One of the largest and most important motor shows of the year, the 2011 edition of the North American International Auto Show [NAIAS], kicks off next week in Detroit. Even though many automakers are still keeping their cards under the table, Autonews published a list of new production models and concept studies that are expected to make their world premiere at Detroit's Cobo Center. The list includes a variety of vehicles ranging from GM's Chevrolet Sonic subcompact to Volkswagen's NMS sedan which will replace the Passat in the U.S. market. More details on the cars that are scheduled to debut in Detroit after the break.

Audi

At the center of Audi’s booth we’ll find the 2012 A6, which adopts styling cues from the A7 and A8 models. Considered to be a crucial car for the German maker’s U.S. strategy, the luxury sedan will be offered at launch with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine, but, according to AN, Audi is also considering the introduction of a six-cylinder diesel in the States. The A6 will go on sale in the second half of 2011.

BMW

This year’s NAIAS will see the world premiere of the 2012 BMW 650i Convertible. Powered by a 400 hp 4.4-liter force inducted V8, the open top model, much to the delight of purists, will be offered with a six-speed manual gearbox as well as an eight-speed automatic.

Other highlights of the BMW stand will include the face-lifted 1-Series Coupe and Convertible and the brand new 335-horsepower 1-Series M Coupe. All the aforementioned models will go on sale in the spring.

Buick

Buick is expected to present the Verano compact sedan, which is based on the China-market Excelle GT, with both variants borrowing their underpinnings from the Opel Astra.

BYD

The Chinese maker is said to unwrap the S6DM plug-in hybrid SUV Concept, an eco-friendly variant of the S6.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet will bring to Detroit the 2012 Sonic that replaces the Aveo subcompact. It will eventually be offered in both hatchback and sedan versions.

Chrysler

The most important Chrysler model in Motor City will be the 2011 Chrysler 300, which features softer and more elegant lines than its predecessor, a revamped interior and two engine choices: the 290 hp 3.6-liter V6 and a 5.7-liter V8 Hemi. Sales will start in the first quarter of 2011.

Ford

Marking Ford’s return to the U.S. minivan market, the Focus-based2012 C-Max features sliding rear doors and a new, 1.6-liter Ecoboost direct injected/turbocharged powerplant. According to AN, Ford also could reveal further information about alternative powertrain vehicles derived from the C-Max platform.

As previously reported, we can also expect to see a production-ready concept version for a common replacement for the European Kuga and the U.S.-market Escape crossovers.

GMC

The star of this year’s GMC line-up will be the Sierra All-Terrain HD Concept. Powered by GM’s 6.6-liter turbo-diesel V8, which is capable of 397 hp and 1,037 Nm (765 lb-ft) of torque, the pick-up promises to be a trusty “workhorse”. The styling could preview the next generation of the Sierra which is expected to launch in 2014. The next Sierra will be one of the first trucks to shed weight in order to comply with new fuel economy standards.

Honda

The Japanese automaker will try to create as much hype as it can around a design study previewing the upcoming ninth-generation2012 Civic, scheduled to hit North American showrooms in March.

Hyundai

The crowds attending the Detroit Motor Show will get to see the production version of the Hyundai Veloster coupe, designed to compete with the Honda CR-Z. Powered by a 140 hp 1.6-liter gasoline engine with direct injection, the sporty Hyundai is expected to return up to 40 US mpg. According to Hyundai North America CEO John Krafcik, the Veloster will be released in 2011 as a 2012 model.

The Curb crossover concept, said to preview a new design language for the company, will be another highlight of the Korean maker’s stand.

Jeep

Jeep recently unveiled the 2011MY Compass crossover, a more upscale model featuring a Grand Cherokee-style nose-job and a $19,295 MSRP or almost $4,000 more than the 2010MY. Only time will tell if customers will find the improvements worthy of the heftier price tag, but until then they can see the updated version at NAIAS.

Kia

Aside from a teaser rendering, Kia hasn’t released much information about the KV7 crossover concept, but the bold lines and gullwing rear doors look neat.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes is expected to launch several new or refreshed models this year, but one of the most important vehicle is the face-lifted 2012 C-Class, which will bow in Detroit. Changes include exterior and interior revisions, while U.S.-spec cars will see the return of a four-cylinder engine in the form of a turbocharged 201 hp 1.8-liter unit, alongside a new, 300-horsepower 3.5-liter V6. Sales are expected to start in July.

MINI

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of its U.S. re-launch, MINI will present the Paceman coupe crossover concept. The design study teases an upcoming series model, which will strive to translate the X6’s success into a smaller niche.

Porsche

Porsche has recently confirmed that it will premiere a brand new model at the 2011 Detroit Motor Show, but it hasn’t released any information. The Detroit car could be anything from a 911 successor to the Cajun small SUV, but we’re secretly rooting for the production version of the918 hybrid supercar pictured here.

