Carscoops

Renault Wind: Twingo-Based Roadster Officially Revealed

These are the first official photos of Renault's brand-new, small coupe-roadster model, the Wind, that it will have its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.

Known as the Twingo CC from the spy shots over the past couple of years, the Wind will go up against the likes of the Peugeot 207CC ~~and Opel Tigra~~ in Europe when sales start later in the year.

The strictly two-seater model shares its platform and mechanical hardware with the Twingo, though at 3.830mm long, it's 230mm longer than the hatchback.

Despite the fact that Renault pitches the car as a coupe-roadster, unlike other CC models with retractable hardtops, the Wind uses an electric roof that rotates 180 degrees into the trunk.

Having pinpointed the issue that could potentially cause accelerator pedals to stick in a partially open position in approximately 2.3 million recalled Toyota-branded vehicles in North America and another 1.8 million in Europe, the Japanese automaker has announced a fix for the problem.

According to Toyota, the sticking throttle issue involves a friction device in the pedal designed to provide the proper "feel" by adding resistance and making the pedal steady and stable.

That device includes a jagged shoe that rubs against an adjoining surface during normal pedal operation. Toyota said that the problem concerns the materials used on the device, as over time, these surfaces begin to stick causing the throttle to remain in a partially open position.

The company's solution is rather simple as it involves the installation of a precision-cut steel reinforcement bar into the assembly thus reducing the surface tension between the friction shoe and the adjoining surface.

Toyota says it's confident that with this reinforcement in place, the excess friction that can cause the pedal to stick is eliminated.

The company announced that it will start repairs in the U.S. this week with Toyota dealers working extended hours to complete the recall campaign with some even said to stay open 24 hours a day.

As for Europe, first shipments of parts required for the fix will begin arriving next week.

And while we've explained this before, we've guess it won't hurt anyone if we stress the fact that there are two different recalls over Toyota's accelerator problems - even though some vehicles are affected by both.

Here's how Toyota describes the two different (but related) issues:

Sticking Pedal Accelerator Recall: The condition can occur in rare instances, over time, under certain environmental conditions - there is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to idle position.

Potential Floor Mat Interference with Accelerator Pedal Recall: This condition is the potential for an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat to interfere with or entrap the accelerator pedal and cause it to get stuck in the wide open position.

Toyota has determined that this condition can occur in vehicles in which the driver's side floor mat is not compatible with the vehicle and/or is not properly secured.

Bentley Commissions RCA Students to Design Futuristic Concepts

In a special partnership with London's famous Royal College of Art (RCA), Bentley organized a design competition called "Bentleys of the Future" in which eighteen Vehicle Design Course Masters students took part developing a range of futuristic concept proposals over the last few months.

Now the competition has entered the second phase with four of the participating RCA students shortlisted to refine their designs with Bentley's Head of Exterior Design Raul Pires and his colleagues.

The four finalists in the "Bentleys of the Future" competition are Bora Kim, David Seesing, Marten Wallgren and Mikka Heikkinen.

Bora Kim (26) from South Korea, created a Bentley which allows owners of the vehicle to easily select their preferred engine for any type of journey while Sweden's Marten Wallgren (27) came up with a futuristic version of the Bentley Continental GT.

David Seesing (26) from Germany says his proposals combines "a radical design with impressive aerodynamics" whilst Finland's Mikka Heikkinen (26) created a high-performance Bentley.

The winner and runner-up of the competition will both be invited to join the British automaker in Crewe for a six month secondment in the Bentley design studio.

Chevy Introduces Six-Speed Automatic on UK Market Cruze 2.0 VCDi

Buyers of Chevrolet's top-of-the-range Cruze 2.0 VCDi LT in the United Kingdom now have the option of a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift function.

Powered by a 2.0-liter common rail diesel engine delivering 150 horsepower, the automatic version of the Cruze sedan accelerates from 0-62mph (100km/h) in 9.9 seconds and goes on to a top speed of 124mph or 199km/h.

It offers up to 51.4mpg UK on the extra urban cycle and 42.2mpg UK combined, with CO2 emissions of 177g/km.

