Ferrari FF AWD Sports Car Concept Heading to Geneva, Tipster Provides Initial Details

A Carscoop reader who wishes to remain anonymous, sent us an email with details on Ferrari's long-rumored 612 Scaglietti replacement, which is due to be revealed to a select few on Friday, January 21, before making its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March. While one can never be 100 per cent sure in these cases, for a variety of reasons, we're almost convinced that the information provided in the email is real. So, without further ado, here's what our tipster told us:

The car will be a pre-production study called the FF, which stands for Ferrari Four, as the GT model will seat four passengers and come with a new four-wheel drive system. Designed by Pininfarina, the FF gets a shooting brake-like body style with a large rear hatch, and a face that brings to mind a chubbier version of the 458 Italia. Inside, Maranello's latest creation will be able to seat four passengers with an impressive -for a supercar- load volume of 450 liters, which can be increased to as much as 800 liters if the rear seats aren't in use.

According to our reader, the FF is powered by a new 6.3-liter V12 engine delivering 660 horses at 8,000 rpm and 683 Nm / 503.8 lb-ft of peak torque at 6,000 rpm. That massive amount of power is transferred to all four wheels through a 7-speed dual clutch transmission and a new and extremely lightweight all-wheel drive system.

The 4,907mm long fastback coupe is said to accelerate from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in just 3.7 seconds and top out at 335 km/h (208 mph), while returning a combined fuel economy of 15.4 lt/100km, equal to 15.3 mpg US.

We'll be on the watch for any official information and / or photos of the Ferrari model, and keep you updated on any new developments as they occur.

All-New Audi Q3 SUV to hit European Showrooms this Fall with 2.0 TFSI and TDI Engines

Audi has done an awfully good job in keeping its forthcoming Q3 under wraps, but it won't be long before the Ingolstadt-based automaker launches its smallest SUV offering. According to a inside source, the new Q3 will arrive in European showrooms this fall, most likely in September or October, depending on the market.

The insider also told us that the Q3 will be offered at launch with three powertrains, a 170PS 2.0-liter TFSI with a 6-speed manual gearbox and CO2 emissions of 172 gr/km; a 211PS 2.0-liter TFSI with an S Tronic transmission and CO2 emissions of 184 gr/km, and a 170PS 2.0-liter TDI diesel and an with an S Tronic transmission and CO2 emissions of 158 gr/km. More engine options will be added further down the line.

The Q3 will be based on the underpinning of the VW Tiguan, with the styling drawing heavily on the firm's 2007 Shanghai Motor Show Concept (pictured above). The new crossover model will slot beneath the larger Q7 and Q5 SUVs, targeting the BMW X1.

Production of the Q3 will take place at the Seat's Martorell plant in Spain.

_________________________AUDI Q3 SPY SHOTS_________________________

Insider: New Porsche 911 Speedster to Debut in Paris

The recently introduced 408HP 911 GTS (read more here) in Coupe and Cabriolet forms won't be the only newcomers at Porsche's Paris Motor Show stand. According to our insiders, the Stuttgart-based sports car maker will also stage the world premiere of the long-rumored 911 Speedster based on the current 997 series.

The last time Porsche offered a Speedster variant of the 911 was back in the early Nineties with the 964-based model (see photos below). Like its predecessor, the new Speedster will pay homage to the 356 Speedster of the 1950s, featuring a chopped windscreen and the classic twin hump behind the front passengers.

Other highlights will include the nostalgic Fuchs-style alloy wheels from the 911 Sport Classic and the wider rear end from Carrera 4 models.

The new two seater 911 Speedster will be built in a limited number of units. We'll update this story as soon as Porsche comes out with an official release, so stay tuned...

Insider: Ford to Reveal New Focus ST Paris Show Car this Week

According to Carscoop sources, we won't have to wait until the grand opening of the Paris Motor Show on September 30 to catch our first glimpse of the next generation Focus ST as Ford will release photos and preliminary specs on the hot hatch before the end of the week. The almost production-ready show car is based on the new five-door Focus (the three door version has not yet been revealed).

Now here's what else we found out about the hot hatch: the outgoing Focus ST's Volvo-sourced 225HP 2.5-liter turbocharged five is replaced by Ford's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost unit, which is already available on the refreshed S-MAX and Galaxy MPVs with 203HP, as well as on the facelifted Mondeo with 203HP and 240HP.

Our source told us that on the new Focus ST, the tweaked four-cylinder unit will produce around 250 ponies. The car will also feature upgraded suspension, steering and brake system components, as well as bigger wheels and a unique bodykit.

The final production version of Ford's spicy hatch will be unwrapped next year and go on sale in Europe towards the end of 2011 or in early 2012. We still don't know when or if the ST will be offered in North America.

*All photos are of the standard 2011 Ford Focus undergoing high altitude testing in Europe

Opel / Vauxhall to Officially Reveal New Astra Sports Tourer this Week

An inside source has just tipped us off that General Motors' Opel unit - and consequently Vauxhall- will pull the wraps off the new Astra Sports Tourer and release the first photos and details on the car by the end of this week.

