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frankfurt auto show
Shrinking the t-top Pontiac Firebird concept down to a road hugging turbo minicar is the Brabus Smart Fortwo Cabrio. Touted as a true city sports car by the Smarts, the diminutive urban block carver features a searing orange paint job and cabrio top that folds away in seconds. The rest of the roof stows away in a back drawer. The 110 horsepower turbo mill delivers max torque of 111 foot pounds of torque when kept in 2800 to 4200 rpm range by the Brabus sport steering wheel mounted paddle shifter. The spokesmodels had no comment on if a miniature screaming chicken decal would become available. Press release after the jump.
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Frankfurt Auto Show: Brabus Ultimate 112 Smart Fortwo
Shrinking the t-top Pontiac Firebird concept down to a road hugging turbo minicar is the Brabus Smart Fortwo Cabrio. Touted as a true city sports car by the Smarts, the diminutive urban block carver features a searing orange paint job and cabrio top that folds away in seconds. The rest of the roof stows away in a back drawer. The 110 horsepower turbo mill delivers max torque of 111 foot pounds of torque when kept in 2800 to 4200 rpm range by the Brabus sport steering wheel mounted paddle shifter. The spokesmodels had no comment on if a miniature screaming chicken decal would become available. Press release after the jump.
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spy photos
Spy Photos: Ford Minicar to Be Verisa?
As Bob Pollard says, the popular mechanics are at it again. They've caught what looks to be a Mazda Verisa near Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. Could Ford be planning to go quite this small for a potential B-segment entrant? As Popular Mechanics points out, the Verisa is only 150 inches long, which means it could fit between the axles of a Ford F150. Of course, Ford engineers probably have the keys to all kinds of testers like this, as it debates how best to go after the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa, without rebadging the company's own Mazda2. And just as well, this specimen could be just another cobbled-together mule. We'll know more next year. More »
12:01 PM on Mon Apr 23 2007
By Mike Spinelli
710 views,
9 comments
Latest by Neil Block: I was under the impression that the Fiesta was already a green-light comeback? more »
new york auto show
New York Auto Show: Chevy Leverages The Sexual Appeal Of Faux Hipsters, Reveals Trio Of Minicars
Mmm...Chevy wants to bring SexyBack (Yeah!), and they've attempted to use faux hipsters to spice up the new trio of "urban" minicar concepts to do it. Whether or not it works is up to you, but hey, sex usually seems to sell — even when it's like we're watching Rent on stage at the Javits. If you want to find out anything about the minicars themselves, hit the jump or check out the PR shots we'll have up shortly. We're off to watch and see if FoMoCo skips the hip and just goes straight to strippers. More »
11:23 AM on Wed Apr 4 2007
By Ray Wert
2,509 views,
30 comments
Latest by Seth L: One of them is in serious danger of damaging her bippy. more »
concept cars
GM Releases Info on Minicar Concepts for Real
The General whose prime directive is Motors will unveil three concept minicars at the New York auto show. John Q. Public will be bid to vote on his favorite of the three urban runabouts on www.vote4chevrolet.com. The first to be revealed is the Trax concept (shown). Common sense says the contest results will have the best chance of becoming Chevrolet's new global minicar and potential Smart competitor. GM says they'll "help Chevy determine US market interest in the minicar segment, and which design resonates best with potential buyers." We'll know more when GM drops the rest of the cars debut on April 4. More »
1:01 AM on Thu Mar 29 2007
By Mike Spinelli
2,163 views,
18 comments
Latest by Avisciciulli: Is it just me or is it wearing coke bottle glasses? more »
news
More on The Mitsuoka Motors K-4: One for the Do-It-Yourselfers
The Mitsuoka K-4 may be pedal-car small, but at least it's probably scary as hell to drive and you can put it together yourself. (Those are pretty serious selling points for some.) Although the K-4 is powered by 50cc engine and tops out at 30 mph, we'd still get one just to bang around the Jalopnik country estate in, like Master Bates in "The Toy." [Thanks to Ilari for the tip.] More »
news
Cinquento Nuovo! New Fiat 500 Pics Arrive
According to our sources at Interpol, Fiat's revealing its new 500 minicar this week. As as such, early press shots have already leaked to the web. The new minicar, which takes its cues from the classic Cinquecento by way of the Fiat Trepiuno concept car of 2004, will hit dealerships in Europe later this year. The joint project will Ford Europe is also expected to spawn a replacement for the Ford Ka built on the same platform. Still no word on the Abarth tuner version, but you know that's coming. [UPDATE: They didn't so much leak as premiere for those who signed up at www.fiat500.com. But be careful, you only get one look.] More »
news
VW Representing Intelligence, Not Playing Dumb on Smart Car Rival
Martin Winterkorn, the new boss at Volkswagen, told the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung that he had proposed the "design and development of a new, very small, model below the Fox." According to a translation from the folks at Car und Driver, the car will be an "economical, everyday small car that looks attractive and is affordable" and will have "space for four people plus luggage," unlike the DCX Smart it will compete with. Keep in mind... More »
