Lamborghini Says it's Extremely Pleased with the Exposure it Received with the Aventador J

For the short amount of time it spent to design and build the one-off Aventador J (just six weeks, according to Lamborghini designer Filippo Perini), the Sant'Agata based supercar maker received a whole lot of attention for its creation at last week’s Geneva Motor Show.

Lamborghini even crunched out some numbers and facts to verify its claim:

• More than 21.5 million organic Google searches
• The most popular show-week YouTube sports car video; “Aventador J – The Making Of” currently has more than 280,000 views (category “Auto and Vehicles”)
• “Best of Show” Winner - Autoweek magazine
• A new daily traffic record at www.lamborghini.com
• More than 6,800 tweets with a worldwide exposure of more than 40 million impressions

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Lamborghini Designer Says that Aventador J was Cooked up in Six Weeks

Can you imagine any automaker coming up with a new model in just six weeks? You read that correctly: an entire car, not its ashtray or a pair of steering column stalks.

Yet that this is how long it took Lamborghini to prepare its fully functional Aventador J speedster that caused a sensation at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

Stephan Winkelmann, who ordered his cohorts to ready “something special” for Geneva, has served as a paratrooper in the German army for two years and his first job was at the German financial institution MLP.

However, Herr Winkelmann grew up in Rome, where he also studied Political Science, and was employed by Fiat for a decade before his appointment as Lambo’s CEO.

Not just any VW Group company, but a supercar manufacturer that was born out of Ferrucio’s desire to serve a cold dinner of revenge to none other than Enzo Ferrari.

Top Gear magazine interviewed Lamborghini’s designer Filippo Perini about the creation of the one-off hypercar.

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Pininfarina Thinking About Building a Limited Run of its Cambiano Plug-in Hybrid Concept

One of the more well received concepts cars at this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show, the Pininfarina Cambiano, is being considered for a limited run production.

"We are evaluating the potential for companies and private buyers interested is a high-performance, low-emission luxury model such as the Cambiano," Pininfarina CEO Silvio Angori told Autonews Europe during the Swiss show.

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Bentley Admits that it's Planning a Redesign for the EXP 9 F SUV Concept

The most talked about concept model at this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show was without any doubt, the Bentley EXP 9 F SUV, but not for the reasons the British automaker's top brass would have hoped for.

You see, the firm's first attempt at designing an SUV model was received with harsh criticism about its styling even before the general public had the chance to see the concept in real life.

In fact, the disapproval rate was so widespread that during the press days, an unnamed Bentley source told British publication "What Car" that Exp 9 F's styling is "a little heavy handed" and that "an alternative design is in progress".

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Head Over Heels: The 2012 Geneva Motor Show Models [106 Photos]

When you're having a hard time choosing an opening picture for a post, this usually means one of two things: either you can't find a single photo you like or there are plenty to choose from.

Let's just say that with the 82nd Geneva International Auto Show, the time we spent was worth the frustration. But don’t take our word for it, head past the break to check out a whole lot of pictures for yourself.

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Geneva 2012: Vote on the Best, Worst and Dullest Debuts of the Show

The Geneva Palexpo convention center may have opened its doors to car fans from the general public on Thursday, but for the rest of us, the 82nd edition of the Swiss motor show has already taken its place in the history books.

But what a spectacular car show it was with dozens of world premieres ranging from economical mainstream city cars such as the five-door Skoda Citigo to one-of-a-kind supercar exotics like the €2.1 million Lamborghini Aventador J.

Looking at our stats, we found that the five most read stories from the 2012 Geneva Motor Show this week (March 5 to 9) on Carscoop were:

1) Mercedes-Benz A-Class
2) Bentley EXP 9 F SUV Concept
3) Rolls Royce Phantom Facelift
4) Lamborghini Aventador J
5) Mitsubishi Outlander

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Fiat Designer Walks us Through the Styling of the New 500L Small MPV

The Fiat Group had two major world premieres in store for us at the ongoing 82nd Geneva International Auto Salon. The first was the Ferrari F12berlinetta and the other the Fiat 500L - two very different cars that are equally important to each of their brands for different reasons.

The new 500L marks the first expansion in the Italian brand's 500 range promising to combine styling elements of the three-door hatchback with a larger five-door body style that can accommodate rear passengers and their luggage with greater comfort .

The five-seater model seen here will go on sale in Europe later this year and is also expected to arrive in North America next year. If you follow the break, you'll find the video presentations of the car from the Geneva Show.

