Shanghai's Auto China 2013 Motor Show

It might not be apparent (yet) to your average car buyer, but gearheads and auto journalists have surely noticed the growing importance of China's motor shows over the past few years.

Not too long ago, we often monitored events like the Auto China Show only for its bizarrely styled creations from manufacturers we had never heard before and which many times resembled or blatantly copied designs from western carmakers.

True, odd-looking cars and clones continue to be part of the allure of China's motor show scene, but nowadays, we're also treated to a number of significant world premieres, which will only increase in the coming years.

Being that today is the last day of the 2013 edition of the bi-annual Auto China Show in Shanghai that alternates with the Beijing Auto Show, and even though we've mentioned all the important world debuts such as the BMW X4 study, the Ford Escort Concept and the Maserati Ghibli, we thought you may want to take a photo tour of the event and check out what else was on display at the show.

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New Octavia Combi 4x4

Following the world premiere of the new Octavia Combi at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Skoda has released information about the 4x4 variants of its station wagon that are now fitted with an updated AWD system featuring the latest-generation Haldex 5 clutch.

Of the 124,500 Skoda Octavia estates sold last year in Europe, almost 20 percent were all-wheel drive versions, with the ratio being even higher in Scandinavian and Alpine countries (61 percent in Norway, 55 percent in Switzerland).

The upgraded all-wheel drive system has an intelligent distribution of torque between both axles and individual wheels. Under normal driving conditions, most of the power will go to the front axle. As soon as more torque is required or the wheels need more grip, the rear wheels are seamlessly activated. The Octavia Combi 4x4 also comes with a standard EDL (Electronic Differential Lock) which acts as a transversal lock allowing for stable starting-off on surfaces with uneven grip.

The Octavia Combi 4x4 is offered with a choice of three engines, one petrol and two diesels. The 180PS (177hp) 1.8 TSI petrol is the most powerful, with the base engine being the 105PS (103hp) 1.6 TDI diesel. There’s also the more powerful 150PS (147hp) 2.0 TDI on offer. All three versions come with start-stop and an energy recuperation system as standard. Skoda says fuel economy and emission figures have been improved by an average of 14 percent over the preceding model.

Combined with a six-speed manual gearbox, the 1.6 TDI averages 4.5 l/100 km (52.2 US mpg) and emits 119 g of CO2/km, while the 2.0 TDI has a combined fuel consumption of 4.9 l/100 km (48 US mpg) and CO2 emissions of 124 g/km.

The gasoline 1.8 TSI, available exclusively with an automatic six-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission, averages 6.7 l/100 km (35.1 US mpg) and emits 156 g of CO2/km. It is, however, the fastest, with 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) taking 7.5 seconds, while topping out at 227 km/h (141 mph).

Sales of the Octavia Combi 4x4 will begin in Europe in June, a month after the launch of the front-wheel drive model.

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2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The May 15 world premiere date for the all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is nearing, and the first official photo showing the exterior of the car has broken cover, courtesy of the German firm itself. To explain, Mercedes-Benz uploaded the picture on its mobile consumer website in Austria earlier this morning but has since removed it.
The single picture shows the front-quarter end of Mercedes’ new flagship luxury sedan, which is dominated by a larger grille than on the current model and teardrop-shaped headlights.

We’re not absolutely sure about this, but the model shown here may be the one sporting an AMG package or at least a sportier trim line, as the bumper looks too aggressive with its creases and large air intakes.

Codenamed W222, the all-new S-Class features a similar side profile with the CLA below the waist line, albeit with different proportions, obviously. Compared with the current model, the wheel arches are no longer exaggerated.

Besides this official image, a fan site named "Humster3d" also posted 3D-renderings of the S-Class that you can check out in the gallery and video posted below.

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