Auto News 5

The first official photos of Kia's redesigned and re-engineered Picanto have just hit the Web. Smaller than the Rio, the Picanto is the Korean automaker's micro-car segment fighter in the rest of the world. Set for a debut in March at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, could it be on its way to the North American Market?

Saab began its comeback tour with the new 9-5 sedan, then introduced the new 9-4X crossover this year. Now, the Swedish automaker has announced its next new model with the 9-5 SportCombi, which will officially debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Following an image leak yesterday, Mazda has made official the debut of the Minagi crossover concept at Geneva. We'll know more about the Minagi at Geneva on March 1.

It's no secret that Toyota is planning on building a sports coupe in conjunction with Subaru; in fact, the automaker has already given us a sneak peek of the car with the FT-86 concept. It seems, however, that the two-door is moving closer to production, as the company plans on showing the FT-86 II concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March.

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Product sharing is a two-way street -- and while we've seen a number of Fiat platforms, engines, and vehicles trickle their way into Chrysler's North American portfolio, we've yet to see the inverse. The Fiat Freemont -- essentially a rebadged Dodge Journey -- appears to be the first example of Chrysler products repurposed for Fiat's European lineup.

We recently learned that Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby would consider selling the curvaceous Volvo V60 wagon in the States as a hybrid. Now the Swedish automaker is introducing a new 2012 V60 plug-in hybrid at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March.

Last year at the Paris Motor Show, General Motors took the wrap off the Cruze Hatchback show car. Given GM's recent bouts with show cars, we knew the car would make its way into production, and the company just announced today that we'll see the production car at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show this March.

No, the revamped 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan won't officially be introduced until the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, but that won't stop interested customers from buying them. VW revealed today that the first examples off the line are already rolling into German showrooms.

General Motors' North American brands are not the only ones receiving a number of new models. Its European Opel brand is also in the middle of a product overhaul, and it appears an all-new Zafira MPV is also on its way. For now, we only have a faint glimpse of the Zafira Tourer Concept, which will debut at this year's Geneva Motor Show.

Prior to the debut of Toyota's 2012 Prius V and the Prius C concept, the Japanese automaker launched a new marketing campaign dubbed "Prius Goes Plural," as the Prius lineup expanded. It seems as though that marketing campaign may be applicable overseas as the Prius lineup is set to expand again with the seven-seat Prius + MPV headed for the Geneva Motor Show alongside the Yaris HSD hybrid concept.