The Italdesign-Giugiaro...
The Italdesign-Giugiaro Toyota Alessandro Volta is a supercar, but with a difference. It"s a hybrid-electric vehicle using the same powertrain as the Lexus RX400h, which arrives at the end of the year. As well as a battery mounted on each axle, it has a 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine. Together, they develop 402bhp.
Based on an extended...
Based on an extended Vauxhall Astra platform, the car will offer improved performance and a bigger interior. Aimed at offering a stylish alternative to German rivals, it"s charged with restoring the Italian firm"s respectability in the hotly contested small family hatch market.
Buyers will have a choice of 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.4-litre petrol engines, plus two versions of the 1.9 JTD diesel. There is also talk of a new Abarth-badged flagship, powered by the 250bhp 3.2-litre V6 already used by the Alfa 147 GTA. Fitted with 19-inch wheels and a six-speed gearbox, this machine would be a serious rival to the fastest models in the class, including the all-conquering new Volkswagen Golf GTI. And the launch of the Stilo can"t come quickly enough. Fiat has to turn its fortunes around fast; in 2004, the company sold only 112,000 Stilos worldwide - bosses have previously said they need to shift at least 400,000 examples of the hatch to make a profit.
A source from within Fiat said: "The new Stilo has to be a real design piece, with a much sportier image than the current generation. The existing version aimed to emulate German models, so it was designed that way. Now, we"re taking it in a different Italian direction."
Prices are tipped to start at around í‚á£10,000. Three and five-door variants are under development, while the firm also plans to produce a new estate and a folding hard-top coup탩-cabriolet to rival the forthcoming Ford Focus CC.