A busy news day finally, though most of the stories relate to cars that aren't terribly relevant in Ireland. Two of which made their debut at the Chicago Auto Show in the States, which opened its doors last night. The Nissan 370Z has been given a minor overhaul to keep it fresh in the wake of forthcoming new rivals (such as the all-new Porsche Boxster/Cayman and Audi TT).
As you can see, there's not a lot to report. The wheels are a new design, the front bumper houses LED daytime running lights and there are a few other tweaks. Thankfully the 3.7-litre V6 engine remains. Not that it matters much to anyone in Ireland...
Next up is the Kia Track'ster concept. We were given a few teaser images of this show car, but they didn't prepare us for the real thing. Here's a genuinely desirable take on the Soul crossover, though it shares very little with the production model. For starters it has just two doors and two seats, and underneath is a four-wheel drive platform fed by a 250hp petrol engine. There's no chance Kia will try to sell this beast, but you can be certain that the engine is not just for show. Could it find its way into a hot hatch version of the next Kia cee'd?
Click here to read the full story on the Kia Track'ster concept.
That new Kia cee'd makes its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show, and given that it's probably the most important annual event of its kind you'll have to bear with us if the site is inundated with news about it. There are loads of rumours of course - such as the advent of an estate version of the Jaguar XF, called the Sportbrake, but here are a few confirmed debutants:
Mitsubishi Outlander: most likely to come to Ireland in the 2.2-litre diesel format, though there is the promise of a 50g/km plug-in hybrid version too.
Click here to read the full story on the Mitsubishi Outlander.
Chevrolet Cruze Station Wagon: we're still awaiting an announcement from Chevrolet relating to selling its cars in Ireland, but if/when it happens you can be sure that the Cruze will feature. In Geneva Chevrolet will unveil the estate model, called the Station Wagon. A Band A friendly 1.7-litre diesel engine will also be launched.
Aston Martin V12 Zagato: don't even ask the price, as the answer will be 'in excess of half a million Euros' and that's not very Ireland in 2012, is it? Still, the existence of cars such as this makes us smile. You may be surprised to hear that Aston Martin has already managed to sell 'more than 40' from the 150-car allocation.