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The upcoming Alfa Romeo 4C has been captured when undergoing testing in Italy. Lightly camouflaged, the production 4C remains true to the lines of the stunning concept that stole the show at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Compared to the concept, the road-going version has a re-designed hood, bigger mirrors and restyled headlights. It also appears to have wider front and rear windscreens which should improve visibility. The coupe is observed to be sitting very close to the ground. The Alfa Romeo 4C is expected to be powered by the 1750 TBI engine that develops over 200 bhp. Paired to a dual-clutch transmission, the lightweight coupe could go from 0 to 100km/h in less than 5 seconds before achieving a top speed of approximately 250km/h. The 4C is expected to debut at either the 2013 Geneva Motor Show in March or the Pebble Beach Concours d

Images of the 2014 Audi A3 sedan has been captured for the first time during its outdoor testing in Europe. The test car is covered up in black and white body decal but we can still make out the general shape of the car. As a direct competitor to the recently-launched Mercedes CLA, the styling of the production model follows closely to the concept that made its debut nearly two years ago at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The 2013 A3 sedan is expected to measure about 4.44m (L) x 1.84m (B) wide x 1.39m (H). This means Audi

Nissan's luxury division, Infiniti, has confirmed that a compact hatchback model is under development and will hit the market in 2015. The model will be the production version of the Etherea concept unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The new premium hatchback will be based on Mercedes-Benz's MFA platform that underpins the latest A-Class and B-Class. Engine details are limited at the moment but the car is believed to be offered with the same hybrid power train featured in the concept version. It may also borrow the existing range of turbocharged petrol and diesel engines from the A-Class. For readers' information, Daimler (Mercedes) and Renault-Nissan signed a multi-billion dollar tie-up in April 2010 to co-develop vehicle platforms, engines and components. The new model will be built at Nissan's production facility in Sunderland, UK. Investment costs will come out to be about

Pagani, that Italian automotive company that only recently burst into the supercar market has officially revealed the Huarya. The Pagani Zonda replacement's photos were released as a result of press leaks and ahead of its official unveiling at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. And what I cam say is that it shares the same silhouette as the outgoing Zonda with the exception of a blunt front end (whereas the Zonda was low and swoopy) and those nicely hinged gull-winged doors which the Zonda does not have. I suppose Pagani had to add those doors to improve the Huayra's 'wow' factor. This is certainly due to that bluff front end. The old Zonda looked perfectly proportioned, like a fabulous Group C racer with that short, low front end and that longish read end dominated by the space requirement of that AMG 7.3liter (in the more powerful Zonda variants). This Huayra, while named after the a god of wind lacks the delicacy of the older car. But Pagani wants us to know that this new car was designed with aerodynamics at the forefront. The front end adds cooling and the whole car has four aero flaps that is adjustable to improve downforce at speed. At least it retains the unique looking four exhaust tip setup from the Zonda which I totally love. Inside, the Huayra improves on the Zonda instead of taking a step backwards like the exterior. The leather, wood and aluminum trimming looks fabulous. It somehow manages to blend all of this into a cohesively beautiful package that somehow works. This is one of the reason why Pagani succeeded in breaking into the high end super car market. It has such a fabulous interior that outdoes most supercars (Ferrari and Lamborghini included) but it is not garish or too outrageous. And this new cabin adds bluetooth and touch screen entertainment for the driver (and passenger) to 'play' with. The Zonda weighed about 1,300kgs, which is light for a full borne supercar. The god of the wind however weighs about 120kgs heavier. This is I believe due to the fact that the car has added safety and comfort features as well as being totally homologated to meet the tight US automotive requirements. This is in spite of having a full carbon fiber monocoque tub, carbon ceramic brakes and lots of carbon fiber bits and pieces. The engine is still an AMG sourced one but this time it is a newly developed 6.0liter twin turbocharged V12 (instead of the earlier 6.0, 7.0 or the final 7.3liter V12 unit) that pumps out around 700bhp and 1000Nm of torque. All that power runs through an XTRAC seven speed sequential transmission mounted transversely behind the engine, much like the Zonda (hence the long rear deck). While no performance figures have been published, it is expected to get to 100km/h from rest in about 3.3 or so seconds and should max out at around 370km/h or 230mph. Car prices for the Huayra is expected to be in the region of 1 million Euro and production is scheduled to begin sometime in the middle of this year. Expect a Huayra landing on the island of Singapore by the end of the year or even earlier. The reason I mentioned this is that one of Pagani's largest markets for their Zondas is Singapore, with around 22 sold and delivered to various lucky individuals over here since it was launched in 1999. If you think that isn't that many you have to take into account that Pagani has only made about 117 or so Zondas since 1999. So will the Huayra's looks make it less popular than the Zonda over here? I wouldn't know. We'll have to wait for test reports to come out and see if it really takes the Zonda to the cleaners or not.

