Dating to the 2008 Paris debut of its ConceptFascination show car, whose styling presaged the current E-Class, Mercedes-Benz has demonstrated a keen interest in the brake body style, which in strictest terms is a coupe with a squared-off back.

At the Beijing auto show, which opens to the news media later this week, Mercedes will unveil its Concept Shooting Break, a car that owes little to its Paris predecessor and even less to its nominal inspiration.

Aside from the spelling tweak, which is consistent with French convention versus the more common, British “brake,” the Beijing car did not start life as a traditional two-door coupe, as is typical of the body style. Instead the Concept Shooting Break expands on the Mercedes CLS, a four-door whose signature swept roofline has flaunted facile sedan-coupe labeling since 2004. That car’s D.N.A. is readily apparent in the Concept Shooting Break’s dramatic greenhouse arc and wraparound taillight array. The chopped greenhouse makes the beltline below the passenger windows appear remarkably high, creating a sinister if somewhat beefy profile stance.

What will likely inspire more debate, however, are the concept’s nose and tail, which also pick liberally from the Daimler family tree. The grille references the $200,000 2011 SLS AMG supercar, which in turn paid homage to the legendary SL gullwing racers of the early 1950s. The ample rear’s pedigree is less evocative, harking back to the R-Class crossover conceived under Daimler’s star-crossed partnership with Chrysler.

Motivating the concept is a forerunner of Mercedes-Benz’s new line of BlueEfficiency engines. The show car has a 3.5-liter, gas-burning V-6 rated at 308 horsepower.

While brand reps are tight-lipped about the concept’s production prospects, timing the debut for Beijing rather than the New York auto show a few weeks ago is significant.

“We sell an extended-wheelbase E-Class in China that’s very popular,” says Larkin Hill, a Mercedes-Benz spokeswoman, also noting that the automaker’s Chinese customers tend to be chauffeured. A luxury shooting brake with four doors, unencumbered by a high-zoot S.U.V.’s public-image baggage or a luxo-barge’s stuffy anonymity, could consequently be a marquee player in a big market.

Source (article): NYTIMES

Source (pictures): CARANDDRIVER

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If these barely disguised prototypes look familiar to you, it’s no surprise: This BMW X1 was already shown at last year’s Paris auto show under the rather unimaginative but BMW-typical “Concept X1″ moniker. Now BMW is testing prototypes on the Spanish island of Mallorca and releasing some details as the car is readied for its official launch later this summer. This will be BMW’s fourth size of SUV—sorry, “SAV”—after the X3, X5, and X6.

The elderly X3 is having an increasingly difficult time in a changing marketplace that now includes the Audi Q5 and the Mercedes-Benz GLK. The X5 and X6, on the other hand, have been getting flak for their politically incorrect appetite for fuel—even before BMW, in a somewhat incendiary move, added the over-the-top X5 M and X6 M.

Smaller than X3, but Only Slightly

To send out a good vibe to more socially minded SUV lovers, BMW has chosen to launch a smaller, lighter, more-efficient ute. Based on the company’s small rear-wheel-drive platform, shared with the 1-series and 3-series, the X1 is about 600 pounds lighter than the current X3.

The X1 tips the scales at about 3300 pounds, which is impressive, considering that all-wheel drive is standard, and that its exterior dimensions are not far from those of the X3. The X1 is 5 inches shorter in length and height and 2 inches narrower. We figure the next-gen X3 will grow slightly to better accommodate the X1 in the range.

Thanks to its lower profile, the X1 looks sportier than the X3. More important, with its lower center of gravity and lower weight, the X1 promises to handle and accelerate better as well. Inside, the dashboard resembles that of the 3-series, betraying that BMW dug into the corporate parts bin.

The Old Country’s Engine Buffet

Thanks to that vast parts bin, the X1’s engine choices are restricted only by marketing considerations, and not platform limitations. In Europe, the X1 will start as the xDrive20d and xDrive23d using two variations of the 2.0-liter turbo-diesel engine, rated at 175 hp and 201 hp, respectively. The xDrive28i—powered by the naturally aspirated, 3.0-liter straight-six rated at 261 hp—will also be available at launch. BMW will later add the xDrive18d and xDrive18i (both rated at 141 hp) as well as the 168-hp xDrive20i.

Performance will be passenger car–like, with the xDrive20d, 23d, and 28i topping out at 132 mph, 139 mph, and 143 mph; 0–62 mph takes 8.4 seconds, 7.3 seconds, and 6.7 seconds, respectively. Fuel economy is especially impressive for the diesel versions; the X1 23d gets 37 mpg in the wildly optimistic European cycle. BMW will later add a rear-wheel-drive version that gets over 47 mpg on that cycle. (EPA fuel economy numbers likely would be lower by about 30%.)

The X1 will be offered in Europe starting at about €30,000—that’s roughly €5000 less than a comparably equipped X3 and equivalent to $42,000. The undisguised model will stand at the Frankfurt auto show in September, with sales beginning shortly thereafter. BMW promises the X1 will come to the U.S. as well. It will be interesting to see how pricing is affected by production location, since the X1 will be built at the Leipzig, Germany, plant, while the next-generation X3 will be built alongside the X5 and X6 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This could result in well-equipped X1 prices approaching X3 territory, as is the case with the 1-series and 3-series today.

