We saw some pretty high-profile reveals along with an array of launches by Chinese manufacturers over the weekend in Shanghai. Here’s our pick of the best on display.
MG CS Concept
One of the bigger stars of the Shanghai Motor Show was also one of the biggest surprises. MG unveiled its CS Concept SUV, adding to the competition in the compact SUV segment. However, the production model is at least 2 years away, and in all probability won’t look as flashy as the concept. Still, we like MG’s new direction, and can’t wait for more details about the CS to be [...]
The Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept was created last year to pay homage to the original Renault A110 on its 50th anniversary, but the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show was the first instance where the eyecatching concept could be seen in person. The concept sports a curvaceous body sculpted out of carbon fibre, sprayed with the familiar and iconic Alpine Blue paint.
Designers have added a nice touch up front with a set of half-ring yellow LED lights, reminiscent of the hood-mounted fog lights on the original A110. The radically designed concept is based loosely on the very futuristic Renault [...]
One of the more lustworthy attractions of the Shanghai Motor Show, the Mercedes Benz GLA Concept is said to be 90% representative of the GLA production vehicle to go on sale next year. Mercedes aims to heat up the compact SUV segment with a competitive price tag of about $40,000.
Mercedes seems to have hit the right chord with its new design fundas, as the GLA takes more than a few cues from the new and equally attention-hungry CLA saloon. The striking GLA concept offers an aggressive yet modern front end with only two horizontal bars for a front grille, with the three-pointed star at the centre acting as the [...]
Lamborghini is 50 years old this year, and is launching a couple of new models as part of the birthday celebrations. Aside from the radically designed Veneno, new versions of the Gallardo and the Aventador are on their way. Both will also be on display at the ongoing Shanghai Motor Show.
The Aventador LP 720-4 50° Anniversario, squeezes about 20 extra bhp from the 6.2-litre V12 engine of the base Aventador courtesy of different engine tuning. Apart from this, aggressive aerodynamic changes can be seen with an extended front splitter and a much larger rear diffuser (2009 Murcielago SV, anyone?). Lamborghini claims these [...]
You win some, you lose some. The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse is now officially the world’s fastest drop-top, with a record speed of 254.04 mph (408.84 kmph). Remind yourself that this is a convertible, and that figure becomes more mind-numbing than ever.
The record was set at Volkswagen’s Ehra Lessien Test Track in Germany, which is one of the very few places on earth where a Veyron can be maxed out. Ironically, the run took place on the 6th of April 2013, the same day when the Bugatti Veyron Supersport was stripped of its fastest production car record by Guinness World Records.
Maserati is all set to revive the Ghibli name with a four door saloon, which was unveiled before its world debut at the Shanghai Motor Show later this month. The new Ghibli seems to be Maserati’s solution to broadening its brand appeal and increasing sales figures. Directly in competition with the likes of the Audi A6/S6/A7/S7, Mercedes Benz E-class and the Jaguar XF, the Ghibli will sit below the Quattroporte executive sedan in the Maserati lineup.
The big surprise in this whole saga is that the 2014 Ghibli will be available with a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, making it the first diesel [...]
The BMW X6 was a very polarising design when it first came out in 2008, and its newly unveiled younger brother seems to be headed the same way. The X4 concept has been unveiled and a production model of the ‘Sports Activity Vehicle’ (SAV) as its called by BMW, will go on sale in 2014. BMW also says that the concept isn’t just the preview of a new model, but a glimpse at the future of the entire X range.Like the X6, the X4’s styling is a hybrid of an SUV and a fastback coupe, a design most of us now know as the crossover. Flaunting strong character lines down its sides, a big radiator grille and two-tone 21-inch alloy wheels, the X4 [...]