The 2011 Geneva Motor Show also brought out concept cars that have a real chance of coming true. One of these cars is the Suzuki Swift S-Concept, a concept car based on the latest Suzuki Swift hatchback that had only made its debut at the end of last year in several markets around the world (but surprisingly not over at this part of the world). This little hot hatch concept is a preview to what the next Suzuki Swift Sport will look like. And it is pretty tasty, although it does look too similar to the outgoing model. You get the same sort of bodykit with that similar slightly more aggressive front end compared to the basic Swift. You also get a similar Canary Yellow color that seems to suit the Swift Sport well. It also gets interior trimming that is like the outgoing Swift Sport, especially the high backed sports seats (by RECARO) and a similar looking, albeit slightly tweaked interior. This shows that the new Swift is actually an evolution of the outgoing model rather than a total revolution. Well, if it ain't broke, why fix it? The Swift S-Concept is based on the 2 door hatchback form that is sold over in Europe and since the car is already on sale over there, this is the model Suzuki based the S-Concept on. I suppose it is pretty easy for you readers to imagine how the bodykit would sit on the 4 door Suzy that we would eventually receive. The only real change that I can see is that the car is very slightly larger than its predecessor and the only way you can tell this is from the wheel size used by the S-Concept

In a post like this, I believe less words is preferred. Without further ado, let's feast with our eyes on the ladies of the recent 81st Geneva Motor Show!

Sometime today (1st March 2011) the Audi A3 Sedan Concept Car made its official debut but in true World Wide Web fashion, photos of the car have already been revealed. It has been a while since we had a small Audi sedan and Audi noticed it. When the A4 started gaining in bulk after the B6, B7 and now the nearly A6 sized B8 models, those that wanted something compact from them had to settle for the A3 Sportback. Not any more as for the first time after nearly a decade, we have an Audi sedan that is compact and good looking. It is presumably as small as the A4 B5 series that was first launched in 1994 and the show car looks like an RS3 Sedan instead of a bread and butter A3 hatchback (Yes, I know its called Sportback, but it IS a hatchback). Take a good look at the size of the alloy wheels, its lowered stance and the aggressive front end if you disagree with my thoughts. I have to again state, look at those rims! 20inches on an A3 sized car is definitely RS3 Sedan Concept car to me. In fact the engine gets the RS3 Sportback 4 cylinder 2.5liter turbocharged engine but with added firepower. The A3 Sedan Concept gets 402bhp instead of 334bhp. It weighs 1540kg and will do 0-100km/h in 4.1seconds. It is Porsche Cayman eating, but I would settle for 350bhp anytime as the car looks good. A good small sized Audi sedan, soon to be back after all these years. Well, better late than never.

