Size does matter. And sometimes, the smaller the better. On today’s congested roads, the last thing you need is a double-parked Hummer, or a Maybach cautiously trying to parallel park in a space clearly meant for a Toyota iQ. Good things come in small packages, and when they’re really good, the best come back in smaller and updated packages. Case in point, the British Mini, or the BMW Mini.

Iconic during the psychedelic times of the 60s (remember George Harrison’s Tibetan and Sanskrit prayer painted Mini), the Mini is a common sight on UK roads today, at once cute, compact and stylish. It’s larger than its predecessor and weighs a bit more as well. However, retro rules today and its interior packs in Harman Kardon speakers seamlessly with auxiliary gauges. Lily Allen and Madonna have confessed to be die-hard Mini fans. The car’s even made it to Hollywood, featuring in Hitch, Austin Powers Goldmember, and a heist scene in the The Italian Job, giving it a good chance to show off its track driving abilities.

If you think just seeing one oldie back on the road doesn’t prove anything, think again. Volkswagen’s Beetle is still going strong. It’s expected to be phased out by 2011, to make way for possible variants including two-seater Beetle roadsters, SUV-type Beetles and the standard hard top.

The fat bubble Fiat 500 is back as well, rising from its death in the 70s. The new avatar is front-engined and front-wheel drive, and powered by a choice of three water-cooled engines (the original twin cylinder was air cooled) that include a 69bhp 1.2 petrol, a twin cam 100bhp 1.4 and a 75bhp 1.3 turbodiesel. Of course, there’s the usual paraphernalia of a built-in stereo with CD player and MP3 port, voice-activated Bluetooth phone integration, electric windows, power steering and a trip computer. It’s uber-stylish, and let’s face it, the Italians know their furniture so well, the interiors are worthy of their own showroom.

A visit to a vintage car rally reveals the human spirit to create the most bizarre things in the name of transport. The Goggomobil Dart, Messerschmitt cars, even Vespa cars, and the bubble-shaped BMW Isetta, which was originally designed by a refrigerator company with two doors, one at the front and the other at the back. Dare we hope to see a return of these? Or perhaps the Citroën 2CV and its classic Bauhaus body?

A return may take a while. In the meantime, there’s a whole new breed of smart city cars to look forward to: the Volkswagen Cross Polo is another new entry; the Aston Martin Cygnet is preparing to rival Toyota’s iQ; the sporty and incredibly expensive Audi A1. Both the Cygnet and A1 are expected at the end of 2010 and are priced between £14,000 to £25,000. If you’re feeling generous, they might be the greatest Christmas gift ideas ever. Especially if they’re just for yourself.

Paolo Martin knows Ferraris. Having worked for several decades as a designer for Pininfarina – the design house of choice for Maranello – he’s styled several Prancing Horse design studies. One of his most iconic designs was the Ferrari Modulo concept, unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show.

Based on the chassis from a homologated Ferrari 512 S racing car, the Modulo was the absolute cutting edge of space-age design. It was far too radical to ever see production, of course, but its design has endured as one of the most exceptional of its era.

Now, in a rather unique move, Martin has revisited his concept, re-interpreting the theme in a more contemporary design. Theoretically based on a Ferrari Enzo chassis, the “nuovo Modulo” looks as radical now as the original did in its day. The question is, does Pininfarina still have the gusto to build even just the one?

Is the Buick Regal GS the most important “maybe” of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show? It’s been more than two decades since performance enthusiasts cared about Buick in any meaningful way. The car at that time was the now legendary Buick GNX. Even if the proposed Regal GS makes production – a big if – it’s not going to be a GNX replacement, at least not in the hearts and minds of power-mad Buick enthusiasts. However, at this chapter in Buick’s story, every little performance bit counts.

