550 horsepower supercharged V8 in a British wrapper coated in French Blue paint. A bit confusing? Not really – it’s a CTS-V Wagon for those under the jurisdiction of the EU Parliament.

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At 10 inches longer and 7 inches wider than the current Clubman, this really is the Maxi Mini. And it’s got two extra doors. While officially a concept, you can bet that this is making it into production.

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The big news for the Nissan Juke is what you can’t see: according to them, Nissan claims that the cargo area is 40 percent larger on front-wheel drive models, now up to 12.5 feet. World markets also get a new 1.2L turbo 4-cylinder engine. I’m just hoping they’ll finally give us an all-wheel drive 6MT version. I’m glad it’s still weird.

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Yes, exotics aren’t really the main draw for TTAC readers – discussions of Panthers, W-Bodies and the minivan versus CUV debate tend to get everyone going – but it’s nice to break up the monotony every now and then. Besides, where else can you find a naturally aspirated 610 horsepower V10?

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Poor sales of the Dodge Dart have led to temporary layoffs at the auto maker’s Belvidere, Illinois plant, where the Dart is produced. Despite Chrysler sales being up 11 percent last month, sales of the Dart were down 37 percent.

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With the Ford Focus ST due for a mid-cycle refresh in Europe, Ford apparently announced a diesel version of their hot hatch at a dinner after Day 1 of the Geneva Auto Show.

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The quantities of true Chrysler K-Cars in high-turnover self-service wrecking yards have been declining a bit in recent years, though I still see enough of them that I choose only the most interesting to photograph for this series. So far we’ve seen this “Hemi 2.6” ’81 Dodge Aries wagon, this ’83 Dodge Aries sedan, this ’85 Dodge 600 Turbo, and this ’88 Dodge Aries wagon, and today I’m adding a gold Aries sedan that has special significance for me. (Read More…)

TTAC Commentator sundvl76 writes:

Sajeev,

Your post of 2 Mar 2011 was a great explanation regarding the cause of the “T” joint oil leak I’ve been experiencing. No one on any of the normal Ford sites has been able to pinpoint the problem, so I thank you for the information. (I’d discovered the source, but didn’t know the cause/fix until your post.) TTAC is now on my Favorites list! (Read More…)

How about a Volkswagen Golf that emits less CO2 than a Toyota Prius and makes as much power as a GTI?

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Back in September, I wrote a piece lamenting the death of Honda’s high-perofrmance hallmark, the twin-cam VTEC 4-cylinder engine. It was just the sort of article many of you are fed up with: a lengthy piece filled with flowery prose and Honda fanboy-ism sprinkled with a condescending explanation of the auto industry’s inner workings. Miraculously, it was fairly well-received. But I’ve had a change of heart.

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Geneva marks the first in-the-flesh appearance for the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer, the brand’s first front-drive car that doesn’t wear a MINI badge. It’s honestly not a bad idea.

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The Maserati Alfieri will preview the next-generation sports car from FCA’s sort-of-exotic premium brand. Most surprising is the fact that Maserati eschewed the trend of turbocharged motors for the familiar 4.7-liter V8 engine with 460 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque. Given the emissions and fuel consumption requirements that exist today, things could change.

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When the first pictures of the new Škoda VisionC concept appeared online, it quickly became one of the most popular cars in the “proof that Americans can’t have nice things and Europe is heaven” realm. The sleek “five-door coupe”, or liftback with a swooping roofline bears striking similarity with other VW Group’s sedan-coupes. So it’s only natural that most people started speculating about forthcoming “Octavia Coupe” – something like Passat-based Volkswagen CC, or Audi A5 and A7 “five-door coupes”. The budget, or “value” nature of Škoda brand is against that, but how else to explain a suspiciously production-ready concept like this?

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Looking like an Alfa-fied Elise, the 4C Spider loses its roof and gains a custom made exhaust by Akrapovic, best known for making very loud aftermarket systems. Sound’s good to me (no pun intended).

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Another example of what can be done with MQB: a targa top clone of the Juke using the 2.0T engine and Halex AWD.

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