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Peugeot Shows the New Face of 308 Range Ahead of the Geneva Salon


At next month's Geneva Motor Show, Peugeot will unveil its refreshed 308 range that enters the 2011 model year with some subtle styling changes, revised powertrains and the introduction of a fuel efficient micro-hybrid e-HDi variant with CO2 emissions under 100g/km.

All three body styles of the Ford Focus-rivaling 308, including the hatchback, CC coupe-convertible and the SW station wagon, have been given a new face that subtly incorporates the latest stylistic codes of the Peugeot brand.

This translates to a less smiley and more compact sized front grille, reshaped LED headlamps and running lights, a new hood design and a re-sculptured front bumper. The fresh alloy wheel designs, new brand logos and some trim changes on certain models complete the exterior makeover.

Interior revisions come in the form of new available colors and materials for the seats and dashboard trim.

Without getting into any specific details, Peugeot said it has reduced the overall weight by an average of 25kg or 55 pounds across the range. Other improvements include the fitment of 16-inch wheels on ultra low rolling resistance tires on certain models, and the optimization of all available diesel and petrol engine options.

From the summer of 2011, Peugeot will also add a new micro-hybrid e-HDi variant that combines a stop-start system and a smart alternator able to recover energy during braking, with a 1.6-liter HDi FAP 112HP Euro 5 diesel engine, hooked up to either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed electronically controlled manual gearbox (EGC). According to the French automaker, the 308 micro-hybrid e-HDi model reduces CO2 emissions to 98 g/km.

The new Peugeot 308 will go on sale across Europe shortly after its world premiere at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.




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Alfa Romeo Celebrates Support of UK Athletics with New MiTo Sprint

Automakers find all kind of excuses to create special edition versions of their cars, and by special edition we actually mean better equipped models. For Alfa Romeo, the raison d'être of the new MiTo Sprint is "the continued support of UK Athletics (UKA)". Wonder what they'll think of next...

Well, in any case, the new UK market MiTo Sprint is available in UKA ‘Union Jack’ inspired colors (red, white or blue), and comes with some £1,500 worth of extras, including cruise control, leather steering wheel and gear stick, remote audio controls on the steering wheel, Blue&Me Bluetooth hands-free system with voice recognition, and media player with a USB port.

In addition, the special version also features a rear spoiler, 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, and unique Sprint badging.

UK buyers have a choice of two petrol engines, the 1.4 16V 95 bhp costing £13,295 OTR and the 1.4 TB MultiAir 135 bhp with ALFA TCT automatic transmission priced £16,395 OTR, and one diesel unit, the 1.3 JTDM-2 95 bhp version which starts at £14,845 OTR.



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Seat Adds Exeo 143HP 2.0-liter Diesel Engine with Multitronic CVT Transmission to the Mix


The Seat Exeo is essentially a previous generation Audi A4 with some “auto emocion” touches here and there. However, having an older platform doesn’t mean that it’s a bad car, especially when it comes with the VW Group’s latest powerplants and transmissions. The Multitronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) gearbox is one of them and now it has been paired with the 143HP 2.0-liter TDI diesel engine available on both the Exeo sedan and station wagon (ST) models.

Although it comes with 7 pre-configured gears, the CVT transmission can virtually provide infinite gear ratios, better exploiting the engine’s resources, while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

In terms of performance, the diesel-powered sedan accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.3 seconds and can reach a top speed of 208 km/h (129 mph). The station wagon is marginally slower (0-100 kmh/0-62 mph in 9.6 seconds, top speed of 201 km/h or 125 mph), but both versions are equally frugal, requiring 5.8 lt/100 km (40.5 US mpg) in the combined cycle.

The Seat Exeo and Exeo ST equipped with the 143-horsepower diesel and Multitronic gearbox come as standard with seven airbags, dual-zone air conditioning, front and rear power windows, foglights, chrome roof rails (on the Exeo ST), remote-controlled central locking, cruise control, Bluetooth, auto-dimming rear view mirror, CD MP3 radio with 8 speakers and 17-inch alloys.

Besides the transmission addition, Seat says that all new Exeos benefit from a repositioned the rear seat configuration, which increases legroom by an impressive 4.4 cm (1.73 inches) without affecting the comfort or cargo space.

The new version of the German-sourced Spanish sedan is available for sale in Europe.

By Csaba Daradics

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