Alfa Romeo 4C Concept

Alfa Romeo 4C Concept

One of the most talked about cars at the 2011 Geneva auto show, the Alfa Romeo 4C Concept previews a forthcoming production model called the 4C GTA. The beautiful coupe, covered in a hypnotic, deep-red matte paint, is described by Alfa as the “true essence of a sports car,” and the rear-wheel-drive, mid-engine layout suggests just that. Powering the 4C is a 1.7-liter, direct-injected turbo four-cylinder (hence the 4C name) used in various cars across the Fiat Group. Making 200-plus hp—perhaps more than 250—in production spec, it should be good for a sub-five-second 0-to-60-mph time, thanks in part to a claimed curb weight of less than 1870 pounds.

Further details: Weight distribution is said to be 40-percent front/60-percent rear, the power runs through a dual-clutch gearbox, and the car is equipped with Alfa’s “DNA” chassis-adjustment system that includes Dynamic, Normal, and All-Weather modes. The low weight is made possible through the extensive use of carbon fiber throughout the vehicle; the body is crafted entirely from the stuff, and carbon fiber also “plays a structural role” in the car. The rear subframe and crash structures are formed largely from aluminum. The suspension consists of multiple links up front and struts out back.

Alfa says the 4C is scheduled to go on sale globally in 2012, and reports peg the price at an eminently reasonable €40,000 or so ($55K at today’s exchange rates). Yes, “globally” would mean the United States, too, and 2012 coincidentally remains Fiat’s target date for Alfa’s American repatriation (the ultra-limited 8C Competizione and Spider notwithstanding). OK, we may be jumping the gun; Fiat sources say no decision has actually been made on U.S. availability. But consider us cautiously excited about the prospect: The 4C’s power-to-weight ratio suggests performance similar to that of a Porsche Cayman, which has a base price of $52,350. Given that plus its style, we think a production 4C sold here would ensure that Alfa Romeo’s return would be met with a level of passion appropriate to the carmaker’s Italian roots.

Can Alfa Romeo really build a lightweight sports car teeming with carbon fiber and sell it at a competitive price? Well, probably, but with this brand, you never know. Recent reports have pegged Alfa Romeo as working with Dallara on an affordable carbon-fiber chassis for the production 4C. Dallara also helped engineer the KTM X-Bow, and the 4C is purported to be closely related. If this is true, that means the 4C Concept is indeed close to reality. (So long as Alfa isn’t sold to VW first, in which case all bets may be off.)

2011 Koenigsegg Agera R

2011 Koenigsegg Agera R

After bringing an early version of its 940-hp Agera to last year’s Geneva show, Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg is back with an even more powerful model: The Agera R, which is said to be capable of producing 1115 hp. And you can take it on your next ski vacation.

The R model uses a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 similar to that of its non-R siblings. The power-boosting differences include a new turbo with slightly higher boost pressure—20 psi versus 19—and E85 capability. Torque also increases, to 885 lb-ft from 811. Like the “regular” Agera, the R uses a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

The carbon-fiber monocoque is shared with the base Agera and the car uses the same Rear Triplex Damper system; an extra spring and damper link the suspensions of the two rear wheels, which the company says allows a transfer of force from side to side to better keep the wheels planted.

The Agera R gets a new aero package, but it was the winter package applied to the Geneva show car that got our attention. Optional on both the Agera and Agera R, the group includes winter wheels and tires, a carbon-fiber roof panel with integrated Thule ski box, and custom Koenigsegg skis. A trip to Sweden’s Åre ski resort is included, where the Agera owner is fitted for their Koenigsegg skis and can watch them being made in Åres skidfabrik, a state-of-the-art ski production plant. The regular roof panel stores in the luggage compartment in front of the car, allowing you to switch to stealth mode once you’ve reached your place in the Alps.

And if you think an 1100-hp supercar might be the wrong car for a ski vacation, then you’re a lot like us. But if you had a Koenigsegg, you’d probably want to drive it everywhere.

2012 Volkswagen Beetle

2012 Volkswagen Beetle

The New Beetle took the design community by storm when it popped into being in 1998, and once it went on sale, buyers immediately took to the car’s cute and friendly look. It was chipper and cheerful, with a flower vase on the dash, but it was utterly lacking in anything that suggested aggression or speed.

This approach nevertheless sparked a cult following, particularly in the U.S., where dealers got away with charging way over sticker price, at least at first. But a mid-term face lift didn't help the model look much more serious, and the overpriced, limited-edition European RSi model with its VR6 engine simply flopped. Nevertheless, the New Beetle stayed in production for an unusually long time, with the final 2010-model-year cars still utilizing the PQ34 platform, the basis for the Golf IV—in case you’ve stopped counting, the Golf VII will arrive in 2013.