Toyota

Toyota’s 2011 Detroit line-up will be all about extending its Prius line-up. The list of new models includes the Prius Plug-in, a compact minivan, which, according to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filings, will be dubbed Prius V, and a Prius-branded concept car.

Volkswagen

The 2011 North American International Auto Show will mark the world premiere of the much-anticipated Volkswagen NMS (New Mid-sized Sedan) that will be built at the German maker’s new U.S. factory in Chattanooga, Tennesse. It will go on sale in the second half of the year.

By Csaba Daradics

Source [Sub. Req]: Autonew

Remember the original 1969 box office hit “The Italian Job” with British actor Michael Caine, who had to settle for a supporting role alongside a beautiful Lamborghini Miura, two Jaguar E Types and an Aston Martin DB4.


The real stars of the movie were three Mk1 Austin Mini Cooper S’s in red, white and blue, for England of course.

But truth be told, the Mini as it was known then, had already achieved global fame with owners such as, The Beatles (they each owned one), Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks and even Enzo Ferrari, couldn’t resist the super cool image and go-kart like handling, which the Mini delivered in spades.


It was pretty much the same scenario with the 2003 remake of the film, when heavy hitting Hollywood stars, Mark Wahlbeg, Ed Norton and Charlize Theron, joined the set of the heist movie, only to be out gunned by wheelman, Jason Stratham and three seriously modified MINI Coopers, who drove away with the gold.

Its been far too long since I’ve been behind the wheel of a MINI Cooper S, that was back in 2005 when I was lucky enough to get a steer in a ‘one off’ John Cooper Works Chilli edition, loaded with every possible JCW performance option they could squeeze into the car. I didn’t think it was possible to have that much fun on four wheels, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Former champion race driver Warwick Brown (he has a Formula One race to his credit) is not an easy guy to impress, but a quick spin in the passenger seat of this special MINI, and all he could say was “I want one now”.

But it’s not all about performance with this iconic brand; equally it’s about image and lifestyle, when we’re talking open-air motoring – by MINI.

BMW, the saviours and custodians of the MINI brand, has just introduced the Australian motoring press to the new MINI Cabrio in two flavours, the MINI Cooper Cabrio for $39,800 (RRP) and the ‘tuned’ MINI Cooper S Cabrio, at $48,000 (RRP).

While we didn’t get a steer in the stock MINI Cooper Cabrio, with its 88kW and 160Nm, no one complained, as we were greeted with a line up of MINI Cooper S Cabrio’s in a variety of colour-coded combinations.

We went for the Interchange Yellow with a Black Soft top and matching Interchange Yellow interior highlights. Our car also had the ‘must have’ bonnet stripes in black, which along with the bonnet-mounted intake; make this car a worry in anyone’s rear vision mirror.

MINI have gone for the classic soft top look, rather than the popular folding metal roof, which compliments the overall styling of the car, beautifully.

Not that its any less technical though, in fact, its quite a clever system, which takes all of fifteen seconds to open or close and can be done so while moving at up to 30km/h.

We put this feature to the test in rural Victoria yesterday, as we approached a rest stop, it started to rain quite heavily, so I hit the roof switch and we were under cover in no time at all.

With its integrated sliding action, the soft top also doubles as a sliding sunroof, but with little or no noise from the electro hydraulic components.

You can even option what MINI call an Always Open Timer (standard on Chilli models), which as the term suggests, times precisely how long you have the top down during each trip you make in the car.

Open-air motoring is about weathering the elements and enjoying that crisp cool air, so despite the lower than expected temperatures during the test drive, I strongly resisted the temptation to don my jacket, and with good reason.

Our MINI Cooper S Cabrio test car was fitted with the optional heated seats, which could have made a Siberian drive in the dead of winter with the roof down a joy; such was effectiveness of this bottom warming luxury.

And for your hands and torso, this is one of the best HVAC units I have experienced in any car, which made the 250-kilometre trip in short sleeves, entirely comfortable.

The sports seats with the optional Lounge leather in Hot Chocolate are a treat, hugely supportive and anatomically comfortable, even after hours behind the wheel.

You never feel cramped in the MINI Cooper Cabrio either, put that down to the relatively gentle rake of the windscreen, and the fact that is rises high above your hairline and far enough forward, so as never to intrude.

The instrumentation is a modern interpretation of the original Mk1 Mini Cooper, with the oversized centre mounted speedometer, which I found difficult to read at a glance, due to its lack of angle towards the driver, and relied more on the small digital speed read out within the RPM dial, in front of the steering wheel.

The driving position across the MINI line up is brilliant, you sit deep in the car and low to the ground, so its not hard to understand how this car gets its go-kart like handling tag, but frankly, there’s a lot more to it than simply the ergonomics.

