2012 VW Beetle in the Flesh with New Gallery and Videos

We reported on the unveiling of the all-new 2012 Beetle yesterday, but since then we got our hands on a slew of fresh photos shot during the presentation of the car in Shanghai, as well as in Manhattan, New York, and Berlin in Germany.

For the most part, the first reviews on the �less flower, more power� styling direction of the New Beetle�s replacement in general do appear to be on the positive side, but for Volkswagen, this needs to translate into consumer spending when the car goes on sale this fall.

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Rolls-Royce Ghost gets on the Procrustean Bed: LWB Model Revealed in Shanghai

The world premiere of Rolls-Royce's Ghost Extended Wheelbase took place at the Shanghai Auto Show, a sign of how important the Chinese market has become for premium carmakers. It's the first time Rolls-Royce brings a world launch to the Asia Pacific region, and the LWB Ghost is a fitting new model for a market that likes its sedans long and spacious.

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Subaru XV Concept is a High-Riding Impreza Crossover

We�re going to see both the four- and five-door versions of the all-new 2012 Impreza at the New York Auto Show this week, but at the Shanghai motor show, Subaru lifted the wraps off a concept version of the hatchback model in a crossover guise. Named the XV Concept, the study essentially offers us our first glimpse at the successor of the North American market Impreza Outback Sport as well as the Impreza XV that is offered in Japan.

The lime-green XV Concept combines Subaru�s all-wheel drive system with a jacked up suspension and an array of SUV-like styling cues. The five-door model measures 4,450mm in length, 1,800mm in width and 1,620 mm in height sporting a 2,635mm long wheelbase. It is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine linked to a CVT.

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Volvo Concept Universe Hints at Design Direction for New Luxury Sedan

Making its world premiere today at the Shanghai Auto Show is the new Volvo Concept Universe, a study for a luxury sedan model that also provides a peek at the Swedish automaker�s future design language.

While Volvo did not release any technical details on the Concept Universe, the fact that it measures less than 5 meters in length points at a design study for a replacement for the firm�s S80 sedan and not a larger, Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival that the Swedish company�s Chinese owner Geely has been recently talking about.

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New Kia K2 is the China Market Rio Sedan

This pint-sized Optima lookalike is the new Kia K2 and it will make its world premiere at this week�s 2011 Shanghai Motor Show. It is the China market version of the upcoming Rio Sedan that will be revealed at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday. However, it remains to be seen if the two models will share the same look as Kia said the K2 was designed and engineered specifically for the Chinese market. Read more �

Audi Turns A3 Sedan Concept into e-tron Study with a Plug-in Hybrid Powertrain

Audi has been trying to show off its green credentials for quite some time now with a variety of plug-in hybrid and pure electric concepts, all sporting the e-tron nameplate, such as the 2009 e-tron Concept Coupe, the 2010 A1 e-tron, and more recently, the e-tron Spyder. Now, the brand with the four rings has prepared a new e-tron study, this time based on the A3 sedan concept shown at the Geneva Salon this past March.

The new A3 Sedan e-tron is a compact sized four-door saloon study featuring a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain, and it will receive its world premiere at this week�s 2011 Shanghai Auto Show in China.

Audi�s engineers replaced the Geneva concept model�s 408HP 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five with a hybrid powertrain comprising of a 211HP 1.4-liter TFSI gasoline unit with turbocharging and gasoline direct injection, and an electric motor with an output of 20 kW (27HP), for a combined system output of 238HP. A seven-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission is linked to the gasoline engine.

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu: First Official Details, Photos and Video, gets New 2.5-liter Four-Cylinder

In a simultaneous world premiere at the New York Auto Show in the States and the Shanghai Auto Show in China, General Motors will lift the curtain on its brand new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, one of the firm�s most important models in years. The online debut of the brand�s new mid-size model comes on the same day that Chevrolet announced its best ever first-quarter results with 1.1 million sales worldwide.

