Unfortunately Aston Martin won't offer the Cygnet to just anyone, instead, reserving the vehicles for customers already owning either a DB9, DBS or Vantage. So squash those dreams of owning an über-cheap luxury city car because it's just not going to happen. But if you're one of the lucky few, expect to see an exterior design that closely matches the illustrations below with an interior that matches the rest of the Aston Martin range, including high-buck materials and the Emotion Control Unit that plugs into the center console, replacing the traditional ignition key.

Our question is whether Aston is offering this vehicle up as a gimmicky way to persuade its customers to stop buying MINI Coopers for the shop trip to the grocery store or if this is just a clever ploy to lower their corporate emissions for the new EU emissions rules. [via AutoExpress]

Not only will the F450 feature a .2-liter bump in displacement and ten more Italian ponies from the F430 Scuderia, it'll also be the first car to feature Ferrari's new weight savings techniques that were previewed on the 2007 FXX Millechili concept. Although the car appears to be larger in all dimensions expect performance to be on par or slightly better than the current Scuderia model with this added weight savings.

If early reports are true, we'll see the F450 at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September with a showroom date set sometime in 2010. We can't wait to lay our eyes on the real car come Fall, until then, we'll just lust after this artist's rendition. [Autogespot via AutoPlus]

Unfortunately, as you can most definitely tell, the images above represent a digital euphoria of a Volvo El Camino mashups accurately depicting what we see in our dreams every single night. Bo Zoland of VizualTech has given us something to wake up for every day. With V8 power, Pontiac G8 ST good looks, and a Volvo face we can't not love, this ranks high among El Caminoized rides we've seen, easily outclassing the XC70chero. Now if we could only get someone to build it. Any takers?

[carscoop via VizualTech]

Think about it. Such a body style would finally represent a return to the small, exploitable, involving vehicle that Porsche originally became famous for. Smaller vehicles have more space on the road, enabling higher speeds with more safety because they can not only position themselves for better vision, but allow room for mistakes too. A lower level of performance when compared to Porsche's current extremely capable range would also boost fun, offering drivers limits of acceleration; grip and handling that could actually be reached in realistic road conditions. Both factors would make the car more involving, but we'd hope Porsche would also fit high-end suspension, a relatively powerful engine and solid brakes, creating a car that may not be as eminently fast as the 911, but loads more involving to drive as a result.

Of course, Porsche is way to far up its own ass to build a car that could be semi-affordable, appealing and fun, so we'll just keep driving Subaru WRXs and pretending that we don't look like Fast and Furious extras. [via Global Motors]

Henrik Fisker’s little coachbuilding shop will take the wraps off of the Fisker Karma production car at the Detroit Auto Show and will have a little something extra to show off their range of abilities. Fisker’s little something extra will actually be a little less by removing two of the doors and the roof from the Karma sedan. Officially dubbed the Fisker Karma S Sunset, the concept will feature the same plug-in Q-DRIVE lithium-ion battery powertrain good for 50 miles on a single charge and roughly 408 horsepower from two electric motors. A small gasoline engine turns the generator and should allow for extra range, though it’s not yet been determined what that range will be.

The Karma S Sunset Concept will feature a very similar design to its production sedan sibling, though the four-door setup will be replaced by two larger coupe-like doors and the roof will be missing, instead replaced by either a retractable soft or a hard top convertible. Other changes will occur to the lower rocker area with a newly sculpted body side and detailing. The front end design will likely remain the same in order to share the Karma family face, but could receive unique treatment if there should ever be a production version. The interior will be similar to the Karma production sedan, but rear seat occupants will be a little more squeezed due to the packaging of the convertible top.

The Fisker Karma S Sunset will officially make its debut on January 12th at the Detroit Auto Show, until then take a peek at the illustrations from KORSdesign.

Ford has taken the smart approach by loosening the hold on the Gillette razor design team, giving us Yanks some of the Euro flavor we’ve been asking for. The 2010 Ford Taurus, set to make its official debut next month at the Detroit Auto Show, is finally on track to become a competitive sedan all over again. Using the recently released Lincoln MKS as its base (which itself is based off the current model Ford Taurus / Ford Five Hundred), the new 2010 Taurus appears to be more sophisticated in every way.

