The United States has lost its influence at the head of Alfa Romeo’s design team, just months ahead of the Italian brand’s official return to North America.

Frank Stephenson, 49, the multicultural American who has guided Alfa Romeo’s styling department to the triumphs of the 8C Competizione and the Mi.To hatchback, has parted ways with the company.

Stephenson confirmed to AutoWeek that it was his decision to leave Alfa Romeo, but he did not want to comment on his reasons.

“I have a few things I am looking at now, but I don’t want to go into them, but it’s something that I have instigated,” Stephenson said.

continue reading "Alfa’s American design chief steps down:"

Before its unveiling at the Frankfurt show in September, the 1 Series coupe had been one of the most talked-about new models from BMW in quite a while. And with good reason. Here’s a car promising a leaner and more agile driving experience than the larger, more expensive 3 Series coupe, a car we hold in high esteem.

Further heightening expectations for the new baby BMW was the news that it would use Munich’s superb twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter gasoline engine in top-of-the-line 135i guise. With 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, the inline six-cylinder packs the sort of punch you’d expect from a small V8–this in a car running BMW’s traditional longitudinal-front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Can you blame us for counting the days until we could drive it?

continue reading "BMW 135i: Sweet one: BMW makes a big statement with its small 1 series"

Posted: 12.53pm, 5 December 2007

So what’s the A3 cabrio like in the metal?Not bad. It gets the latest Audi family face, though you’ll have to pay extra for the outta-my-way LED daytime running lights. The rear lights are nice, too, but to make sure the A3 doesn’t shake itself to death there’s lots of extra reinforcement which will stunt performance figures.

You’ll also have to pay to get a fully automated roof on your A3, but it will fold away in nine seconds, and at speeds up to 18mph.

continue reading "Audi A3 Cabriolet"

Posted: 5:15pm, 3 December 2007

You can’t beat a big Volvo estate…Yes, Volvo’s current line-up may run from funky sports hatchback to chunky off-roader, but its core model is the still the V70 big family estate. Since it introduced the PV445 in 1953, Volvo has utterly dominated the premium estate market in the UK, seeing off Audi, BMW and Mercedes with a car brought by drivers more concerned with safety, versatility and comfort than outright image and premium badging. The best-selling V70 may dominate Volvo’s sales charts, but it’s the soft-road XC70 model that’s always been the more interesting car.

continue reading "Volvo XC70 D5"

Posted: 11.23am, 30 November 2007

Audi A3 cabriolet: the lowdownAudi today whisked the covers off the A3 soft-top - an intriguing car that’s arrived very late in the current car’s lifecycle. Audi hopes the Cabriolet will inject some new life into the A3 family, and this is the first glimpse we’ve seen of the minor facelift due on the three- and five-door hatchbacks.

The cabrio is based on the three-door,
continue reading "Audi A3 cabriolet unveiled"

Posted: 1.26pm, 26 November 2007

Hmm. It looks a bit better than the old carIt does, doesn’t it? Out goes the old cat’s arse grille, to be replaced with something altogether neater. There are new bumpers front and rear, a new bonnet, front wings and light units. The intention was to give the Picanto a family resemblance to its big brother, the Cee’d hatchback. Not sure about those bug-eyed headlights, though.

Tidied
continue reading "Kia Picanto 1.1 Ice"

Posted: 2:28pm, 8 November 2007

Ford Focus ST500: the lowdownFord is a past master of doing limited editions, and there have been any number of Fiesta, Escort and Mondeo specials over the years. Now it’s the turn of the soon-to-be-refreshed Focus hatchback - and specifically the ST hot hatch.

Just 500 ST500 models will be made, presumably to shift the outgoing model before the new one arrives this winter. It’s based on the top-range ST3 model, with a number of cosmetic tweaks to make it stand out from the crowd. No day-glo orange paintwork here, either - all the special editions will be metallic black with silver stripes over the bonnet and roof, ‘to echo the livery of the winning GT40 in the 1-2-3 victory at Le Mans in 1966. Right.

continue reading "Ford Focus ST500"

Posted: 2:28pm, 8 November 2007

Ford Focus ST500: the lowdownFord is a past master of doing limited editions, and there have been any number of Fiesta, Escort and Mondeo specials over the years. Now it’s the turn of the soon-to-be-refreshed Focus hatchback - and specifically the ST hot hatch.

Just 500 ST500 models will be made, presumably to shift the outgoing model before the new one arrives this winter. It’s based on the top-range ST3 model, with a number of cosmetic tweaks to make it stand out from the crowd. No day-glo orange paintwork here, either - all the special editions will be metallic black with silver stripes over the bonnet and roof, ‘to echo the livery of the winning GT40 in the 1-2-3 victory at Le Mans in 1966. Right.

continue reading "MG TF delayed"

Posted: 10:55am, 25 October 2007

You’re not telling me that Mazda is about to launch a car with out-riggers and a freaky body, are you?Yes. And no. Mazda has played with its ‘nagare’ design concept over the course of 2007, with a steady stream of concept cars inspired by the natural rhythms of nature. Waves, winds, that sort of thing. And the latest, the gracefully swooping Taiki, is indeed named after a Japanese wind.

continue reading "Mazda Taiki unveiled"

Six weeks after Frankfurt, where Volkswagen revealed plans for a radical new rear-engined, entry-level model with its well-received Up concept car, VW has pulled the wraps off a similarly conceived compact at the Tokyo motor show.

The new four-seat multi-purpose vehicle-called the Space Up-is the second of three rear-engined models being prepared by the German carmaker for sale in major world markets. The third model in the Up family will be unveiled at the Los Angeles show in November, fueling speculation that the new small car will be sold in North America.

The Space Up is longer than its more conventional Up sibling, a stretch achieved by lengthening its wheelbase. Even so, VW’s latest concept is still shorter than its smallest and most affordable offering today, the Brazilian-built Fox.

continue reading "VW ups the ante with Space Up concept:"