Turkey's Autopia Europa

Turkey's Autopia Europa – Click above for high-res image gallery

Istanbul, Turkey will reportedly be home to the world's largest auto dealership, called Autopia Europia. The space is so big it's probably more convenient to think of it as an industrial complex, rather than an auto dealer: more than two million square feet, each of the five floors almost 20 feet high, 200 auto sales outlets hawking new and used metal, shot through with 56 eateries, 48 repair shops, 24 banks and 42 insurance companies. And that's just a taste of the options.

Perhaps the most unusual feature of Autopia Europia is the test-drive track on the roof of the building. The building's developers expect six million visitors per year, and we can only imagine they're including a lot of foot traffic in that estimate. With a 900-car parking garage, even with three people in every car, it would take nearly seven years to accommodate that many guests. Construction has just begun so they've probably got a couple of years to crunch those numbers again.

You can have a look at it in the gallery of high-res renderings below, or in the video after the jump. Hat tip to Brian!

Gallery: Autopia Europia auto mall

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Audi Q7 SUV Gains New V6 Engines Including 333HP Supercharged TFSI and 8-Speed Autos

Less than a year after the world premiere of the facelifted Q7 at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show, and Audi is updating its luxury SUV with the introduction of three new V6 engines and an 8-speed tiptronic transmission.

The two gasoline and one diesel V6 combine forced induction and direct fuel injection, while a high-performance recuperation system that recovers energy during braking is also a standard item.

Starting with the 3.0-liter TFSI, two versions of the supercharged V6 are available. The basic version that replaces the previous 3.6 FSI produces 272HP and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) accelerating the Q7 to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 222 km/h (138 mph), or 225 km/h (139.81 mph) with adaptive air suspension.

The more powerful version of the 3.0 TFSI that takes the place of the 4.2 FSI V8 generates 333HP and 440 Nm (324.53 lb-ft) between 2,900 and 5,300 rpm. With this engine, the Q7 reaches 100 km/h (62mph) in 6.9 seconds and tops out at 243 km/h (151 mph) or 245 km/h (152mph) when equipped with the adaptive air suspension system.

Audi says that both versions of the 3.0 TFSI are content with 10.7 lt/100km in the combined EU cycle (equal to 22mpg US), representing a 12 and 16 percent reduction respectively over the previous 3.6 FSI and the 4.2 FSI models.

The 2011 Q7 also gets the latest version of Audi's 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel engine that weighs 20 kg (44.09 lb) less than the outgoing 3.0 TDI at 198 kg (437 lb.

It churns out 240HP and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque between 1,750 to 2,500 rpm. This V6 diesel accelerates the Q7 from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.9 seconds and reaches its top speed at 215 km/h or 134mph while returning 7.4lt/100 km (31.8mpg US) - an improvement of 1.7 l/100 km or 19 percent over the previous 3.0 TDI.

Audi will also offer a second version of the 3.0 V6 TDI dubbed "Clean Diesel" that meets the tougher Euro 6 emission standards. This version uses a DeNox catalytic converter in the exhaust system to reduce the remaining oxides of nitrogen by means of an additive.

It produces 240HP and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque between 2,000 and 2,250 rpm taking the Q7 from a standstill up to 100 km/h (62mph) in 8.1 seconds and gives it a top speed of 215 km/h or 134mph.

The "Clean Diesel" version is not only slightly slower than the standard 3.0 TDI Q7, but it also consumes more fuel returning an average consumption of 8.4 liters per 100 km, equal to 28mpg US.

Audi also tweaked the 2011 Q7's 4.2-liter TDI by installing a 2,000-bar fuel injection system and minimizing internal friction. Even though output remains unchanged at 340HP, it now delivers more torque (800Nm or 590 lb-ft vs 760Nm or 560 lb-ft).

It accelerates the Q7 from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds and offers a top speed of 242 km/h or 150mph. Furthermore, fuel consumption has been reduced from 9.9lt/100km (23.8 US mpg) to 9.2 lt/100km (25.6 US mpg).

Finally, the German automaker has given all six- and eight-cylinder Q7s a new eight-speed automatic transmission that lowers fuel consumption by about five percent.

Hamann Alloys-up the New Ferrari 458 Italia

It won't be long before Hamann does it's thing on the new Ferrari 458 Italia with a full-blown performance and styling package, but for now, the well-known German tuner has announced the launch of two new 21-inch alloy wheel designs for the Italian prima donna.

The first set, called "Edition Race", is a deep-dish split-rim with titanium screws while the second set, named "Unique Forged", is descirbed by Hamann as an "ultra-light forged alloy wheel" with a cross-spoke design in a flat black finish. More photos after the jump.

SuperGT Lexus LFA GT500

SuperGT Lexus LFA GT500 – Click above for image gallery

Take a look at the field of 2010 SuperGT competitors and something's amiss. Nissan's been campaigning its new GT-R in the series for two years and Honda recently revealed the HSV-010 before its inaugural run in the series this May. What's missing? A new competitor from Toyota.

