2011 Volkswagen Eos Facelift Unveiled ahead of LA Show Debut

Four years after it hit the market, Volkswagen is giving the Eos coupe-cabriolet its first cosmetic makeover. The facelifted model, which will have its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late November before going on sale in January 2011, receives an updated design and a host of new features.

The exterior restyling brings the Eos in line with VW's latest models such as the new Touareg, Passat B7 and Jetta. At the front, there's a new, and less prominent, upper grille which is now completely separated from the lower. Also new are the headlamps that incorporate horse-shoe shaped LED running lights, the bumper design and the more chiseled side mirrors.

Out back, the changes include a revised bumper housing a diffuser and new, rectangular-shaped tail lamps with LED technology.

Inside the cabin, the changes are really rather difficult to spot, being limited to some fresh colors, new controls for the air conditioning system and additional features such as the keyless locking and starting system, a new multi-function color display and the remote control for the retractable hardtop.

Aside from the use of BlueMotion technology with a start-stop system and regenerative braking on the 140HP 2.0-liter TDI diesel engine that reduces fuel consumption by 0.7 lt/100 km, bringing it down to 4.8 lt/100 km [49 mpg US], there aren't any other changes under the hood.

More details on the 2011 VW Eos will be released at the car's LA Sow premiere in November.

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Fresh Photos of New Chrysler 200 Sporting Brand's New Grille

Now that Chrysler Group has announced its new European Jeep lineup and revealed the next-gen Dodge Durango and Charger, the most important cars to expect soon are the 200 and 300 sedans. Chrysler has put out some new photos of its redesigned and renamed Sebring replacement, and we finally get a better look at the car's nose plus a peek at the leather interior with contrasting stitching.

You already know the car will get a the 2.4-liter I4 World Gas Engine and the new Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 with 283 horsepower. For the rest of all the released info, head over to our previous post. Right now we're here to check out the latest teasers from Chrysler.

With a full, if dim, view of the front end, it looks like the new Chrysler grille will get some styling cues from -wait for the shocker- Hyundai's latest proposals. Hopefully we'll be getting some proper pictures soon that will put any fears to rest.

Remember, this is just meant to be a stop-gap solution using the 200C concept's style on an old Sebring chassis; the next all-new 200 should be significantly less Sebring and more its own model in-line dimensionally with the concept it's based on.

By Phil Alex

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MG to Build First All-New Model in 15 Years at its UK Plant

MG Rover's old Longbridge car plant is set to comeback in a big way when SAIC / MG begins building its first all new car in 15 years at the end of the year. The plant will start producing the MG6 mid-size model from knocked-down kits imported from China, preceding the UK relaunch of MG as a "value brand" in 2011.

The all new car will be available initially as a five-door fastback, with a four-door saloon to follow later on. The automaker optimistically told the Financial Times that customer clinics have compared the MG6 with the likes of the Ford Mondeo, Skoda Octavia and even with small BMWs. Prices in the UK are said to range between £16,000 to £20,000 (US$25,425 to US$31,780).

Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) bought the intellectual property rights to some of MG's cars and engines after the collapse of parent company MG Rover in 2005. Meanwhile, Nanjing Automobile bought much of the production equipment back in 2007.

The latter's 2007 estimate of selling 50,000 cars a year appears to have been rather optimistic, with actual sales being more of the order of, "hundreds, not thousands". The two companies are now merged under the SAIC name.

MG's Birmingham office employs some 300 engineers and 30 design staff, who provide design and engineering services to parent SAIC. MG Birmingham has previously contributed its extensive knowhow to the development of the Roewe 550 and 350 sedans and the MG Zero concept car that was shown at the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year.

Chinese automakers have had no success exporting cars to Western Europe and the United States in the past. MG Birmingham's input is especially important for SAIC, with the Chinese still struggling to make large cars that are competitive with the Europeans. David Lindley, Head of SAIC's Technical Centre explains:

"There's still a lack of capability in Shanghai, and probably will be for years, to design a new vehicle from a clean sheet of paper."

The success of the MG6 is essential for the future of Longbridge and for MG's European operations. At present, Longbridge only builds small numbers of the outdated MG TF roadster.

Only time will tell if MG can buck the trend and recapture the hearts and minds of British consumers. The MG6 will hopefully be the first step in this difficult process.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: FT (sub. req.) , Kudos to Aikiv for the tip!

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