Super Luxe Cars

Kia World has scored the first official photos of the 2010 Kia Sorento, and from the looks of things, it’s in keeping with the other marked improvements the automaker has been making to its lineup. In fairness, the current Sorento is no ugly duckling, with a shape that’s evocative of the Jeep WJ Grand Cherokee and last-gen Lexus RX. Kia retains a traditional SUV profile with the latest version, but you can see that a thick D-pillar now resides aft of the side glass. In its report, OmniAuto notes that new, larger Sorento will have seven-passenger capability.

The new Sorento doesn’t appear to mess with success, retaining the same basic shape while incorporating Kia’s new, handsome corporate face and a clamshell hood. Its public debut is slated for the Seoul Motor Show next month, and Kia World reports that the the new SUV will be available with a Euro 5-compliant 2.0-liter clean diesel making 200 horsepower and 295-lb-ft of torque. Stateside, expect a 170-horsepower 2.4-liter four and and a 3.8-liter, 260-horse Lambda V6. Koreans also get a 2.7-liter LPG-powered engine. After its Seoul debut, we’d expect to see the Sorento pop up in Manhattan for the New York Auto Show.

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Comebacks are a tough racket, so when Aston Martin announced plans to revive the Lagonda nameplate, we tempered our high hopes with a fair amount of skepticism. Perhaps that’s a good thing. These first images of the Lagonda caused a collective sigh from the Autoblog crew here in Geneva, perhaps largely because it takes the form of a crossover – something we weren’t really expecting (and something we don’t typically associate with either Lagonda or Aston).

The Lagonda’s return marks the 100th anniversary of the brand, best known for stately sedans and luxurious grand-tourers. Aston wanted an outlet to expand beyond sports cars and GTs (pay no attention to the Rapide in the corner), and the Lagonda’s designers took that mandate and ran with it – some might say into a bluff-faced wall.

At its core, the Lagonda Concept is an avant-garde approach to the crossover we’ve come to know in seemingly thousands of variations. The front grille and swage lines are an obvious nod to modern Astons, but its near vertical nose, stretched headlamps and bulbous backside attempts to convey a mix of luxury and masculinity. The rear end strikes us as very Bentley, but considering the Lagonda’s intended audience, that might not be a bad thing. All four 22-inch wheels are powered by a V12 powerplant of undisclosed displacement and output, and Aston envisions the Lagonda as a long-distance cruiser that offers its occupants a lavish, functional and tech-rich environment.

Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulirch Bez wants to see the Lagona sold in more than 100 countries (versus the 32 A-M is currently offered in), with a focus on emerging markets in the Middle East, South America, China, India and Russia. While we have no problem envisioning the Lagonda rolling down the streets of Moscow, we’re not sure that its reception will be as warm in Europe and North America. But then again, there’s not much playing in this space, and that’s the nature of comebacks.

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EDAG has presented its new “Light Car – Open Source” concept here at the Geneva Motor Show, and while it outwardly appears to look like any other nondescript electric bubble car, there’s a lot of innovative content on the inside screaming for attention.

It’s hard to know where to start: The use of (O)LED technology as both driver-configurable exterior lighting units and as a television screen-like safety feature that alerts those behind of road conditions; its 100% recyclable basalt fiber chassis (said to be at once lighter and cheaper than carbon-fiber or aluminum); or the fact that this is an open-source effort, with EDAG taking the lead but freely opening up the car’s technologies to outside developers for improvement and modification.

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There are pie-in-the-sky concept cars and then there are coming-to-a-showroom-near-you concept cars. The Alfa MiTo GTA is the latter, and from what we’ve seen that’s a good thing, especially as Fiat’s new partnership with Chrysler may herald Alfa Romeo’s return to North America at long last. Although Alfa is billing the MiTo GTA unveiled here at the Geneva Motor Show as a concept, company spokesmen say it should hit production later this year. And when it does, the 230-hp turbo four – displayed separately on Alfa’s show stand – should stay, but we’d expect the racing buckets with rear-anchored harnesses to give way to four seats. The jury’s still out on the carbon-fiber body panels and tarmac-chomping front air dam and rear diffuser, but so far we like what we see. The folks at Renaultsport and John Cooper Works have cause to feel otherwise, but we’ll let you make up your own mind after viewing the photos in the gallery below.

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The Lamborghini Estoque has four doors, the first sedan in the history of Automobili Lamborghini. With a powerful front mid-engine, permanent all-wheel drive and a sophisticated, precision-tuned chassis, the Lamborghini Estoque boasts a unique technology package. The design is a little like the Reventon, the brake lamp lighting and the front design. Th e Lamborghini Estoque was shown at the Paris Motor Show 2008.

More pictures after the break.

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The Porsche Panemera is here, available in S and Turbo model. It is powered by 4.8-liter V8 producing 400hp and 500hp respectively. Both will come with Porsche’s PDK 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Compare to new 15.9 feet long BMW 5-series, these sedans are consider quite large, it measures 16.3 feet long and 6.3 feet wide. More pictures after the break.

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With $21,845, you can get yourself a 2010 Ford Mustang. Powered either by V6 or 315-hp V8, comes with a powerdome hood, larger wheels, retuned suspension, the first new Mustang emblem since 1964, and headlamps inspired by the 1970 Mustang. At the inside, you have the latest version of Ford SYNC and customizable ambient and instrument lighting that you can set in any of 125 colors. Anyway, $21,845 is just the starting price.

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