Aside from within the marque, there won’t be a lot of competition for this compact and sporty SUV. Closest will be the Volkswagen Tiguan and the upcoming Audi Q3, but the latter is still almost two years away.

Source (article): CARANDDRIVER

Source (pictures): CARANDDRIVER

Jeep rocked the house at this year’s New York auto show with its all-new 2011 Grand Cherokee. But that wasn’t the only news Jeep made that week, as it headed to Moab with a couple of extreme Wranglers to show at the 43rd Annual Moab Jeep Safari. Both were created by the Mopar Underground design team (formerly known as “Mopar Skunkwerks”), which is also credited with last year’s cool Jeep JT concept and, further back, the original Dodge Neon–based SRT-4.

Jeep Lower Forty

The most extreme-looking of the two is the Jeep Lower Forty. Resembling the caricatured offspring of a Jeep Wrangler and a dune buggie, the Lower Forty in reality isn’t all that wacky. In fact, other than the modified body and enlarged fenders, the most extreme aspect of the Lower Forty are the massive 40×13.5-inch tires mounted on Mopar-designed 20-inch forged aluminum wheels. Under the skin, the Lower Forty is little more than a stock, two-door Wrangler Rubicon with a raucous 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 supplying 380 hp and 404 lb-ft of torque—no suspension lift. “The team’s goal was to achieve added ground clearance without altering the vehicle’s center of gravity,” said Chrysler.

We guess that a low center of gravity was also part of why they chopped three inches of height from the windshield and increased its rake by 10 degrees. Other changes include a new domed carbon-fiber hood and a drop-down retro-style tailgate stamped with the Jeep logo. Inside, a shorter roll cage was installed, and the spare tire relocated to the cargo area, while the occupants, sitting on two-tone Katzkin leather seats, face a color-matched center console and instrument panel. Finally, the whole thing was painted “Red Eye No. 3,” which was custom-developed by the Mopar Underground team specifically for the Lower Forty.

The build team turned to the Mopar catalog for the vehicle’s mechanical upgrades. Beyond the 5.7-liter Hemi engine, the Lower Forty features a Getrag six-speed manual transmission. Mopar supplied a Dana 44 front axle and a Dana 60 rear axle, both equipped with 5:38 gears and Dynatrac-prepared ARB air lockers. We wholeheartedly approve.

Jeep Wrangler Overland

While the Jeep Wrangler has the “rock-crawler” market locked up as tight as its center differential in four-low, the “expedition” and “trekker” markets are all but ceded to Land Rover, which until very recently has offered larger, more practical, and far more comfortable vehicles to those that want to go not just anywhere, but everywhere. But now that the long-wheelbase, four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is here, a slog through a Belizean jungle or a camping expedition in New Mexico’s Rock Garden are possible as demonstrated by the super-versatile Wrangler Overland. It’s dolled up with a snorkel, a constellation of ancillary lights, and huge, 35-inch mudders at each corner, as well as a rigid painted roof and an all-new ARB two-person Simpson II rooftop-mounted tent and touring awning mounted to the cargo rack.

To increase cargo capacity for hauling gear, the Jeep Wrangler Overland’s rear seats were replaced with a flat, rubberized utility floor. The interior of the Jeep Wrangler Overland features water-resistant Mopar front-seat covers, slush mats, and a Daystar dash bin and lower switch panel.

A Mopar 2.5-inch suspension lift and a full-traction rear sway bar increase capability. American Expedition Vehicles’ steel bumpers are fitted front and rear and a Warn 9.5ti winch is bolted to the nose. And anyone that’s ever tried to push a winch-less Range Rover through two-foot-deep Belizean trail mud will appreciate that.

Working in Moab—Tough Gig

When asked about production feasibility, Chrysler spokesman Scott Brown admits that neither of these vehicles are destined for a Jeep showroom near you (“I don’t think you’ll see 40-inch tires from the factory,” he said wryly). Nonetheless, Chrysler maintains that the Mopar Underground design team is in the business of creating vehicle concepts meant to showcase performance parts, accessories, and customization possibilities. According to the chief designer at Chrysler’s Jeep/Truck design studio, Mark Allen, who oversaw the design of the Jeeps, “these vehicles are built with pride and passion for the Jeep brand by a small group of dedicated engineers, designers, and fabricators to explore and demonstrate the many facets of off-roading.”

As for introducing the concepts at Moab and not New York, it should be relatively obvious: “Moab Jeep Safari provides a great venue and works as a proving ground to test Jeep vehicle concepts driven alongside Jeep brand enthusiasts, who can provide immediate feedback at the event,” Allen said. “As a result, we use knowledge gained at this off-road event to explore new directions for Jeep platforms and to develop Mopar Performance parts and accessories to suit these vehicles.”

Source (article) : CARANDDRIVER

Source (picture): CARANDDRIVER