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This must be the ugliest front end ever grace a concept car that is supposedly to replace a modern classic sports car from the 1980s. This is the Toyota FT-86 II Concept car that Toyota will put on display at this year's Geneva Motor Show and if you look at the rest of the photos in the press release you will find out that the rest of the car's pretty scary looking too. This FT-86 II Concept is the Toyota coupe that is being co-developed with Subaru. It uses a flat-four engine from Subaru together with a 6 speed gearbox. I'm sure the car will have optimum weight distribution and I am also sure that Toyota will ensure that the FT-86 will handle as well as the classic AE86 from the 1980s. The only thing I am now worried of is how the car looks. It isn't very flattering to say the least. It looks like a mash-up of various Toyota sports cars from days gone by. If you look again at the front directly you can see that it looks like the seventh generation T230 with a humongous Veilside Combat Mode front bumper. From the side you get the long bonnet from Toyota Supra twin turbo of the 1990s and from the rear you get a huge dose of Lexus LFA DNA injected into it. It could be seen like Toyota is trying a little too hard this time. They should have left it alone at the first concept car or at the FT-HV that I saw at the recent 2010 Kuala Lumpur Motor Show. I just hope they realise this and if they don't, I hope its handling makes it so fabulous to drive till people forget about how it looks.

Motor shows have always interested me, ever since I was a young kid. I mean, where else do you get such a huge collection of new cars in one place, all displayed on the floor for you to poke around and get up close and personal with? In the automotive media industry, motor shows too are huge affairs. This is normally where car manufacturers announce their latest offerings, or showcase concept cars that point the way to the future, or simply go crazy with their wacky design ideas. There's lots to take in really. Geneva's Motor Show, held annually in March, is probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest, motor show on the motoring calendar. 2011's Geneva Motor Show, the 81st edition to be held, will be open to the public from 3-13 March, with two press days on 1-2 March for the automotive media to get a sneak peek of what's on display. Looking through at what have been already announced, it seems that this year's show will feature a good number of supercars. With a number of them reaching replacement time, it seems like the supercar makers all chose Geneva to unleash their weapons. Starting with Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg, who thundered into Switzerland with their Agera R supercar, boasting of a whopping 1115bhp and a crazy roof box on top of it. Look at it! Not to be outdone, Lamborghini is launching the Aventador, the Murcielago's replacement. After days of having pictures of the supercar leak out through the press in the run-up to the show, Lamborghini decided to reveal it officially once and for all at a pre-show event on the eve of the show's opening. It certainly looks like a Lamborghini. Aggressive, low-slung and ready to eat you up if you provoke it. Another Italian supercar that is being replaced is the Pagani Zonda, and its place will be taken by the all new Huayra (pronounced "Wirer", apparently). It looks more like an evolution of the Zonda's design, and it may not be to everyone's tastes, but that's what supercars do. They polarise opinion. You either love them, or you hate them. Of course, the biggest name in Italian sports cars, Ferrari, would not want to miss the party. The Prancing Horse has, however, decided to take on a slightly different path, with its FF (Ferrari Four) Concept, which is likely to be the replacement for the 612 Scaglietti grand tourer. Its unique breadvan/shooting brake design is certainly distinctive, and the FF also features Ferrari's first ever four-wheel-drive system. Whatever it is, it will most definitely be a landmark car for Ferrari. Days before the event, Aston Martin pulled off a minor surprise when they announced an all-new model, the Virage. The British sportscar maker says that the Virage will slot in between the DB9 and the DBS in its range, but for the life of me I just can't see the point or tell the difference, as I've already talked about before. Of course, motor shows are not just about fast and expensive supercars. There are new product launches that are well within the reach of ordinary folk like us as well. I guess if there's any one brand that everyone is looking at now, it has to be Kia. The Korean carmaker is rapidly rising through the ranks in the automotive ladder with its bold designs and much improved quality, and Geneva sees Kia launching yet more cars to help continue its meteoric ascent. The biggest news from them has to be the new Rio family car, which looks like a massive leap from the current version, and seems to be more aligned with European tastes. The goalposts have certainly been shifted now for fellow Asian carmakers, if they want to catch up. There is also a replacement for its popular Picanto city car, which is now slightly more grown-up, losing its previous cutesy look for a slightly more mature design. Another family car, albeit a slightly larger one, that might interest local buyers is the Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback. Granted, most Singaporeans prefer a sedan with a proper boot, but this provides an interesting alternative to the family car scene. With fuel prices on the rise, and numerous environmental concerns in this 21st century world that we live in, carmakers are starting to offer new ways of providing propulsion for their products, to replace the gas-guzzling internal combustion engine. And so at Geneva, more than a few are showcasing electric or hybrid cars in their bid to 'save the world'. Leaving aside the usual suspects like Toyota, there are some electric or hybrid vehicles at Geneva coming from carmakers not usually known for their focus on efficiency or fuel economy. Porsche, which already has a Cayenne Hybrid on sale, is adding the Panamera S Hybrid to its range. Porsche claims that the Panamera S Hybrid is the most economical Porsche it has ever built, although that doesn't really say very much. Land Rover, more well-known for its tough, no nonsense off-roaders, is bringing along its Range_e diesel plug-in hybrid concept to Switzerland. While the Range_e has not been confirmed for production, the exercise should at least silence its detractors who complain about off-roaders being polluting and un-environmentally-friendly. Finally, from the most unlikeliest of sources, Rolls-Royce is unveiling the 102EX EV concept, or what is essentially an electric-powered Phantom. While the car is just a study for now, Rolls-Royce will use the 102EX EV to gauge customer reaction by bringing it on a world tour for tests. Which means that, more likely than not, the technology found in the 102EX EV will soon make its way onto production Rolls-Royce cars sooner rather than later. Those are just some of the highlights from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, and certainly there would be many, many more cars to whet your appetite that I have not mentioned. For any car nut, a visit to one of these motor shows would be something of a pilgrimage. I certainly hope that one day, I would be lucky enough to make a trip there on my own, to savour these cars in the flesh.

