Nissan Shows 2012 GT-R Facelift in Paris but won't Release Details Until October 18th

Tucked away in a glassed corner of Nissan's Paris Motor Show booth was the 2012 GT-R facelift. So, did the updated GT-R make its world premiere in Paris or not? Yes and no. See, while the car made its first public appearance in Paris, oddly enough, Nissan said it wouldn't release any information until mid October.

Here's the official statement from the Japanese automaker: "The GT-R engineering team are currently at the Nordschliefe, the legendary circuit in Germany, where they are in the process of signing-off the final updates on the forthcoming enhanced GT-R. Full details of the enhanced GT-R will be announced on 18th October 2010,"

From what we can see, the 2012 model year version of the Godzilla boasts a new front bumper with LED running lights, a revised rear diffuser and new alloy wheels.

According to documents leaked back in August, the changes are said to help drop the GT-R's drag coefficient from 0.272 to 0.268 while also improving rear downforce by 10%. The car is also expected to benefit from chassis and engine modifications.

We'll update this story as soon as Nissan comes out with all the juicy details.

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2011 Vauxhall Antara Facelift Prices Start Under £20k in the UK

Following the reveal of its Opel counterpart in mainland Europe, Vauxhall has released pricing and specifications on the UK market Antara facelift, which boasts a barely noticeable makeover and a refreshed engine lineup. Prices for the updated SUV now start from £19,995 for the 2.2 CDTi (163PS) Exclusiv front-wheel drive model, which according to Vauxhall, represents a saving of £2,835 over the outgoing base version.

On the outside, styling changes for the 2011 Antara include the updated front grille with the new Griffin logo, enhanced by fog lights finished with chrome bezels on SE models, new 19-inch alloy wheels and modified rear lights.

Inside, the new Antara's cabin features a revised centre console with extra storage and higher-quality materials, in addition to improved instrument graphics and better interior lighting.

The 2011 model's revised Euro-5 compliant engine line-up includes a newly-developed 2.2-liter CDTI turbodiesel in two states of tune with 163HP or 184HP. The 163HP version is available in front-wheel drive with a six-speed manual transmission only or all-wheel drive hooked up to either a manual or six-speed auto gearbox. The more potent 184HP variant also offers a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, and comes with all-wheel drive as standard. All transmissions have been revised to improve efficiency.

The Vauxhall Antara will not be offered in the UK with the revised 170HP 2.4-liter gasoline engine of its Opel sibling.

GM Europe's engineers have also re-worked the SUV's chassis with revised spring and damper settings.

Finally, Vauxhall has improved safety and comfort features with the addition of an electric parking brake, a Hill Assist System as well as a "shift-up" fuel economy indicator on all models.

"At less than £20k, the new Antara is set to be highly competitive in today's SUV market," said Peter Hope, Vauxhall's Marketing Director. "Its lower emissions, higher output diesel engines and refreshed design will offer renewed appeal to both retail and fleet customers."

Kia Sportage pricing announced

Kia UK has disclosed prices for the 2011 Sportage First Edition. The SUV will cost £20,777 when it goes on sale 1st August. The first 800 cars will be available in limited 'First Edition' trim. These are powered by a 134bhp 2.0 CRDi engine that is linked to a 6 speed manual gearbox, and come with four wheel drive as standard. The 2.0 CRDi churns out 320Nm (236lb/ft) of torque at 1,800rpm.

The 6 speed manual combines 47.1mpg (6.0l/100km) with CO2 emissions of 156g/km. The 6 speed auto takes its toll on fuel economy with 40.4mpg (7.0l/100km) combined and CO2 emissions of 183g/km.

Standard features include leather upholstery w/heated front and rear seats, dual-zone climate control w/ cooled glovebox, Bluetooth, 6 speaker audio system w/ steering wheel mounted audio controls, USB/AUX socket w/ iPod cable, auto-dimming rear-view mirror w/ reversing camera, rear parking sensors, 18” alloy wheels w/ full-sized alloy spare wheel, tilt & telescopic leather steering wheel and gear-stick, rear privacy glass, silver roof rails, electric panoramic glass sunroof, LED day-time running lights, electric folding door mirrors w/ integrated LED indicators, rear spoiler, chrome exterior door handles, automatic windscreen wipers & lights, front fog lamps, 60/40 split folding rear seats, ESP, HAC (hill-start assist control), DBC (downhill brake control), x6 airbags and deadlocks.

A 6 speed automatic gearbox is available, along with a choice of five colours; 4 metallic, 1 solid.

The Sportage First Edition will be £1,200 cheaper than the entry-level Ford Kuga and similar VW Tiguan, while a similar spec Nissan Qashqai is £2,718 more expensive at £23,495, although this comes with xenon headlamps and electric front seats.

