If SsangYong is known for anything, it's trucks. The aspirational Korean marque brought out a handful of new pickups and SUVs while in Geneva, but the real showstopper on the SsangYong stand – if there is such a thing – is the XIV-2 concept.

The concept's name is more contrived than its styling (it stands for eXciting user-Interface Vehicle 2), but its blend of high-riding coupe style with a more traditional CUV body is intriguingly attractive in person and proves that there's at least one other automaker hailing from Korea that can do something interesting in a rather staid segment.

SsangYong claims motivation is provided by a 1.6-litre diesel four mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, and Yoo-il Lee, the automaker's CEO, is adamant that a production version – available in coupe, three-door and five-door styles – will come to market in Europe within the next year. Make the jump for the full details.

If BMW isn't willing to give us an authentic M-ified 1 Series, we'll have to settle for the next best thing, and that's the M135i, the latest performance package from the marque's motorsport division.

Based off the three-door F20 variant of the Euro-only 1 Series, the M135i isn't quite the 1er/M3 lovechild of the dearly beloved 1 Series M Coupe, but it's still packing BMW's tried-and-true-and-tunable turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six, putting out more than 300 horsepower presumably through a six-speed manual gearbox.

Beefed-up brakes, tweaked suspension bits and 18-inch M-branded wheels are fitted at each corner, while restyled front and rear fascias round out the rest of the exterior mods.

We've heard through the grapevine that the M135i has already been approved for production, both in rear-wheel-drive and xDrive trim for Europe (except the UK), no word on whether the M135i will ever make it to Canada... stay tuned.

Image Credit: Copyright 2012 Drew Phillips / AOL

A Reminder To Drive



After five days in Europe, I'm finally able to count the number of hours I've slept on both my hands and feet. I've been stuck in this sort of schmoozing fugue state for the past few days, part hapless journalist, part aimless wanderer.

The Geneva Motor Show is over. Covered. Done. But my trip isn't even halfway through. There's one last thing to do and that's drive the all-new Porsche Boxster. That means another flight. Another shuttle. Another hotel. And yet another press conference, one I actually care about.

Chassis codes, curb weights, gear ratios and torque figures fly through the air. I manage to catch a few and jot them down. I'm running below E, barely fueled by some post-show adrenaline, copious quantities of caffeine and the occasional upbeat of my flustered circadian rhythms.

Walter Röhrl flashes on the asymmetrical jumbotron towards the end of the over-the-top PowerPoint presentation. He's driving the Boxster. I desperately want to be him. Right now. And that's when I hear him say part of our drive route will be the Monte Carlo Special Stage of the World Rally Championship. Another night of partial insomnia is now guaranteed in anticpation of what happens after the jump.

In the fine tradition of the Celebrity Wagon, the Bow Tie teams brings out this: The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Wagon.

We kid, but in all honesty, the Cruze Wagon isn't just a more utilitarian take on one of our favorite C-segmenters – it's an attractive one to boot.

And speaking of boots, the Cruze wagon uses its extra inches to good effect, expanding the cargo capacity of the standard sedan and hatchback models to 17.6 cubic feet with the rear seats in place and blowing out to 1.34m (52.9 inches) with the rear thrones folded flat.

Chevrolet MyLink comes along for the ride, and in Europe, buyers get a choice of three gasoline engines and two diesels. But here in the Canada we get nothing and Chevy has no plans to bring the Cruze Wagon here.

News Source: General Motors

Image Credit: Copyright 2012 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

The relentless expansion of M-engineered and branded wares doesn't just stop at the M diesel quadruplets and the M135i. Here in Geneva, BMW announced the latest line of M performance parts that spans the spectrum from appearance bits to powertrain upgrades.

M Performance exhausts will be available for the new 1 Series (in Europe), along with the 3 Series and 5 Series. Carbon fibre front splitters join black kidney grilles in the catalog, as does a new version of the M Performance steering wheel. BMW also claims to have some suspension components are in the works, and all this kit will be on sale and ready for installation at BMW dealers in North America this summer.

