Audi, BMW, Citroen and VW on the Next 2011 Shanghai Auto Show

This year show will be no exception, as many new cars are planned to be revealed in Shanghai (April 23-28), despite the fact that it overlaps the 2011 NY Auto Show (April 22 - May 1). One of the most highly anticipated models rumored to make their world premiere in Shanghai is the Audi Q3 baby SUV, Inglostandt’s answer to the BMW X1. The crossover model will use the same platform as the VW Tiguan, with production set to start in Seat's Martorell plant in Spain later this year. There’s a good chance we might see VW unveiling the new Beetle at the Shanghai Show as well as in New York, while the Germans will also use the Chinese show to officially introduce its Seat brand to the local market. BMW will premiere its 6-Series Coupe in Shanghai, along with the 5-Series plug-in hybrid built for the Chinese market. Reports from Germany suggest that BMW will also bring to China the pre-production BMW M5 Concept, while Mercedes-Benz is said to show a pre-production design study of the future A-Class, set to appear on the market in 2012 in two- and four-door body styles. Citroen is rumored to show the DS9 concept car, which will bring the Metropolis design study one step closer to production. Add to these the large number of Chinese brands that will be present and the premieres that we don't know yet about and Shanghai already looks like a world-class venue.

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Concept Car: 2019 Citroen DS Concept

Infusing the DS’s 64-year-old styling with the new Citroen design language introduced through concepts like the Revolt and Survolt, the DS24 is a real looker. With aggressive haunches, sliding rear doors, an almost Corvette-like nose and shapely rump, the Nouveau DS was imagined for Citroen’s Centenary in 2019. And the interior does not fail to disappoint either, with its pulsing blue transmission tunnel suggesting the raw energy of the car’s hydrogen power source.

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2010 Citroen Lacoste Concept Cars The Car of The Future

Two names, Citroën and Lacoste, have come together to be unveiled at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show, this new model is an emblem for a state-of-mind and a lifestyle. Clearly alluding to leisure and pleasure, it takes a simplified, no-nonsense approach to motoring - without forgetting refinement - and transports passengers to a lighter, fresher world.

2010 Citroen Lacoste Concept Cars The Car of The Future

At the crossroads of motoring, fashion and sport, the Citroën Lacoste concept cars is a “shared vision of boldness, creativity and optimism” between the French brands, according to the pre-Paris press release. At first glance, the Citroën Lacoste concept appears to be a very optimistic car indeed, as it doesn't have a roof to mitigate the inevitability of a bleak French winter. 2010 Citroen Lacoste Concept Cars The Car of The Future.

Pure, simple and laid-back, while remaining sophisticated, the Citroën Lacoste takes another step forward towards the car of the future - a vehicle aimed at putting an end to the "always more" mantra that often reigns in the automotive industry.

The new model also fuels Citroën's thinking of focusing on the essentials to create original cars that are affordable and economical, while losing none of their ambition or motoring passion, notably through premium styling.

Stylishly minimalist and elegantly laid-back, the Citroën Lacoste instantly attracts with its off-beat sports aesthetic. It features a high waistline; bulging and textured wings; minimum overhangs front and rear; and golf ball-style alloy wheels, placed in the furthest corners of the body. After a longer inspection, it is this car's "open" physique that appeals - promising a fulfilling drive, while expressing a wealth of inventiveness and elegance.

Powering the concept uses a small three-cylinder petrol engine with “plenty of performance on tap” according to the press release, as the compact (3.45 m long, 1.80 m wide, 1.52 m high and with a 2.30 m wheelbase) vehicle should be quite light, which, as per the brand, offers enough power to a vehicle of this size and weight

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2010 Citroen Lacoste Concept Cars The Car of The Future

Among the other styling details there are golf ball-style alloy wheels, a square relief design resembling the sections of a tennis net on many parts of the car, integration of the lights into the bumper instead of the sheet metal and Lacoste covered stowage in its dashboard and under the two bench seats.

The concept cars will be showcased at the Paris Motor Show on 30th Sep, 2010.

