Renault Capture Small Crossover

The new Captur is the French version of the Nissan Juke, with which it shares its platform architecture that also underpins the Renault Clio Mk4. At 4,120mm (162.2-inches) long, the Captur is only 5mm (about 0.2-inches) shorter than the Juke.

According to Renault, the Captur combines the "expressive styling and driving position of an SUV, the cabin space and modular interior of an MPV, and the agility and driving enjoyment of a compact hatchback".

While it may borrow the name of the athletic three-door Capture concept from 2011, when it came to the design, Renault chose to look more towards the latest Clio than the study itself.

Renault says the Captur will offer many customization options including a two-tone color scheme that produces a contrast between the roof and pillars and the rest of the bodywork, as well as a choice of colors and motifs for the different trim features in the cabin.

Inside, the French brand tells us that the crossover offers "a large boot, modular interior and innovative stowage solutions" borrowed from the world of MPVs (minivans), adding that it will be equipped with plenty of standard features including hands-free entry, hill start assist and rear parking sensors.

Available features will include an in-dash Renault R-Link touchscreen multimedia tablet, plus a system that comprises six loudspeakers, Bluetooth connectivity, audio-streaming and Arkamys hi-fi sound

Renault is holding back on the engine details, but said that the Captur will be offered with a variety of petrol and diesel engines with "best-in-class fuel consumption" and CO2 emissions starting from as low as 96g/km. From what we understand, the engine lineup will mirror that of the new Clio with the latest turbocharged three-cylinder petrol and four-cylinder diesel units.

The Captur will be manufactured at Renault’s Valladolid plant in Spain.

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Peugeot 2008 SUV

At this point, we do not have specific details on the new 2008, but we anticipate that it will share its diesel and petrol engine range with the 208 supermini, topped out by a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline unit rated for 154hp (156PS).

Peugeot has said that the 2008 will be manufactured first in France at its Mulhouse plant, then in China (Wuhan) and later in Brazil (Porto Real), with sales to start later this year.

The official world premiere of the new French crossover will take place at the Geneva Salon in the beginning of March.

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Audi SQ5

Audi says this model was created specifically for the following markets: United States, Canada, China, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and the Ukraine, and will not be offered in Europe.

At the heart of the new SQ5 lies Audi's 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with a compressor featuring two rotors that spin at over 20,000 rpm. The TSI unit generates 349hp (354PS) between 6,000 and 6,500 rpm, and delivers 470Nm (347 lb-ft) of torque to the crankshaft between 4,000 and 4,500 rpm.

An eight-speed tiptronic and quattro permanent all-wheel drive transfer power to the road.

According to Audi, the SQ5 TSI completes the 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint in 5.3 seconds and has an electronically limited speed of 250km/h (155 mph), while returning an average fuel consumption of 8.5 lt/100km in the NEDC (equal to 21mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 199g/km.

That compares to the AQ5 TDI's 5.1-second sprint time, 250 km/h (155mph) top speed and a fuel economy of 7.2 lt/100 km (32.7 US mpg).

The gasoline-powered SQ5 rides on a 30mm (1.2-inches) lowered chassis with tauter springs and shock absorbers, and new 20-inch alloy wheels (21-inch are optional) shod in 255/45-series tires. Audi also offers an optional dynamic steering with a 'steplessly variable ratio'.

As you would imagine, the SQ5 TDI and TSI share the same bespoke styling cues both inside and outside, with the only visible difference being the U.S. market model's colored turning signals up front.

As a refresher, exterior appointments include a platinum gray radiator grille with aluminum-look bars, a gloss package and exterior mirrors in aluminum look, a rear diffuser and side skirts, while Audi also offers two exclusive crystal-effect finishes named Estoril Blue and Panther Black.

In the cabin, you will find gray dials and white numerals for the instruments, sports steering wheel and seats trimmed in leather, and aluminum-look décor.

Audi said the new SQ5 TSI will arrive at U.S. dealerships in the third quarter of 2013 with pricing to be announced.

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2013 Skoda Octavia III

The 2013 Octavia is the first Skoda model to make use of the VW Group's new and lighter MQB platform that underpins several other compact cars, most notably the VW Golf Mk7 and the latest Audi A3 hatchbacks.

Compared to the model it replaces, the new Octavia is 90mm longer at 4,659mm, 45mm wider at 1,814mm, and more importantly, the wheelbase has been stretched by 108mm to 2,686mm, something that mainly benefits the interior and space on the rear seats.

As a result, front head room has increased by 8 mm, front elbow width by 39 mm and rear elbow width by 26 mm over the outgoing Octavia. According to Skoda, the Octavia offers a class-leading interior space in the compact segment with 1,782 mm of interior length and the largest boot with a volume of 590 liters.

Besides being more spacious, the new model also sports a more premium feel both inside and out.

The exterior design of the car is sleek and to the point and has more presence than the previous Octavia. A new characteristic that we will be seeing more of in future Skoda models is an upswept dynamic window line in the rear doors, which the company calls a “fin”.

Inside, the uncluttered interior styling is typical of VW Group models with Skoda adding the latest in infotainment systems and other tech goodies including the availability for the first time of an Adaptive Cruise Assistant and a traffic-sign recognition as part of the ‘Traveller Assistant’ package.

Also new are the Intelligent Light Assistant that will switch to high beam and back automatically, a panoramic sunroof and the Driving Mode Selection that enables drivers to set certain vehicle driving characteristics at the push of the button.

The new Octavia Mk3 will make it to the European market next spring with a selection of eight turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. These include a 1.4-liter TSI petrol delivering 120hp (122PS), a 1.8-liter TSI petrol producing 177hp (180PS) and a 1.6-liter TDI, which in GreenLine trim generates 109hp (110PS) returning 3.4lt/100km (69.2mpg US or 83.1mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of just 89 g/km.

Skoda said manual and DSG transmissions are available, with all-wheel-drive versions in the works.

A performance RS (vRS in the UK) version fitted with the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the next VW Golf GTI will follow late next year as well.

The new Octavia will be formally introduced to the public at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March. 

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Bugatti TypeZero Concept

French designer Marc Devauze looked at Bugatti's glorious past and chose the brand's most successful racecar ever, the 1920's Type 35 that won over 1,000 races including the Grand Prix World Championship as well as the famed Targa Florio, for inspiration in creating his award winning TypeZero Concept.

The TypeZero is a study for a single-seater, electric powered "hypercar". It was designed to feature four in-wheel electric motors fed by detachable Lithium-Air batteries located on either side of the driver.

Other highlights include the minimalistic interior that Devauze says is constructed "like an old race car with an enveloping bucket seat stretched through the car".

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