The Cruze 2.0 VCDi LT Auto is priced £17,145 on-the-road and comes with several standard features including full climate control, parking sensors, cruise control, front fog lamps, 17-inch alloy wheels, rain sensitive wipers, automatic headlights, a six-CD autochanger and MP3 socket, and an alarm system.

VIDEO: Audi Continues to Tease A1 Superini, this time with Interior Details

Question: Has Audi overdone it with the abstract videos of its forthcoming A1 supermini? In our humble opinion, yes. While informative, we think the Germans would have accomplished more if they accompanied these videos with a series of juicy teaser sketches / images and videos of camouflaged prototypes - just like Mercedes did with the SLS AMG.

But anyway, if you follow the jump, you can watch a video with Ivo van Hulten, interior designer of the new A1, describing the design process of the air vents in the cockpit.

Thanks to a few minor tweaks, Volvo has managed to further reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency on its S80 and V70 DRIVe models from the 2009MYs 129 g/km and 4.9 lt/100 km (48mpg US) to 119 g/km and 4.5 lt/100 km (52.3mpg US) on the 2010MYs respectively.

Both cars continue to use a 1.6-liter diesel with 109HP and 240Nm of peak torque that's hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox.

However, Volvo's engineers employed a smart battery recharging system that 'forces' the alternator to charge the battery only when the engine is operating at low load (e.g. when driving downhill), while they also redesigned the tensioner and alternator pulleys.

"Smart battery recharging is the most important measure," says Ulf Nordström, Technical Project manager at Volvo Cars.

"It is primarily thanks to this that we have dipped below the 120-gram level that gives car owners tax breaks and other benefits in a number of European countries. What is more, one might say that we offer the normal driver one free tank of fuel a year," Nordström added.

The Swedish automaker said that the reduction in fuel consumption from a combined 4.9 lt/100 km to 4.5 l/100 km means that someone driving 15,000 km a year will save 60 liters of diesel or as Nordström put it, one fuel tank.

Volvo did not disclose any performance figures for the updated 2010MY S80 and V70 DRIVe, but just to get an idea, the 2009MY S80 DRIVe accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in a claimed 12.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 118mph or 189 km/h.

We say that, while any efforts to improve CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are more than welcome, fitting a puny 1.6-liter diesel engine in cars of the size and weight of the S80 and V70, isn't exactly pioneering anything new...

New Mazda MX-5 20th Anniversary Edition to premiere in Geneva

To commemorate the MX-5's (also known as the Miata in some markets) 20th birthday, Mazda will unveil a special anniversary edition of its rear-wheel drive roadster at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Called the MX-5 20th Anniversary Edition, this model will have a limited production run of just 2,000 units and will only be available in Europe.

Almost two years after the world premiere of the second generation FX at the 2008 Geneva Show, Infiniti has announced the launch of a special edition version of its luxury crossover named the FX Limited Edition. Production will be limited to just 100 units for Western Europe, of which only 18 will be coming to the UK.

Based on either the V6-powered FX37S or the V8-powered FX50S, the FX Limited Edition is offered in a Black Obsidian 'Scratch Guard' finish as standard and in a Moonlight White pearl metallic as an option.

Unique features on the outside include dark smoked headlight surrounds, specially commissioned 21-inch 'Turbine' design alloy wheels finished in dark Graphite, while the same finish is applied on the radiator grille, side air vents and roof rails.

Inside, the FX Limited Editions feature illuminated 'Infiniti' entry guards, carbon fiber trim that replaces the standard maple wood veneer, Graphite leather upholstered seats, upper door panels and dashboard with contrasting stitching and Alcantara headlining.

Finally, both engine variants are offered with a Connectiviti+ technology package that includes a fully integrated navigation, communication and entertainment system comprising an 11-speaker Bose Premium Sound System, the Michelin Guide, full iPod connectivity and a 10GB music box with Gracenotes database.

In the UK, pricing for the FX Limited Edition starts at £55,855 for the 320HP V6 engined FX37S rising to £62,035 for the 390HP, V8 powered FX50S.