With a simple stroke of badge engineering, Fiat the Italian automotive giant, has effectively found its replacement for the ageing Ulysse MPV. One of the benefits of taking over an ailing American company, namely Chrysler (who surprisingly was once part of the Mercedes Benz comglomerate), is that Fiat has a cupboard full of fairly new cars for them to adopt, scrap, redesign or market. Hence the Dodge Journey rebadged (or mildly revised) into the Fiat Freemont. Set for launch at the upcomming 2011 Geneva Motor Show the Fiat Freemont brings in some Americana into the usually very Italian Fiat automotive group. I suppose it brings in more than a touch of sanity and boredom has usually we've come to expect quirky, zany and unique looking vehicles from Fiat, even if they are MPVs. Those that remember the Multipla would agree with what I am trying to convey here. I mean, take a look at the 'Freemont' name. It sounds like something run of the mill. From the Ulysse, which is very Greek Mythology to something from middle America. It's like going from Xena the Warrior Princess chic to maths teacher in a blink of an eye. The only differences that enable the Dodge Journey to turn into a Fiat Freemont are revised bumpers, a different grille and some LED rear lights. This is like watching a Mitsubishi Lancer turn into a Proton Inspira or a Toyota Passo into a Daihatsu Sirion. The only really chic addition aside from the nicer looking front bumper are the larger 17inch wheel setup. Compare this to the Dodge and the Fiat looks slightly better. But it still lacks that extra Latin flair in my opinion. It looks quite Japanese instead. A decent Mitsubishi Outlander/Airtrek look (if you squint) with some touches of a Kia instead of an Italian job. Come launch time, the Freemont people carrier will be powered by a 2.0liter Fiat Multijet diesel with 140bhp or 170bhp running through a manual gearbox to its front wheels. There will be an all wheel drive variant as well as one with an automatic transmission that will be launched at a later date together with a 276bhp 3.6liter V6 petrol powered flagship model. Expect it to be on sale in Europe in the second quarter of this year. Pricing has not been announced as yet and one now wonders. If you bought a Dodge Journey here in Singapore, could you buy the bumpers, the grille, the rear lights and slap on some Fiat badges? This would add from added flair to something remarkably dull. Especially with those undersized wheels in the original Journey displayed above. Or.....would you actually buy the Fiat variant if its brought in?