We've already shown you a bunch of revealing spy photos (here) and videos (here) of the upcoming Astra Sports Tourer and from the looks of it, the new model boasts a slicker style with a more raked roofline than today's Astra estate.

Don't expect any surprises under the hood as the sleek station wagon model will be offered more or less with the same diesel and petrol engines found in the five-door hatchback version of the latest Astra.

Ford to Unveil New Focus Station Wagon at the Geneva Motor Show

At next week's Geneva Motor Show, Ford will stage the world premiere of the fifth member of its Focus family after the five-door hatchback, four-door sedan and the C-MAX and Grand C-MAX minivans, the station wagon model.

According to our sources, the more practical and roomy Focus SW (also known as the Estate in some countries) will initially be launched in Europe. However, if there's enough interest by buyers in other international markets, Ford will add the station wagon variant to its global range of Focus models in the very near future.

Other body styles planned to join the Focus family are a three-door hatchback, a convertible with a retractable hardtop, a replacement for the current Kuga SUV that's based on a modified version of the outgoing (Euro) Focus platform, while there's also been talk about a sporty two-door coupe model.

*The opening photo is a Carscoop CGI

2011 Audi A1 to be Launched with Four Turbocharged Engines

In less than 24 hours from now, Audi will officially release the first photographs and details on its MINI Cooper-rivaling A1 premium hatchback that will have its formal debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show. But since we know that many of you are an impatient bunch, we thought we'd share some facts that we learned about the A1 from an inside source.

First of all, the A1 will be launched onto the market as a three-door model with the five-door Sportback to follow at a later date.

It will be available initially with a choice of two gasoline and two diesel engines, all featuring turbocharging, direct injection and start / stop technology.

The petrol range will comprise of the the 1.2-liter and 1.4-liter TFSI units producing 85HP and 120HP respectively, while on the diesel front there's a 1.6-liter TDI available in 90HP and 105HP guises.

All four engines deliver their power to the front wheels through a manual gearbox, with Audi's seven-speed dual clutch transmission being available optionally on certain models.

And well, that's about it for now. Stay tuned for the full reveal on Wednesday.

VW Jetta Coupe Concept to Debut at Detroit Auto Show, Previews Sedan and Coupe Production Models

Those of you that are disgruntled with VW's decision to not bring the sexy Scirocco Coupe over to the States might find some comfort in the German firm's plans to stage the world debut of an all-new sporty coupe at next week's 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Called New Compact Coupe or NCC for short, the show car will give American consumers their first taste of an upcoming two-door coupe model that's based on the next generation Jetta four-door sedan and is destined primarily for the U.S. market.

Our sources tell us that the NCC concept is in fact an almost production-ready version of the Jetta Coupe though we're not sure if the German firm will actually use this name when the car is launched onto the market within the next year or so.

Similar in size with the current Jetta sedan, the two-door concept model will also showcase a new hybrid powertrain comprising of a small displacement four-cylinder TSI petrol unit and an electric motor that may find its way into the Jetta and the Golf in the very near future.

PS: Even though many car websites and blogs are claiming / assuming that the above drawing is / may be official, fact is, it's a Carscoop sketch...

Tokyo '09: Toyota to Release First Photos of Subaru Co-Developed Rear-Wheel Drive Sports Coupe this Week

Toyota's version of the much anticipated rear-wheel drive sports coupe that the automaker is developing in conjunction with Subaru will make its world debut as a thinly-veiled concept car at this month's Tokyo Motor Show. And according to our well-placed sources, we're going to get our first glimpse of Toyota's affordable compact sports coupe sometime this week with the release of the first official photos and details.

For those of you wondering why we chose to 'decorate' the article with photos of Toyota's 2007 Detroit Show star, the FT-HS hybrid concept, that's because we've been informed by our source that the RWD Coupe prototype draws heavily upon the styling of that concept model.

But while the FT-HS featured a hybrid drivetrain built around a 3.5-liter V6, Toyota's compact coupe will get a front-mounted, 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine sourced from Subaru sending power to the rear-wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.

If we are to take Subaru's official press release on the firm's 2009 Tokyo Motor Show offerings for granted, then we won't be seeing its version of the RWD coupe in Japan this month.

In a previous statement, the two automakers said that the sport coupes will share the same hardware (meaning the Subaru-sourced boxer engine, chassis, suspension etc), but each model will feature a distinct exterior design.

The market launch of both the Toyota and Subaru badged coupes are targeted for the end of 2011, with production set to take place at Subaru's new Gunma plant in Japan.

Even though Toyota has not made any official announcements on the matter, back in 2008, a reliable source here in the States told us that the company plans to sell its variant of the RWD coupe in the U.S. as a Scion essentially replacing the TC. The same source also informed us then that the iQ would head over to the States as a Scion, something that was confirmed with the presentation of the iQ Concept at this year's New York Auto Show in April.

However, bear in mind that these sort of decisions may change over time in response to the different demands of the market.

2007 Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Coupe