Jyuichi Wakisaka and Andre Lotterer took the overall GT500 win in the team's Lexus SC430 last year, but that model is not long for this world, so it's just a matter of time before Toyota fields a new car in the series. So what's set to take the SC430's place? The answer's obvious: the Lexus LFA.

Although Toyota's yet to confirm the LFA's entrance (we're expecting an announcement later this year), Iain Chandler, a skilled 3D artist hailing from Australia, has rendered a GT500-class LFA, complete with six sets of livery. While it's far from official it's a pretty good indication of what to expect when Toyota finally pulls the trigger, and Lotterer seems to approve – he posted the images on his site.

SuperGT Lexus LFA GT500 Renderings

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Dacia Logan, Logan MCV and Sandero Black Line – Click above for high-res image gallery

These days it seems like every color is being claimed for one cause or another. Medical research has laid claim to a few (pink and yellow come to mind), but so has the automotive industry: red for performance, green for hybrids, blue for clean diesels... Mercedes adopted black as the label for its most extreme AMG models, but now the shade is being used for something decidedly more low-rent: Renault's budget brand and Romanian subsidiary, Dacia.

Available on the Logan, Logan MCV and Sandero – though not, apparently, on the Logan pick-up or the upcoming new Duster crossover – the Black Line adds a touch of class to the budget cars. The package, based on the Laureate trim level, adds such "special" touches as metallic paint, visible top-stitching on the black fabric upholstery, MP3-capable CD player and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. Nothing ground-breaking here, and it's not going to outshine an SL63 by any means, but finally a car Top Gear's James May can drive to the symphony. Details in the press release after the jump and photos in the gallery below.

Dacia Black Line

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the Great Depression and post-WW2 auto shakeout

Hope for France: Left to right, Gilles Vidal, Jean-Pierre Ploué and Thierry Metroz

There was a time when "France" and "design" were nearly synonymous, at least in the automotive sphere. Delahaye, Voisin, Bugatti, Talbot-Lago (including the high-water mark Figoni et Falaschi "Tear Drop" cars), etc. Prewar, no one had anything on the French. Even Peugeot and Citroën were in on the action; the former producing the elegant 402 and the latter building the glorious Traction Avant.

However, after the Great Depression and post-WW2 auto shakeout, the scenery changed. Sure, Citroën still had a few design masterpieces left in the tank - the 2CV, the DS and SM. Peugeot made some excellent cars (205, 404) but they certainly weren't lookers. Then a few years back, Peugeot bought Citroën. Since that time, Peugeots have become wildly bizarre-looking, while Citroën has produced exactly one beauty, the C6. Point being, France's automotive designs are a far cry from their prewar glory days.

PSA Peugeot Citroën wants to change that trajectory. Under PSA design leadership of Jean-Pierre Ploué, Gilles Vidal has taken over design of Peugeot and Thierry Metroz is now in charge of how Citroëns look. Metroz might have an easy time of it, as Ploué has to some degree set Citroën on a halfway righteous path. Again, we're big fans of the big C6 and in truth, the C3 and DS3 are pretty much OK-looking as well. Monsieur Gilles, however, has his work cut out for him. Have you looked at a 3008 or an 807 lately? Not so hot.

We've known for a while now that the iQ will be showing up as a Scion

Scion iQ Concept - click above for hi-res image gallery

You know that Toyota iQ your cousin's seen running around Europe and Japan? It's making its way Stateside, first to next week's Detroit Auto Show, then to a Scion dealer near you as a hybrid. This is according to a scoop by Inside line. We've known for a while now that the iQ will be showing up as a Scion, just not for certain as a hybrid. Also, according to IL, the fate of the brand hangs in the balance. Also-also, they might (yay!) drop the name iQ.

That's right, the diminutive Toyota with the silly name is going to greet us as a youth-branded Scion. In multiple flavors, too. First will come a five-door hatchback, followed next by a four-door sedan. The latter is almost a little puzzling – who on earth wants a four-door sedan version – but then we recall all the other cars PR types tell us the American market forces into four-door guise and we're not surprised one bit. The Scion iQ will also come as a three-door hatch. Expect the five-door to show up first, towards the end of 2011.

The engine options are pretty interesting. If you so desire, a 1.3-liter four-banger will produce 93 horsepower. However, most folks will probably opt for the hybrid version. First of all, the gas and electric propulsion is so cheap that Toyota will be able to sell it for $15,000 or less. Second, expect a 1.5-liter four and some sort of electric motor to produce between 100 and 120 hp and return 60 mile per gallon. Not bad at all. Again, Inside Line ends their scoop explaining that if the iQ doesn't get youngsters buying Scions, nothing will. Er, make that nothing will have a chance to, as Toyota is likely to fold the brand.

Scion iQ Concept

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