We got our first peek at Abt’s R8 GTR late last year, but like with many cars, it was a whole different experience to see it in person. To say carbon fiber has been used liberally is an understatement, as the entire car is clothed in the lightweight material. The look suits the R8, and Abt has managed to give the car a more aggressive look without going overboard. The interior is lathered in carbon fiber as well, and lightweight Recaro racing seats help reduce weight even further. In total, Abt has managed to take 220 pounds off the R8’s heft.

In addition to changing the look of the car, Abt has given the R8 more power as well. Its 5.2-liter V10 is now rated at 620 horsepower, good for a 0-100 km/h sprint of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph. Other performance upgrades include an adjustable sport suspension, ceramic brake system, lightweight 18-inch wheels and Michelin Sport Cup tires.

Sound like your thing? Abt will produce just 25 examples, so get your order in soon. More details about the car can be found in the press release after the jump and live shots from the show floor in the gallery below.

After the introduction of the standard three-and five door versions of the Polo in 2009, the uber fuel-efficient BlueMotion that’s due to be launched onto the market this year, as well as the 180HP GTI model that will also have its premiere in Geneva, Volkswagen is completing the Polo series with the presentation of the new CrossPolo

Like its predecessors, the five-door only CrossPolo is a faux-offroader that tries to battle the wild jungle of city parking spaces with SUV-like elements such as rugged plastic guards that cover most of the lower body and wheel arches, a 15mm higher ride height and larger 17-inch alloy wheels in tires size 215/40.

Other specific styling cues include the uniquely trimmed front and rear bumpers, honeycomb grille, silver anodized roof rails and the high-gloss black paint finish for the cover trim of the B and C pillars and the window frames, and well, that’s about it as the CrossPolo keeps the standard model’s front-wheel drive configuration – no AWD option here.

Inside, Volkswagen focused on making the interior look more premium with two-tone fabrics sport seats, a leather steering wheel, gearbox knob and parking brake handle that all come with contrasting seams, pedal caps in aluminium look and chrome on various switches and components.

Buyers can choose from three petrol (1.2L 70HP, 1.4L 85HP and 1.2 TSI 105HP) and three common rail TDI engines (1.6L TDI with 75HP, 90HP and 105HP). Three of the six engines are offered optionally with a 7-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission.

The fastest version of the CrossPolo with the 1.2 TSI petrol engine accelerates to 100 km/h (62mph) in 9.9 seconds, reaches a top speed of 188 km/h or 117 mph and has a combined fuel consumption of 5.5 lt/100km or 42.7mpg US with 128 g/km of CO2. It is offered with a standard 6-speed gearbox or optionally, the 7-speed DSG.

All three diesel variants return a combined 4.3 litres of diesel per 100km (54.7 mpg US) and emit 113 grams CO2 per kilometer.

Volkswagen will begin accepting orders for the CrossPolo in March with first deliveries to take place in May.

After the online leakage of the Audi RS5 Coupe brochure this past weekend, there was no point in holding back anymore, so the German automaker came out with an official release on its Geneva-bound BMW M3 fighter.

Developed by Audi’s quattro GmbH division, the RS5 Coupe makes use of a revised version of the firm’s 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine found in the previous RS4 and the current R8 Coupe.

In the RS5, the tweaked V8 engine delivers a maximum output of 450-horsepower at 8,250 rpm and 430Nm (317.15 lb-ft) of peak torque between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm. Power is transferred to all four wheels through a standard seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission and a center differential in the quattro drivetrain.

With this configuration, the 4.2 FSI propels the coupe’s 1,725 kg or 3,803 pounds from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.6 seconds and on to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h or 155. Upon request, Audi can increase the top speed to 280 km/h or 174mph.

Not that it concerns your average RS5 driver, but Audi says that its hot coupe averages 10.8 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers or the US equivalent of 21.8 mpg.

It is worth mentioning that the RS5 comes equipped with a next generation quattro permanent all-wheel drive system that incorporates a self-locking crown-gear center differential which operates in conjunction with electronic torque vectoring.

Under normal conditions, the upgraded quattro system splits the power 40:60 front to rear but if necessary, up to 70 percent can flow to the front or as much as 85 percent toward the tail end.

The RS5 gets a revised suspension with the car sitting 20mm (0.79 inches) lower than a standard A5 and 19-inch alloy wheels with 265/35 tires or optionally, 20-inch rims and 275/30 rubber.

It also features a more powerful braking system with 365 millimeters (14.37 inches) ventilated discs at the front axle (380mm ceramic carbon-fiber brake discs up front are offered as an option) and an electronic stabilization program (ESP) that integrates a sport mode and can be switched off entirely.

To differentiate it from the S5 Coupe with its 354HP 4.2-liter V8, Audi gave the RS5 a special exterior treatment that includes a new single-frame grille with honeycomb inserts, a redesigned front bumper with oversized air inlets at each corner and silver splitter, plus flared fenders that hark back to the original quattro model.