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Carscoop's A to Z Guide to the 2012 Geneva Motor Show [Update No10]

Switzerland is not a country that springs to mind when you think about cars. It doesn't even produce cars on a large scale. Yet every March since 1905, it hosts the world’s most important motor show at its second-largest city.

The 2012 Geneva Motor Show opened its doors to auto journalists on March 6 and will remain open to the public from March 8 to 18. It hosts 260 exhibitors, including 30 major car manufacturers.

According to the organizers, visitors at the 82nd Geneva International Auto Salon will see 180 world and European premieres of all sorts. If we had to name a single characteristic, we would say that car designer seem to have gotten their "mojo" back, having penned many handsome models.

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Bertone's Geneva Show Nuccio Concept is a Wedge Shaped Ode to the 70s [Video]

On the eve of the 1997 Geneva Motor Show, Lilli Bertone promised her husband, Nuccio, that she would forever carry the company in his name. And this year's Geneva Motor Show was the natural choice for the world premiere of the Nuccio concept, which celebrates the design house centennial and pays homage to the son of the company's founder.

The Italian design house says that the new concept is tasked to "carry the moral legacy of the Master into the new millennium, confirming Bertone once again among the international leaders of car design."

The Nuccio is a fully functional prototype powered by a mid-mounted, 480HP 4.3-liter V8. It measures 4,800mm in length, 1,950mm in width and 1,220mm in height, with a 2,600mm wheelbase.

Bertone says that the Nuccio harks back to some of its best concept cars such as the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo, the 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero and the 1971 Lamborghini Countach.

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Geneva Motor Show Debut for the New Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio Sport Models

Those looking for a sporty four-seat grand tourer made in Italy but don’t want to or can’t stretch their budget to a Ferrari FF would certainly consider the Maserati GranTurismo.

Sure, the two models are not in the same league, but on the other hand, the Maser costs a fraction of the Ferrari's price and boasts equally fabulous looks as well as a Maranello-sourced V8 under its sculpted hood.

At the 82nd Geneva Motor Show, Maserati unveiled the latest version of the GranTurismo as well as its open top sibling, the GranCabrio with the Sport moniker. The Sport models replace the S variants and the changes are more than skin deep.

For starters, the 4.7-liter V8 engine now produces 453HP and 520Nm (383.5 lb-ft) of torque, up from the 440HP and 490Nm (361.4 lb-ft) of the GranTurismo S.

Power is still channeled to the rear wheels and buyers can choose between a “robotised manual”, i.e. semi-automatic, or a conventional manual gearbox.

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New Lamborghini Aventador J Video Hits the Airwaves

The most hardnosed Lamborghini in the company's history is also the rarest as only one will be made and sold to a very lucky buyer who will have to write a €2.1 million (US$2.77 million) cheque to the VW Group-owned automaker to the speedster model to his or her collection.

Following the world premiere of the Aventador J at the Geneva Motor Show this week, Lamborghini has released another video of the V12 powered model called "The Making of" which you can enjoy right after the break.

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2013 Lexus RX Facelift Parades New Spindle Grille and F Sport Package in Geneva [Video]

The mildly refreshed Lexus RX made its world premiere at this week's 2012 Geneva Motor Show. To be sold as a 2012 model in Europe and as a 2013 in North America, the Japanese firm's luxury crossover model receives some select styling tweaks while it also debuts a new F Sport Edition.

The facelift introduces Lexus' new corporate 'spindle grille' together with new headlamps underscored by integral LED daytime running lights, a resculptured bumper, new tail lamp graphics and a fresh assortment of 18-inch or 19-inch alloy wheel designs.

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Hyundai Looks into the Future with New i-oniq Concept Car at the Geneva Motor Show

Hyundai's people want us to take a ride with them into the not-so-distant future with the company's new i-oniq concept car that made its first public outing at this week's 82nd Geneva International Motor Show.

The i-oniq is described as a range-extended electric sports hatchback that demonstrates the next evolution of Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture design language and showcases the automaker's new powertrain technologies.

Designed and developed at Hyundai’s European R&D center in Germany, the 4.4 meter long hatchback with the sporty shape and the impressive doors that open up to the side, has some unique design cues that will be applied to the next generation of the Korean firm's models.

