France’s Citroën traveled across the English Channel to this year’s edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed in order to display its latest concept. Dubbed DS3 Cabrio Racing, the car is essentially a topless version of the popular DS3 Racing hot hatch.

The canvas-top version of the hot hatch could see production next month with a limited run of 400 units, according to Auto Express.

The DS3 Cabrio Racing is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline-burning engine developed jointly by parent company PSA and BMW. Also found under the hood of the MINI Cooper and the Peugeot RCZ R, the four-banger sends 202 horsepower to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

Upgraded disc brakes on all four corners keep the extra ponies in check, and a stiffer suspension improves handling on and off the track.

Outside, Citroën’s latest concept wears a flat black paint job with contrasting red stripes and black chrome trim on the door mirrors and the door handles. The convertible is fitted with a carbon fiber body kit that consists of a front splitter, side skirts and an air diffuser integrated into the rear bumper, and 19-inch two-tone alloy wheels finish off the look.

Instead of being a full convertible, the Cabrio’s door pillars and rear side windows stay in place and only the roof panel retracts. Citroën says that the soft top adds merely 55 pounds to the DS3′s weight and that it can be electronically opened or closed at speeds of up to 75 mph. Alternatively, it can be set to three pre-programmed positions that range from a sunroof-sized opening to the full top stowed away above the trunk lid.

With room for up to five passengers, the interior is upholstered in an attractive combination of leather and Alcantara that creates a premium ambiance. A color touch screen mounted in the middle of the center stack enables the passenger to control the car’s navigation, entertainment and climate control systems.

Pricing information will be published closer to the car’s on-sale date.

A big batch of leaked images has prematurely revealed the 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class ahead of its scheduled unveiling tomorrow.

The low-resolution pictures confirm the fourth-gen C will be available with two front end treatments likely called Luxury and Sport. Heavily inspired by the range-topping S-Class, the old-school Luxury model will wear an elegant three-slat grille with a small Mercedes three-pointed star protruding from the hood. The Sport variant falls in line with the front-wheel drive CLA-Class thanks to a more aggressive two-slat grille adorned by an oversized emblem. Both variants will gain specific front bumpers.

The 2015 C-Class will shed up to 221 pounds depending on engine and equipment thanks to a new body structure made up of aluminum, high-strength steel and composite materials. Fewer pounds equate to higher mpgs and Mercedes is predicting best-in-class mileage for the sedan.

Increased rigidity and improved safety will also be by-products of the new structure, with a high-strength passenger safety compartment, specifically developed deformation zones and an exterior skin made from aluminum claimed to provide superb NHTSA crash test results. Furthermore, Mercedes says the 2015 C-Class will incorporate many of the safety technologies that debuted in the latest S-Class, although it isn’t yet ready to talk specifics.

The redesigned C-Class will benefit from a new chassis composed of a four-link front and five-link rear setup, and Mercedes’ AIRMATIC air suspension with adaptive damping will be offered as an option.

Upmarket interior
With the arrival of the entry-level CLA-Class, Mercedes will move the next C-Class will slightly upmarket in order to widen the gap between the two models.

Clearly inspired by the automaker’s new S-Class, the next C-Class’ dashboard gets a high-tech style that’s swoopier and more evocative than before. Moreover, the tech quotient has been turned way up. Images posted by Auto Express appear to show a range-topping model, but the big standouts include a new smartphone-esque touchpad in the center console (that pairs with switches taken directly from the S-Class). A control knob to operate the automaker’s infotainment system is also included.

Uniquely, a “GPS-sensitive” climate control system will be able to detect tunnels and switch to air recirculation mode to prevent fumes from entering the cabin. For those with sensitive olfactories, an AIR-BALANCE system will discreetly dispense perfume to dispel unwanted odors.

Powertrain Lineup
Mercedes has yet to divulge what exactly will be under the 2015 C-Class’ hood, but the sedan is expected to be offered with a 2.1-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder with 195 horsepower and 369-lb-ft of torque, according to a Car and Driver report. Rated at 45 mpg highway in the larger, heavier E-Class, the mill will return even loftier figures in the C-Class.

Other available engine will likely include a turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder with 210 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, as well as a V6 that will serve as the top non-AMG motor. While specifics of the latter motor are currently, it should either be a variant of the existing 3.5-liter V6 or the new twin-turbo 3.0-liter from next year’s E400.

A seven-speed automatic will serve as the dancing partner for all three engines at launch, but it will eventually be replaced by Mercedes’ nine-speed auto. Each powertrain will be offered with all-wheel-drive in place of the standard rear-wheel-drive setup.

The Alabama-built 2015 C-Class will arrive in showrooms several months after its debut in Detroit. A convertible, a coupe, and a BMW 3-Series GT-fighting hatchback will expected to debut later in 2014, while buyers in Europe will have access to a station wagon.