At the back, there’s a new rear bumper that houses a diffuser and two large oval-shaped exhaust pipes plus a hidden boot lid spoiler that automatically extends at a speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) and retracts at 80 km/h (50 mph).

Interior upgrades over the standard A5 Coupe’s include a pair of sport seats, a sport steering wheel with perforated leather, red needles on the gauges and decorative inlays made of carbon fiber.

Optionally, buyers can trim the interior with decorative inlays in a dark, stainless-steel mesh look, while there’s also a Carbon design package for the engine compartment and, for the vehicle body, there are styling packages in black or matt aluminum look.

The RS5 will go on sale in Europe this Spring with a base price of around €77,700.

Volkswagen today took the wraps off its second-generation Touareg SUV that is slightly longer yet more than 200kg or 440 pounds lighter than its predecessor and will be offered right from the beginning with a clean, or rather cleaner, hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain.

Set for a Geneva Motor Show debut on March 2 with European sales to follow in April, the new 2011 Touareg shares most of its underpinnings with the forthcoming 2011 Porsche Cayenne.

At a first glance, it appears that the designers kept the basic shape of the current model and added a new face that’s inspired from the firm’s latest production and concept models such as the Golf VI, Polo and the NCC study.

Look closer though and you’ll see that there’s new sheetmetal everywhere with the most important stylistic changes concerning the lower roofline and the curvier profile lines.

The new interior is also in line with Volkswagen’s latest design DNA featuring several novelties including a pushbutton parking brake, and according to the Germans, the largest panoramic sunroof of all SUVs.

The German firm said that the new Touareg is more spacious at the back adding that the rear bench now has 160mm in longitudinal adjustment and that the backrest angle can be adjusted.

Optionally, the rear seat can be electrically unlatched and folded down at the press of a button in which case, it frees up 1,642 litres of cargo space.

Perhaps the most important news about the 2011 Touareg is that Volkswagen managed to shave up to a whopping 208 kg or 459 pounds over the outgoing model.

Even so, the German automaker claims that the 2011 Touareg’s body has five percent greater torsional rigidity than its predecessor.

At launch, the new Touareg will be available with three engines including two turbo diesels and a gasoline-electric hybrid, all of which are offered with a standard 8-speed automatic transmission.

The range kicks off with a 3.0-liter V6 TDI diesel that churns out 240HP and 405 lb-ft of torque that returns 38.1mpg UK, 31.8mpg US or 7.4lt/100km on the combined EU cycle, with 195g/km of CO2.

Next up is the 4.2-liter V8 TDI diesel with 335HP and a massive 590 lb-ft of torque that is said to achieve a combined 31mpg UK, 25.8 mpg US or 9.1 lt/100km with 239g/km of CO2.

The highlight of the range is the new hybrid model that’s mates a 3.3-liter supercharged V6 TSI producing 333HP and 265 lb-ft of torque with a 47HP electric motor for a combined output of 380HP and 428 lb-ft.

The Touareg Hybrid, that can be driven up to 50 km/h or 30 mph in purely electric mode, sprints from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 6.5 seconds and returns a combined 8.2lt/100km which is equal to 34.4mpg UK and 28.7mpg US.

As for the standard all-wheel drive system, the base 4MOTION versions get a Torsen limited-slip differential (climbing ability: 31 degrees) and an “Off-road driving programme”, which – at the press of a button – tunes the ABS, EDS and ASR for off-road duty, activates Hill Descent Assist and adjusts the automatic gearshift points.

Optionally, instead of a Torsen differential, the V6 TDI can be ordered with an “Terrain Tech Packet” that is said to have an even more rugged transfer case designed for off-road duty. It includes reduction gearing and centre and rear differentials, each with up to 100 percent locking (climbing ability: 45 degrees).

Like the first generation Touareg, this version also gets a rotary switch that allows the driver to adapt the car to specific duty conditions over five levels: 1. “On-Road”; 2. “Off-Road” (like “Off-road driving programme” plus automatic control of the mechanical locks); 3. Low (like “Off-road” plus activation of reduced gearing, higher shift points, no automatic upshift in manual mode); 4. Addition of centre differential lock; 5. Addition of rear differential lock.

More details will be released at the new Touareg’s world premiere in Geneva.

Out of the thin German ether appears official photos and information on the 2011 Audi A1, a vehicle that’s been teased more than C.C. DeVille’s hair on the cover of Poison’s kick-ass album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. Besides the Audi Metroproject Quattro concept from 2007 and the A1 Sportback concept from 2008, the Four Ringers have doled out bits of information via an A1 microsite. Now, finally, we know the whole deal.

The A1 is based in large part on the PQ25 platform, which also underpins the latest Volkswagen Polo, and will play in the hotly contested—in Europe, anyway—B-segment. It’s a segment Audi largely abandoned when it ended production of the ungainly A2 some five years ago, and it’s a decision the company has regretted since, especially given automakers’ pressing need to meet tightening efficiency standards in Europe and elsewhere.

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