Broader Stance, Broader Appeal?

With this new Beetle—note that the car no longer carries the capitalized “New” in its name—VW set out to vastly broaden the model’s appeal. The design brief was simple: Make it look sportier and more purposeful than the New Beetle. So instead of evolving the previous version, Klaus Bischoff's design team went back to the original design conceived in the 1930s. What they came up with is a car that’s six inches longer, 3.3 inches wider, and 0.5 inch lower than the New Beetle, and one that truly looks more aggressive. The new proportions imply motion, whereas the previous one always looked like it was standing still. There is some pronounced angularity around the daylight opening and the hood and bumper, and the taillights are wider. From some angles, the Beetle looks almost-sort-of Porsche-like. Daytime running lamps rendered in LEDs underscore the round shape of the headlights, making them resemble a glitzy Chopard watch.

The interior reflects the changed mood of the exterior. The press photos show a black and carbon-look treatment with burgundy seating surfaces, which combine to impart a very sporty, outta-the-’70s look. A less-menacing painted dashboard is available as well. The optional auxiliary instruments on top of the dashboard look right at home in this purposeful environment, and we think they might help define this Beetle's interior as much as the flower vase did its predecessor’s. There’s no longer a vast swath of plastic between the steering wheel and windshield base, and that piece of glass is now more upright than before. There are edges to the cabin design, a departure from the soft styling from before. Two trim levels, Design and Sport, are available and the trunk swallows 10.9 cubic feet of stuff.

Familiar Engines, Familiar Rear Suspensions

A three-engine lineup provides the power. The smooth 2.5-liter five-cylinder is the base engine. It produces 170 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque; output is routed through a five-speed manual or a six-speed slushbox. It’s here that we’ll note that the Beetle is based on the latest Jetta, and as such, the base Bug will have that car’s simple and inexpensive twist-beam rear suspension. We will say that, in the Jetta, the setup performs well enough in all but the most aggressive driving. If more-sophisticated mechanicals are your bag, though, you’re better off with the Beetle 2.0 TSI, which gets 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque from its 2.0-liter turbo four. It comes with a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch-transmission, and the rear suspension is upgraded to a multilink arrangement (likely very similar to the forthcoming Jetta GLI’s). The TSI is visually distinguished by a rear spoiler and red brake calipers, and it also gets VW's XDS, a brake-based system that approximates a limited-slip differential.

Between those two gasoline-powered models in terms of sportiness, but far superior in terms of economy, is the excellent 2.0-liter TDI diesel. With 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, VW says it will return 33 mpg combined. Transmission choices are identical to the 2.0 TSI’s, but the rear suspension is the base model's.

Options include a large panoramic roof, wheels up to 19 inches in diameter, a navigation system, an upgraded Fender audio setup, bi-xenon headlamps, keyless entry and start, and “performance-handling packages.” Personalization options similar to those offered by Mini (which would seem to be the Beetle's natural target) will ensure huge profit margins for the Mexico-built and Jetta-based car. VW also marked the Beetle’s arrival by announcing it will be producing annual theme models; we’ll let your imagination run wild.

The new Beetle will be at U.S. dealerships in September or October at prices starting around $20,000, with sales in Europe and Asia to follow. While this version isn’t the design breakthrough its predecessor was, it’s also not an unabashed chick car. Consider the Beetle’s appeal broadened.

2012 Volkswagen New Beetle Rendered

2012 Volkswagen New Beetle Rendered

Shockingly, despite a crazy (non-U.S.), VR6-powered RSi version and a midcycle face lift, the hype surrounding the New Beetle certainly died down over the past few years, and the car is due for a redesign. After all, it still uses the two-generations-old Golf IV's PQ34 platform, which will live on only in emerging markets such as China.

In 12 years, VW has built 1.2 million units of the New Beetle, with the U.S. being the single largest—and therefore most important—market. Not bad for a compact car that started out as a designer’s crazy dream. Conceived in 1994 as the Concept 1 by J Mays and his team in VW's California design studio, it drew such enthusiasm that Ferdinand Piëch decided to push for a production version. In 1998, the New Beetle was launched at the Detroit auto show. Its boxy, yellow press kit contained a flower vase, which was to become the trademark of the Beetle's interior. The car was as cheerful as VW's dealers, who finally had a car delivered to their lots that they could sell for way over sticker.

