Special Edition one-off 4x4 Fiat 500

This new Fiat 500 will start life as a Fiat 500 coupe Zagato. It will then be taken in by the American company Scagliarini Motorsports and the finished product will be called the Scagliarini Fiat 504 Coupe Zagato Elaborata.

The company will replace its regular chassis with one from the Abarth 500, add a four-wheel drive system and Scagliarini's latest carbon fibre technology. The rear windows will be filled, the car will get Abarth 500 Alcantara front seats, Brembo brakes and a new Regazzon performance exhaust. The 1.4 litre 178bhp engine will remain unchanged.

Construction will take place in Italy using a standard Abarth 500 and the all-wheel drive system from a Fiat Panda. The car will be a one-off as a publicity exercise for Scagliarini  Motorsports to establish the brand.

2012 Renault Clio Williams abandons old colour scheme

In 2012 there will be a new version of the famous Renault Clio Williams - a hot hatchback that blended the Clio with Williams F1's engineering and technical knowledge to produce a truly brilliant car. The new version will arrive in 2012 as a celebration of the outgoing Renault Clio. This news follows the announcement that the Williams-Renault partnership will be revived for 2012 in Formula One, so it is likely that this was also a contributing factor.

Since the original car of 1993, the Subaru Impreza has become more noticeably associated with a blue body, gold wheels colour scheme, so it is possible that Renault will consider a new, more futuristic colour scheme while designing the new car. 

It could feature subtle hints of the old colour scheme, or perhaps the red, white and blue of the current Williams livery and colour scheme of both the British and French national flags.

New Fiat 500C by Gucci

The Fiat 500C by Gucci will come as a convertible in either glossy black with shiny chrome-plated trim or white with matt chrome-plated trim.

The soft-top roof will come with a Gucci themed green-red-green pattern and the body-coloured 16-inch alloy wheels will feature double G logos in the centre.

The car will be available from August onwards, costing £17,434.

Maserati GranTurismo gets new Sport Pack

Maserati's new Sport Pack for the GranTurismo S Automatic will feature a revised exhaust system with a richer sound with a faster automatic gearbox thanks to new MC Auto Shift technology. 

Visually the car will also differ from the standard car: Grigio Neptune-design alloy wheels; body-coloured side skirts; a new black grille featuring a red-highlighted Maserati logo and an integrated boot spoiler. The headlights will feature a 'black look' tint and the car will now have oval exhaust pipes.

The power, weight, torque and straight line performance of the car will not change and will be the same as the standard GranTurismo S, but the Sport Pack will add £3,840 to the price.

Ford to reveal 4 new cars at Frankfurt Show

Ford is set to reveal four new cars for its global market at the Frankfurt Show this September. The only information we know about these models is that at least one will be a 'major new design concept' and another will be the next performance version of the Focus, probably the ST.

The cars will be revealed on Ford's predictably enormous stand at the Frankfurt Show, next to its 2800 square-metre test track where customers will be able to see Ford technology including Active City Stop and Active Park Assist in action.

The new concept(s) will likely reveal the way future Fords will be designed, especially if there happens to be more than one concept on display. 

Nissan To Build MX-5 Rival

Nissan has decided to go ahead with its car to rival Mazda's legendary MX-5. Crucially, though, its car will be electric.

Nissan tried to revive the 200SX in the past but had to give up in 2008. This car would have used the 370Z's platform with a 1.6 litre turbo producing 188bhp that the Juke now uses. The plan has changed however, and the car will now have a completely different name along with its own chassis. This will likely originate from Daimler who agreed to supply Mazda with mid-size chassis that could accommodate anything from four-cylinder engines to V8s.

This chassis will then be used for the new 370Z, GT-R, Infiniti G and a new Infiniti sports car. There are no confirmed details on what engine will power this new car, although it is rumoured that it could use a tuned version of the Leaf's electric motor or a hybrid engine.

The car will definitely be rear-wheel drive though. Mazda have also recruited engineers from Lotus Engineering to help with the chassis, to ensure that the car handles well.

The new car will arrive in 2013 and cost around £20,000

New Mazda CX-5

The Mazda CX-5 will sit below the CX-7 in Mazda's model range as their entry-level SUV, rivalling the Land Rover Freelander. It will be the first of Mazda's cars to use its SkyActiv eco technologies, giving it CO2 figures of 120g/km. These technologies include a brand new chassis, engine and transmission and it will also be the first of Mazda's cars to use their Kodo design. 

The car will be powered by a new 2.2 litre turbodiesel unit that will produce 173bhp and 310lb/ft. This new engine, coupled with the also new six-speed manual transmission give the car its remarkable CO2 figure. Mazda have optimised the compression ratio to 14:1 to make the car 20% more economical than the 2.2 diesel that this engine will replace, but this engine will also come in a higher power format too, along with a range of SkyActiv petrol engines.

The car should arrive in the UK in Spring 2012. 

Ford Plans £14k Entry-Level Focus

Until September of this year, Ford had been selling the Focus Sport (previous generation) alongside its new Focus, but the new entry-level Focus Studio, costing just £13,995 will replace this. 

The car will still come with 16-inch sports-style alloy wheels; a body coloured rear spoiler; CD player and radio with USB connectivity; air con; electrically-operated body-coloured mirrors with indicators built in; electric front windows; ESP and capless refuelling.

You will only be able to buy the Studio as a five-door hatchback with a 1.6 litre petrol engine developing 84bhp. It will be available in Panther Black, Moondust Silver and Frozen White.

New Mercedes B-Class Interior Pics Released

Mercedes' new B-Class will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month as Mercedes' new mini-MPV. 

Unsurprisingly the interior borrows features from the rest of the Mercedes range, including the C-Class and E-Class switchgear, the CLS' steering wheel and air vents taken straight from the SLS and SLK. 

The overall effect is an interior that makes the car stand out from the others in its class, absolutely reeking of quality and refinement as soon as you enter the cabin. The comfort does not stop there either, as the sheer space inside the car is also said to be class-leading. 

The car is based on Mercedes' MFA platform, also used on the new A-Class, GLC and CLC. 

The interior can be specced with a leather-stitched dashboard and a touchscreen centre module that will control most of the interior controls.  

BMW Reveals 2011 1-Series Prices

The new 1-Series, due this September, will be available from £19,375. The car will have a choice of two petrol and three diesel engines, ranging from the base 136bhp 116i costing £19,375 to the range topping 184bhp 120d, from £23,490.

The car is quite different from its predecessor - 30 litres more luggage space in the boot; 17mm wider; 85mm longer and a cabin with 21mm extra legroom. 

As a BMW, all models are rear-wheel drive and come with either a 6-speed manual or 8 speed automatic gearbox. 

Mini Launches Soho Editions

Mini is launching special Soho editions of its three door Cooper and Cooper D models, following the Soho Clubman edition of 2010.

They will come with White Silver metallic paint, 17-inch Black Star Bullet alloys, Xenon headlights, black interior reflectors and white indicators.

The cars will come with a 3-spoke sports leather steering wheel, Anthracite headlining and Piano Black surfaces on the interior.

Available until March 2012, both models will be priced differently depending on their body style. The 1.6 litre Cooper will cost £16,765 in hatchback form or £19,060 as a convertible. The 1.6-litre Cooper D will cost £18,045 and £20,135 respectively.