Paris Show: 2011 Honda Civic gets Minor Updates

Honda presented the 2011 model year version of its UK-built, European-market Civic hatch in Paris this week. The Japanese automaker's Golf rival benefits from some minor updates, mostly limited to the grille, interior fabrics and alloy wheel designs on some models.

More specifically, the Perspex grille is gone on the 5-door hatchback and it has been replaced with the same mesh grille used on the three-door Civics. A new color has also been introduced to the range: Ionized Bronze.

Inside, the base Civic gets seats trimmed in a combination of cloth and alcantara, while the special edition GT gets half leather and Alcantara as standard. The GT model also gets unique 17-inch alloy wheels, further differentiating it from the standard models.

By Tristan Hankins

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Paris Show: Chevrolet Aveo 5-door, Sedan Coming Soon [With Live Pics]

The Aveo is finally here and in the metal, and Chevy says it's aimed at younger buyers interested in a hot-hatch "looking every bit as good as the Aveo RS show car concept". Points for trying, guys, but not really...

Set to hit Europe in the summer of 2011, the Aveo 5-door will be powered by a variety of small-displacement gasoline and diesel engines (ranging from 70 to 115 horsepower) and even be available with a 6-speed stick. For all the specs on available engines and the like, check out our previous post.

The sea of black plastic has seeped out from the interior and found itself all over the exterior of the car, as evidenced by the front and rear light housings and former rear quarter window. Also, whatever was once attractive from the rear 3/4 view (like the C-pillar kink and rear end treatment) seems to have been watered down a notch.

And if the hatchback doesn't do it for you, Chevrolet should be presenting a sedan version of the car either in LA in November or in Detroit in January 2011. Anyone interested in a 180-horsepower SS version?

By Phil Alex

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New Kia Optima Shows Up in Paris to show VW how to Design a Mid-Size Sedan

The Kia Optima, which made its original debut in New York, has crossed the pond to give the Europeans a little bit of that Korean flava (or is that German?) and rub the 2011 VW Passat B7's newly styled nose in the ground. Riding on the same platform as the "fluidic" Hyundai Sonata, the Optima brings Kia's "tiger" style to the mid-size saloon segment.

The results speak for themselves; anyone with an iota of style would walk straight past the humdrum Passat and get in this.

With a pretty face, a driver-centric cockpit, and some efficient engines - a 170-horsepower 2.0-liter gasoline unit and a 136-horsepower 1.7-liter turbo diesel - here's hoping this will continue to push the Koreans into Europe and light a fire under the designers of the usually-conservative mid-size German players.

For the essential specs on the European Kia Optima, check out our previous post. European readers out there, it's time for you to weight in: is the Kia Optima possibly worth your Euros, or will you still be buying European?

By Phil Alex

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Ferrari's Already Sold Out SA Aperta Roadster Stops by Paris Show

The 'greener' California HELE wasn't the only new car on display at Ferrari's Paris Show stand. The 670-horsepower SA Aperta, which we reported on last week, also made its debut. All 80 examples of the limited edition, open-top 599s have been spoken for well before the car made its way to Paris.

Co-designed with Ferrari Centro Stile to celebrate 80 years of Italian design firm Pininfarina, the car was built partly as homage to Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina, the son and grandson respectively of company founder Battista Farina (latter Battista Pininfarina).

Like the Bugatti Veyron roadster, the SA Aperta features an emergency soft top [read: umbrella] and the same structural rigidity of the hardtop without adding any additional weight

Pricing is irrelevant as you can't buy one, at least not new. There is, however, an online configurator, which doesn't make any sense but anyways...

By Tristan Hankins

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