paris

General Motors today announced it will unveil a five-door 2011 Chevy Cruze hatchback at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

Wayne Brannon, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe, said the total compact segment in Europe represents about 4.8 million units, which is more than a quarter of the total market and hatchbacks represent about 65 percent of that volume.

"Hatchbacks play a critical role in many markets," said Brannon. "We therefore expect to see increased business in a number of regions, while sending out a signal that Chevrolet is now a serious mainstream player in Europe.&… Read more

It is not easy being Paris Hilton. You have to spend so much of your time focused on the "being Paris Hilton" part that it leaves very little time for much else. Like considering the state of the nation. Or remembering what pictures you tweeted a month ago.

My fingers flicker with sympathy because Hilton seems to have got herself into a slight pickle. A slight pickle that might be less slight than her much-loved sex video.

An SUV in which she was accompanied by her boyfriend was stopped Friday in Las Vegas when police reportedly detected the … Read more

With a whole new look, the 2012 Mercedes CLS-class is set to debut at the Paris Motor Show on October 2 to October 17. This is the second generation of the popular four-door coupe. According to Mercedes, 170,000 CLS-class cars have been sold worldwide since October 2004.

The new design accentuates the long hood, but face of the car has changed. The radiator grille is not integrated into the hood, but it is formed separately. Another difference is the large, elongated dark air inlets with black grilles that also adds to the vehicle's sporty appearance.

Hand-sewn leather interior … Read more

Mazda's top brass wheeled out its Shinari concept at a design event in Milan weeks ahead of its official debut at the Paris Motor Show on October 2, and studio renderings of the concept are circulating around the Web.

Depending on which article you're reading, the Shinari is a four-door car or five-door hatchback that showcases Kodo, Mazda's future design language. Kodo translates as "soul of motion," and is a move away from its former design of Nagare, which translates to "flow."

Source: AutoWeek and MotorTrend

Not long after we experienced the 2010 Evora, Lotus announces two new variations on the Evora to be launched at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. One model, the Evora S, gets more power and makes the optional Sport package from the original Evora standard. The other model replaces the standard six-speed manual with an automatic, a move sure to cause dismay among Lotus purists.

The Evora S uses the same 3.5-liter V-6 as the standard Evora, but gets 69 more horsepower, going from 276 to 345. Likewise, torque in the S model is up at 295 pound-feet versus the … Read more

The Paris Motor Show is more than a month away, but Kia just released photos of a new concept it will put on display. The Pop shows the type of outrageous design that draws a crowd, but never enters production.

Although the front looks like it could come from a Japanese Kei-class car, the Pop's side graphic uses a lozenge shape in the door. The top of the car is all glass, letting plenty of light into the cabin.

Kia says little about the car, other than it can hold three passengers and is powered by an electric motor. … Read more

A new concept car from Renault shows that the French romantic tradition even applies to automotive design. The DeZir represents the first step in a life cycle, according to Renault, that encompasses falling in love, exploring the world, creating a family, working, taking time to play, and attaining wisdom.

Renault's chief designer, Laurens van den Acker, plans a whole line of concept cars that stand for each of these steps.

As the falling in love car, DeZir is bright red, with softly curving lines. More pointedly, this two-seater uses a bench seat, keeping the occupants close together.

To us, … Read more

After Paris 26 Gigapixels was created, it only made sense that someone would one-up the City of Love. Dubai can now be viewed in a whopping 45 gigapixels, thanks to photographer Gerald Donovan.

With the help of a Canon 7D, Donovan took 4,250 photos. He used a 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L zoom lens at 400mm. According to a blog he wrote last week describing his feat, it took Donovan about three-and-a-half hours to take a full panoramic view for Dubai 45 Gigapixels. Amazingly, he did the shots in 98-degree weather, which made "the camera and lens...… Read more

If you're a fan of drift racing, you'll like this video clip. It's not quite a trailer, but it is a sneak peek at a new French movie called "Vernal Equinox"--coming out in May.

An equinox is something that occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis isn't inclined away from, or towards, the Sun.

According to director Stephane Benini's Twitter page, the movie is about a student who faces a unexpected situation when he returns home. I'm guessing the plot of "Vernal Equinox" will … Read more