VW has decided to jump-start the faithful and do a second edition. Lovers of the cutesy compact can expect the entirely new, redesigned New Beetle to be launched next spring and appear at dealers in the summer of 2011 as a 2012 model—the U.S. market will be served first. Beetle production will continue to take place at VW's Puebla, Mexico, plant, alongside the 2011 Jetta.

Compared to the outgoing model, the next-gen New Beetle sports somewhat more angular details, and a source who has seen the vehicle describes it as "a sharper, stronger, more substantial car." The front end draws from the horizontal lines that characterize VW's current portfolio—without abandoning the trademark round headlights, of course. The side windows are outlined, and the rear end looks more powerful than that of the current model. Still, the look will be immediately recognizable.

Powertrains for this front-driver will come from VW's vast parts bin, with the naturally aspirated, 115-hp, 2.0-liter four likely serving as the entry-level engine for the U.S. market. More power could come from the 2.5-liter five-cylinder, but VW might also make the switch to the smaller but more powerful turbo- and supercharged 1.4-liter TSI engine, which can make upwards of 170 hp, and the turbocharged, 200- or 210-hp 2.0-liter TSI from the GTI and GLI. This platform's possibilities are virtually limitless: There could be an R version with some 270 hp, a return of a TDI model, all-wheel-drive versions, or a hybrid. While the entry-level Beetle will likely keep its Aisin-designed automatic, the turbocharged models will get VW's dual-clutch automated manual transmissions.

Although engine choices are still in flux, an additional body style is a certainty: a convertible will again appear and is due to be launched a year or so after the hatchback comes to market. Look for the new New Beetle to debut at the New York auto show next April.

2012 Volkswagen Eos

2012 Volkswagen Eos

Eos, the Titan goddess of dawn, is reborn: At the Los Angeles auto show, Volkswagen is unveiling a heavily face-lifted version of the Golf-based folding-hardtop convertible. The Eos is the latest VW to receive the company's new signature look, with a wide, horizontal grille—instead of the chrome tongue conceived under former chief designer Murat Günak—and a general cleaning up of stylistic clutter. The cutesy, round headlights of the early Eos are now replaced by rectangular units that house VW’s characteristic U-shaped LED daytime running lights, and the LED taillights lose their glitzy white circle for an M-shaped look. There's now a rear diffuser, presumably to allow higher cornering speeds, should you track your Eos on weekends.

Besides these simple cosmetic changes, the basic shape of the body remains unchanged. Neither did VW alter the Eos's Webasto-supplied folding roof. When it's closed, you can open a built-in sunroof, which one could argue is the ultimate triumph of engineering for engineering's sake (at the expense of common sense).

The Eos's clean and nicely equipped interior is only slightly modified, with revised gauges and a new HVAC control panel. In Europe, VW will offer a few more options, including an automatic high-beam function and a self-parking assistant, and a keyless entry and start system—including convertible-top control—is available for the first time. It's not quite clear, however, how many of these options will be available in the U.S., where our obsession with pre-packaged, take-it-home-right-now vehicles—instead of individualized, custom-ordered cars—makes a longer options list a greater liability for dealers.

Hope You Like the 2.0-Liter

That's also why, for the U.S. market, the Eos keeps a 2.0-liter four-cylinder TSI as its only engine. This engine, derived from the EA888 engine family, makes 200 hp and is coupled to a six-speed "wet" dual-clutch transmission. (No word yet on whether the six-speed manual will remain available in the U.S.) We suspect that top speed remains limited to 130 mph, and 0–60 times should stay below seven seconds. In Europe, the Eos will enjoy a vast lineup of engines, ranging from a 122-hp 1.4-liter to a 210-hp 2.0-liter TSI that can propel the Eos up to 147 mph. There also will be a 140-hp, 2.0-liter diesel. The sweet, 260-horse, 3.6-liter VR6 model sold in Germany is gone.

Prices won't stray far from those of the 2011 model, which starts at $33,710. The 2012 Eos will be unveiled on November 17, and U.S. deliveries begin in the last week of March, which will give VW showrooms a few months to stockpile them before convertible season begins.

2014 Mini Cooper Hybrid

2014 Mini Cooper Hybrid

Due in about three years, the next-generation Mini Cooper will offer a four-wheel-drive version. There’s a catch, though: The rear wheels will have no connection to the engine. The car will be a hybrid, and the rear wheels will exclusively be turned by an electric motor.

