Remember the Citroen DS3 concept car from the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The big news is that the car is ready to roll out from the production lines and will be debuted at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Based on the all-new CS3, the DS3 measures 3.95 metres in length and 1.71 metres in width and it will go on sale around March next year. There will be three petrol options available under the deck with the base model producing 95bhp, the middle one churning 120bhp and the top model capable of producing a good 150bhp. Also, there will be a couple of diesel motors producing 90 bhp and 110bhp. The transmission options will include five or six speed manual or there might also be an automatic choice. As a Citroen C4 driver … I’m somehow charmed with the new DS3. How about you? [via autocar]

Tuning House Karl Schnorr Kraftfahrzeuge didn’t think the Fiat 500 Abarth was good enough with its power numbers or the exterior. Therefore their wicked designers made plans to help the engine cross the 200 hp mark and to add to the attractiveness of the outside. There are two power levels available. Power Level 1 helps the 1.4L engine achieve 163 hp at 206Nm of torque, while Power Level II is what kicks in bigger numbers helping the Fiat 500 Abarth to achieve 200hp thanks to a bigger turbocharger, a sports exhaust and a recalibrated ECU. The Power Level 1 costs €950 and the Power Level II is expensive at €5,050. The exterior changes include 7×17-inch red aluminum rims and lowered suspension for better road handling. Looks great! [via WCF]

The Maserati GranCabrio was supposed to be unveiled officially at next month’s Frankfurt Auto Show but just to add to the enthusiasm, Maserati has gone ahead and made the details public a month before. The Pininfarina-designed GranCabrio has been beautifully converted into an open soft-top machine that comes with a cloth roof which deploys over the four-passenger compartment, eventually keeping the weight down. Just for the records, the Maserati GranCabrio is the first four-seat convertible in the history of the company. Maserati proudly boasts about the longest wheelbase (on the market) of the car. Under the hood you find a 4.7-liter 433-hp V8 from the GT S which is mated to a ZF six-speed automatic. You surely need to be at the Maserati corner in Frankfurt to see this beauty in “person”. [via Autoblog]

The Frankfurt Motor Show will be a heck of an event with a number of stunning cars to be unveiled next month. And one of the much craved for is the Audi RS3 — a hardcore version of the Audi A3 Hatchback. If not a production ready model, we might see an Audi RS3 Concept being showcased at the event. The RS3 is speculated to have a powerful 350 to 400 hp 4.2L FSI engine which will make the car faster than the R8. Rumors have it that it might be the Audi TT-RS 2.5L- 5 Cylinder turbocharged option that will help achieve these amazing numbers. But we’ll know more in a few weeks. [via EGM]

Here is the latest set of spy shots of the Hyundai Sonata which reveals a lot about the interior of the car. Incidentally the spy shots were clicked when Hyundai was doing its own photoshoot for the promotional materials. Apparently the secret for well-lit interior shots has been revealed and that requires the roof to be taken off. Visibly enough, the cabin is more elegant and refined. A close proximity with the styling of the big and luxurious German brands can also be established especially if you look at the rear trunk and tail lights. A Sonata Hybrid is also in the wings which will be powered by Hybrid Blue Drive Architecture introduced by Hyundai last year. [via hyundai-blog.com]

The Indian car market is opening a lot of options to the willing buyers and therefore a lot more international models are making it to this market. The Beat was caught on camera without any kind of a guise and it was evident that nothing much has changed from the concept on which it is based. It is a thoroughly designed small car with prominent features like a high bonnet and a bold front end with big headlights. A look at the side reveals a window line that slopes all the way from the rear to the A-pillar. The new Chevrolet Beat is powered by a 1.2-litre Chevrolet Family-B petrol engine that produces 82bhp. Also joining the engine options sometime later will be the 0.9-litre Fiat-sourced diesel engine which will render 57bhp at 140Nm of torque. [via motoroids.blogspot.com]

Expert Porsche Tuner 9ff has revealed the details of the Porsche Panamera performance package. The styling kit includes a new front bumper to optimize air flow, a new front lip, redesigned side skirts and a new rear bumper. A large rear diffuser is bordered by four tailpipes two on each side. The 9ffPT-65 moniker is there on the engine cover and illuminated door sill protectors.

Under the hood there are rendered three different options with the basic one being the 9ffPT-55 capable of churning 550 hp and 760Nm of peak torque. The second option is the 9ffPT-60 which produces 600hp and 800Nm of torque and the top most variant is the 9ffPT-65 which grinds a whopping 650 horses at 850Nm of torque courtesy of the ECU upgrades. The Top model also has a 9ff sport exhaust system, new 9ff PT-65 turbochargers and a 9ff sport air filter.

Sportec is ready with its Stage One performance upgrade for the upcoming Audi TT RS. The engineers at Sportec ceased the opportunity of a performance upgrade after analyzing the new engine’s data. Consequently the ECU has been remapped to increase power and torque. A standard engine produces 340hp at 5,400 rpm and a maximum torque of 450Nm at 1,600rpm. The upgrades help the 2.5-litre five-cylinder increase the engine output to 405hp at 5,800rpm and torque to 544Nm at 2,650rpm. This helps the car pelt from 0 to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds making it as potent as the Porsche Panamera S or the older BMW M5 (E39). Not bad, eh?