Audi Prologue Avant

The Prologue Avant Concept from Audi gives us an idea of how the brand's new styling language can be applied on a more practical five-door body that blurs the lines between hatchbacks and estates. Mercedes would call this body style a Shooting Brake, in case you were wondering. 

To be revealed at next week's Geneva Motor Show, the Prologue Avant study is a follow up to last year's Prologue Coupe from the LA Motor Show, with both models featuring the same design and similar footprint. 

Speaking of dimensions, at 5,110mm (201.2 in) long, 1,970mm (77.6 in) wide and 1,400mm (55.1 in) tall, the Prologue Avant is only a tad longer (10mm or 0.4 in), wider (20mm or 0.8 in) and taller (10mm or 0.4 in) than the Coupe, with which it shares a 2,990mm (117.8 in) wheelbase. 

“With our show car for Geneva, we now translate the design language of the Audi prologue into a new, dynamic and stretched form. We are merging it with a concept of high variability”, said Audi Board Member Ulrich Hackenberg. 

Inside, the Avant has individual seats for four passengers and sports a modern dashboard design that does away with button-clutter featuring a new control concept with three touch displays. 

Under the sheetmetal, Audi continues to experiment with different powertrains for the Prologue series. Whereas the LA show car had a 605PS (597hp) 4.0-liter turbo V8 and the following updated grey-colored versionof the coupe a 677PS (668hp) hybrid drivetrain combining the same V8 turbo with an electric motor, the Avant borrows the plug‑in hybrid drive from the Q7 e‑tron quattro.

This production unit pairs a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 TDI diesel to an electric motor to produce a system output of 455PS (449hp) allowing the Avant Concept to sprint to 100km/h (62mph) in 5.1 seconds. 

According to the NEDC standard for plug-in hybrid vehicles, the Prologue Avant consumers 1.6 l/100km (147.0 US mpg) corresponding to 43g/km of CO2. Audi says the lithium-ion battery pack in the rear offers a pure electric driving range of 54 kilometers or about 34 miles. 

Elsewhere, the chassis features an air suspension with adaptive dampers and Audi's dynamic all‑wheel‑drive steering system. 

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2016 Kia Optima Looks Awesome

These sketches are our first teaser glimpse at the production version of Kia's new generation Optima sedan, due for a world premiere at the New York Auto Show on April 1. 

Naturally, as with all teaser sketches, they're a bit on the optimistic side – heck, the Optima here looks more aggressive than the Geneva Motor Show Sport Space concept that hinted at the design direction for the mid-size sedan as well as a possible estate addition to the range. 

What we'll take from these official renderings is the more sculpted sides and the pronounced wheel arches together with the more angled rear window and a glasshouse that has a strong resemblance to the current model that was introduced at the 2010 NY Auto Show. 

The only piece of information we get from Kia is that the new Optima was "passionately designed and obsessively crafted". 

We do know that it will share its platform with the latest Hyundai Sonata, so it should offer a similar engine lineup in North America, including a 1.6-liter turbo, a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four and a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit.

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Kia Sportspace Concept

Kia’s beautiful Sportspace Concept is without a doubt the star of the automaker’s Geneva Motor Show booth.

In the absence of any official reference to a future production model inspired by this D-segment study, the most logical speculation is that it previews the next-generation Kia Optima. 

Whether the upcoming Optima will get an estate version it remains to be seen, but it’s pretty clear this study will not be shelved after the Geneva Motor Show closes its gates. It’s definitely one of those pre-production studies automakers have accustomed us to in recent years.

Designed at Kia’s Frankfurt design studio, under the direction of Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer Europe, the Sportspace offers “stylish and exciting transportation” for four passengers, “without sacrificing the performance, sustainability and economy that Kia is known for.”

Kia refuses to categorize the Sportspace, saying it is neither a saloon nor a wagon, neither a hatchback nor a shooting brake. So what is it then? In Kia’s own words, “a vehicle that can meet the demands of those who refuse to be categorized when it comes to their lifestyle or their motoring needs.” 

Let’s say that settles it and end this story by adding that no details were offered about the car’s powertrain. 

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2013 Geneva Motor Show Girls

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