficient TSI/TDI engines and DSG as an option. It’s raised by 20mm over the standard car.

The new Touareg SUV comes with VW’s first ever hybrid system. Consisting of a 3.3-litre V6 engine and an electric motor imaginatively called e-motor, the hybrid SUV can produce up to 375 bhp and 580 Nm while consuming only 12.2 km/l in the combined cycle. This Touareg can be solely propelled by electric at speeds of up to 50 km/h. Click here for more info and images.

Of the lot, the most recent online reveal was of the Sharan MPV, which we have detailed comprehensively in a recent post. Click here for information and the full gallery.

A live gallery of Volkswagen’s Geneva exhibits await you after the jump!

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen’s Geneva showstars in the metal!

Proton has just sent over a PDF document explaining the EMAS Concepts a little. The text goes a little more in depth into the design language. It’s an interesting read if you just can’t get enough of the EMAS triplets. If we’re lucky, Proton will probably showcase then at the KLIMS the end of this year alongside some other interesting stuff. Then both you and I will get to see it in flesh. But for now, enjoy the text and remember to click the ‘fullscreen’ button for easier reading, or download it for offline use.

Click here to read the rest of More on Proton’s EMAS Concept Cars