France’s Citroën has lifted the veil off of the C1 city car ahead of its official debut at next week’s Geneva Motor Show. The C1 is the smallest and most affordable member of the automaker’s lineup.

Stretching just 136 inches long, the second-gen C1 stands out from its predecessor thanks to an all-new design inspired by recent additions to the Citroën lineup like the C4 Picasso and the C4 Cactus. The front end gains an aggressive look with a twin-slat grille and oval headlights mounted below a set of vertical LED daytime running lights, while the rear end features a large glass hatch and chunky tail lamps.

Buyers can order the C1 with either two or four doors. Both versions can be fitted with a generously-sized retractable cloth roof called Airscape in Citroën-speak.

Interior pictures are not available but Citroën promises the new C1 is noticeably more upmarket and better finished than its Spartan predecessor. The list of options includes keyless entry and go, a rear-view camera, a hill-start assist function and an infotainment system controlled by a seven-inch touch screen located on the center stack.

Putting an end to months of rumors and speculation, Chrysler has announced it will not offer a convertible version of the all-new 2015 200 sedan.

A Chrysler spokesperson explained developing a topless variant of the 200 has been ruled out because the company is not willing to spend money on making the major structural modifications needed to turn the four-door sedan into a two-door convertible. In addition to designing a soft top and all associated hardware, the required changes include shaping a new deck lid as well as reinforcing the A-pillars and the rocker panels.

“We decided we’d be putting our best foot forward by concentrating all of our available resources into the sedan versus dividing them between the sedan and a convertible,” explained a company spokesperson in an interview with Edmunds.

The news of the 200 Convertible‘s demise is hardly a surprise. Although Chrysler essentially owns the large, front-wheel drive non-sporty convertible segment, the topless 200 made up just five percent of all 200s sold last year. Sales of the Lancia Flavia, the 200 Convertible’s European twin, are so low that they are insignificant.

Avenger Axed
The 200 Convertible isn’t the only model leaving the Chrysler family in the near future. Confirming an earlier report, a company spokesman all but announced Dodge will not get its own version of the 200 to replace the aging Avenger.

Our long-term plans include moving away from ‘sister’ vehicles to reduce overlapping products in dealer showrooms,” explained the spokesman.

The Avenger will be phased out without a direct successor after the 2014 model year. Dodge did not reveal what model will fill the void left by the sedan but expect a new mid-sizer that is better differentiated from the Dart in terms of price to arrive before the end of the decade.

A leaked photo purporting to show the Jaguar XFR-S SportBrake has surfaced, melding the performance of the XFR-S and the utility of an XF wagon.

Following the same formula of its sedan sibling, the XFR-S SportBrake drops a supercharged 5.0-liter V8, good for 542 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque, into the standard longroof XF. It’s backed by an 8-speed automatic transmission and according to Autocar, who leaked the stories, will hit 60 mph from a dead stop in 4.6 seconds and will reach top speeds around 180 mph.

Though no official word has come from Jaguar, it’s expected that the XFR-S SportBrake will also receive a sport suspension and a slew of aero bits dipped in bright blue. The front fascia matches almost exactly that of the XFR-S, with larger, more angular lower air intakes and a blacked out grille. A fender vent aft of the front wheel and side skirts further set the sport version apart.

Production figures are unknown at this time, but the XFR-S sedan saw limited production with only 100 examples slated for US shores. Sadly, the expected number of XFR-S SportBrakes sold in America will likely be zero, as the standard XF wagon is not offered here at all.

The 2015 Ford Focus was supposed to be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show next month but a the French Ford site has leaked the photos in advance of the showing.

The main difference between it the 2014 model is a mid-cycle facelift, and what a face it’s gained. The front end is now dominated by Ford’s five-sided “Aston Martin” style grille, and the rest of the nose has been redesigned to follow suit with the Blue Oval’s corporate look.

Thanks to the larger grille, its lower air intakes are much smaller now, and new fog light openings with a touch of silver trim lend an upscale look to the compact. Headlights, too, have been reshaped for a more aggressive look with sharper corners and crisper edges. Moreover, the hood also gets some sporty contours with a center ridge that looks like something you’d find on a mid-sizer or better.

The side and rear looks largely the same, although the taillights do seem to have received a nice smoked-out coating. On the inside, the center console appears to have been improved with dark finish materials for an ritzier look, and a new three-spoke steering wheel looks mighty sporty indeed. Also leaked were photos of the facelifted Focus wagon, a version that is sadly not expected to arrive on US shores.

No specs were revealed, and in fact these images appear to have emerged as more of a slip-up than anything official from Ford itself. We’ll have all the details when the Geneva Motor Show opens March 4.

A leaked image has revealed the limited-edition Renault Clio RS Monaco GP ahead of its official debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show.

Based on the regular-production Clio RS hot hatch, the Monaco GP edition gains a bespoke White Frost Pearl paint job with contrasting gloss black trim on the grille, the lower bumper, the door mirrors and the trim around the window. Five-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels with a gloss black finish round out the exterior updates.

Interior pictures were not leaked but Renault says the cockpit has been upgraded with white trim on the door panels and the dashboard. The Clio Monaco GP is equipped with Renault’s RS Monitor, a function that lets the driver record lap times and other performance-related data.

Renault has not made any changes under the hood, meaning the Monaco GP is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that sends 200 horsepower and 177 lb-ft. of torque to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The hot hatch sprints from zero to 62 mph in 6.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 143 mph.

The Clio RS Monaco GP will arrive in showrooms across Europe shortly after its official unveiling in Switzerland. Pricing information and availability will be published closer to the car’s on-sale date.

In addition to the limited-edition Clio RS, the Renault stand in Geneva will showcase the all-new, rear-engined 2014 Twingo and a plug-in hybrid concept car being kept under wraps until the show begins.