ITALY: A mafia car theft...
ITALY: A mafia car theft ring was rumbled by police when it was discovered that criminals had registered 147 luxury vehicles to one person - an 80-year-old Naples man who didn"t have a driving licence.
The car seen here is...
The car seen here is the Antara GTC - it stands for Gran Turismo Crossover - which made its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The stunning concept features prominent wheelarches, stylish LED headlamps and sporty air vents behind the front wheels.
The production car will keep the name, and insiders say it has been deliberately designed to look similar to the old model. Company bosses are said to be keen to cash in on the popularity of their previous off-roader.
However, the showroom version will get a more practical five-door body-style, rather than the three-door look of the concept. Bob Lutz, product boss at General Motors, told Auto Express: "You will recognise the concept car in the production version, but it will have more doors, the roof will be slightly higher and the wheels smaller."
The newcomer will have a high-quality cabin, but some of the concept"s interior features won"t reach showrooms. The monorail front seats, which provide more space for rear passengers and give the chairs an unusual floating appearance, are likely to be dropped.
Similarly, the complicated tailgate hinge is not expected to make the cut. This allows the bootlid to rise vertically as it opens, so it can be accessed even when the vehicle is parked against a wall. But a Zafira-style overhead roof storage system will make production.
Unlike the mud-plugging Frontera, the newcomer will have suspension tuned for on-road driving, and will boast a clever, electronically controlled four-wheel-drive system. The show car"s 212bhp twin-turbo 1.9-litre CDTI engine is unlikely to appear in the model line-up when it hits showrooms - which is expected to be in time for next September"s registration change.
Instead, buyers will have a choice of three engines. A pair of 2.0-litre diesels with 120bhp and 150bhp will definitely feature, along with a 2.3-litre V6 petrol. The roadgoing Antara is due to debut at the Geneva Motor Show next March, and although prices have yet to be announced, expect entry-level models to start at around í‚á£17,000.