All-New Hyundai i20

Hyundai has released the first images of the All New i20, ahead of its world premiere at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show this week.

The new model features refreshed styling, enhanced standard vehicle equipment and the lowest CO2 emissions of any conventional powertrain car on sale today, at 84g/km.

The new 1.1-litre, 3-cylinder ‘U-II’ diesel engine generates 75 ps and when mated to Hyundai’s Blue Drive technologies, this derivative emits just 84 g/km of CO2 - a figure lower than any other car with a conventional powertrain. 

This ground-breaking new engine will also be offered alongside another sub-100 g/km diesel and with Blue Drive technologies, the upgraded 1.4-litre ‘U-II’ 90 ps engine emits 96 g/km.

Hyundai releases first images of All-New i20

The All New i20 sees the introduction of Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture form language to this popular supermini and includes the company’s signature hexagonal grille and new headlamp units.  The All New i20 gets a more contemporary profile for the front and rear bumpers, a new sculpted bonnet and new wheel designs as well.

Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai Motor Europe commented, “The i20 has been very popular with European buyers since it came to market in 2009, thanks to its combination of efficiency, quality, practicality and value.  With an enhanced engine line-up that includes the lowest CO₂ emissions for a conventional powertrain, and sharper styling influenced by fluidic sculpture, the All New i20 will appeal to a broader range of buyers, including younger consumers.  The assurance of our industry-best, comprehensive Five Year Triple Care package makes the All New i20 an even more attractive proposition.”

Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Hyundai is set to showcase their new Veloster Turbo at the Geneva Motor Show with power output increased to 186 ps and an increase in low-end torque. This is the first Hyundai application of their new 1.6-litre T-GDI engine which has also been re-tuned to suit European driving tastes

The new turbocharged version of the 1+2 door Veloster sports coupe has a high-compression, twin-scroll turbocharger and in European specification, this new T-GDI unit generates 186 ps and 270 Nm of torque.  

The Veloster Turbo accelerates from 0-60 mph in just 8.4 seconds (manual) compared to the 9.7 seconds (manual) of the regular Veloster and exact CO2 emissions and fuel economy figures for the new Veloster Turbo will be announced nearer to its UK launch.

It features unique front and rear bumpers and foglights, a new rear spoiler and grille, new 18-inch alloy wheels with chrome inserts, projection headlights with LED headlight accents, and its own unique LED tail-lights.  

The Veloster Turbo will also come with Hyundai’s Five Year Triple Care assurance, a combination of a five-year unlimited warranty, five years of roadside assistance and five years of vehicle health checks.

Tony Whitehorn, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor UK, commented: “UK drivers tend to prefer more torque from a lower engine speed, so our European engineers have specified a set-up that still provides a substantial increase in power – up from 140 ps to 186 ps – while also delivering the desired low-end torque.  The resulting package is very competitive against the performance of competitors such as VW Scirocco and Vauxhall Astra.”

VolkswagenCross Coupe Concept

Volkswagen is unveiling its new Cross Coupe Concept at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The Cross Coupe has been shown previously at the Tokyo Motor Show but this latest model has an even more frugal plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

The Cross Coupe Concept is powered by a turbodiesel direct injection engine (TDI) and two electric motors with a combined fuel consumption around 157 mpg.

This translates into CO2 emissions of just 46 g/km, which is remarkable in a powerful SUV that has a top speed of 137 mph, 306 PS of power and a kerb weight of 1,858 kg.

SEAT Toledo concept

SEAT presents its new Toledo Concept which combines the proportions of a classic saloon car with a sporty, almost coupe-like design.

The next generation of the SEAT Toledo will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next week and its design language is a further development of the now characteristic SEAT sporty design. The car has a powerful and solid stance, clear surfaces and lines, and has the new headlamp form that is now a signature feature of SEAT’s new design DNA.

This new Toledo Concept offers the spaciousness and usability of a five-door hatchback, within compact dimensions and the series-production version on which it is based will begin to reach dealers in Spain later this year.

SEAT Toledo concept

It measures 4.48 metres in length and has a generously proportioned interior for five people, a luggage compartment of more than 500 litres and the convenience of a large rear hatch and folding rear bench. 

James Muir, President of SEAT, S.A. said: ‘The SEAT Toledo Concept illustrates our idea of the perfect mid-range car.  It is an excellent combination of emotional design, top-level usability and dynamic driving characteristics. The subsequent production model, our new Toledo, will write a whole new success story with its clear SEAT identity, its excellent quality standard and exceptional value-for-money”.

Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Jaguar has released the first images of their new XF Sportbrake before its official unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show next week. This is a new model based on the XF platform and offers a maximum load volume of 1,675-litres

However there has only been a small increase in weight and footprint and hence you have a chassis structure that equals the rigidity of the saloon, so that the XF Sportbrakes retains the handling characteristics of the conventional XF saloon.

The strong silver signature line running the length of the car is extended while the C-Pillar is finished in gloss black, a design feature shared with the XJ saloon. Slim rear light units extend into a strong chrome crossmember and the result is a car that blends style and function with the rear seat occupants also benefitting from 48mm of extra rear headroom.

The large tailgate can be specified with power struts, opening to reveal a wide and highly versatile load space for the family. It offers 550-litres with the rear seats up, and 1675-litres with the seats folded.

New Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Standard equipment on the XF Sportbrake includes remote fold levers that are mounted within the boot area to lower the rear seats. In addition, powerful LEDs throw a pool of light onto the ground when the boot is open, while the tailgate itself features a soft close function as well.

The boot floor has a panel that splits into three sections to allow smaller loads to be neatly wedged in and to avoid your precious or fragile cargo being thrown about. It has self-levelling air suspension that offers superb driving dynamics and means the Sportbrake can also serve as an accomplished tow vehicle if required.

The Jaguar XF Sportbrake will be powered by a range of efficient yet powerful diesel engines in 2.2-litre four cylinder and 3.0-litre six-cylinder, both directing drive through the rear wheels via an advanced eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Vehicle prices and specifications will be announced nearer the time of the launch of the XF Sportbrake,  which looks set to take place in the third quarter of 2012.

Jaguar contract hire on the current Jaguar model range is on the site now.

New Golf GTI Cabriolet

The most powerful production Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet will be unveiled next week at the Geneva Motor Show and packs all the performance and practicality of the GTI hatchback while adding the pleasures of open-air motoring for four.

The car has an electrically powered fabric roof which can be folded away in just 9.5 seconds, even while travelling at speeds of up to 18 mph, which is handy if the rain starts falling while driving along.

The new Golf GTI Cabriolet has classic GTI design cues with the radiator grille featuring its honeycomb structure with red edging and of course the iconic GTI badge.

The front bumper incorporates a deep honeycomb air dam and distinctive vertical fog light while side sill extensions give the GTI a wider stance, plus it comes with 17-inch ‘Monza’ alloys as standard. At the back, the rear diffuser is framed by a chrome tailpipe on either side and smoked LED headlights to complete the look.

New Golf GTI Cabriolet

Inside the cabin under the fully automatic insulated roof are four individual seats covered in classic tartan ‘Jacara’ cloth upholstery. ‘Vienna’ leather upholstery is a cost option. 

The GTI multifunction steering wheel, handbrake and gear lever gaiter are covered in leather, all finished with contrasting red stitching, while the pedals have brushed stainless steel caps. Black ‘Edge’ decorative inlays feature on the doors and facia and the hood lining and roof pillar trims are also finished in black.

The car is powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine found in the GTI hatchback, mated to either a standard six-speed manual gearbox or optional six-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox, producing 210 PS.  The  0 to 62 mph sprint is covered in 7.3 seconds with either transmission (compared to 6.9 seconds for the hatch), while top speed is 147 mph (146 mph for the DSG).

The GTI Cabriolet comes with automatically deploying rollover protection, front and side head/thorax airbags and a driver’s knee airbag as standard. These safety features helped it achieve a five-star (96 per cent) rating for adult occupancy in its Euro NCAP crash tests.

It goes on sale in the UK in the second half of the year and Volkswagen car leasing prices and further specification details will be announced closer to the on-sale date.

Ferrari F12berlinetta

Ferrari has just unveiled their new F12berlinetta online before its official launch at the Geneva International Motor Show this month.

The F12berlinetta is finished in an attractive new Rosso Berlinetta three-layer colour, representing the very cutting-edge of mid-front-engined sports cars and this new Ferrari is the most powerful and high-performance Ferrari road car ever launched.

This F12berlinetta has a 20 per cent increase in structural rigidity while reducing its weight to just 1525 kg (70 kg less than the previous V12 coupe). It has a 6262cc V12 engine delivering superb performance and revs for a naturally-aspirated 12-cylinder and is mated to the F1 dual-clutch transmission.

