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If you spend any time covering, writing or reading about cars, you realize that the auto show cycle is pretty much never-ending. Aside from major shows that take place annually in Geneva; New York; Tokyo; Frankfurt, Germany; and Pebble Beach, Calif., there are smaller venues and up-and-comers -- like Beijing, which took place this week.Of course, most manufacturers will save their most groundbreaking debuts for the heavy hitters listed above, but that's not to say Beijing didn't have its share of oohs and aahs. We already covered Mercedes-Benz's Shooting Break concept and the less pricey iteration of the Porsche Panamera that was shown, and introductions from BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, Nissan and others kept things interesting. Here's a rundown of some Beijing highlights:
Pursuit Rated: An Up-Close Look at the New Ford Police Interceptor
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Don't look now--though it might be wise to check you rearview mirror--but cop cars are suddenly quite cool. The latest evidence of this is found at Ford, where a new Police Interceptor based on the Taurus is set to go on patrol in 2011.
And it's not just the Blue Oval that's in hot pursuit of the police market. Chevrolet recently revealed the V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive sedan we've all been waiting for. No, not an Impala SS. This is a cop cruiser called the Caprice. At the moment, you have to be in uniform to drive this Bow Tie beauty, which is a crime. And of course, Chrysler is also hitting the streets with fury--not with the Gran Fury famously used by police forces decades ago, but with its modern muscle car, the Hemi-powered Dodge Charger.
With all of this Detroit muscle on patrol, what chance does a perp have? Not much, if he's being tailed by officers in the new Ford Police Interceptor. It replaces the Crown Vic next year. We got an up-close look at the new cop car on Thursday at Ford's development facilities in Dearborn, Mich. It's an impressive sedan with all of the modern amenities police need on the mean streets of America.
Volvo C30 1.6 DRIVe (2010) long-term test reviewBy Sarah-Jayne HarrisonLong Term Tests12 April 2010 17:00
No sooner had my new Volvo C30 long-term test car arrived at CAR Towers than I whisked it off on what will possibly be the longest road trip it may encounter in its lifetime: a quick jaunt to Austria and back via Frankfurt. We’re running the eco-friendly stop-start DRIVe version, with its saintly 99g/km of CO2 and 74mpg claimed economy. Perfect for saving money on a pan-European blast then.The idea was to join the Volvo-sponsored Snowbombing event in Austria. So it was that I booked a week’s holiday and joined a mass exodus of C30s, XC60s, C70s, V50s – plus a rather strange Addams family car (complete with rooftop coffin), wonderfully kitted out Ghostbusters vehicle and various other cars.
Audi S8 (2011) spied at the NurburgringBy Tim PollardSpy shots14 April 2010 09:48
Audi is preparing a high-performance S8 range-topper of the new A8 limo range. Caught in our new spy photos, the 2011 Audi S8 was on test at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany. Word is that the S8 is powered by Audi's take on the Lamborghini-derived V10. Audi started using a V10 lump in the last-generation D3 A8 and the new A8 is equipped with new tech to lift those all-important Top Trumps bragging rights.So how powerful is the new 2011 Audi S8?CAR's sources suggest the newly fettled 5.0-litre V10 will follow the RS6 forced-induction recipe. Expect direct-injection and twin turbos to swell power to around 620bhp and torque to a stout 553lb ft, according to insiders. That's considerably up on the old S8's 444bhp and 398lb ft. Combined with the ASF aluminium spaceframe technology and more rear-biased Quattro four-wheel drive, it could make the S8 a worthy adversary to the Merc AMG models and BMW 760i.
Mercedes CLS 63 AMG (2011) scooped againBy Tim PollardSpy shots15 April 2010 10:36
The new Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG is increasingly spotted out on test ahead of launch in 2011. We've been scooping the regular C218-generation CLS for some time – and the AMG once back last autumn – but now we've seen the clearest spy photos yet of the four-door 'coupaloon'. As we reported in 2009, the new CLS 63 will feature AMG's new 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8 in place of the outgoing car's naturally aspirated 6.2-litre lump. The 63 badge will remain, however, to reassure buyers that they're still buying top of the pile.How quick is the new Merc CLS 63 AMG (2011)?It won't be short on grunt, this new engine. The 5461cc lump packs 544bhp/590lb ft in standard form, and an AMG performance pack upgrade will nick that upwards to nearer 563bhp and 663lb ft. A smaller turbo ensures instant response at low speeds while the larger blower kicks in higher up the rev range for Boeing-spec thrust on the autobahn. The CLS family is based on E-class mechanicals, which bring a seven-speed transmission and the potential for floaty comfort and sharp handling when on back roads. Let's hope there's also a dash more style inside; the new E models are unremittingly sober inside, although the quality has climbed from the previous E-class.
Citröen Metropolis concept car (2010) first picturesBy Chris ChiltonFirst Official Pictures19 April 2010 16:34
Citröen is using this week’s 2010 Shanghai motor show to give a sneak view of how a new Citröen limo could look. The press statement says the Metropolis concept ‘pays homage to China’s extraordinary development’ but just how this Citröen forces millions of people to live in poverty with no access to an uncensored media isn’t yet clear.A massive 5.3m long (longer than a stretched 7-series) but only 1.4m high, the four-door coupe’s styling has echoes of Citröen’s incredible GT supercar concept of 2008 and was developed by Citröen’s Shanghai-based design team. China’s car market is phenomenally lucrative and rich Chinese are hungry for luxury saloons so the Metropolis is likely to resurface as a Chinese-market limo rather than point to the next C6.
Mercedes Shooting Break concept (2010)By Tim PollardFirst Official Pictures19 April 2010 23:00
Mercedes is this week – volcanic ash cloud notwithstanding – due to unveil this new Shooting Break concept car at the 2010 Beijing auto show. It's a barely disguised show version of a sporting CLS estate. Think a Mercedes wagon for picky types who find the E-class Estate a tad too sensible.Stuttgart is being unusually candid about this car's provenance, sprinkling the press kit with hints that this will join the next CLS family as a sporty, crossover coupé-estate. There's even an internal codename – X218 – hinting at its production intent. It seems to us that this Shooting Break concept is an altogether far more attractive offering than the 5-series Gran Turismo which fills a similar nano-niche in rival BMW's range. Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break concept car (2010): the lowdownThe CLS 'coupaloon' was conceived as Merc's 'Jag fighter' and has been a success story since launch in 2004. Now it's time to replace the CLS and this is our first look at the new styling direction planned for the 2011 CLS family – albeit in 20in-shod exaggerated show car form. If this shooting break looks familiar, that's because it follows in the footsteps of the 2008 Paris show car, the Fascination concept. Look out in particular at the body surfacing and the new-look nose – the floating grille appears separate from the bonnet, and those headlamps are entirely LED (all 71 of them). 'The Shooting Break concept car is based on the great tradition of a stylish, cultivated sportiness which has always characterised the great Mercedes coupés, and it takes this unique legacy an exciting step further,' gushed Professor Gorden Wagener, chief designer at Mercedes-Benz. 'At the same time it points the way towards the future design idiom of Mercedes-Benz.'