The front fascia will receive the most attention from critics as the three-bar razor bladed grille is now gone, replaced by an attractive Euro-inspired electric razor with more detail and depth. The lower fascia gains some of the Euro-flair as well with twin fog lamps situated to either side of a new trapezoidal center intake that appears to be divided in thirds. The headlights are horizontal units that rise ever-so-slightly on their outward edge to visually connect with the sculpted body side character line. The A-pillar runs downward and toward the center as it creates the power dome (a design quickly becoming a centerpiece of every non-Mustang in the Ford car lineup) at the leading edge of the hood, bearing resemblance to the 2010 Fusion and seemingly drawing from the Ford Interceptor Concept.

The profile of the 2010 Taurus is less formal than the previous model and has gained some attractive surfacing. The shoulder line is strong and arcs slightly as it runs from the headlights rearward to meet just before the tail lamps. The wheel arches are more pronounced and have a more muscular feel to them, giving the 2010 Taurus a very strong stance. Although we question the need for the artificial side vents and would have hoped it was a trend that would have gone away by now.

The rear design hints at the Ford Interceptor Concept in its tail lamp treatment and in the upper deck-lid surfacing. The Ford emblem is now set in a chrome trim piece sitting at the center of the trunk surface that runs horizontally to intersect with the tail lamps. The lamps themselves are a take on the Interceptor but lose the depth from the concept as they are now fairly flush to surface. The 2010 Taurus is a large vehicle and Ford has done its best to lose some of the visual mass by utilizing many horizontal elements and pushing the details outward. The lower body line is a dark grey plastic that also helps to lessen the visual mass, a technique also used on the 2010 Mustang.

The 2010 Ford Taurus looks to be on track to fix some of what was wrong with the very bland previous generation and we hope Ford delivers. We’ll bring you more info as it becomes available, until then take a peek at the illustrations we commissioned from KORSdesign.

If it hadn’t been sporting the huge Dodge graphics, we could have easily mistaken this for a Lotus Europa; which it really is, yet isn’t. Seriously though, which is it? Chrysler feels your pain (and lots of its own) and has fortunately taken the time to give the little EV a recognizable face comprised of the signature Dodge cross-hair grille, a pair of foglamps and unique headlamps. We expect the Dodge EV to take inspiration from the 2007 Dodge Demon concept in its front-end styling and remain virtually unchanged in its side profile. Fortunately for Chrysler, the Europa somehow managed to resemble a Dodge from the rear, so we’re not expecting any changes from the original Lotus design of the tush-end.

Will this piece of putative vaporware actually make it to production? We can’t say. Given Chrysler’s current financial situation, we don’t think a two-seat electric sports car is the best plan for a Pentastar that, given a few months time, could be Penta-gone.

We're told the Ragster concept, first shown at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show, provided a slight glimpse into how a redesigned New Beetle could look. Our sources tell us the Beetle will lose some of its cutesy flair in favor of a more grownup look, something that will appeal to more than a few VW fans. The car will ride on the same next-gen Group A platform due out next year for pretty much every small and mid-size car in the VW stable, and feature similar choices from VW's lineup of four-cylinder engines. It's also a possibility VW will give U.S. buyers the choice of an 1896cc TDI inline-four that is currently serving duty in the Polo. A convertible model will follow the introduction of the coupe and there is also a possibility of a second four door Beetle model that will ride on the Golf platform. We’ve had KORSdesign illustrate what this new New Beetle could look like. Tell us what you think in the comments below.

It's also pretty likely we'll see that engine mated to your choice of either a seven-speed automatic, like the just-introduced G37 sedan, or with a manual transmission. But the real story here's going to be the reduction in size of the new "Z," as Nissan moves it to the FM platform, reducing the size from the 350Z's current 104.3-inch wheelbase to something just shy of 100 inches — taking it back to more sports car-esque roots.

We've also been told to expect a familiar-looking interior, but with significantly upgraded materials from the 350Z's oft-discounted plastic dash. We're told we'll find out for sure how close our renderings are come October 29th when we hear we'll see the first official photos of the car, and all the deets on the technical side should hit November 11th. Don't expect to see a roadster come next month, but don't toss it out as an optional reveal for later into the winter auto show schedule.

Some say he has a tattoo of a Saleen S7 on his rear end. Others tell us he was born with a penchant for oil rather than his mum's milk. All we know is he's called the Auto Insider and he's always ready to provide the scoop from the other side of Eight Mile.