What's New

Hummer H3T concept

General Motors has released first photos of the Hummer H3T concept vehicle, which makes its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January. The H3T infuses all of Hummer's military-derived DNA into a midsize truck. But with a more versatile and sporty pickup body style, functional features such as side-access panels, and better fuel economy than the current Hummer range, a Hummer of this type could bring a much wider appeal for the brand.

Peugeot 407

Peugeot is launching the 407, its new saloon in the 'middle to upper' segment in Europe. The 407 saloon will be followed by the SW coupe-estate model. This market segment has immense strategic importance for a mainstream manufacturer and, for decades the '4' series vehicles have played a key part in Peugeot’s history. The new Peugeot front-end identity is based on a dominating air intake grille and large swept-back headlamps. The windscreen pillars are steeply inclined and stretch far forward to merge seamlessly into the hood, while distinctive roof profiles and side window graphics give a strong character to the new range.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Concept E

Mitsubishi will reveal the Eclipse Concept-E high-performance sports concept car at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Since its introduction to the North American market, the Eclipse compact sports coupe/convertible series has won acclaim for its styling and segment-leading driving performance. The Eclipse Concept-E extends those qualities, delivering high levels of dynamic handling and performance rivaling those found in the motorsport arena.

Scion tC

Scion, the marque that Toyota established to target "an emerging culture of new car buyers" in North America, Generation Y – even those who aren't even old enough to drive – has two models that aren't fully available throughout the US yet, the Naoki Nunogaki-styled xA, which is sold in Japan as the ist, and the bB-based xB, which has variously been described as a "bread box" and a "scaled-down Honda Element." In both cases, the cars are not exactly the sort of thing that would send the pulses racing in the set whose hormones are still raging, which is after all the target market for Scion.

So at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, Scion will be rolling out a new member of the Scion pod, the tC, which unlike its brethren, is said to have been specifically designed for the US market. Although the amount of public information about this vehicle at this point is essentially nothing, from the teaser shot it is clear that the form of the new vehicle is far more expressive than that of the other models.

Saab 9-2X

The 2005 Saab 9-2X will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January. With standard full-time all-wheel-drive, the 9-2X is a unique and early offering in a car segment just emerging in the American market: the premium sports compact segment.

"As the new 9-2X range is tremendously fun to drive and since we are targeting a young and enthusiastic customer, we decided to express the strong and dynamic character of the 9-2X in its design and even add a bit more of an aggressive touch compared to the rest of our line-up," comments Saab's Executive Director of Design, Michael Mauer.

Peter Augustsson, Saab Automobile's President and CEO, puts the launch of the Saab 9-2X in broader perspective: "The Saab 9-2X is a milestone in expanding our model range and our customer base, especially in the very important North American market. We see a rapidly emerging segment in the United States for a premium, small car below the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan. And being one of the first entries, we intend to shape that segment."

Saab announces 9-7X SUV

Saab Automobile has announced its first sport utility vehicle, the 2005 Saab 9-7X. Featuring standard all-wheel-drive and two engine choices, the 9-7X SUV will fill Saab’s need for an entry is this rapidly growing market segment.

The 9-7X will make its world debut at the 2004 New York Auto Show in April, and will go on sale about one year later. Initially, the 9-7X will be produced specifically for the United States and Canadian markets only, and will be built at GM’s Moraine Assembly plant in Ohio.

Land Rover Range Stormer concept

Land Rover will unveil the Range Stormer, a high performance 4X4 concept at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, following the reveal of a design rendering at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September this year. Land Rover managing director Matthew Taylor said: "Range Stormer is conceived to be an on-road, high performance machine, as well as class-leading off-road like all Land Rovers. Breadth of ability is one of its many strengths."

Land Rover design director, Geoff Upex added: "It is possible to apply Land Rover design language to a vehicle of totally different proportions and still make it very obviously a Land Rover. This is what we've done here, and the result is a Land Rover like nothing that has been seen before."