concept cars
Hello Little Cars: The Mitsuoka Micro
The dark wizards at Mitsuoka Motors — builders of the "yuck, what's that in its mouth" Orochi supercar — are planning a new roadster for tight, urban spaces. How small is it? It's so small, it only requires an ing space (you'll get it later). Actually, the Micro is 400 lbs, has a 50cc engine (seriously) and is sold in both kit and turnkey forms — and possibly as an EV. Top speed is 31 mph. The company is waiting for approval from Japan's Ministry of Traffic, but we hear the department head, Tini Punysan, is completely in favor of it. More after the jump. More »
news
Faster Yaris for Paris: Toyota to Show TS Version
Toyota says it's bringing a more powerful Yaris minicar to the Paris show next month. Where the base model barely scratches the double digits in horsepower (106), the Yaris TS will wring 132 horses from a new 1.8-liter four with dual VVT-i engine and ride on a retuned suspension. Top speed on this ball of rolling thunder is 121 mph. Expect it in early 2007 for Europe and a big question mark for the US market. More »
gossip
Sketches Emerge of New Fiat 500
Fans of race-bred Fiats of old will be pleased to see the Abarth badge associated with the Fiat Trepiuno concept, which is said to be a harbinger of a new, retro-styled Fiat 500 on the way. Eurocar Blog located some sketches that depict the Trepiuno in the red-and-white livery of legendary motorsports tweaker, Abarth, along with renderings of what could be the new 500's interior. Word is the new model will show up in mid-2007, possibly developed in partnership with Ford. More »
news
BOOM! Sha Lak Lak Boom! Daihatsu Minicar Got Some Ponies, Yo!
Well, relatively speaking anyway. 133 miniature stallions churn away in the engine bay of Daihatsu's BOOM X4, faces planted in turbocharged feed-bags. Routed through a 5-speed gearbox, the power goes down via an AWD system. Total weight? Less than a metric ton. The hoons are screaming, Clarice. [Thanks to James for the tip.] More »
fakes
Audi A1 Minicar Concept: Family Tree?
We'd remarked earlier that the spec'd Audi A1 minicar on a recent cover of AutoBild could have its roots in the third-generation Ford Torino. But a reader identified what may be the missing link — that is, none other than the Datsun B210 of the mid-1970s. Will the A1 in three dimensions recall the same couple of me-decade wobblies, or will we be looking at something with all four wheels in the modern day when it debuts around 2010? Only Quincy M.E. may know for sure. [Thanks, Bob.] More »
news
US Debut of Toyota Yaris Set for Spring 2006
Toyota's PR folk released info this week on the company's upcoming economy subcompact, the Yaris, whose US closeup will come in Spring 2006. Offered in both hatchback, sorry, liftback (holy 1975!) and sedan versions, the Yaris will get a 1.5-liter four producing 106hp at 6,000 RPM and 103 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,200 RPM and get respectable mileage in the 34-40mpg range. No word on price, but expect a near-$12,000 opener. Click through for pics and press release. More »
new cars
A Look At the New, Small Cars Coming to North America
Treehugger is so pleased Japanese carmakers have decided to ship some of their smallest specimens to North America — and, in some cases, all the way to the US — that they've devoted column inches to examining some of the models on the way, like the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit (both of which are bound for the states). While we've unearthed larger objects flossing our teeth, in truth, we can't wait to wrap our urban-dwelling, dollar-bleeding arses in some lil' car love, starting with the Yaris, launching in US-spec form next spring for the 2007 model year. Honda hasn't announced a US timeline for the Fit, but most sources point to a mid-2006 launch. As for the Suzuki Swift and Nissan Micra, US launches are still indefinite. More »
news
Ford and Fiat Team up on new Fiat 500, Ka
It's official: Fiat is building a new Cinquecento (500) minicar with an unlikely partner. As you may remember, Fiat showed an updated 500 in the guise of the Trepi no concept in Geneva this year. Now, the company has announced it will develop a production version of the Italian icon — the cultural equivalent of the New Beetle — with Ford, which will rebadge the product as its new European Ka. The companies will use Fiat's Panda small-car architecture to underpin the new models, which will be launched in 2007 (Fiat) and 2008 (Ford). Italian-languant fluents can read more at Autoblog.it. [Update: CNN/Money picked up the story. Thanks, Chris.] More »
concept cars
Mazda Releases Photos, Info on Sassou Concept
Mazda let fly with a press package on its new Sassou urban minicar concept, which the company will unveil in Frankfurt. Based in part on the Japanese "Shoji principle of hiding and revealing, the Sassou has a body design only a planar geometrist could love, with three independent lines that barely overlap. A set of novel LED headlamps and indicators are virtually invisible until lit, and frameless side windows increase the interior daylight quotent. In a nod to young techies, the car's interior features make extensive use of USB ports and related accessories, with a "USB stick key" controlling all interior systems, storing navigation and other information and interfacing with the driver's home computer (or is that user?). Oh the engine? a turbocharged, direct-injection 1.3-liter three-cylinder, hooked to a twin-clutch six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. More »
concept cars