Ferrari F12berlinetta

Fuel consumption has been reduced by 30%, with CO2 emissions at 350 g/km, which put the F12berlinetta at the top of the high-performance league for supercars. 

The F12berlinetta’s impressive technical specifications include Active Brake Cooling, latest generation carbon-ceramic brakes (CCM3), uprated suspension control system (SCM-E), plus its control systems (E-Diff, ESP Premium, F1-Trac, and high-performance ABS) are all fully integrated.

The result of all this power and weight reduction is that the F12berlinetta sprints from 0-62mph in 3.1 seconds plus it can also complete a lap of the Fiorano circuit in 1’23”, faster than any other Ferrari road car. 

Inside the new F12berlinetta

This new Ferrai coupe has sleek, aggressive lines concealing exceptional in-car space and comfort. Inside, the new car has all-new Frau leather interior and sophisticated, handcrafted detailing, while in the middle of the light and lean dashboard, there are new carbon fibre and aluminium air vents clearly inspired by the aeronautic field.

There is additional luggage capacity behind the seats, which can also be easily reached thanks to the large opening offered by the tail-gate. The Human Machine Interface approach of Ferrari is also emphasised, bringing all the major commands within immediate reach of the driver to guarantee maximum ergonomics for the most involving driving experience.

All new Volvo V40

Volvo will reveal its all-new V40 at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March. The all-new V40 has sharpened features and characteristics from larger Volvos in the range, all wrapped up in a sleek, compact package.

Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation, said,”The all-new V40 is the first new model that is fully developed according to our human-centric, Designed Around You strategy. Charged with an outstanding set of high-tech features it definitely will give our toughest competitors a headache”.

The all-new V40 has class-leading driving dynamics and the engine range spans from Volvo’s first diesel with CO2 emissions of just 94 g/km to the turbocharged T5 petrol engine with 254 hp and an acceleration time from 0 to 62 mph in 6.7 seconds. All engine versions feature Volvo’s start-stop and braking energy regeneration, in either manual or automatic gearbox.

As with all Volvos, safety features are paramaount and the all-new Volvo V40 has a groundbreaking Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake and several other new features, including a pedestrian airbag, Lane Keeping Aid with haptic auto steering, and Park Assist Pilot that makes parallel parking easy.The car also comes with the City Safety low-speed collision avoidance system that now operates at speeds up to 31 mph (currently 19mph on other models).

The car will be built in Volvo Car Corporation’s plant in Ghent, Belgium and production of the all-new Volvo V40 starts in May 2012.

Citroen DS4 Racing Concept

Citroen is set to debut its new DS4 Racing concept at the Geneva Motor Show, a car that has been developed by Citroen Racing, Citroen’s seven-time WRC winning motorsports division. This powerful concept emits a remarkable 256bhp yet only generates CO2 emissions of 155g/km.

The DS4 Racing has a lowered chassis, wider track, more powerful brakes, larger 19-inch wheels and features new carbon fibre components including an air diffuser, front splitter and wheel arch extensions. It is powered by a 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine, providing up to 256bhp, which is a record for a Citroen series production car.

The DS4 Racing concept has a textured-effect matt grey paint, which catches the light to further enhance the lines of the car and further exterior refinements include a two-tone roof and two-tone wheels with a special DS4 Racing design.

BMW M135i Concept

BMW’s M135i Concept will be showcased at this year’s Geneva Motor Show in March and this new BMW concept features a straight six-cylinder petrol engine, with the sporty looks of the new BMW 1 Series.

The straight six-cylinder petrol power plant features M Performance Twin Power Turbo technology, with a power output of more than 300 hp creating a dynamic drive, in conjunction with BMW’s rear-wheel drive, a concept still unique in this vehicle’s class.

The characteristic handling precision of BMW M Performance automobiles is achieved through model-specific suspension technology that includes the M sports braking system plus 18-inch M light alloys with a double spoke design complements the concept car’s sporting character.

The front apron of the car boasts a typical M design, with its large air intakes designed to match the cooling requirement of the powerful engine, other ancillary components and its large brakes. The specific design of the rear end of the BMW Concept M135i emphasises the vehicle’s width and the exhaust system’s double tailpipe features a dark chrome trim.

We do have the full range of BMW 1 Series current models on the site now on BMW Car Lease, if you are interested in getting a new BMW vehicle.