Peugeot Partner 2016

After putting press releases aside, try to find one text about this vehicle which doesn’t mention the fact that it’s Citroën Berlingo’s twin brother. Badge-engineered cars have existed for ages, but they were so desperate to make people believe they were different that most cases ended in failure. PSA’s duo, in turn, is a hugely impressive case because it contradicts both those tendencies: both multivans have always been honest about what they are, and have always been successful. Over these two decades, have they been discreetly establishing a new market rule without being noticed?

Audi R8 2

Sports cars usually have very different lifecycles from those of urban ones. Since the latter need to compete through the cost/benefit ratio, their improvements come in a “gradual” way, with several levels of partial updates. The first ones, in turn, have priorities which lead to shorter lifespans and complete reinventions. One of these is preserving a strong image in the market, and this is where Audi was starting to fail with its very first supercar. Now, R8 appears in an all-new generation carried with updates of all sorts, in order to make up for those eight years of its initial release.

Citroën Berlingo 2016

Who could have imagined that such tall, boxy family car not only would be competitive, as it would also become quite successful in two market segments? Well, this is how the very first multivan is getting prepared to turn twenty. Over the years, Citroën has strived to conciliate performing technical improvements to Berlingo as well as keeping intact most of the qualities which made it such an adorable automobile, and the results speak for themselves. In fact, this article, like this year’s Geneva Auto Show did, will show you the latest things they have to say.

Acura NSX 2

There have been concept cars, appearances at auto shows, several racing events, and the subsequent dozens of camouflaged prototypes being secretly photographed while being tested. After having had a sports car good enough to make people give up on Ferraris and Porsches – for much less money –, everyone knew it would be very hard for the Japanese automaker to refrain from attempting to recreate such great times. Besides, if “tradition” wasn’t strong enough, there’s always the argument that the latest years couldn’t have been better for big makers to release performance models.

Chevrolet Volt 2

Until the mid-2000s, the only modern-day electric automobile that actually reached people’s hands for everyday use was GM EV1, but with some restrictions. Toyota was already having good results with Prius, but this one is hybrid; the dream of zero-emission driving was yet to come true. Chevrolet’s first attempt to solve that came in 2011, some months after Nissan Leaf, and faced an environment that was as curious and hopeful as uncertain. Today, seeing the arrival of a whole new generation is a very nice indicator of how much has the automotive world changed ever since.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class 2015

For the standards of the automotive world, the minivan class has gone from rise to fall surprisingly quickly. The mid-eighties labeled Chrysler and Renault’s concoctions as revolutionary, while the nineties saw their expansion into several countries – under several brands. However, they were already mainstream cars in the 2000s, and now are seriously threatened by the crossovers. Some of the reasons why Mercedes-Benz’s sole representative has become one of the scarcing sources of hope for this vehicle category are precisely what the ‘2015 facelift has enhanced.

Venucia e30

Leaf is Nissan’s latest vehicle to enter the Chinese market after a change of badges. However, if R30 had some interesting changes compared to March, e30 features only a new front decoration – Venucia did not even change the wheel set. Nevertheless, it offers all the advantages of the electric propulsion, such as very low energy consumption and the possibility of full or quick battery recharge: the second option takes only five minutes and is enough for around 60 km. This car will cost 267,800 yuans and will go on sale in the entire country during the following months.

Denza EV

Do you remember the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? The car world has given several examples of it in the past decades, and not as euphemistically as one might think – they can go from new models cutting costs by using much older platforms to the Chinese copies, not to mention niche cars which turned into category founders (like Mercedes-Benz CLS). So what could be a better example of that than a “luxury minivan” which was based on the previous-generation B-Class and will be sold exclusively in China?

Mitsubishi Outlander 2015

Even though investing on a whole new project is usually the most desirable strategy for updating cars, one should never forget how important the simplest facelifts could become, too. After all, all-new cars tend to have abstract goals to accomplish, such as starting the company’s new design language or having some influence on its image. Partial updates, in turn, take advantage of their very nature to result more rational, which frequently proves itself the best solution for some cases. Mitsubishi’s mid-size crossover has become one of these.

Ford Focus Sedan 2015

Ford’s latest releases have been characterized for being splitted into multiple events. This strategy became very common among automakers in general, in the past few years, because it draws more attention from both press and public, but cases like EcoSport’s make the North-American company stand out in the crowd. When it comes to Focus, the ‘2015 debut started in Europe, during the Geneva Auto Show, and crossed the ocean to continue in New York. The good news is that this “second act” is not as predictable as you might be thinking.

