All-new Subaru Impreza officially revealed!

Finally, the all-new Subaru Impreza has been revealed, and although the sedan version is a disappointment compared to the striking concept, the 5-door one isn't that bad IMO. In any case, it's a huge improvement compared to the previous-gen model.

It's lighter, faster, more frugal, stiffer, nicer inside, has a better suspension and more interior room, all the while being the same size as the previous generation. Said Subaru Production Line Manager James Todd, "it's all upside."

European versions of the Impreza will be powered by an all new 4-cylinder 1.6L Boxer petrol engine and will be available with either a new five-speed manual transmission or Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT.

All-new Tiida not going to the US…. Chinese Sunny does!

Yesterday, the all-new Tiida was presented in China, but today the USDM version was also revealed. In the past, the Tiida and the USDM Versa was essentially the same car, but this will change. The new Tiida won't be sold in the States, but the Chinese Sunny (earlier post) will be. It seems that in the States, the Versa will play the role of the bargain car, while Europe will get the proper Tiida in order to face the strong competition in its class.

… Another rendering of new Lexus GS coming from Japan

Following the unveiling of the LF-Gh concept (earlier post), I reckon that this rendering shouldn't be far from the real thing, although I would expect the grille looking a bit different.

All-new Nissan Tiida (Versa) officially revealed

We have already seen it (earlier post), but this time it's official. The all new Tiida (aka Versa) was officially presented at the Shanghai Auto Show and the USDM version will be presented at the New York Auto Show. Power comes from a 1.6L engine (although the USDM version is likely to get a different engine) and a CVT gearbox will be also available. I reckon that it looks miles better than the current model, although the interior design lacks inspiration.

More photos after the jump!

Infiniti teases new JX premium crossover!

Infiniti is planning to introduce an all-new luxury crossover badged as JX. A concept will be presented in August and the production version will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Sales will start in spring 2012. According to Infiniti, “The all-new Infiniti JX is the 7-passenger antidote to the ho-hum luxury crossovers that are out there right now”.

Subaru presents XV Concept at Shanghai

Subaru presented the XV Concept at the Shanghai Auto Show, which looks very similar to the rendering posted a few days ago (earlier post). Subaru hasn't revealed if it will head to production, but expect to see it in the showrooms in late 2012 or early 2013, although many nice features will not make into production. I have to admit that I have been so disappointed from the new Impreza (earlier post) and therefore, I don't pay much attention to the actual concepts presented by Subaru...

Merc's upcoming compact models

This post may seem a bit bizarre to many of you, but the compact car segment is a vital one for all manufacturers and especially for luxury brands, since they need strong sales in order to develop their bigger models. So, since I got a copy of the latest Auto Motor und Sport issue yesterday, which has some interesting renderings of Mercedes' new models, I thought it would be nice to share some photos with you.

Lexus has already introduced the CT (earlier post) and I spotted one today. I have to admit that I wasn't really impressed. There is nothing exciting about it at all...

Infiniti on the other hand is more promising with the ETHEREA concept (earlier post) and I believe their new compact model will stand out from the crown, although it won't be easy "stealing" customers from the top three German makes. 

Although the other two German luxury brands are preparing also their rivals, I consider the new Mercs being of a greater interest, since there is a completely new approach and 5 models (A-Class, B-Class, GLC, CLC and CLC Shooting Brake) will be introduced in total. I have to admit that Mercedes had a disappointing lineup for around 10 years, but this has started to change and I am really impressed with the new CLS, E-Class Coupe and SLK.

BMW will introduce the new 1-Series later this year and it will be slightly bigger than the current generation and in terms of design, expect to see an evolution of the current one. Although the new "1er" will certainly be a very nice car to drive, it will look similar to the previous one, plus BMW's interiors have ended up being boring since the same theme is applied over and over again...

In terms of the new Audi A3... don't expect anything great in terms of exterior design. I am big Audi fan, but all the latest models look the same.... A4, A5, A8 (A4 on steroids) etc. Even the new Q3 looks almost identical to the Q5. Nice LEDs though...

Nissan to unveil LEAF NISMO RC

Nissan will unveil the LEAF NISMO RC at the New York Auto Show, which doesn't have much in common with the production model. It uses a Li-Ion battery pack and it uses a carbon fibre monocoque platform, making it 40% lighter than the production model. The concept will be used for demonstration purposes only.

How the next-gen Toyota Corolla should not look like...

Back in February BC published a very nice rendering of the next-gen Corolla (earlier post) and I was really happy seeing Toyota coming back from the dead.... but this latest rendering worries me a lot!!! It looks like eeeer.... a typical Toyota and this is very wrong. I guess we will have to wait until January 2012 to find out.

Scion FT-86 concept to be unveiled at New York

So, now it's official. The FT-86 will be sold as a Scion in the States.

