Unofficial Picture Up Date: 2011 Hyundai Sonata

Official pics of Hyundai's VW Passat rival, the Sonata, have been leaked onto Korean car forums. And it's a stunner!

The leaked pics show the U.S and Asian market model of the car but reports suggest that the ix40, a European version of the Sonata, will not be wholly different apart from the two-tier grille seen on the Tucson replacing the bolder, chrome grille shown in the pictures.

Inside the cabin, two deep set gauges and a colour screen on the driver's display hint at high quality build materials and a thoroughly modern interior. Gear-shifters mounted behind the steering wheel show that the Sonata will be available with a semi-automatic, paddle-shift gear-box. Mated to this semi-auto changer will most likely be four-cylinder and V6 petrol units along with a 2.0-litre diesel powerplant with 185hp.

The official debut of the Sonata is expected before the end of the year, with sales expected to start in all markets during the first half of 2010. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express

New Car: 2010 Lotus Exige Cup 260

Lotus fans, form an orderly queue! The Norfolk firm has announced official details of its imminent Exige Cup 260.

The car features extensive use of carbon fibre and ultra-light components, including a motorsport battery and the lightest alloy wheels ever fitted to a production car.

Power remains untouched – the familiar 1.8-litre Toyota supercharged engine still pumps out 257bhp and 236Nm of torque.

That translates into a blistering 0-60mph time of 4.1 seconds and 152mph flat-out.

However, the new model should be quicker on the track, as the firm’s handling experts have stiffened the rear of the chassis by 30 per cent, fitted adjustable dampers and carved further aerodynamic aids into the Exige’s bodywork.

But the car isn’t just about speed – it’s set to achieve 33.2mpg and have emissions of 199g/km. It will arrive early next year, priced from £45,000. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express

New Car: 2011 Volvo C70

If it’s still safe, don’t fix it. The Volvo C70 has always been a safe convertible, both in how it’s styled and in how it transports its occupants. Its sheltering demeanor also translates to a lack of driving pleasure, one that meant a last-place finish in a droptop comparo, as it fell to the BMW 328i, Audi A4, Saab 9-3, and Volkswagen Eos. For its 2011 refresh, the C70 gets a rhinoplasty, a new posterior, and a freshened interior, addressing precisely none of the qualms we have with the car.

Up front, there’s a new fascia with larger headlight units that extend back into new front fenders. The grille—which sits over and ahead of the bumper creating a sort of overbite—has become more trapezoidal and wears what appears to be the largest Iron Mark logo this side of a Volvo semi tractor. The look is a bit sleeker than that of the current car and Volvo says it’s pulled from the S60 concept shown in Detroit this year, so we expect the new S60 will carry many of the same visual hallmarks.

We’d describe the rear, but Volvo hasn’t yet supplied images of it, so that will have to wait until we see it on the show stand in Frankfurt. We can tell you that the updated rump includes LED taillights that Volvo describes as similar to those on the XC60. The company also claims a new oval motif has taken over in back. Oh, and there’s a new red paint option.

It’s the same deal with the interior, which Volvo tells us (but, again, does not show) sports a redesigned and retextured instrument panel. Softer hide will line the seats. All of that is still covered by the same three-piece steel roof that origamis itself up or down in about 30 seconds.

While the engine options number five elsewhere—including two diesel options—we expect to continue with only the 227-hp T5 model. Altogether it’s not a huge departure from the current car, but instead a mid-cycle refresh to keep the looks current with the rest of Volvo’s lineup. The 2011 C70 will be shown in Frankfurt next month, where we’ll hopefully see it from a view other than the front-three-quarter vantage point.

Thanks to: Car and Driver