What�s important about this generation of the Malibu is that Chevy�s mid-size saloon will become a global player, as GM plans to sell the car in nearly 100 countries across the world and build it in multiple locations, including China. The North American version will be manufactured at the Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, and at the Hamtramck factory in Detroit.

Redesigned from the ground up, the new Malibu sports a new exterior styling with lines and curves inspired from Chevy�s most recent models such as the Cruze up front and even the Camaro at the back with the LED dual-element taillamps.

�The exterior design of the all-new Malibu carries DNA from its sister vehicles, the Camaro and Corvette, to bring a sporty sensibility to the family sedan segment,� said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director for GM exterior design.

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2012 VW Beetle Configurator Goes Live, Plus New Photo Gallery

Dreaming of a new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle? Well, if you live in Europe or North America, you�ll have to wait until this October and September respectively to grab one, but for those of you in a hurry to see what your 2012 Beetle could look like, VW�s configurator is available for everyone to play with on the firm�s German website. Unfortunately though, at the time, the options are limited to a choice of exterior colors and alloy wheel designs.

In addition to the news on the configurator, we�ve also found a fresh batch of photos of the latest generation of the Beetle, which you can ogle on in the gallery after the break. For more details on VW�s newcomer, check out our previous post here.

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Buick Envision Concept Previews Future SUVs for China

GM has lifted the wraps off the Buick Envision SUV Concept that will debut at the Shanghai Auto Show, a natural choice since the study is the work of Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC). Furthermore, GM says the crossover model was designed for China, as �it introduces the development direction for Buick�s future SUV products for the market�.

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Citroen Reveals Family-Sized DS5 Crossover ahead of Shanghai Premiere

Citroen has officially dropped photos and information on its all-new DS5, which is the latest addition to its DS sub-brand and the largest one yet. Measuring 4.52 meters in length, 1.50 meters in height and 1.85 m in width, the DS5 sits between the C4 and the C5 in Citroen's range, with the company describing the car as an alternative to the more conventional C5 with a higher ground clearance, more refined interior and a crossover shape.

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2012 Volkswagen Beetle: All-New Bug Grows up

Ladies and gents, say hello to the all-new, third generation Volkswagen Beetle that was unwrapped today ahead of its world premiere at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show and New York Auto Show. The newest interpretation of the Bug comes 73 years after the launch of the original Beetle in 1938, which sold an amazing 21.5 million units, and 13 years after the debut of the New Beetle in 1998 that managed to sell a little over 1 million units until production ended in 2010.

When it goes on sale in North America and Europe in the fall of 2011, and the rest of the world from early 2012, the latest model will be known simply as the �Beetle� as Volkswagen dropped the �New� from the car�s name.

If someone asked us to summarize the qualities of the 2012 Beetle in a few words, it would be: larger, more mature and unisex. Starting with the design, VW�s goal was to make the 21st century Beetle appeal to both genders. As a result, the VW Group�s chief designer Walter de Silva and his team offered the Beetle a meaner and lower-slung look that draws on cues from the Beetle Ragster concept shown in Detroit in 2005. The overall styling is far less bulbous and more chiseled compared to the New Beetle, while keeping the retro feel of the series.

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Ford to Introduce 15 new Cars in China and to Double Workforce by 2015

With only a few days left before the start of the Shanghai Auto Show, Ford Motor Company announced a very ambitious plan for China as the automaker aims to introduce 15 new vehicles and to double its workforce in the world's largest car market by 2015.

�Together with our partners, we are leveraging the strength of the One Ford plan and our global platforms to bring 15 new vehicles to China by 2015, reinforcing our commitment to offer a full portfolio of vehicles for our Chinese customers," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford Asia Pacific and Africa president. "The 15 new vehicles are part of Ford�s plans to introduce 50 new products and powertrains to the Asia Pacific region by 2015,� Hinrichs added.