The steering for example, is deadly accurate and very quick to respond to the slightest input, making it an enthusiast’s dream on the twisty bits.

 The brakes too, offer brilliant stopping power without being overly sensitive to pedal pressure, a common complaint across several different prestige brands these days.
It doesn’t matter how quick you turn into a corner there is no sign of body roll, not even a hint – this car is lean free, and that’s with the roof down!

Couple that, with what I am prepared to say, is the best performing 1.6 litre powertrain in use today and you have a car, which would put a smile on the face of an accountant from a shoe lace factory.
It doesn’t seem to matter what gear ratio you are in, punch the throttle and the MINI Cooper S Cabrio embarks on a high speed mission, utterly devoid of any turbo lag.

We can thank BMW know how for this silk smooth 1,598 cc all alloy power unit, boosted by a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct injection delivering 128kW at 5,500 and up to 260 Newton-metres between an incredible 1,600 and 5,000 rpm.

Even traveling across some winding and hilly countryside, you can sit back in fifth or sixth gear without the need to ever shift down, due in most part, to the MINI’s unusually wide torque curve.

The MINI Cooper S Cabrio will top out at 222km/h and accelerate from 0-100km/h in a reasonably rapid 7.4 seconds, although it felt quicker than that from behind the wheel.

There’s a relatively modest dose of torque steer when you jump on the right pedal in first gear, but its no cause for alarm and entirely normal behaviour from a front wheel drive car, with this kind of performance.

While the Six Speed manual gearbox and the beautifully tactile shifter is another highlight of the MINI, you can choose the six-speed automatic with Steptronic and steering wheel paddles, but that will cost you a $2,350 premium over the manual box.

It might have go-kart like handling, but the ride quality on board the MINI Cooper S Cabrio has been perfectly calibrated to take full advantage of the brilliant chassis and offers a firm, but never harsh ride.

As small as the MINI might look, there is enough room in the boot with the rear seats in place for a couple of medium size soft bags. But fold the rear seats down and close the roof, and luggage space is optimised to a considerable 660 litres.

Safety for those on board the MINI Cooper Cabrio range is clearly a priority. There’s a single piece rollbar, which extends the width of the car behind the rear seats, but does not impede the driver’s rear view. There’s also a sophisticated rollover sensor, which will activate a host of safety features including frontal and side head/thorax airbags together with the rollbar, which can deploy in 150 milliseconds, when fired.

The new MINI Cabrio also comes loaded with a full suite of active safety systems which include; ABS, EBD, CBC Cornering Brake Control, in addition to DSC Dynamic Stability Control and a great feature called Hill Start Assist, which prevents the car from rolling back when starting off in first gear, on an incline.

Weighing in at just 1230kg, I’m reasonably confident you can expect this high performance MINI Cabrio to achieve the published fuel consumption figure of 7.2l/100km (combined). After 250 kilometres of reasonably serious driving, we had used just one bar out of ten, on the fuel indicator.
Even better, if you choose the normally aspirated MINI Cabrio, using variable valve management based on BMW’s “Valvetronic” technology, which is said to use as little as 6.1 litres/100km.

But if the above fuel consumption numbers don’t measure up to your environmental standards, and you’re more leaf green than British Racing Green, then you might want to hold off for the new MINI Cooper D, which means you will be able to have the best of both worlds.

On sale in Australia in May this year, the “D” will provide buyers with a capability to travel up to 1,025km from a single tank of diesel (40 litres).

Moreover, CO2 emissions will fall to just 104 g/km, while the 1.6-litre turbo diesel powerplant produces a staggering 260Nm during “Overboost”, and will be the fastest accelerating diesel in its capacity class in the country.

“I seriously doubt whether there is any other car on the market priced below fifty thousand dollars, which offers more “cool” and “go” than the new MINI Cooper S Cabrio”.

In case the BMW X6 just doesn't make the cut for you, Status Design, a Moscow-based tuning shop, has launched a new kit package for the Bavarian crossover that bundles aero mods with performance upgrades.


The exterior aero package includes a body kit with side skirts, carbon fiber roof spoiler, front bumper with LED daytime running lights, carbon trim on the window surrounds, mirror covers and dual-kidney grille, and a new rear bumper that makes room for a pair of dual tail pipes and a carbon fiber diffuser. A set of 22-inch alloy wheels from Hartge complete the crossover's looks.


The Russian tuner also gives the X6's 3.0-liter straight-six turbo more grunt by modifying the vehicle's ECU and adding a sport exhaust system and sport air filter. These upgrades help lift output by 74HP for a total of 380-horsepower.
Status Design did not release pricing on the BMW X6 package, but if you're interested, you can visit their site by clicking the link below.

Source: Status Design