Image Credit: Copyright 2012 Drew Phillips / AOL

You know things aren't going to well for Artega when one of the bullet points in its press release is "a completely redesigned infotainment system – and smaller mirrors." But the ambitious niche automaker is still plugging along, preparing to expand its dealer network beyond Europe and into Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and China later this year.

In addition to the new infotainment systems and mirrors, Artega is adding another model to its GT range, this time with a glass panoramic roof – the closest thing Artega will get to a convertible.

Power is still provided by a VW-sourced 3.6-litre V6 mounted amidships and sending power to a six-speed DSG. The all-electric Artega SE is still under development with no firm on-sale date, but reps we spoke to at the show continue to claim there's plenty of consumer interest, even if Artega has only offloaded a few hundred GTs in the past several years.

Following in the footsteps of the North America-bound A4 Allroad, Audi has unveiled its bigger, stouter brother here at the Geneva Motor Show.

The 2013 Audi A6 Allroad takes the same proven formula of past rough-and-tumble models and applies it to the Avant version of the latest A6, raising the ride height by around 6 centimetres, slapping some plastic cladding around the wheel arches and fascias, flaring the fenders, tucking a few stainless steel trays to the underbody and topping it all off with a pair off roof rails.

Three diesel powerplants will be available ranging from 204 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque to 313 hp and 479 lb-ft of twist. The lone gasoline engine – the supercharged 3.0-litre V6 from the S4 – puts out 310 hp and some 324 lb-ft though a seven-speed dual-clutch 'box to all four wheels.

However, unlike the A4 Allroad, we likely won't be seeing the A6 in the U.S., so only one beefed up Audi wagon will have to suffice.

Image Credit: Copyright 2012 Drew Phillips / AOL

How many times have you said to yourself, "Self, I've modded every single part of my car, but those tires, they're just so... black. And boring." Bridgestone has the answer in the form of its Tire Printing Technology.

Comprised of two layers of ink – one below and one above a protective coating – you can fully customize the design of your sidewalls using any kind of vector-based graphics. Bridgestone claims the outer most layer won't succumb to scrapes and scratches, and neither the durability or the weight of the tires are compromised by the technology.

Bridgestone hasn't set a date for production, but the tires could be available as early as this summer. And if it hits in time, there's little doubt we'll be seeing plenty of horrid designs lining the halls of SEMA.

Image Credit: Copyright 2012 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

Life In The Commuter Lane



Form follows function, so it's easy to find one element of a vehicle that explains everything you need to know about it.

Look at the widened haunches of a 911 turbo and you know there's serious hardware in the Porsche's rump. Check the elongated bed of an F-150 and its obvious the Ford should be roaming free on the ranch. Look at a Smart ForTwo... Actually, don't. It's for your own good.

So when I opened the door to the 2012 Toyota Prius V, a single feature stood out: the cupholder. Encircled in a chrome ring and mounted dead-center in the massive armrest, this lone receptacle was the defining feature of the interior. As it should be. The Prius is the commensurate commuter and the V variant's raised roof and enlarged hatch make it even more practical for Mommy and Daddy carpool duty. At least in theory.

If you're a sucker for high-riding shooting brakes, the Hyundai i-oniq concept has what you're after, albeit with a certain anonymity we haven't seen from Hyundai of late.

Complete with elongated gullwing doors and an expansive greenhouse featuring curved glass both behind the A-pillar and on the hatch, the i-oniq is the latest interpretation of Hyundai's "fluidic sculpture" design language. It's a beautiful profile and a classy shape, but the front fascia has shades of Citroën while the rear is more amorphous bulge than svelte hatch. It's pretty, but it's just not striking.

Inside, the i-oniq embodies concept car chic, with layers upon layers of materials, textures and tiers spanning the dash, seats and door panels.

Hyundai claims a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder gasoline engine is fitted under the hood, but its 60 horsepower doesn't reach the wheels. The engine is strictly a generator, juicing up a lithium-ion battery pack that sends power to a single-speed transmission and on to a 100-hp electric motor.

