autos sport

If you feel the regular Abarth 500C could benefit from a few more ponies under the hood, Fiat's performance division has the answer in the form of the Esseesse edition. The tuning package bumps output of the standard 1.4-liter turbocharged engine from 140HP and 206Nm to 160HP and 230Nm, respectively.

As a result, the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) drops 0.6 seconds to 7.5 seconds, while top speed increases from 205km/h to 209km/h (130mph).

The scorpion-branded version of Fiat's 500 rag-top convertible that was shown in Paris featured a two-tone paint job with a white chromatic line separating the two colors, and came fitted with a Record Monza exhaust silencer and unique 17-inch alloys with 5 diamond shaped spokes.

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Hoping to build some hype around the new 2011 Sonata 2.0-liter Turbo before it arrives in showrooms later this year, Hyundai has teamed up with RIDES and 0-60 magazines to trick out the 274-horsepower-strong saloon for the SEMA show, which will take place in Las Vegas this November.

The South Korean firm has no problem admitting that the car's tune-up is inspired by Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche models.

In particular, Hyundai says the SEMA Show Sonata's exterior modifications will be "modest and tasteful, using influences from the four-door Brabus Mercedes CLS Rocket sport coupe", adding that the interior design has been inspired by the Ferrari F430 "with strategically placed stitched leather throughout and carbon fiber trim accents." No word where Porsche fits in the tune.

Other upgrades will include 20-inch concave monobloc wheels, a matte pearl white paint and a slew of carbon fiber components including the roof, grill, interior trim, side mirrors and rear diffuser, plus turbo and intake enhancements, and a quad tip dual exhaust.

Expect more teaser shots to be released within the next few weeks.

In an attempt to enter the 4-door coupe market, Lotus brought a sedan - you read that right - to the Paris Motor Show. The Eterne is the new Lotus 4-door (other Loti saloons include the 377HP twin-turbocharged Lotus Carlton / Omega of the early 1990s, and they sure are cool); it uses a Lotus-tuned new bad boy engine borrowed from Lexus.

This means that sitting under the hood is a high-output forced-induction 5.0-liter V8. As with the Esprit and Elite, the Eterne will offer optional hybrid power and KERS.

An added bonus is available AWD. The Eterne provides seating for four passengers in an 1,800-kilo package that will cost approximately £120,000 [~ US$190,500 at today's exchange rates] before options.

Clearly Lotus sees a market for a prestigious high-performance 4-door with hybrid power, because Dany Bahar plainly states, "We truly believe that there is a market for the Eterne. There is nothing else like it out there both in terms of design, capacity and performance. The biggest difference between the Eterne and it's class competitors is that it's not an evolution of an existing two-door model, it's a deliberate and considered stand-alone creation. It's the ultimate four door sports car."

Hey, who am I to argue with capitalism? For that money, though, I'd just buy a Fisker Karma and go on a nasty vacation.

By Phil Alex

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Joining the world premieres of the MINI Countryman WRC and Ford Fiesta RS WRC at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, is Citroën's all-new contender for the 2011 World Rally Championship, the DS3 WRC in full racing livery.

The French firm's replacement for the multi-championship winning C4 WRC fully complies with the new FIA regulations with power coming from a 300hp 1.6-litre direct-injection turbocharged engine. The car also gets a four-wheel-drive system that incorporates a six-gear sequential gearbox and front and rear mechanical differentials.

"The DS3 WRC is designed to limit the budgets required to compete in the WRC", said Citroën in a statement. "The new FIA rules ban costly materials such as titanium and carbon-fibre, and standardise certain parts like the turbocharger and limit the changes that can be made to the vehicle during its lifetime. Rally nevertheless remains a great testing ground for driving new advances in vehicle technology."

The new DS3 WRC will make racing debut at the Rally Sweden in February 2011. The French firm has already confirmed two teams of the next racing season, Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena and Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia.

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Finally, we've got live pics of the new Chevy Orlando. Essentially the General's answer to the European mid-size MPV question, the small, Cruze-based 7-seater had a bunch of promise back when it originally debuted as a concept.

Somewhere between there and this year's Paris Motor Show, all the old, Judge Whitey executives in the General's back pocket found a way to crush any chance of it being cool by turning the stocky little MPV into an ass-in-the-air high-ish-riding mini-minivan...unless there's an air suspension system I don't know about.

You can see that the interior keeps the decent styling inherited from its platform-mate and appears to actually be sourced from the original concept. Too bad the same can't be said for the rest.

When this little box goes on sale in early 2011, methinks the best things about the whole package are the trick dashboard cubby and its two available diesel torque-makers.

As for the rest, attractive European MPV it ain't. For the full info and specs, check out our previous post, and to see how the Orlando stacks up against the concept, head on over to our Concept to Reality comparo.

By Phil Alex

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