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The new facelift for the Proton Persona must be really close around the corner (like seriously close) as a whole truckload of the freshly updated Persona was spotted on the NKVE today without any camo or any kind of covering at all!

The new tail lamps can be seen in their full glory – gone is the circular design of the past that originated from the GEN2 and in place of them are new LED tail lamps, but of course we can’t see the LEDs lit up here, although we’ve already seen those in the past in a spy video. The new Persona has a sporty bodykit fitted and what you can see in these shots are the side skirts, a rear lip, and a bootlid spoiler. There’s probably a front lip too to complete the package but it’s not visible here.

This trailerload was spotted on the NKVE near the ‘Grand Canyon’-like area that cuts through the hills. It was probably coming down from the Tanjong Malim factory heading towards Proton’s Centre Of Excellence headquarters in Shah Alam. You can click the two thumbnails above for high resolution versions.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 07 Mar 10 09:10:58 +0000.

After a two year absence from the international scene, Bertone returns with a bang by unveiling one of the most memorable cars of this year’s Geneva show – the Pandion concept, as a tribute to Alfa Romeo’s’ 100-year anniversary and also a proposal for the future look of the brand.

The first car penned by Mike Robinson in his new role as Design and Brand Director at Bertone, the Pandion is named after the Pandion Haliaetus, a scientific name for the Osprey sea hawk. And it’s this bird’s wings that inspired the Pandion’s most striking feature – those spectacular doors that open upwards to the air. They incorporate the car’s front and rear fenders and stand exactly 90 degrees straight from the centre of the rear wheels. In the event of a rollover, the doors are designed to fall off for easy exit, says Bertone.

Apparently, the bird’s face also influenced the Pandion’s front design, which its creator describes as looking like the “helmet of ancient warriors” while still recognisable as an Alfa. More interesting is the rear, which sports blades in various width and length intertwined randomly. Bertone designers call this “dematerialization”, which makes the car looks like it’s moving even when standing still. This randomness continues in the cabin that is nestled in “vines”. All very messy, but somehow very beautiful.

Motor shows are about eye candy (we’re not just talking about the ladies), and the dramatic Bertone Pandion is a very sweet example in a store full of increasingly predictable concept cars. Live and official images after the jump!

PS: If you’re wondering who is that old lady in the gallery, she’s Lili, widow of Nuccio Bertone, legendary designer and son of the company’s founder.

Bertone Pandion live images from Geneva

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 07 Mar 10 09:10:58 +0000.

Absolutely no one in Geneva cared about the “real” Aston sports cars at the Palexpo, because all attention was on the “not so real” Aston Martin based on a Toyota. Of course we’re talking about the debuting Cygnet, which is based on Toyota’s diminutive four-seat iQ city car.

To differentiate the Cygnet from its donor car, styling cues typical of Gaydon’s sports machines have been added liberally; examples include Aston’s trademark front grille, air intakes on the bonnet, side “gills” and boomerang shaped taillamps. Inside, the Cygnet is trimmed in a way that Toyota engineers would never have dreamed of when creating the iQ – fine, soft leather covering almost every surface, plush high-backed seats with Aston logos and a trendy bag to go along with it.

Aston’s official images portray the Cygnet as a trendy accessory for its current owners, a small runabout when you don’t feel like taking out that big V12 to the congested city or the nearby shops, or even as a gift for the new girlfriend/mistress, perhaps. So, brilliant idea or a bad joke? For me, the former. I’ll order a few or these (one for keeps, the rest for the ladies) along with a V12 Vantage should the lottery picks me!

Live images from Geneva and official gallery after the jump!

Aston Martin Cygnet live images from Geneva

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 07 Mar 10 09:10:58 +0000.

Here are some live pictures of the 918 Spyder concept that Porsche unexpectedly revealed in Geneva. The Stuttgart based sportscar maker, now under the Volkswagen umbrella, was very protective of its “sports car for the 21st century” (500 bhp V8 with 9,200 rpm redline, 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, faster around Nurburgring than the Carrera GT, capable of 33.3 km/l) – as you can see from the pictures, they erected a barrier (with few big Germans keeping guard in case any daredevil journalist got too close) around the show stopper. My vote goes to Weissach in the Geneva battle of the hybrid hypercars between this and the Ferrari 599 HY-KERS!

My best efforts are in the gallery after the jump – they’re not great, but you’ll get to see some close ups of the exterior details and the cabin. For more details on the 918 Spyder, click here to read our earlier post. An impressive video is in the post right below this.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 07 Mar 10 09:10:58 +0000.

This is an awesome video produced by Porsche – and the main star is the new Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept. It also has some shots where you can see the interior, which we couldn’t see in the initially released press pix. Check it out!

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 07 Mar 10 09:10:58 +0000.