Zinoro 1E

One of the first reasons why Chinese automakers gained worldwide attention was shameful. Many cars started to appear in the Internet for being explicit copies of foreign automakers’s models produced by local ones – not badge-engineering, but fake copies. The most famous example was the first QQ, which even led Chery to a legal fight with GM for being a copy of Matiz/Spark. If this article’s car gave you a déjà vu of that, there are two things to say. Yes, this is another copy. But, as surprising as it may seem, it’s actually a legal one.

BMW i3

Two years ago, such futuristic shapes looked like they wouldn’t ever come close to a production line. One year later, exposing the second concept car looking so much like to the previous one started to attract more lasting attentions from both the public and the press. And when the spy shots started to appear at the Internet… Well, the day has finally arrived. This compact hatchback will be officially launched in August and hit the streets only in November, but these waits don’t matter anymore. After all, here it is: the official information of BMW’s very first totally electric vehicle.

Volkswagen e-up!

Even though the official presentation (and subsequent sales start) will take place at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show, the German automaker couldn’t wait. Volkswagen’s 2013 Annual Press and Investors Conference gave a peek at what is expected to be its first fully electric vehicle. There are also plans for an e-Golf, but each one’s particular characteristics make them have very different purposes. While VW’s European dealers still can’t offer your own, how about reading more about the latest petrol-free hatchback?

Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell

After debuting at the last Paris Motor Show, Hyundai’s latest ecologic initiative had its production started at the South Korean plant. These pictures may show only a slightly redesigned version of this famous crossover, but the truth is this release earns huge importance simply by remembering of its historical context. This ix35 won’t even be offered to the public right now, but this article will show why it can be seen as part of the car industry’s next big step towards the non-pollutant vehicles.

Bolloré BlueCar

If you live in France, you’ve certainly not only heard about this article’s news as must be already thinking of buying this car. First, the French bicycle sharing program Velib’ has been so well-accepted that motivated the car variation, Autolib’. Now, after the vehicle sharing became very successful too, BlueCar’s automaker responded to that public’s wish and started to offer it on public sales. So how about meeting the retail version of what certainly has already become one of France’s most popular cars of nowadays?

Renault Kangoo 2013

Some months ago, everyone turned the spotlights to Mercedes-Benz and the latest member of its commercial vehicles’ line, the badge-engineered Citan. But this release also brought the memory that Kangoo, the French multivan whose project was used to create the German sibling, was completing four years at the current generation without having any style changes. Renault now takes the opportunity to give some updates which may not create design revolutions, but have a great importance to the car’s market position.

Volkswagen Golf 7 line

Even though the German automaker’s best-seller is offered in other bodies, the most famous one has always been the hatchback. Actually, the traditional Golf became the example to follow around the entire Volkswagen family, specially when it comes to debuting new styles and technologies. That’s why Golf’s seventh generation has received several exclusive versions, each one with modernity in a particular focus in order to attract new customers. This article will join all of them by alphabetic order.

Nissan Leaf 2013

If you’re still amazed with how many hybrid vehicles are seen in nowadays, it’s time to catch up: the fully electric vehicles have also became so popular that they’re already creating their very own competition, apart from the first kind of ecologically-propelled. Even though the EVs market is still composed mostly of one vehicle for each brand, many of them have similar prices and therefore aim to the same customers. This was Nissan’s precise concern when giving Leaf the updates that characterize its latest model year.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive

From every angle you look this car there’s something taking your attention. The stylish coupe design is already widely known, and so are the gullwing doors, but when you get used to the exclusive chrome blue painting, take a look at the front air intake. Its different design reveals this car is not an usual SLS, but this low-profile sign isn’t followed at all by this car’s performance. This new version has everything to add some new values to the current idea of electric vehicles, and at this article you’ll read why.

Renault Zoe

Lançado no último Salão de Genebra, é outro salão que marcará o passo seguinte do Zoe: suas vendas começarão em outubro, após o Salão de Paris. A Renault cada vez mais associa sua imagem à ecologia com o crescimento de sua linha de carros elétricos, cuja sigla ZE vem de Zero Emission. Mas este compacto tem um mérito particular porque é o primeiro carro dos franceses a ser projetado totalmente com foco na propulsão elétrica. Aqui você conhecerá um pouco mais sobre esse interessante hatchback.