Car shows

James Bond has his Aston Martin, and Johnny English has his Rolls-Royce. At least he does in the latest super spy parody movie from English comic actor Rowan Atkinson. During the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Atkinson showed up for the Rolls-Royce press conference to talk about the role played by a Phantom Coupe in the movie "Johnny English Reborn."

Atkinson, who gained fame playing characters such as Blackadder and Mr. Bean, stars in "Johnny English Reborn" as a spy who, in Atkinson's words, "thinks he is better than he really is." In … Read more

As it struggles to reinvent its brand from safety stalwart to naughty luxury carmaker, Volvo is exploring its artsy side by documenting the construction of its next concept vehicle, the Concept You, in a series of photos on Tumblr. Yes, Volvo has a Tumblr account.

The Swedish auto manufacturer plans to reveal the Concept You next week at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show. The days are counting down to the big debut, and to build buzz, Volvo is releasing videos and photos of the vehicle online.

Although no finished images of the Concept You have been leaked, stumbled-upon images and … Read more

In 2015, the Defender will be 25 years old, so Land Rover designers are putting down their tea and getting to work on an update. The company will show a concept for a new Defender model at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show. With only four years until the production version is due, the blokes at Land Rover will barely have time for a biscuit.

The DC100 concept appears as a two-door, with rounded edges and grille that lose the welded sheet-metal hard edges of the current model. The wheels chosen for the concept look designed to appeal to first-world consumers rather than military buyers from countries created last week.

But Land Rover's long timeline for the Defender update shows a very careful approach. If the public derides this one, there is still plenty of space on the drawing board. And Land Rover says it will pay close attention to customer input as it finalizes the design. … Read more

When Ford unveils its Evos concept at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show, the company doesn't want you to focus on the car itself. Similar to the BMW Vision ConnectedDrive shown at the last Geneva auto show, which showed off an entire technology environment, the Evos concept demonstrates how Ford's technologies can integrate with your life.

The Evos concept bundles just about every technology on which Ford has been working, creating a holistic vision of how a future car would integrate with your life. The Evos is designed as a connected vehicle, and can do things like continue playing … Read more

After publishing sketches and blatantly live-testing the vehicle in a crowded German square, Audi released more renderings of the Audi Urban Concept that it will unveil at the upcoming International Motor Show in Frankfurt. The biggest finding from the graphics is that the electric micro car has a convertible twin.

The Audi Urban Concept is an electric two-seater that takes its styling cues and lightweight construction from sports cars. Designed for dense urban environments, the concept is powered by two electric motors.

Based on previously released information and sketches of the Coupe version of the Audi Urban Concept, the doors appear to slide back like a minivan's. On the Spyder, which looks a little more like a 1960s Formula 1 car, they open diagonally to the top. How functional that is and exactly how they work remains to be seen. Both EVs seat two in staggered formation to maintain its narrow body design. … Read more

Infiniti released no details about a new concept car it would unveil at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show, beyond the fact that F1 champ Sebastian Vettel would be on hand to introduce it.

Infiniti says that Vettel helped design this concept, which looks nothing like the open-wheel F1 cars Vettel drives as part of the Red Bull racing team.

From the photo released by Infiniti, the new concept is clearly based on the FX crossover. The major body styling seems to be a more raked profile in back. With its hatchback body and fender vents, it also looks like a … Read more

Bentley's 2012 model year update to its Continental GTC convertible will feature a Google Earth-based navigation system, technology developed by sibling company Audi, along with a number of other improvements. Bentley will unveil the 2012 Continental GTC at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show.

Similar to its hard-top stablemate, the Continental GTC is powered by a twin turbocharged 6-liter W-12 engine, which generates 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That amount of power pushes the four seat convertible to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. The engine can also be fed E85 bio-fuel. … Read more

Ahead of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Infiniti showed off a concept version of the JX. This new vehicle has three rows of seating for seven passengers, yet is marketed as a crossover.

Infiniti currently offers the EX and FX crossovers, both five-passenger vehicles, and the QX SUV, a badge engineered version of the Nissan Armada. The JX offers similar passenger space as the QX.

Infiniti says the JX, the production version of which will debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show in November, will be powered by a V-6 engine. Unless Infiniti has developed a new engine, the V-6 should be from its VQ series, which ranges from 3.5 to 3.7 liters, and is used in many Infiniti and Nissan vehicles. … Read more

A new British car brand is on the way, according to Car magazine. No, seriously. Eterniti Motors has thrown caution to the wind, ignored the lessons of so many failed British automakers and is threatening to unveil itself and its first car at the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Not much is known about Eterniti Motors or its first vehicle, but we can tell you it'll be a highly customizable luxury crossover. Eterniti says it'll look roughly like the sketch above, though the final model will probably be toned down slightly--at least until the alloy wheels are … Read more