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2010 Citroen Metropolis Sports Car Concept

Citroën Metropolis will be on show in the French Pavilion at the Shanghai World Fair from 1st May to 31st October, 2010. Citroën has revealed the spectacular new Citroën Metropolis Concept - a sleek and muscular concept car that pays homage to China's extraordinary development. Created by Citroën's international design team - based in Shanghai since 2008.

2010 Citroen Metropolis

Citroen is one of the most creative and adventurous car makers in the world. Just a quick look at some of their past concept, and production, vehicles proves that. However for the Citroen Metropolis concept the company have decided to keep things a little more grounded in reality. It's still a fine looking machine, but it's not quite as crazy as some of their recent stuff.

Reflecting China's avant-garde status, grandeur and vitality, the sleek limousine concept immerses itself in 'Créative Technologie', balancing environmental responsibility with luxurious comfort and driving pleasure. Incorporating a plug-in hybrid drivetrain and Hydractive suspension, Citroën Metropolis produces CO2 emissions of just 70g/km - approximately one fifth that of a conventional engine with equivalent performance.

Citroën Metropolis Concept's distinctive silhouette is a vision of creative and sophisticated luxury with an imposing stature (5.3m long, 2m wide & 1.4m high), reflecting the dynamism and ambition of China in the 21st Century. Powerful and engaging, Citroën Metropolis' subtle 'Pearl Silk' body colour changes under different light conditions, revealing the model's generous curves and ultra-honed detailing.

Citroën Metropolis blends taut lines with smooth surfaces, evidenced particularly at the front where the sculpted, incisive wings and kite-shaped grille merge with the harmonious contours of the bonnet. The streamlined headlamps have an imperious and steely look, giving Citroën Metropolis a natural air of authority.

Citroën Metropolis' powerful hybrid drivetrain utilises an optimised 2-litre V6 petrol engine and a 7-speed, dual-clutch electronic gearbox. At low speeds, Citroën Metropolis runs in Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mode, with its electric motor developing a continuous 55bhp (40kW), peaking at 95bhp (70kW). At steady speeds on main roads and motorways, the petrol powerplant efficiently provides 272bhp (200kW) and 375Nm of torque. When additional performance is required, such as during overtaking, the car uses both the electric motor and the combustion engine to deliver a maximum power output of 460bhp (345kW) and 430Nm of torque - equivalent to a 4-litre V8 petrol engine. There's also a four-wheel drive mode for when extra grip is needed.

Delivering a smooth and cosseting ride experience, Metropolis is specified with Citroën's renowned Hydractive suspension, which dampens even the roughest of road surfaces and improves the car's aerodynamic performance - further helping to reduce CO2 emissions.

Chinais the world's largest automotive market and Citroën's second largest outside Europe - having been established there for 20 years. The Shanghai World Fair is the perfect opportunity for the brand to reassert its international character and to show, once again, the importance it places on the needs and expectations of this rapidly developing market. With Metropolis, Citroën demonstrates that a blend of Chinese and French sensibilities can create a beautiful vision for the future.

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2010 Citroen Sports Coupés Survolt Concept

CITROËN is proposing a new automotive vision with Survolt. Initiated by the Revolte concept car revealed at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Survolt is the continuation of CITROËN’S exploration of distinctive and original electric vehicles. Survolt Concept turns received notions through its radically new vision in a consummate blend of high-fashion glamour and motor-racing extravagance.

2010 Citroen Survolt Concept

Citroen makes a car a typical electric vehicle to answer the wishes of the customer to overcome one’s limits, take things further and dare. It takes the genetic material of Revolte and adds an extroverted sports dimension to the mix. The Citroen Survolt Concept has been declared at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

2010 Citroen Survolt Concept

Citroen Survolt Concept is powered by electricity, thus combining sports performance with environmental respect and sustainable development. Still particularly rare in the racing world, this technological solution also embodies a previously unthinkable alliance. But Citroen dares and creates, transgressing conventions to better sublimate them. With irreproachable ecological credentials, the drivetrain blends driving pleasure, thrills, performance and vitality, and all in extreme comfort, since the car is silent in operation.