As BMW switches the next-generation 1-series to front-wheel drive, and expands the Mini portfolio with several new models, the Bavarians are looking at options for hybridizing its upcoming front-wheel drivers. To expedite the process, BMW recently announced a partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroën to develop hybrid tech for front-drive applications. Although BMW presently offers hybrid versions of its X6 and 7-series, each uses a rear-wheel-drive-oriented system co-developed with other companies—and neither is especially frugal. PSA, on the other hand, is launching the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid 4 this year, a compact MPV on a front-wheel-drive platform with a rear-mounted electric motor powering the rear wheels. BMW seems to see its smaller cars heading in this direction.

In this test mule, we can see that the electric motor is connected to the rear axle. The extra power and enhanced launchability should give it a decisive advantage over front-drive Minis, and while the motor and battery pack will add unwelcome weight, at least they’ll be mounted low in the chassis. That said, the production cars won’t be quite as low to the ground as the mule seen here. The hybrid module will likely be offered in a number of Mini derivatives; from the “regular” Mini Cooper up to the Countryman.

It’s not yet clear what kind of combustion engine Mini will pair with the electric drive system, although both diesel and gasoline mills would be compatible. The hybrid won’t share much technology with the Mini E, and we are optimistic that—unlike in that fully electric Mini—rear seating will be part of the package.

Like the original Mini, today’s Cooper is most at home in cities, and it’s in the slow, stop-and-go traffic that hybrid systems best deliver their benefits. The Mini remains hot for fashionable urban drivers, and it’s possible that a hybrid version will up the chic factor for these shoppers—even if it is very late to the eco-party.

How will the hybrid versions be positioned in the Mini lineup? Peugeot priced the 3008 hybrid at the very top of the car’s price ladder. With more power and all-wheel drive, the hybrid Minis are likely to be the most expensive in their ranges, too. It also remains to be seen how much the extra weight and complexity will diminish the Mini models’ playful character.

2012 Mini Inspired by Goodwood

2012 Mini Inspired by Goodwood

Multinational corporate intertwinings make for some creative uses of brands and parts. Within the BMW Group, Rolls-Royce builds its smaller model—the Ghost—using a few pieces of the BMW 760Li. Now Rolls is really downsizing, as it has partnered on a version of BMW’s other iconic Brit, the Mini.

The luxury runabout—to be unveiled at the Shanghai auto show—is officially called the Mini Inspired by Goodwood, Goodwood being the home of Rolls-Royce’s factory. Mini will offer 1000 copies in the spring of 2012. It’s a Mini Cooper S underneath, but with Rolls-specific detailing inside and out. While it has the Cooper S’s turbo four, that model’s scooped hood has been swapped for the Mini Cooper D’s more understated bonnet. The rest of the monochromatic exterior’s trimmings are equally as modest, with some normally optional chrome and “Inspired by Goodwood” fender plaques being the only attention-getting add-ons. Even the 17-inch wheels are standard Mini catalog parts. Rolls-Royce Diamond Black metallic paint is standard while Mini’s Reef Blue metallic will be optional.

Sadly, the Doors are Hinged at the Front

You’ll more clearly see the Goodwood inspiration inside. Rolls designers helped choose the trim and coloring—they call the leather hue Cornsilk—and the walnut pieces are shaped at Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood facility. A stitched black-leather upper dash looks quirky, but expensive.

Few details were overlooked. A Rolls-like woven headliner has been fitted, as have lamb’s-wool floor mats. The doors and center console are covered in leather. The speedo and tachometer faces have been swapped for versions with Rolls-Royce’s font, although, disappointingly, the tach has not been supplanted by a Rolls power-reserve gauge. Many of the controls get a gloss-black finish, including the steering-wheel spokes. We’d have preferred a thin-rimmed wheel to better match that in a Rolls, but using the chunky Cooper S helm is an understandable concession given the fight provided by the turbocharged Mini’s front wheels.

You can think of the Mini Inspired by Goodwood as the smallest Rolls-Royce available, or the only Roller that comes with a manual. (A six-speed automatic transmission is optional.) Standard equipment will include adaptive Xenon headlights, automatic climate control, a Harman/Kardon sound system, and rear parking sensors. A Cooper S spec’d that way before adding the Rolls bits costs about $30K, and we figure the Inspired car will sticker for at least $45K.

No Ugly Duckling

Blasphemy? Some may think so, but BMW was at least able to keep it in the family, and it avoided building a Rolls-branded microcar à la Aston Martin Cygnet. We’re told some portion of the Mini-Royce allotment will be offered to U.S. customers and we have no doubt they’ll go quickly—possibly to Rolls aspirers or current owners, but most likely to Mini fanatics.