Motor show news and reports

Haven’t we seen this weird Pivo before? We have. Two years ago, Nissan showed the first Pivo, an urban car that features some clever tech specially designed for the challenges of the city jungle. Pivo...

So what else did Nissan have at Tokyo beyond the GT-R and Pivo2? Three other concepts, the best of which was the NV200 van, designed in Nissan’s London design centre. It’s a van just as useful for...

Looks kinda lairy for a Suzuki… Yes, but it could be your next company car. Suzuki is on a mission to break into the car makers’ top ten, raising production from 2.4 to 3 million, and it needs a...

Up, up, and away… Yes, the Volkswagen Up is back. The Tokyo Motor Show today saw VW unveil a second iteration of their new small family car – a third model will be shown at the LA Auto Show in...

Are, in the words of Mr Numan, friends electric? Yes, Subaru has finally realised that nearly all of its range dishes out too much carbon and decided to save the flowers. Besides inventing the world's...

Stop press! Easy-on-the-eye new Subaru shocker! It's good looking and, although currently a concept, it's likely to become a showroom reality. This is the Subaru Exiga – think of it as an XL size...

It looks like an electric wheelchair… is Toyota for real with this? Toyota is serious. Deadly serious. As traffic gets worse, so personal mobility vehicles like the i-Real start to make sense. The...

Goodwood is back, and both the Revival and Festival of Speed look to be bigger and better than ever in 2008 The Earl of March - the man who kindly lets us into his grounds twice a year - has just set...

It’s only just over a week since Aston Martin was sold, but today it confirmed plans to race at Le Mans.The DBR9 will return to the famous La Sarthe circuit in June. Perhaps this was inevitable, since...

Let me guess…some fuel-guzzling, turbocharged behemoth? It might be a diesel, but yes, it’s still all of the above. Ths is VW’s new R50 and it’s the latest car from VW Individual, the same engineering...

Another day, another Lotus? They don’t quite come around that often but this is another iteration of the Exige, but it is a model exclusive to Australia. The supercharged Toyota engine receives...

What do you mean, world premiere? Yes, we weren’t quite sure either but the Australian International Motor Show was in fact the world premiere of the new Mitsubishi Evo X. No, not Frankfurt to build...

Is that really a new LandCruiser? It is, and Toyota Australia’s senior executive director sales and marketing, David Buttner, said the unveiling of the LandCruiser in Sydney reflected the significant...

Skoda Fabia Scout Design Concept: the lowdown Few surprises are in store - it follows the formula set down by the Roomster and Octavia Scouts. So it's based on the estate version of the new Fabia, but...

Citroen C-Cactus: the lowdown Citroen’s C-Cactus concept car on show at Frankfurt signals the start of a programme to investigate simplifying the construction of its cars –stripping out unnecessary...

Aria goes green, Abarth gets sporty, 500 goes large… Fiat’s signature white stand featured both ends of the car spectrum: From the eco Panda Aria concept to a new even sportier version of the Grande...

No new car for Alfa at Frankfurt? No, but the brand did launch a customisation programme called ‘Unique Alfa’ to make its cars look even better. Three ranges will be offered: Vintage...

Why should I care about Lancia – or its revised Musa? Because Lancia is returning to the UK in autumn 2008 after what will be a 14-year absence. You might care a little less about the Fiat...

A Volvo hybrid? Let me guess, it appeases the greens but fails to deliver in the real-world The typical hybrid this is not. Instead of having an electric motor that only works at very low speeds...

Lexus ISF: the lowdown We’ve seen the ISF before, but it’s here again in Frankfurt ahead of its arrival in the UK in March 2008. Don’t think of this 400bhp 5.0 V8 as an M3 rival, officials warn. ‘It...

Peugeot 308 RCZ: the lowdown The Peugeot stand at Frankfurt was a timely reminder just how much the market has fragmented these days. It was packed with 27 cars in rambling hall 8 – five of which were...

There’s no ‘F’ in Scuderia? Ferrari is at pains to point out that the third V8 in its family – the F1-inspired new 430 Scuderia – 'is not just a stripped-out version of the F430'. So it has dropped...

Welcome to the sportiest Quattroporte yet If the recently launched Sport GT version of Maserati’s flagship Quattroporte wasn’t quite sharp enough for you, now there’s yet another version to choose:...

Mazda 6: haven't we seen this before? Kind of. We’ve previously been teased with a press shot showing just the front of the new, Mondeo-based Mazda 6, but the car was officially unveiled at Frankfurt,...

Hasn't Toyota shown this car before? Suzuki, it's a Suzuki. But yes, the front end does resemble Toyota's FT-HS concept. Suzuki is making a statement of intent with the world premiere of its Kizashi...

Seat Ibiza Ecomotive: the lowdown Even the Spanish went green at Frankfurt. Using the Polo BlueMotion’s 1.4-litre TDi engine, longer gear ratios and Dunlop tyres that generate less friction, the Ibiza...

The Jaguar XF makes its debut - but haven't we seen it already? You've already been treated to advance pictures and details of Jaguar's crucial new 5-series rival in CAR magazine and on CAR Online,...

Land Rover Landie: the lowdown Land Rover flashed up this tantalising glimpse of the Landie at the Frankfurt Motor Show today, confirming the long-rumoured lower-priced SUV to slot beneath the...

It looks remarkably like a Copen… It does indeed, and at 5mm shorter, the same width, and only 45mm higher the OFC-1 is all but identical to the Copen. In fact, it is the new Copen, just not as cute.

Volkswagen Up!: the lowdown Volkswagen today unveiled what it hoped will be the modern-day successor to the Beetle: the Up! concept, a small city car targeted at the young, the cash-poor, and the...

What’s this? It looks like a Murcielago auditioning for the Batmobile! It’s actually the Lamborghini Reventon, a €1m special of which only 20 will be built. Named after a particularly feisty bull that...

Opel Flextreme: the lowdown Vauxhall’s European sister brand Opel showed off its surprise at Frankfurt today – the new Flextreme concept car. Under that voluminous monocab body lies GM’s E-Flex...

Toyota iQ: the lowdown The Japanese scored one of the very few surprises of the Frankfurt show this year, with the titchy iQ concept car that previews Toyota’s new sub-Aygo city car. It’s one of our...

Kee, huh? So what bad puns have you come up with? Just the one: this is a key car for Kia. But whatever bad jokes we make the Korean manufacturer openly admits to this play on words. Why? Because this...

Renault Laguna Coupé Concept: the lowdown Critics of the new dull-looking new Laguna - and there have been a few - can seek solace in the new two-door coupé version unveiled today in Frankfurt. It's a...