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Sedan: China Edition

Another day, another photo of General Motors� 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. This time, GM�s China site published a three-quarter view of the local market version of Chevy�s mid-size sedan finished in a blue hue. Blame the angle the picture was taken, but the new Malibu looks less dynamic, more plain here than it did on the previous image of the US-spec model. Of course, that�s our two cents worth, so feel free to express your thoughts in the comments section below. Read more �

Seat to Launch in China in 2012, will be at the Shanghai Auto Show

As part of the VW Group�s strategy to expand its brands into new markets, the German automaker will bring Seat to the Shanghai Auto Show (April 21-28, 2011) offering Chinese buyers their first taste of the Spanish firm�s cars before sales begin with the Leon and Ibiza models in 2012. Read more �

Volvo Teases Mysterious Concept Universe that Could Preview a Flagship Model

Volvo released a teaser video of its upcoming Concept Universe, without giving out any additional information other than that it's a new design study that will be launched shortly. This means it could debut at one of this month's international auto shows, either in New York (April 22 � May 1) or Shanghai (April 21 � 28). Taking into account the fact that Volvo is owned by China�s Geely, the Shanghai show could be the more probable venue of the two for the new Volvo. Read more �

Peugeot Unveils China-Designed SXC Crossover Study

Peugeot has a very good reason to unveil the SXC concept at the Shanghai Motor Show, as the crossover model has been designed and developed by the Peugeot Style Studios of China Tech Center. In addition, the SXC name stands for �Shanghai Cross Concept�, with Peugeot claiming that the crossover study was build to suit the tastes of Chinese buyers.

At 4,870mm long, 1,610mm tall and 2,035mm wide, the sleek crossover is a large vehicle. To put it in perspective, the BMW X6 measures 4,877mm long. The SXC features several styling cues seen in recent Peugeot concept cars, such as the SR1, HR1 and the EX1. The French firm said the study combines elements from both SUVs and saloon models.

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Photo Slips Out on the Internet

Thanks to an official photograph that leaked onto the internet last night, we now have our first glimpse at the exterior of all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The new mid-size sedan from GM appears to sport a robust look with a sculpted face featuring the classic split Chevrolet grille. Read more �

First Video of Audi�s All-New 2012 Q3 Baby SUV

If you�re done looking over the official gallery of the new Audi Q3 compact SUV, we have some good news as the Ingolstadt-based automaker has released the first video of the smallest Q series model yet. The new promotional clip shows the Q3 testing on an oval circuit while also offering us a quick walkaround of the exterior and interior. Read more �

New Audi Q3 SUV Officially Revealed: High-Res Gallery with 67 Photos

The wait is finally over. A mere week after the release of the teaser sketches, Audi has come out with official photos and details on its new Q3 compact SUV, which will receive its first public outing at the Shanghai Auto Show.

The Q3 is Audi�s third SUV model after the larger Q5 and Q7 and will compete against the BMW X1. Those familiar with the VW Group�s strategy won�t be surprised to find out that the Q3 is based on the platform architecture of the Volkswagen Tiguan. Audi�s interpretation of a compact SUV model measures 4.39 meters in length (14.4 ft), 1.83 meters in width (6.0 ft), and 1.60 meters (5.25 ft) in height with the roof rails, meaning its 240mm shorter, 50mm narrower and 53mm lower than the Q5.

The exterior styling is pure Audi with the design loosely inspired by the Ingolstadt firm�s Cross Coupe Quattro Concept from the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show. Compared to the Q5, Audi�s smaller SUV model introduces a sharper front design with wedge-shaped headlamps and a roofline that slopes gently towards the back for a more dynamic profile.

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MINI by Rolls Royce: Posh Limited Edition Model Revealed Ahead of Shanghai Show

A couple of years back, we shared some scoop photos of a prototype MINI with styling elements from Rolls Royce models. A company spokesman had then confirmed that the car was real, but to the dismay of many fans, he said that it was a one-off for a special dealer event. If you happened to like the idea of a Rolls-Royce-flavored MINI we have some good news for you as the British company will premiere a special edition model at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show next week.

The limited production model is called �Mini Inspired by Goodwood�, with the name paying tribute to Rolls Royce�s headquarters. Only 1,000 examples of the special Mini will be built at the British firm�s Oxford plant, with first deliveries to take place in the spring of 2012.

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