All-new Nissan Murano coming in 2013

The next-gen Nissan Murano is scheduled for 2013 and this is an impression of how it may look like. Mitsubishi is also working on the Pajero (aka Shogun) replacement, which is though not a direct competitor.

Latest info about new Toyota Prius C

Back in January, both BC and Mag-X provided some early info about the upcoming Toyota Prius C (earlier post) and now it's time for another rendering, which is the latest impression by Best Car. According to the article, its price is expected to be around ¥ 1,500,000 and it will achieve a fuel efficiency of 44.0 km/L (10.15 mode - 40.0 km/L under the JC08 cycle). The Prius C is expected to be launched in 2012.

Lexus LF-Gh reveiled!

This is Lexus' latest concept and it is a preview of the next-gen GS. The concept provides also a glimpse of the future design direction, which is an evolution of L-finesses philosophy. According to Lexus, the front end design incorporates a spindle-shaped grille contributing to efficient aerodynamics and radiator and brake duct operation. It is a key feature that will be inherited by future Lexus models.

All-new Subaru Impreza fully uncovered.... sadly!

So, this is the all-new Subaru Impreza. Similarities with the concept??? None. New design language? Eeer, I don't think so.

First official photo of all-new Subaru Impreza

The all-new Impreza will be reveled at the New York Auto Show this month and this is the first official photo. Hmm, after an impressive concept car... this is what we will get. I will wait for more photos before making any more comments...

Latest report about spicy Honda CR-Z!!!

We know that Honda is working on a spicy CR-Z (earlier post) and this time, another report confirms that it will use a 2.0L NA engine. The power output claimed now is 190 ps and it is unclear whether it will be badged as Type R, or it will be given a different name such as CR-Z 2000. In any case, it is expected to be introduced in February 2012.

Latest impression of new 2012 Lexus GS

Japanese magazines have published a lot of impressions of the new Lexus GS (related posts) and the only thing that seems to be true is that it will be introduced in 2012. The latest rendering comes from Mag-X, which mentions August 2012 as a launch date.

Subaru's new compact SUV

Subaru has already introduced the XV variant of the current-gen Impreza, which is Subaru's idea of a compact SUV, and with the next-gen model around the corner, an Impreza XV  successor will also be introduced. This is a rendering published by Mag-X and according to the article, the new Impreza-based SUV will be introduced in January 2013.

Honda HR-V is coming back?!

Honda never replaced the successful HR-V outside Japan, but the latest reports from Japan suggest that a successor is underway and it will hit the markets in August 2014. Honda introduced the Crossroad back in 2008 and production ended last year, but it remained a JDM model only. I reckon that Honda should introduce an HR-V successor, as this segment is going to become very popular over the next couple of years.

First Lexus LF-Gh teaser images

Lexus has released the first teaser images of the LF-Gh hybrid concept (earlier post), which will be presented on April 19th. The LF-Gh (Lexus Future Grand Touring hybrid) concept is Lexus’s redefinition of the luxury “grand tourer”.

Another impression of 2013 Lexus LS

Lexus is working on the GS and LS successors and the later one is expected to hit the markets in 2013. This will enable Lexus to compete with Mercedes' all-new S-Class, which is also expected around that time.

Although this rendering doesn't look as impressive as the previous one, I reckon that it's still early to have a good indication of how the new model will look like. This time, BC has published some speculations regarding the LS 460, which should be powered by the 1UR-FSE 4.6L engine delivering 385 ps @ 6400 rpm. The max torque claimed is 51.0 kgm and the estimated fuel efficiency is 11.8 km/L. Prices in Japan should start from around ¥ 9,500,000.

BC's impression of new 2014 Subaru Legacy

Back in January, Mag-X published a rendering of the new Legacy (earlier post), which is expected to be launched in 2014. Now, it's BC's turn and this is the rendering from the latest issue. According to the article, power is likely to come from a 3.6L boxer engine (EZ36) with a power output of 250 ps and 30.5 kgm of torque. A fuel efficiency of 16.0 km/L seems realistic and prices should be around ¥ 4,500,000.

New Subaru Impreza STi rendering

We know that a new Impreza is about to be launched this year, as the current model is not a great success for Subaru. BC has come up with this interesting STi rendering, claiming that power will come from a 2.0L boxer engine (FB20) delivering 300 ps. The new Impreza STi should be able to achieve a fuel efficiency of 13.0 km/L.

Yet another Subaru 216A (FT-86) rendering!

First of all, I would like to apologise for the lack of posts during the last few weeks, but as you can imagine, the earthquake in Japan has slowed things down.

On Friday, a couple of magazines arrived from Japan and this is the first post, as more will follow. So, this is the latest rendering of Subaru's 216A and according to Best Car magazine, it is likely to also get a turbocharged version of the FB20 engine producing 250 ps and 30.0 kgm of torque (compared to 200 ps and 21.0 kgm of the naturally aspired version). An even more powerful version with 300 ps is on the cards (STI?!).