That stated, here’s what we might get: Power comes from a beefed-up version of the direct-injected 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder making 255 horsepower and a walloping 295 pound-feet or torque. Compare that to the regular 2.0-liter DI Ecotec that we know and love in cars like the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Chevrolet Cobalt SS: 260 hp, 260 lb-ft of twist. Five horsepower less, sure (your lawnmower makes five horsepower), but we’ll gladly trade those ponies for the 35 extra torques. All that grunt gets routed through a six-speed manual before being kicked out to all four wheels. Speaking of wheels, the Regal GS rides on gorgeous 20-inch alloys that are hauled to a halt by big Brembos squeezing 14-inch cross-drilled and vented rotors.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Regal GS is its traction control system that Buick has dubbed “Interactive Drive Control.” There’s a Normal mode, a Sport mode and most enticing, a GS mode. That final setting changes the default torque split, routing most of the power to the rear wheels. Color us curious, excitedly so. The Regal GS also sits 10mm lower than the standard car and is further visually differentiated by twin intakes on the front clip and two through-fascia tailpipes. It’s even got sporty Recaros and a flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Are they going to build it? Our gut says “yes,” or something very close to it. As a brand, Buick needs a shot in the arm of something hot and bothered. Why not a hopped-up Regal? And will we eventually see an even more muscular version of the Regal GS, fitted with a 325-hp turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 from the Opel Insignia OPC, possibly called the Regal GSX? Maybe GNX fans will have something to look forward to after all.

Let’s just call this one the Cadillac XTS Platinum “Concept.” For reals y’all, this is one of, if not the most production ready “concepts” we’ve ever seen. For its part, Cadillac stuck to the “It’s just a concept” mantra. Though they might as well have all been nodding, elbowing and winking. If When the new XTS sees production it, will replace both the STS and the DTS.

For you tech geeks out there, this new Caddy is fairly intriguing. The all-wheel-drive powertrain is motivated by a plug-in two-mode hybrid consisting of the brand’s 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 coupled to an electric motor. Cadillac was tight-lipped on the power rating, hemming and hawing before saying “around 350 horsepower.”

That may not sound like buckets of oomph, but when compared to the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid – the XTS’s probable direct competitor – makes 295 hp. The XTS theoretically makes 295 pound-feet of torque, too. For those of you not geeked on the hybrid bandwagon, Cadillac’s general manager Bryan Nesbitt posed an interesting hypothetical question, “Is the largest displacement engine the only symbol of luxury?”

As for the XTS itself, it looks like a big Cadillac., which if you stop and think about is is a good thing. Cadillacs should be big, and this sucker is large – within a couple of inches of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, according to both Caddy and our highly unscientific eyeball-based measuring system. We also thought the XTS was significantly better looking in person than in the preview pictures that broke last night. Supposedly there are lots of design cues borrowed from Cadillac’s legendary Sixteen Concept, but aside from the grille we’re not seeing it.

The XTS has its own mojo going on, especially when it comes to the interior. Here’s where the Platinum part comes in. Nesbitt explained that Cadillac intends the XTS Platinum to be a “personal headquarters.” We’re not going to buy into the CEO and wannabe CEO pandering, but lordy is the interior fabulous. Featuring intricate laser-perforated stitching on the leather and synthetic-suede bits with sharp looking burled wood covering everything else, we have to say that with the exception of the Bentley Mulsanne, the XTS Platinum Concept has the best interior at the show. Call it the Cadillac of interiors.

Key Competitors Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG eDrive, BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept.
Power Four electric motors – two each at the front and rear axles – producing 313-hp/ 3,319 lb-ft of torque.
Performance – 0 to 62 mph comes in 4.8 seconds; 37 mph to 75 mph in 4.1 seconds. Top speed comes in at 124 mph.
Fuel-Economy Driving range equals 154 miles on a full charge, which take about 6 to 8 hours.
Production Possibility Nothing confirmed yet.

Feast your eyes on the next Pontiac Vibe GMC Granite concept. We have to wonder if this car was originally designed to slot into Pontiac lineup before that brand was axed, as it doesn’t really seem to fit into the Professional Grade image that GMC has used as a tagline for ages. Or, it could be that General Motors really is considering expanding its GMC brand a few notches down in size.

Whatever the case, we think the Granite is a pretty neat little addition to the burgeoning boxy-but-good small car market here in the States as currently defined by the Scion xB, Kia Soul and Nissan Cube. Unlike those production machines, though, the Granite is a bit tougher in execution, kinda-sorta like the Ford Synus concept from the 2005 edition of the Detroit Auto Show.

