Aston Martin Rapide officially launched at Frankfurt Motor Show

	Aston Martin has finally revealed its much awaited Rapide luxury performance sedan at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which is slated to go on sale next year
	The Rapide was first seen in concept car form at the Detroit Motor Show back in 2006, and the production version unveiled at Frankfurt looks virtually identical to the concept, with only a few design changes. The tiny side intakes in the front bumpers are deleted, while there is now a new swage line across the side of the car. Design highlights include the 'swan wing' doors, which rise upwards and outwards as they swing open, along with hidden door handles, LED tail lights, dual exhaust tips a boat-tail style rear decklid spoiler and 20-inch alloy wheels outfitted with Bridgestone Potenza tires. Inside, the Rapide is typically Aston Martin luxurious, with leather upholstery, walnut trim, and iridium silver accents. Other features include a rear centre console, automatic climate control, individual seating for four with heating, organic electroluminescent (OEL) instrument displays, and LED interior lighting. In terms of technology, the Rapide has a GPS navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity, and a 1000-watt Bang & Olufsen BeoSound audio system with iPod and USB connections. The Rapide is actually a hatchback, with a huge tailgate lifting up for access to the cargo area. While the boot space is only 301 litres, it can be expanded to 750 litres by folding down the electrically-powered rear seats. Under the hood, the Rapide is powered by a 6.0-litre V12 engine that produces 470bhp and 600Nm of torque. Combined with a six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission that has steering mounted magnesium shift paddles, this enables the Rapide to go from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds, and reach a top speed of 303km/h. The Rapide uses a modified version of Aston Martin's aluminium V/H platform, with an independent double wishbone suspension using coil springs, anti-roll bars and monotube adaptive dampers. The car measures 5019mm in length and 1360mm in height. According to Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez, the "Rapide is the culmination of the Aston Martin range of sports cars, a car that seals the revival of a truly admired marque. There is now an Aston Martin for every taste and for every use." He continued, "With (the) Rapide, the entire family can enjoy their Aston Martin together in unison, in an invigorating yet comfortable environment, sitting low, with plenty of visibility from every seat and with new levels of comfort, refinement and entertainment." Source: SgCarMart

Small Range Rover confirmed for production

Land Rover has confirmed today that a production version of its exciting LRX concept car will be built.

The new car will debut next year and join the Range Rover line-up in 2011.

Designed and engineered at Land Rover's state of the art Gaydon facility, the new Range Rover will be the smallest, lightest and most efficient vehicle the company has ever produced.

The new car will be built at the multi award-winning plant in Halewood, on Merseyside, subject to quality and productivity agreements and will be sold in over 100 countries around the world.

Phil Popham, managing director of Land Rover said: "The production of a small Range Rover model is excellent news for our employees, dealers and customers. It is a demonstration of our commitment to investing for the future, to continue to deliver relevant vehicles for our customers, with the outstanding breadth of capability for which we are world-renowned."

"Feedback from our customer research also fully supports our belief that a production version of the LRX Concept would further raise the desirability of our brand and absolutely meet their expectations." Phil added.

Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director said: "The new vehicle will be a natural extension to the Range Rover line-up, complementing the existing models and helping to define a new segment. It will be true to the concept and have many recognisable Range Rover design cues including the signature clamshell bonnet, the floating roof and the solid 'wheel-at-each-corner' stance."

Source: OneShift

Video: MINI Roadster Concept

We’ve talked about the MINI Coupe Concept and the MINI Roadster so much over the past couple of weeks; it feels like we know the cars inside-and-out by now. But no matter how many times we’ve said it – or shown you videos, teasers, spy shots, and commercials – we just can’t get enough of MINI’s two latest offerings.

Their successful unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show has even fuelled more interest in these two cars and we feel that it’s our responsibility to quench their thirsts, so to speak.

Besides, these two cars aren’t expected to be out on the market for the next couple of years so in the meantime, newly-released videos of these two cars will have to do for now. We have two videos for you all ‘MINI-iacs’, one of which is the video of the Coupe Concept and Roadster Concept unveiling at Frankfurt and the other a detailed look at the Roadster Concept.

Click after the jump for video from the Frankfurt ’birthday’ launch of the two MINIs. Enjoy!

Source: Topspeed