Volkswagen Touran spied

The facelifted Touran has barely been on sale for a year and now, Volkswagen are testing the next Touran which is due in 2009. The new MPV is being rush in because the current Touran and Golf Mk5 is expensive for Volkswagen to build. The Mk6 Golf and Mk2 Touran will solve that issue, with fewer variants and a design optimised to make production quicker and cheaper.

Both the new Golf and Touran are thought to be based on the current platform. While they'll each be updated for the new cars, the silhouettes will remain much the same.

The front of the new Touran should be more shapely though, with sharper Eos-style lights. We also expect the Touran to have a few hints of the Up concept in it, as a company official confirmed that the little family of concepts preview VW’s future design language.

As I said before, the engine will remain virtually unchanged but the Touran will get the newly announced seven-speed DSG. Volkswagen claims the extra ratio not only means an increase in acceleration but helps to cut fuel consumption and C02 emisssions by over five percent compared to the six-speed manual. The line-up will look like this:

Petrols - 1.4 TSI 138bhp/162lb ft, 1.6 100bhp/109lb ft

Diesels - 1.9 TDI 88bhp/155lb ft, 1.9 TDI 104bhp/185lb ft, 2.0 TDI 138bhp/236lb ft, 2.0 TDI 168bhp/258lb ft

Expect the new model to have more gizmos and gadgets than before. The current Touran was one of the first models to pioneer ‘park assist’ – you control the pedals while the car does the wheel-twirling for you. Expect the Touran to offer an updated Park Assist, as well as some of the new technology shown in the Passat CC. Touch-screen sat-nav, lane assist, and ‘mobility tyres’ that enclose sharp objects while keeping the tyre sealed should although appear, though perhaps not all will be available in th UK.

With the Golf set to be seen this year, expect an official unveiling of the Touran in 2009 at Geneva or Frankfurt. Prices should start at under £15,000.

Related link:

VW Touran CGI

'09 Nissan Murano pricing announced (U.S)

Nissan dealers this week begin selling the redesigned 2009 Murano crossover, with prices starting at $27,075 — about $1,500 below the price of last year's model. The sticker includes a $745 shipping charge.

The previous Murano, a 2007 model, started at $28,575.The second-generation Murano is available in two- and all-wheel-drive versions, and is offered in three trim levels: S, SL and LE. The range-topping '09 Murano LE AWD has a sticker of $36,655, including shipping. That's a substantial hike over the top-of-the-line '07 Murano SE AWD, which retailed for $32,675. The new Murano LE AWD includes 20-inch alloy wheels, a Bose premium audio system with 11 speakers, XM Satellite Radio, an iPod interface, a 7-inch color display, smart key, heated front and rear seats with leather upholstery, a rearview monitor and much more.

Totally revamped inside and out, the '09 model gets a more powerful 265-horsepower 3.5-litre V6 and an upgraded continuously variable transmission.

Will the Mazda2 3 door make it Stateside?

That's the million dollar question asked by everyone.

Well, MazdaUSA said there are no plans at the moment as Mazda is currently studying the b-segment category in the U.S.

The Mazda2 3 door will make a world debut at the upcoming Geneva motorshow on the 4th March.

You can read the full story below:

Will the Mazda2 goto the U.S?

Related links:
Mada2 goes on sale in China
Mazda2 diesel UK pricing
Mazda2 crash test results
Mazda UK wants Mazda2 MPS
Mazda2 production starts

Hyundai drops Terracan in UK line-up

A few weeks ago, Hyundai UK finally decided to drop the ageing and slow-selling Terracan but that leaves an empty gap for a large SUV to replace the Terracan.

Its likely Hyundai will import the VeraCruz and re-name it "iX55" for the European market. 5000 units will be produced for Europe with UK pricing expected to start from around £25,000 rising to £30,000 for the fully loaded model. Power will come from a 3.0 V6 diesel developing 240bhp.

Related Link:

Hyundai VeraCruz comes to Europe

UPDATE:

The ix55 will start from 45,000 euros or nearly £34,500. The CUV won't be powered by a 3.0 V6 diesel but a 2.2 CRD engine used in the European Santa Fe which chuck outs 191g of carbon dioxide per km which makes me think, will UK owners have to fork out £25/$50 for the congestion charge in order to enter London? Only time will tell when it arrives....

Zero Maybachs sold in Australia (AU)

Mercedes Maybach dealers didn't sell any Maybach's last year in Australia however, the Maybach's prime rival, Rolls-Royce Phantom managed to sell 17 units and there is a waiting list for the super-luxury sedan. The sales figures for the Phantom may sound dismal but considering its price tag, its not so bad.



Related Link:

Mercedes Maybach not selling well

Mercedes restyles the S-Class sedan

The current S-Class came onto the market in 2005, 2006 for the UK and for the first time, we have a shot of the revised S-Class which is likely to be launched in 2009 alongside the S-Class hybrid.

At the moment, the test car pictured has disguised headlamps which are split into 2 seperate lamps that will feature on the 2009 E-Class.

With so many years to see the facelifted S-Class, we expect the front facia to be completely re-designed. The CL-Class was launched last year but we should see a facelifted CL in 2011 depending on the market but a year later (2012), we should see a new S-Class which will be offered in several different variants including a Pullmann, coupé, cabriolet, 4dr coupé (which could replace the SWB S-Class) and even a S-Class based Bentley rival!

S-Class Hybrid:

The S-Class hybrid is likely to be launched in 2009 alongside the facelifted S-Class. Few test mules have been sighted in Northern England undergoing some road-testing. The S-Class hybrid is thought to acheive 41mpg on a combined cycle and developing around 300bhp. Although the hybrid is in early stages of development, we would be surprised to see it in 2009.

Renault Sandero video

This is one of the many video's of the Renault Sandero. Already launched in Brazil, the Sandero will launch in Argentina next month followed by two other continents; Europe and Africa

Renault Sandero Video

Related Links:

Renault Sandero launches in Brazil

New Car: 2008 Renault Sandero