Mazda CX-5 officially released - full details inside

Mazda CX-5 has been tested by fellow journalist across other continent last month to sample the upcoming SUV. Journalists were impressed with the Skyactiv technology that cover both lighter bodyshell as well as advanced powertrain. Today, the smaller brother to CX-7 has been officially launched at Frankfurt Motorshow. The new compact crossover SUV is tagged as Advanced Driving Pleasure-First full implementation of Skyactiv Technology and KODO design language.

KODO design language is the epitome of Soul of Motion. The new Mazda design language, replacing the short-lived Nagare concept, was inspired by nature's power and beauty as well as the concept of object in motion. KODO concept is meant to emphasis vitality and agility. The new design language was previewed previously by Mazda Shinari concept and Mazda Minagi concept, which is faithfully morphed into CX-5 we see here, virtually identical.

For the front end, the new KODO design theme centered on new signature wing that emphasis strength and depth. The taut surfacing at the rear, emphasized by the flared wheel arch, signifying athletic and toughness. Prominent fender and sculpted body side profile personified the sense of power.

Full technical details and more photos after the jump.

Hyundai i30 motorshow photos

Hyundai has released technical details and studio photos of the their latest European hatchback challenger, the new i30 ahead of Frankfurt motorshow. However, those photos are very limited, especially on the rear end of the car. So here it is, photos from the floor of Frankfurt Motorshow.

Hyundai really makes beautiful car these days. While the Sonata and Tuscon were the pioneer of this fluidic design concept, its elements have been refined further in the Elantra and i30 where they are simply mindblowingly pretty, too pretty, in fact, for the mainstream automaker.

The car comes with 1.4l and 1.6l  engine, where both capacities come with petrol and diesel option. The petrol features direct injection system and the diesel version are of CRDi family variety. All four engines are hooked up to standard 6 speed manual gearbox, and the higher capacity duo of petrol and diesel gets the option of 6 speed autotransmission too.  More after the jump.

More details and photos of 2012 Honda Civic European Model

2012 Honda Civic has been formally launched at 64th Frankfurt Motorshow by Honda Motor President and CEO. Compared to yesterday news, there's now more information on the powertrain line-up and dimension of the the new car.

I am personally begin to appreciate the beauty of this new car. Despite the critics that is flooding many international car sites right now on the new car styling, I find it more pleasing that the last car. The previous Civic is a bit too avantgarde for me, with its transparent grille, triangulated parts and cutouts, it feels too Gundam-inspired. Perhaps we can lobby Honda Malaysia to bring this car as an additional variant. With 470l of boot space, this is as accomodating as the Civic sedan, as well as Toyota Altis. To prevent competition with CKD Civic Sedan here, perhaps they can import in niche variant only, maybe 2.2l diesel version. What say you?

The new Civic hatchback is 4300mm long, 1700mm wide and 1440mm tall. The wheelbase is 2595mm. Comparing to the old car, it is 45mm longer, 65mm narrower, 20mm lower and 40mm has been chopped from the wheelbase.

The engine line-up for the new Civic is petrol 1.4l (100bhp that return 5.4l/100km), 1.8l (142bhp that return 5.8l/100km) and the revised i-DTEC 2.2l turbo-diesel with 150bhp. The diesel powertrain returned a pocket-friendly 4.2l/100km.

More details and photos after the jump.

Subaru XV production model unveiled

Subaru has shown the concept version of its crossover-cum-SUV earlier this year. That basically is a production car with a very loud exterior paint, and a virtually production interior minus the touch screen centre console and glassy surface. Now , the mass production version bowed in at Frankfurt. Looks familiar? Yep you guess it right, the XV is actually a jacked-up Impreza 5DR, with greater ground clearance and Subaru trademark AWD drivetrain.

The crossover has an "Urban Adventure" design concept, with consists of tough SUV-like exterior with features such as high ground clearance (220mm) and cladding around the wheel arches. The interior is re-configurable to maximise space utilization and features 4.3" color LCD. Overall impact is meant to create an enjoyment in urban lifestyle that combined greater fuel efficiency, driving pleasure and strong styling presence. More after the jump.

Updated Honda Insight revealed

Honda has revealed the 2012 model of its hybrid model, the Insight, at the Frankfurt Motorshow. Essentially just a minor nip and tuck to enhanced the aesthetic and refinement of its hybrid baby.

Honda has updated the fascia cosmetic on both end. The front end gets a blue tinted headlamps, perhaps further accentuate its environmental credentials. The grille and front lips has been sharpened up. At the back, the spoiler has been revised to enhance visibility and the tailgate garnish has been re-colored as grey as opposed to body color.

The hybrid drivetrain remained a familiar IMA unit, but some minor tweaking has given the 1.3l i-VTEC an improved mileage and lower CO2 emission. More photos after the jump.

2012 Honda Civic Euro revealed in Frankfurt

The new Honda Civic for European market has been revealed at Frankfurt Motorshow. The new car marks a progression of previous futuristically-design Civic Euro, with an added refinement, aerodynamics and occupants visibility. The car is still based on current generation platform, with the wheelbase shortened by 30mm. But Honda promised class-leading interior space as well as vast 470l of boot space by efficient packaging. Heavily revised torsion beam rear suspension and central mounted fuel tanks are concept carried from outgoing model and the key to efficient packaging.

The new Civic retained its predecessor proportion, but the exterior body panels has been totally redesigned.  The previously clean and taut surface, punctuated by straight lines and sharp angle intersection has been replaced with smoother, more creases and with more character. Honda designer said they were inspired by aircraft blended wing concept, but those from aeronautical world will surely struggle to find the similarities. Lets just say the new car has less sharp angle panel, reduced straight panel and replaced with curvier surface that meets other panels with bigger radius, and hence more "blended". Anyhow, the new design has a drag coefficient of 0.27. More details after the jump.

Audi Urban Concept revealed in Frankfurt

In the media presentation at Frankfurt motorshow, Audi revealed not one, but two if its Urban concept car. The Urban Sportback is a fixed roof version, albeit the canopy roof can be slide rearwards to access the futuristic cabin. The Urban Spider on the other hand has a upwards swing door, enclose by low height fixed glass.

Both cars are 3219mm long, 1678mm wide and 1189mm tall for Sportback, the roadster could be a little lower due to lack of roof. Both are powered by electric drivetrain, truth to the concept car of 2011! The car above is the Sportback, while the bottom one is the Urban Spider. More photos and details after the jump.

Jaguar C-X16 Concept

Jaguar has unveiled the concept C-X16 coupe ahead of Frankfurt Motorshow. The sleek two seater sparked the rumour of new sportscar below the XK model range, competing with the likes of Porsche Cayman.

The stunning concept car is the work-of-art of Ian Callum. It draws inspiration from current XK and C-X75 Concept, with flowing bodylines, somethings Jaguar is famed at.

The car is built on the shortened next generation XK platfrom and powered by hybrid powertrain consists of next generation of Jaguar engine, 3.0 litre V6 supercharged gasoline combined electric motor integrated with 8 speed automatic gearbox driving the rear wheel. The gasoline engine produced 380bhp of power and 450Nm of torque while the electric motor boosts further 95bhp and 235Nm of power and torque. More photos and details after the jump.