Adam S is Opel/Vauxhall’s New 148HP Turbocharged Pocket Rocket

Opel (and Vauxhall) seriously dented the appeal of the Adam city car by launching it with the most uninspiring of engine ranges, squarely aiming it at people who put style above substance and who favor gadgets over going fast. Now, finally, they are stepping things up with the new Adam S, which features a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, as well as several modifications/improvements over lesser versions.

The Ecotec unit found under the bonnet makes 150 PS or 148 hp, as well as plenty of torque: 220 Nm or 162 lb-ft. An integral part of the package are OPC (or VXR) performance brakes (16-inch disks up front and 15-inchers at the back (gone are the drums you find on every other Adam), sport-tuned chassis, various weight-saving measures and a sharper steering rack.

Outside styling differences are limited to the special 18-inch rims that are required to fit the huge brakes in, unique rear wing and grille bar, as well as sporty carbon-look mirror caps and a subtle front lip spoiler. The interior features a leather pack which covers the Recaro sports seats, steering wheel, gear lever and knob, as well as the handbrake, all of which come with contrasting red stitching; unique plastic trim pieces are also fitted.

The manufacturer is keen to point out that while this is a close-to-production model, it is subject to some change before it reaches the showroom.

All I wanted to know was how fast it reached 100 km/h or 62 mph, but they seem to have missed mentioning it – should be in the seven to eight second range; they did specify the top speed, though, and it’s a claimed 220 km/h or 138 mph.

The Adam S will debut at the Geneva motor show, alongside a less powerful turbocharged version and a “crossover.”

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A Photo Backtrack of the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show

With a record number of world premieres, the Los Angeles motor show this year had a lot of fresh metal on display. That is really the main motivation behind this post – to have all of them in one place and ask you to tell us your most and least favorite debuts.

From the all-new and larger MINI, to the questionably relevant Mercedes GLA 45 AMG or the just plain weird Youabian Puma, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to expressing your preferences, which you can do in the comments section below.

Make sure you check out our more formal presentation of the venue, showing all the premieres, before you cast your opinion for the best and worst in show.

Still, even if some manufacturers withheld from bringing out their big guns (new models/concepts) in LA, they are most likely waiting for the even bigger exposure brought about by the Detroit Auto Show. It is scheduled to open its doors in the middle of January 2014.

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Check Out Another Cool Car from Slovakia

The problem of creating a vehicle that is neither car nor airplane has seen many approaches, some of which date back to the early 1950s, when there were a lot of unused airplane components lying idle, and many engineers with ideas of how to use them. There have been many successful vehicles that did both well, but none sold in large numbers, because they usually had some sort of drawback that made them very impractical to use.

Now, from the land of the Praga R1, Slovakia, we bring you the “Aeromobil,” which promises to be one of the most practical car/plane combos we’ve seen.

The work of designer Stefan Klein, it has been in development for twenty years, and the current fully-functioning version is 2.5, though we did see a few sketches for 3.0 on his official site. It works on much the same principle as other similar vehicles, but it has been built with real-world feasibility in mind, so it does just that.

As you’ll see in the presentation video posted below, you can drive it out of  your regular parking spot, with its wings folded, speed to the airport via the motorway, then find the nearest runway, extend the wings to their full 8.2 meter (27 ft) span, then drop the flaps for extra takeoff lift and you’re ready to go.

Its weight is kept under 500 kg (~1,000 lbs) empty, but do factor in the added mass of two adults plus fuel to get an accurate idea of what it weighs ready to go. The Rotax aeroengine that powers it puts out 100 hp, and it drives either the front wheels or the rear-mounted propeller – this can be easily changed via pressing a button inside.

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Ram 1500 Power Wagon Wears Superman Outfit for Special Edition

Ram Trucks has unveiled a special edition, one-off “Man of Steel” Power Wagon truck based on the Ram 1500 to mark the company’s collaboration with Warner Bros. for the latest Superman movie called “Man of Steel”, arriving in theaters June 14.

The truck features special “Man of Steel”-inspired design cues, colors and branding. Painted Dark Ceramic Gray, the truck has a high-gloss black roof with Anodized Red grille accents, forged-aluminum, satin black 17-inch off-road wheels, Superman logos on the front grille and rear tailgate and a custom vehicle wrap inspired by the crest and texture of Superman’s suit.

On the inside, the special truck features custom mesh seat inserts reminiscent of Superman’s suit with integrated Superman logos on the seats and console, Pewter leather seats and Anodized Red paint trim accents on the doors, steering column, radio cluster and seats. There’s also “Man of Steel” logo badging on the glove box and a “Man of Steel” screen backdrop and start-up screen on the radio cluster.

The truck will debut on June 10 in New York City at the world premiere of the movie and will be auctioned off for charity at a later date.

“Ram celebrates those who dare to be great and never back down from a challenge,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO, Ram Truck Brand. “This is the essence of Superman and also embodies our Ram truck buyers, who believe in hard work, integrity and standing up for what is right,” he added.

Besides the one-off model, Ram Trucks and Warner Bros. have also launched a new co-branded commercial for the Ram 1500 and the “Man of Steel” movie. Chrysler Group provided vintage trucks and other vehicles to Warner Bros. for integration into key scenes in the movie. You can check out the commercial after the break.

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Lexus Confirms BMW X1 Rival, Concept Coming to 2013 Tokyo Show, Production Model in 2014

Japanese carmakers may have been the ones to kick start the SUV and crossover craze in the mainstream segments, but it’s the Germans that applied the recipe in the premium categories, leaving the former to simply follow in their footsteps.

Lexus currently offers three SUVs, the popular RX(pictured above), now in its third generation with both hybrid and regular engine offerings, and the larger GX and LX that are related to the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and Land Cruiser 200 Series respectively.

By comparison, BMW has four models (X1, X3, X5 and X6), and is already preparing a fifth SUV with the X4 Concept revealed on Thursday, while Audi wants to double its portfolio with sportier versions of all three of its SUVs (Q3, Q5 and Q7) and there are similar plans from Mercedes-Benz as well (new GLA etc.).

Not to be left behind, Lexus has confirmed plans for the debut of a new premium-compact SUV to compete against the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLA.

A company source told Autonews Europe that Lexus will preview a pre-production concept of the hybrid model based on parent company Toyota's RAV4 compact SUV at this year's Tokyo Motor Show in November, followed by the production version at next year's Geneva Salon in March.

It is believed that the hybrid version of the SUV will utilize the same four-cylinder 2.5-liter gasoline engine mated to an electric motor found in the Lexus IS 300h and other Toyota and Lexus models.

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