The full Sportage range will go on sale in November. The range will be completed by the 1.6 litre petrol and 1.7 litre diesel engines, both with stop/start to improve fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions, in addition to front wheel drive models that will also be available. Prices for the full range have yet to be confirmed.

Peugeot BB1 concept nearing to production

The Peugeot BB1 concept EV is nearing closer to production after Peugeot confirmed it had moved from concept car status to project status. That means the vehicle may launch in 2012/2013 and Peugeot design director, Gilles Vidal said he hopes the production BB1 will very much look like the concept car.

The vehicle's official categorisation is being mooted. The BB1 has handle bars and a twist-grip accelerator and passengers sit pillion style behind the driver. Although, homologation for a quadricyle is complicated because different countries have different definitions of what a quadricyle is. For example, in France a quadricyle is not allowed on the motorway and the UK has two classes of quadricyle, depending on the vehicle's weight and power.

Classifying the BB1 EV as a car could make homologation more direct.

The BB1 is just 2.5m long and weighs a mere 600kg. It is powered by two electric motors mounted on the rear axle, producing 19bhp combined. Despite being low on power, the BB1 can reach 20mph in just 2.8 seconds and has a 75 miles range.

2011 Mazda Verisa

Mazda has subtly revised the Verisa crossover (MPV & SUV) for the Japanese market for the 2011 MY. Some may recognise the Verisa, that's because it underpins the 2002 Ford Fiesta/Fusion. The Verisa will still be sold alongside it’s younger sibling, the Demio (Mazda2 in overseas market).

The minor changes consist of new colours for both the fabric and leather seats, revised instrument panel that includes a fuel consumption gauge and an "eco-lamp" to support economical driving, restyled steel wheels and improved standard equipment on some model grades. Sales have already begun.

Main features of the refreshed Verisa

Design:

• The Verisa C features new Coral Brown fabric seats, which are brown in the middle and beige on the sides

• The Verisa L has new Cool Black leather seats with a black and sand-coloured two-tone design.

• To match the new seats, the Verisa L has a black and sand-coloured leather-wrapped steering wheel.

• Both grades have a newly designed instrument panel with blackout metres.

• Newly designed hub caps for both the 14” and 15” wheels.

Equipment:

• Automatic headlights and front rain sensing wipers (which automatically switch on according to ambient conditions), and water-repellent coating (on the front door windows and door mirrors) are standard equipment on the Verisa L grade.

• A fuel consumption gauge (showing average fuel consumption) and an eco-lamp have been added to the instrument panel on all model grades.

2011 BMW X3

The all-new 2011 BMW X3 will be among the most economical and fuel-efficient mid-sized SUV’s when it arrives in the UK in late November. The entry-level 2.0 litre 181bhp manual X3 xDrive20d will offer combined fuel economy figure of 50.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 149g/km, 147g/km with automatic transmission. The X3 eclipses the Audi Q5 2.0 TDI 170 by 4.8mpg and 14g/km.

The new SUV is bigger than the outgoing model. The 2011 X3 is now measuring at 4,648mm, more than 75mm longer, width decreases by 4mm at 1,855mm and height rises by 14mm at 1,675mm. The wheelbase is also bigger by 15mm to 2,810mm, enough to increase by boot by 70 litres, to 550 litres.

As well as the 181bhp 2.0 litre, 4 cylinder diesel in the xDrive20d, BMW will add a 3.0 litre 302bhp, turbocharged straight six petrol dubbed xDrive35i, rivalling directly with the Land Rover Freelander 3.2i T6, Audi Q5 3.2 FSI Quattro and Volvo XC60 3.0 litre T6. The xDrive35i will emit 204g/km and will return around 32.1mpg combined and will be mated to a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission.

The diesel will come with the choice of either a 6 speed manual or an optional ZF-engineered 8 speed automatic. Both gearboxes offer a standard stop-start function and operate with the brake energy recuperation system.

More X3 variants are in the pipeline; a 254bhp 3.0 litre xDrive28i petrol and a 201bhp xDrive23d twin-turbocharged, 4 cylinder diesel. These engines are due in Summer 2011. A FWD is available, however, no rear-wheel-drive is planned for the UK, although BMW is still considering launching the model in North America.

Production of the new X3 will take place at BMW’s Spartanburg facility in North America alongside the X5 and X6. Prices in the UK start from £30,490 and for that, you get 17” alloy wheels, x6 airbags, stop/start, cruise control, front & rear fog lights, DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) w/ hill-start assist & hill-descent control, heated windscreen, gear-shift efficiency indicator, tyre pressure warning system, front & rear parking sensors, automatic rain & windscreen sensor, leather interior w/ 60:40 split folding rear seats, roof-rails, automatic climate control, ambient lighting, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and multi-function leather steering wheel as standard.