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Pininfarina's Two-Sided Cambiano Concept Comes to Life in Geneva [82 Photos and Videos]

If you call the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLS a "four-door coupe", then what would you name Pininfarina's 2012 Geneva Motor Show Cambiano Concept that is a sports coupe with a single door on the driver's side but a saloon with two doors and no central pillar on the passenger side?

Pininfarina doesn't have a name for it yet but the Italian design company says the Cambiano represents a new approach to the GT segment.

Named after the Italian town where the Pininfarina Group is headquartered, the Cambiano measures a generous 5,040mm long, 2,000mm wide and 1,360mm tall. It can seat four-passengers and has a boot capacity of 450-liters.

The Cambiano is a range-extended electric car featuring four-in wheel electric motors, each of which delivers a continuous supply of 60kW (80hp) with peaks of 150kW (201hp) for a maximum output of 600kW (805hp), with torque of 640Nm (472 lb-ft).

Pininfarina says that each motor is controlled separately and electronically thus offering various functions, including energy regeneration when decelerating and braking, traction control with the option of continuously varying the torque split between the wheels independently (Vectoring Stability Program) and anti-lock braking assistance.

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Hot Opel Astra OPC with 276hp Storms the 2012 Geneva Motor Show

GM's Opel division is challenging both the 250-horsepower Ford Focus ST and the 267bhp (270PS) Volkswagen Golf R with its brand new Astra OPC that will be sold as the Vauxhall Astra VXR in Britain.

Revealed to the public for the first time at the ongoing 2012 Geneva Motor Show, the new Astra OPC is based on the sporty looking three-door Astra GTC hatchback adding to the mix a powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with 276bhp (280PS) output and maximum torque of 400Nm (295 lbft).

A six-speed transmission and a mechanical limited slip differential on the front axle drive the front wheels allowing for a top speed of 250km/h (155mph). Opel has not yet confirmed acceleration times.

As with the rest of the Astra GTC range, the OPC model gets the GM/Saab sourced HiPer Struts (High Performance Struts) on the front axle while the company's engineers also made changes to the suspension, steering wheel and brake systems.

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Subaru Shows European Market BRZ and New Impreza at the Geneva Auto Salon

The 2012 Geneva Motor Show marked the European debut for Subaru's newest models, the rear-wheel drive BRZ sports coupe and the latest generation of the Impreza hatchback.

The 200PS (197bhp) BRZ, which as most of you know by now was developed as a joint-project between Subaru and Toyota, will go on sale across Europe by this summer offered with a choice of two 6-speed transmissions, a manual and an automatic.

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Techart Debuts Styling Upgrades for 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S in Geneva

The 82nd Geneva International Auto Show welcomed the world premiere of German tuning firm Techart's first batch of styling goods for the new 2012 Porsche 911 series, which is also known by its codename '991'.

For a more individual look on the outside, Techart offers several parts including a two-piece front spoiler, aero-wings integrated into the front air inlets, side skirts, a rear apron that houses a diffuser and a racecar-like rear wing.

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Volkswagen Blows the Top off the New Golf GTI Cabriolet in Geneva [Video]

Unless Volkswagen has another production surprise under its sleeves (think Golf R Cabriolet), then the new open-top Golf GTI that made its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show could very well be the last hurray in the Mk6 series before the Germans reveal the seventh generation model at the Paris Motor Show this fall.

The first ever GTI Cabriolet in the history of the Golf features the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as its famous hatchback brethren producing 210PS (207hp) and a peak torque of 280Nm (206 lb-ft).

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Valmet's Dawn Spills onto the Geneva Floors, Company Announces Deal with Marussia to Build the B2

If you're still trying to figure out what you're looking at in this pictures, you're not alone. Many have tried but few have succeeded to decode Valmet Automotive's Dawn concept car, which was presented at the 82nd Geneva International Auto Salon this week.

And while some of you may think it's a Le Mans prototype that was forgotten in the oven, the Finnish company tells us that the Dawn is an EV Demonstrator that "combines our achievements in EV component development, our integrator role and our visionary ideas". But that's about all we get on the concept car from Valmet.

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Marussia Shows the Geneva Crowd how the Russians do Sports Cars

Thanks to events like the Geneva Motor Show, we have the chance to see some very eccentric sports cars like the Marussia B2, which remains an extremely rare sight.

To fill the gaps in your automotive history, the B2 is an evolution of the Marussia's foray into the sports car segment, the B1, and it was presented in a world premiere at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

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