The big whale in Skoda’s yard, Superb, is getting an upgrade next year and rumors say we may see the new looks at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. The picture below is not a live model but a rendering image and all I can say is that I like it this time. It’s not that Passat-alike and it has some BMW flavor on that redesigned front.

The first time I’ve heard of the new Superb model was back in November when Skoda announced they finished hot-weather testings in the US and release a few photos and some technical data like the 1.8-liter TSI engine that sports 160bhp.
The Geneva Motor Show will start on March 6th, so if you want a picture of a live model, you’d better stay close.

via WorldCarFans

It looks like not only you and me like our cars to be new. Pope Benedict XVI seems to be a cars fan, too, after he requested his Popemobile to be renewed. He is now going to use a white cabriolet Mercedes G500 with 300hp as if the Pope will drive 180 km/h on the high way with it, not just on Wednesdays in the St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
Mercedes G 500, the Popemobile, took over two years to be developed and comes with a folding windscreen and hand rails, a white interior and red in the rear.

Other cars that sit in the Pope’s parking lot are a Mercedes M and S-Class so when it comes to technology I don’t think we need to feel sorry for the Vatican.

via eGMCarTech

The first time I saw the Volvo’s C30 I knew it’s a car designed for young people like me that don’t have kids or a wife. However, the Swedish car manufacturer has a nice addition. They confirmed with our friends from World Car Fans that a C30 sportback / wagon that is very similar with a five-door hatchback. The name was not discussed but we can only take a guess here. How about V30 or C50?We’ll call it Volvo C30 Wagon because the name was not yet discussed so we can’t do anything more than assume it could be V30 or C50 when they do. It’s coming out on the Mazda 3 platform, and though many consider it an Audi A3 Sportback competitor I think the A3 has a design advantage with better shapes. Here is a rendered image of the C30 wagon. Waiting for your comments below.

via WorldCarFans

With all these fires and crashes of Audi’s super car, the R8, it’s curious to know how interested would be those rich guys to buy the new one, which will be much more powerful. Evo Magazine got an interview with Audi and found out more about it. Apparently the biggest upgrade will be on the engine side, which is now a V10 that sports 520-bhp inspired from Audi’s RS4 V8 engine.

Sounds like a good idea but I’m sure if I would like to see a convertible before a more powerful new R8. Time will tell if they took the right path.

While details of Koenigsegg’s CCXR supercar were released in March, above is an official rendering of the final production version of the car recently released by the company.

Under the hood the CCXR will have a cast-aluminum V8 engine that will be able to run on biofuel which will cool the combustion chambers. Combine this with a higher octane rating and the enviro-friendly car has 1,018hp at 7,200rpm with peak torque of 1,060Nm at 6,100rpm. The 4.7L engine sports a four-valve double overhead cam design with a compression ratio of 8.2:1 and a sequential multipoint fuel injection system. Combined highway/city fuel consumption stands at 22L/100km. It accelerates from 0-100 km/h in about 2.9 seconds and the Swedish manufacturer is claiming top speeds of over 400 km/h.

The worlds fastest and most fuel efficient supercar can be yours for the price of EUR 1,575,000 plus taxes and fees.

Pictures of Koenigsegg’s CCXR were already circulating the net as of last spring when the car was in a crash but only a hint of the car’s look could be seen.

[Source: TheCarsBlog]

Since Ford is trying to sell Jaguar and Land Rover, yesterday’s roll out of the first Jaguar XF model is being seen as a huge step for the company. The company needs to torque up interest and success of Jaguar if it hopes to find someone interested enough to buy out the company.

The XF that was first to come across the production line at the Castle Bromwich plant in the U.K will be donated to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust collection where it will be proudly displayed along side other memorable Jaguar models.

After being the first to drive the new car, Jaguar founder Sir William Lyon’s grandson stated; “The new XF is a car that truly represents the core values which have lain at the heart of this great brand since its foundation in 1922 and I am thrilled to have been asked here today to witness this historic event from the best seat in the house!”

The Jaguar XF is a mid-size luxury car/sports sedan that will replace the S-Type in the Jaguar lineup. The production version debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show and it is expected to reach market in March 2008.

[Source: AutoUnleashed]

Issue 106 is a bumper newsletter with an added row of new products.

Issue 106 is a bumper newsletter with an added row of new products.Last week a new car audio brand quietly snuck it’s way into our stores, Fire Audio. This week we feature their range of Roofmount screens. Calibra have also launched their Daytona Combo, this powerhouse system consists of a 2000watt amplifier, wiring kit & 2000watt subwoofer housed in a perspex faced bandpass box. Expect some serious bass with a bandpass box!

Several new Alloy Wheels have arrived including the illusive hyper polished TA21, aptly nicknamed the “Pot Wheel” by our crew, no guesses as to where they got that idea from.

Congratulations are in place for Warren Govender, the winner of our Sony CDX-GT270 Mp3 Front Loader competition, many thanks to all who participated (all 1653 entrants!) I assure it was no easy task choosing a winner.

For more new products, check out this weeks newsletter.

Ps. Keep an eye out for our exclusive Car Audio Promotion newsletter which will drop in email boxes on Wednesday Evening.

Ford just came out with a new concept car that should trick you into loving them. Designed by the European division, Ford Verve Sedan was presented these days at the Auto Guangzhou Exhibition in China, (lasts from 20 to 26 November) and got a very good response. My honest opinion is it’s a mix of a Peugeot 308 front face and a Lexus back, but I let you decide on that one.

Martin Smith said the “first it was the hatchback and now a very exciting an dynamic notchback”. With an interesting rear glass that brings forward those two fancy tail lamps, with a big grid on front, clean lines and a kinetic (I’d say limousine-like) design will surely outrun Mondeo sells even if it’s smaller.