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The fate of auto manufacturing in Australia may have been decided by bad timing and as few as four factory workers. The results of an Australian federal court case filed by those employees mean that Toyota will likely shut its factory doors in 2018 when the current-generation Camry’s lifespan comes to an end.

According to News.com.au, Toyota wanted to renegotiate union contracts to reduce the cost of building cars in two Australian plants. It estimates that each car built in Oz cost the parent company $3400 more than it would in other Toyota factories, a figure similar to what GM claimed when citing its reasons for pulling out.

At issue was a clause that allowed Toyota to renegotiate union contracts if a majority of workers agreed. In the case brought forth by the four employees, the courts ruled that Toyota could not renegotiate until the contract came to its natural expiration in March 2015.

That, however, may prove too late, as a decision on whether to import or locally manufacture the next generation Camry will have to be made in 2014. The fact that Ford and GM have both announce departures from Australian manufacturing has put tremendous pressure on local suppliers and only exacerbated the urgency.

Toyota said it may appeal the decision, but the case could have provided Toyota Australia with the perfect justification for closing its factories down under.

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MINI has confirmed it is wrapping up development of a four-door version of the newly-introduced 2015 Cooper hatchback. The car might greet the public for the first time at next year’s Geneva Motor Show.

Riding on the new UKL1 platform that will also underpin the 2015 BMW 1-Series GT, the four-door MINI will be longer and slighter taller than its two-door counterpart in order to offer occupants more space. The two-door Cooper’s basic retro-inspired design will be carried over to its larger sibling.

Similarly, the four-door MINI will be powered by the same engines offered on the two-door variant. Entry-level models will use a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine that will find its way under the hood numerous BMW- and MINI-badged products over the next few years. For use in the family-friendly MINI, the mill will churn out 134 horsepower and 162 lb-ft. of torque from just 1,250 rpms, though an overboost function will bump torque up to 170 lb-ft. for short bursts of time.

More potent versions of the four-door MINI will use a new four-cylinder mill rated at 189 ponies and 207 lb-ft. of twist, and buyers will be able to opt for a 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbodiesel that generates 116 horsepower and 199 lb-ft. of torque if MINI decides to sell oil-burners on this side of the Atlantic.

A performance-focused John Cooper Works model will round out the lineup later in the production run.

Official details about the four-door MINI will start trickling out over the next few weeks. The car will likely replace the Clubman, but MINI has not announced whether it will retain the historic nameplate or adopt a new moniker entirely.

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Leaked patent images might have prematurely revealed the 2014 Porsche 911 Targa ahead of its scheduled debut at next year’s Geneva Motor Show.

Posted online by a French television station, the leaked images reveal the 911 Targa will be identical to the existing coupe and convertible variants from the rocker panels up to the belt line. Above that, it will gain a large wraparound rear window and a roll bar adorned by three small vertical air vents, design cues that characterized the first 911 Targa that bowed in 1967.

The roof panel directly above the occupants’ heads will be removable and likely made out of a lightweight composite material such as carbon fiber. The car is not expected to undergo any major interior modifications, meaning its dashboard will be nearly identical to the one found in 911 Convertible.

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Ford is gearing up for serious growth in 2014: the Dearborn-based automaker next year plans to add more than 5,000 jobs in the U.S., open two new plants in China along with another in Brazil, and launch 23 vehicles worldwide.

“Next year, we are embarking on our most ambitious global launch year ever to meet customer demand for our products around the world,” said Raj Nair, group vice president, Ford global product development.

In the United States, Ford says it will debut 16 vehicles in 2014 – that’s the most new products in any single year of the brand’s 111-year history. Notable new models hitting the market will include the Ford F-150, Edge, Mustang, Transit, Transit Connect and Lincoln MKC.

To support the launches, Ford will add 3,300 salaried employees and 1,700 hourly positions to its U.S. workforce. Seven North American plants will either increase capacity or receive a new vehicle to assemble.

Ford’s Kansas City plant, which is preparing to build the redesigned F-150 and Transit, will be a major beneficiary of the hiring spree, gaining 2,000 jobs – more than 1,000 of which will be new to the company.

Two new EcoBoost engines will arrive next year, including the 2.3-liter four-cylinder slated for the Ford Mustang and Lincoln MKC, and a mystery mill that Ford will introduce at a later time.

Globally, Ford will hire 6,000 employees in Asia and open the Changan Ford Assembly Plant No. 3 along with the Changan Transmission Plant in Chongqing, China. The former will expand Ford’s Chinese production capacity by 300,000 units annually.

A new engine plant in Camacari, Brazil, is also in the works for 2014.

“This is the fastest and most aggressive manufacturing expansion the company has undergone in 50 years,” said John Fleming, executive vice president of Ford global manufacturing. “The last time Ford was growing like this, Dwight D. Eisenhower was the U.S. president.”

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