The Volkswagen Touareg hybrid is now just a few months away from production, but the crew in Wolfsburg are staying busy by cranking out small concept vehicles with hybrid powertrains. The latest that debuts here at the Detroit Auto Show this morning is called the New Compact Coupe (NCC), a handsome hybrid coupe that looks remarkably production-ready. Designed to slot globally between the not-for-North-America Scirocco and the rakish CC, we could see a serial version of the NCC competing well here in the States with coupes like the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima.

In showcar guise, the NCC features Volkswagen’s 1.4-liter TSI inline-four with 148 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid system uses the same basic architecture (if not dimensions) as the recent L1 and Up-Lite concepts from Frankfurt and Los Angeles. In this case, a 20-kilowatt electric motor is sandwiched between the engine and the seven-speed DSG dual clutch gearbox. A 1.1 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery in the back of the car provides electrical energy storage for electric drive, electric boost and regenerative braking. The system also allows for the complete decoupling of the transmission for enhanced coasting even at highway speeds, although it isn’t immediately clear from the press release if the electric motor will push the NCC along for extended periods as it does with Volkswagen Audi Group’s Porsche Cayenne Hybrid system. Either way, VW is estimating the NCC’s mileage at 45 miles per gallon based on EPA test procedures with the EU numbers coming in at 56 mpg (U.S.) and 98 g/km of CO2. Acceleration to 60 mph is ballparked at 8.1 seconds and top speed is pegged at 141 mph.

The car itself is virtually the same size as the current Jetta except for wheelbase length and overall height (the concept has three more inches between the axles and the roof is two inches lower), and it may well be a preview of what to expect from the next-generation Jetta. Recently there have been rumors circulating that VW plans to revive the Jetta coupe, a model that hasn’t been in the lineup since the late ’80s. A production version of this poor-man’s Audi A5 could well be that car, although VW officials aren’t talking. Similarly, the forthcoming Tennessee-built New Medium Sedan is expected with both diesel and hybrid powertrains and the same could be the case for the next Jetta. While you wait, you can check out our high-res gallery below and VW’s official press verbiage available after the jump.

[Source: Volkswagen via World Car Fans]

Although it will never be produced, but just to please the eye, a small return on the splendid concept sport car Saab Aero-X presented by the Swedish manufacturer at the Geneva Motor Show 2006. With a V6 2.8-liter BioPower 405 hp running on bioethanol, the beautiful shades from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.9 seconds for a top speed of 250 km / h. On the design side, besides the flowing lines and rounded bodywork in carbon fiber designed Frameless windshield for a full 180 degrees, the cockpit accommodates two passengers who come on board by slipping under a bay window of one taking that tips forward at the opening.

Straight from the imagination of the young French designer Gabriel Rabhi, A huge favorite for the design study Audi R7 Concept, a 4-seater coupe that takes the sportsmanship of the Porsche Panamera while keeping a very close design and lines of current models of the mark on rings .

Original description

I have designed this car as combination of classic British low roof body, a powerful rear like the 911 one, and a neo retro muscle car approach founded in the latest American productions. The main idea is the inversed curv starting from fading front wings and rear wings to the arch. I Aimed for this to be at same time old fashion and actual. The car is driven by a powerful front track, with the old car are independent wings like the one of the current S-Class. The single frame had a higher curvature in the bottom part at the State Theater of the real Audi one: this curvature give a more sporty look to the front. Rear lights are clearly “inspirated from the Porsche 911 one.

The full work takes one month to complete. It’s a good time for full NURBS vibrant design and HDR rendering.

Photo Credits Gabriel Rabhi & through

Ford’s “Face for the Chase” (their phrase, not mine!) for 2006 is the new Fusion, and the NASCAR version was introduced on-track for the first time today on the high banks of Daytona.

On hand for the test session was Greg Specht, the Performance Operations Manager for Ford Racing Technology, who pointed out that, “…it’s the first time that we’ve introduced a new race car and a new production car at the same time since 1968 with the Torino.”

Of course, the NASCAR Torino and the showroom Torino shared the same basic chassis, powertrain and bodywork. In new millenium NASCAR style, the race Fusion is a tube-frame, V8-powered, rear wheel drive, live axle car with a custom NASCAR-spec body, and shares absolutely nothing with the street Fusion (a V6-powered, front wheel drive, independent suspension car based on the Mazda6).

I guess we’ll find out if Ford’s wind tunnel is better than GM’s and Chrysler’s though.

[Source: Ford]