2010 Citroen Survolt Concept

Survolt features two-tone paint, hues of fuchsia and charcoal grey, and plays with materials and volumes. It is further characterized by the strong contrasts between the voluptuous bonnet and and sculpted flanks with emphatic wheel arches. At the front, the distinctive Citroen badge reigns above the large oval-shaped grille, while its slim and horizontal head lamps are inspired by sports coupés. At the rear, Survolt features the elegant light signature of Revolte together with a spoiler in an essential reference to motor sport. Inside, Survolt’s cockpit is designed like a floating cell with a glass setting held between chrome-finished roll bars.

2010 Citroen Survolt Concept

Citroen Survolt Concept activated by electric drivetrain and equipped with luxury accessories. It’s has compact dimensions – 3.85 m long, 1.87 m wide and 1.20 m high so the display is sporty and elegant style supermini. At the front, the distinctive vehicle badge reigns elegantly above the large oval-shaped grille, its centre home to the striking double chevron. The body is slim, horizontal head lamps, inspired by high-performance sports coupés, exert a magnetic appeal, while an LED light signature adds a contemporary, high-tech touch.

2010 Citroen Survolt Concept

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2010 Citroen Sports Car Concept GQbyCitroen

French automaker Citroen has just unveiled the latest details of a new brand concept car, the GQbyCitroen, designed for the compact sports car segment. The latest concept was developed in partnership with the fashion experts GQ magazine and has been designed to provide “the ultimate gentleman’s drive”. The Citroën GQ Concept was born through a unique partnership between the UK's market-leading quality men's monthly and a team of Citroën designers, collaborating to create the ultimate gentleman's drive. This is the first time a British magazine has collaborated with a car company in this way.

2010 Citroen Sports Car Concept GQbyCitroen

Responding to a brief by GQ's editor, Dylan Jones, Citroën's team, headed by British designer - and the man responsible for the new Citroën DS3 - Mark Lloyd, took a new look at the GT theme and integrated it with a typical Citroën design approach bringing Citroën GQ Concept from design outline to concept reality.

2010 Citroen Sports Car Concept GQbyCitroen

Citroën GQ Concept combines classically sophisticated features and contemporary styling with a sculpted front end, rounded rear, strong body contours and sleek concave rear windscreen - a signature Citroën design.

2010 Citroen Sports Car Concept GQbyCitroen

The car's cabin is accessed by rear coach doors and reveals a spacious, comfortable and futuristic cabin. Completing the car's bespoke styling, the interior detailing and upholstery selections were provided by Patrick Grant, the Creative Director of prestigious Savile Row tailors, E.Tautz, who commented: "Savile Row is all about balance and Tautz's simple military inspired interior is the perfect counterpoint to the Gallic flair of the exterior."

2010 Citroen Sports Car Concept GQbyCitroen

Dylan Jones commented: "I wanted something practical, something cool, and something idiosyncratic - i.e. something surprising that didn't just look like a concept car. The GQ car needed to have the 'want' factor, but it also needed to look, feel and 'drive' like the sort of car no sane man could choose to ignore. We think it looks very very special."

2010 Citroen Sports Car Concept GQbyCitroen

Dynamic performance and environmental responsibility were also key requirements for the project. The Citroën GQ Concept is powered by a plug-in Hybrid with a 1,598cc, 4-cylinder direct injection petrol engine offering a sporty 0-60mph time of just 4.5seconds, an electronically limited top speed of 155mph and CO2 emissions of just 80g/km.

2010 Citroen Sports Car Concept GQbyCitroen

"For me, the car that has always represented the pinnacle of automotive excellence and refinement is the GT - the Grand Tourer. It is not the all-out sports car, rather it is something gentlemanly, it has performance and it is for travelling, not racing. We wanted to create something that, like GQ, was aspirational, but also retained the classic automotive ideals. We didn't want a car for the mass market. We wanted a car for GQ.'"

2010 Citroen Sports Car Concept GQbyCitroen

The GQbyCitroen will make its world debut at a special event in London this week.

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