As with most high-style concepts, the i-oniq isn't headed to production, but some kind of series hybrid drivetrain is certainly in the cards for future Hyundai models. Hit the jump for the details.

The all-new 991 variant of the Porsche 911 has only been on sale for a few months, but renowned Porsche tuner Ruf is already hard at work applying its patented blend of power, handling and braking to the latest 911.

On hand at the Geneva Motor Show are two new 991-based Rufs, the Rt 35 Anniversary (green, above) and the RGT 8 (yellow). The Rt35 is a rolling celebration of Ruf's 35 years in business and beats Porsche to the punch by offering a twin turbo kit for the Carrera S, outputting 621 horsepower and an equally astounding 608 pound feet of torque through a standard seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Ruf isn't citing a 0-60 time, but claims the Rt35 tops out at a little over 330 km/h.

The original RGT 8 debuted here in Geneva two years ago and shocked Porsche purists by packing a race-derived V8 where the flat-six would traditionally reside. This updated version based on the 991 uses a similar 4.5-litre V8 good for 543 hp and 368 lb-ft of twist, all routed through a proper six-speed manual gearbox.

Finally, Ruf has updated its flagship CTR 3 in a new Clubsport variant, with copious quantities of carbon fibre both inside and out and power provided by a twin-turbo flat-six outputting 740 hp and 708 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed sequential gearbox puts the power down, further ensuring its status as a track machine that's barely suitable for a run to the corner store. Bonus Ruf porn in the video below.

We've seen plenty of Evora GTE models over the last two years. Some concepts, some production variants and now this, a carbon fiber-bodied Evora to celebrate Lotus' Formula 1 heritage and christened by none other than Kimi Raikkonen.

Like the rest of the GTE Evoras, this variant is a road-going version of Lotus' ALMS car currently campaigned by Alex Job Racing. Power is provided by the same 444-horsepower supercharged V6, with overall weight reduced by some 91 kg (200 pounds), making it the fastest roadworthy Lotus in the company's history. And it's only fitting that the F1 edition wears the marque's storied black and gold livery both inside and out.

Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2012 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

Cadillac admits it only needs to sell a half dozen CTS-V Sport Wagons to cover its development costs. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the 2013 Audi RS4 Avant. Audi execs have made it clear that its hottest midsize Avant won't be coming to Canada anytime soon, so if you're particularly sensitive to forbidden fruit, stop reading now.

Like the RS5, the RS4 Avant packs Audi's meticulously crafted 4.2-litre V8 putting out 450 horsepower at a stratospheric 8,250 rpm and 317 pound-feet of torque from 4,000 to 6,000 RPM. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox sends power to Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system, including a beefed up version of the S4's torque vectoring rear differential. The run to 60 mph (96 km/h) blows past in the high four-second range and while the "standard" top speed is limited to 250 km per hour, grease the palms at the Audi service department and you'll max out at 280 km/h or 174 mph.

The 14.4-inch (366 mm) front rotors are framed by standard 19-inch lightweight wheels, with optional 14.9-inch (378 mm) carbon ceramic discs barely obscured by 20-inch hoops. A customizable, active suspension is fitted at all four corners, dropping the RS4 by nearly an inch (25.4 mm) over its standard Avant counterpart.

Pricing hasn't been set, but sales are due to begin this fall in Germany. And if Audi can make the case in the North America, we hear the next generation could be a global model.

Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2012 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

The Volkswagen Group is comprised of 11 brands producing 240 vehicles across 49 factories throughout the world. So the best way to show off the range of the VW family is to cram a few thousand journalists and VIPs into a massive makeshift stand to outline the Group's goals, what's in the pipeline and what you'll be able to buy later this year.

To that end, VW pulled out all the stops on the eve of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, bringing along 10 vehicles from across the range. We'll be delving into the details of each over the next two days of show coverage, but before that happens, you can read all about what we saw last night from the cheap seats after the break.