Men Free Blog

Lamborghini’s lofty “new world” teaser has set the Internet on fire with rumors and innuendo, but after some coaxing from InsideLine, an unnamed Lambo exec has denied several speculations and brought about the most obvious conclusion.

Lamborghini’s surprise for the Paris Motor Show won’t be a retro exercise like the 2006 Muira concept, nor will it be a successor to the LM002. Forget about more Versace editions or Superleggera variants. No. It’s most likely a sedan, following the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide into the uncharted waters of four-door supercars.

The project, which began less than five months ago and was given the go-ahead by Lamborghini bosses (independent of Ingolstadt), could share the Audi A8’s architecture with a front-mounted V10 or V12 engine aft of the strut towers for a front-midship arrangement. A V6 isn’t likely, but a next-generation V8 could be equipped on entry-level models. There’s no indication about how power will be delivered to the wheels, but all-wheel-drive seems plausible considering Lamborghini’s recent offerings.

IL’s source at Lamborghini was insistent that the Panamera’s underpinnings wouldn’t be used, going on to say that, “Lamborghini is at a point where we can set off in new and plausible directions with the entire brand image. In a sense, we need to be able to tell customers what they ought to like about our brand. We’re the experts.” Since no one has claimed the title of “expert” super-sedan manufacturer, we’d say that Lamborghini has a good chance of owning it.

Saab unveiled the 9-X BioHybrid Concept hatchback last March at the Geneva Motor Show, and it will be joined next month at the Paris Motor Show by this: the 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept. Both vehicles are said to herald the coming of a production Saab 9-1 small car, but the 9-X Air goes a step further and replaces the original concept’s closed roof with a flat-folding canopy top that’s said to celebrate the brand’s history in the convertible building business. Aside from that, the concepts appear to be almost identical right down to sharing the same turbocharged 1.4L Saab BioPower engine producing 197bhp. We’ll bring you more pics and info of the Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept straight from the show floor in Paris next month.

We’ve just gotten confirmation that Infiniti will equip its European FX series crossover with the 330 hp, 3.7-liter V6 (VQ37VHR) and it’s slated to make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show next month.

Infiniti has decided to only offer the 3.7-liter V6 on its range of vehicles abroad, and there are no plans to bring the FX37 Stateside.

Infiniti’s crossover will be available in both FX37 GT and FX37S versions, with 0-60 times in the 6.8-second range and a top speed of 145 mph. Standard equipment includes 20-inch alloys, Scratch Shield paint, all-wheel-drive, xenon headlamps and a seven-speed automatic gearbox controlled via steering wheel-mounted paddles. The FX37S comes equipped with 21-inch wheels, sports seats and Continuous Damping Control.

The new Fiat Fiorino Qubo is a new multi-purpose vehicle that looks a bit like Kermit the Frog with a massive under-bite. Judging from the photos supplied by Fiat, it’s a great vehicle for surfer dudes with hot girlfriends and families with dogs. Considering its got dual sliding doors and airy cockpit, we can imagine that the young guys and gals towards which it’s marketed can find plenty to do with the MPV. Think of it as a very Italian Honda Element. Anyway, there are some nice details here, including an interior with six possible seating configurations — all for a 13,000 euro starting price, which translates to about $18,500 in the States. Two engines are available, a 73-horse 1.4-liter gas-powered four and a 1.3-liter oil-burner with 75 horsepower along with a five-speed stick or six-speed “robotized” automatic. We expect to see the Qubo in person at the Paris Motor Show, soon after which folks in Europe will actually to get to buy one. Read the whole press release after the break and check out the gallery below to view more beautiful people having fun with the Qubo.

Hyundai will have a full display at this year’s Paris Motor Show next month, and front and center will be a new subcompact to replace the Getz called the i20. With availability set for sometime early next year, the i20 features five doors and a longer wheelbase than the outgoing Getz, which means there’s more space for passengers inside. Its styling was penned in Germany at Hyundai’s European Design Centre, and that’s a good thing as the i20 is one sharply dressed econo car. Unfortunately, the i20 was designed specifically for European tastes, and like the Getz, won’t be making an appearance in the U.S. anytime soon.

Accompanying the new i20 in Paris will be the i20 i-blue concept, a high-mpg concept version of the production car that can achieve 68 mpg on the Euro cycle, as well as a hybrid Sante Fe concept and new ix55 sport ute based on the Veracruz. We’ll be in Paris next month to watch it all go down, so stay tuned.