Personal Luxury Cars | Volkswagen goes soft-roading with new CrossPolo

Smaller cars may be taking over from larger SUVs around the world, but that hardly means that the go-anywhere, rough-and-tumble image of the sport-ute has disappeared from buyers' minds. That's where softroaders come in. Vehicles like the Volkswagen CrossPolo blend off-road styling with a small form factor.

VW gave us a sneak peek at the new CrossPolo back in Geneva, but is only officially revealing the full range now. Based on the new Polo hatchback, the CrossPolo gets a boost in ride height and some tasteful body cladding to give it that backcountry appeal. A new front end – treated in dark gray and blending into the wheel arches, quarter panels and rear bumper – plus 17-inch alloys and roof rails complete the package, which can be ordered by non-U.S. types with six engine options – three gasoline and three diesels – in any of six exterior shades, including two colors unique to the CrossPolo.

Aston Martin could build hybrid Lagonda, all-electric Cygnet

Are hybrid drivetrains befitting of a premium luxury and performance brand? Well, that depends on who you ask. According to such diverse automakers as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce and even Ferrari and Lamborghini, the answer is 'yes'. Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez, though, reportedly believes otherwise. "The current hybrid technologies are not suited to the character of Aston Martin sports cars," explains Bez.

We're not so sure we agree, especially since Aston's long-planned Lagonda revival – which may or may not come wrapped in an ungainly SUV package – is rumored to be equipped with a hybrid powertrain. After all, the torque-rich nature of electric motors certainly wouldn't be a bad thing for a luxury tourer.

A few branches up on the green tree, Aston Martin's tiny Toyota iQ-based Cygnet minicar could quite possibly get a fully electric drivetrain, which would seem to make sense given that car's stated mission as an urban runabout for those times when a V12 Vanquish could be considered overkill. Beautiful, sonorous, splendid overkill...

2012 Jaguar sports car to get Volt-like extended-range hybrid tech?

Ratan Tata, Jaguar's owner, knows that the future of the company rests on "shiny and new" products. That's why the XE roadster was reportedly moved to the front of the line and given a 2011 release date. If the soothsayers at Motor Trend are correct, Tata also understands that cleaner engines are the future of the industry itself, because the XE could also bolster Jaguar's credentials by reportedly including the option of a Volt-like range-extending hybrid drivetrain.

The mooted gas-electric system is a conventional three-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. It is also being suggested by MT that the concept XE may be fitted with that powerplant, but it might not make it to the production version.

If it does come to market, however, the car probably won't have any natural competition at its price point given its green credentials, with the possible exception of the Fisker Karma S. Even if the extended-range hybrid rumor fails to materialize, the coupe is likely to get variants of the company's new 5.0-liter V8 engine range, which presently offers up to 510-horsepower in supercharged form...

[Source: Motor Trend]