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Ford Fiesta ST200 Hotter Hatch Shown in Geneva (W/Video)

Although our dreams of an RS variant of the Ford Fiesta were crushed earlier this year, the Blue Oval revealed a more powerful version of its subcompact hatchback at the 2016 Geneva auto show. The new Ford Fiesta ST200 sports a revised engine and transaxle tuning for more performance.

While the Fiesta ST200’s turbocharged 1.6-liter EcoBoost I-4 makes the same 197 hp as the standard U.S.-market Fiesta ST, torque has increased from 202 lb-ft to 214 lb-ft. Additionally, a new overboost function increases power to 212 hp and 236 lb-ft for 15 seconds. In Europe, the Fiesta ST is rated 180 hp and 177 lb-ft.

Other drivetrain changes include a new 4.06 final drive ratio in place of the standard Fiesta ST’s 3.82 ratio for quicker acceleration. Ford claims the new Fiesta ST200 sprints from naught to 62 mph in 6.7 seconds, compared to 6.9 seconds for the standard Fiesta ST. In our testing, a U.S.-spec 197-hp Ford Fiesta hit 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. Top speed is a claimed 143 mph.

“The Fiesta ST is truly beloved by owners and critics. The ST200 takes this special drivers’ car to a new level of power and performance,” said Joe Bakaj, vice president, Product Development, Ford of Europe, in a release. “I think it’s a future classic in the making.”

In addition to its powertrain upgrades, the new Ford Fiesta ST200 should have even better handling thanks to an enhanced Torque Vectoring Control system with three-mode Electronic Stability Control (ESC), increased roll-stiffness for the adapted rear twist-beam axle, and a 0.6-inch lower ride height thanks to unique front and rear springs and dampers.

Additionally, the steering features a revised front steering knuckle and shortened steering arm with a shorter 13.69:1 steering ratio, while the braking system has been upgraded with a larger tandem brake master cylinder and rear disc brakes.

Visual changes include unique machined matte black 17-inch alloy wheels, red-painted brake calipers, and an available and exclusive Storm Grey exterior paint. Interior upgrades include partial leather Recaro front seats finished in Charcoal with contrasting silver stitching, illuminated scuff plates, and silver detailing on the seatbelts.

While the new Ford Fiesta ST200 hasn’t been confirmed for the U.S., the new high-performance model will go on sale in Europe this summer.

Source: Ford

Ford Fiesta ST200 interior seat details 02

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Recall Alert: 2011 Kia Forte

CARS.COM

Vehicles Affected: Approximately 10,000 model-year 2011 Kia Forte cars built from Aug. 27 to Nov. 11, 2010

The Problem: A transmission fluid cooler hose may have been improperly manufactured, resulting in a transmission fluid leak. If enough transmission fluid leaks out, the transmission may not function properly and the vehicle may stop moving, increasing the risk of a crash.

The Fix: Dealers will replace the transmission cooler hose for free.

What Owners Should Do: Kia will begin notifying owners on March 30. Owners can call the automaker at 800-333-4542 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236, or go to www.safercar.gov, for more info.

Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer.

More Recalls

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Recall Alert: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Malibu, Silverado and GMC Sierra

CARS.COM

Vehicles Affected: Approximately 150 model-year 2016 Chevrolet Camaro sports cars, Malibu sedans, Silverado pickup trucks and GMC Sierra pickup trucks

The Problem: The radio may intermittently fail to provide an audio warning when the key has been left in the ignition and the door is opened or when the driver does not fasten his or her seat belt, increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.

The Fix: Dealers will update the radio software for free.

What Owners Should Do: The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners can call Chevrolet at 800-222-1020 and GMC at 800-462-8782 for more info. Owners can also call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236, or go to www.safercar.gov.

Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer.

More Recalls

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Volkswagen Golf Lineup Earns NHTSA's Five-Star Safety Rating

CARS.COM — Volkswagen announced that its entire 2016 Golf lineup has earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's top crashworthiness rating. The five-star rating goes to the Golf, Golf GTI and Golf R hatchbacks as well as the Golf SportWagen.

Related: More Safety News

Both the two-door and four-door versions of the Golf and Golf GTI received the designation, as did the four-door Golf R and SportWagen. All models received a frontal-crash score of four stars, a side-crash score of five stars and a rollover rating of four stars, for an overall five-star rating.

The 2016 two-door Golf's score was identical to that of the 2015 version, while its four-door version was not rated last year. The GTI, Golf R and SportWagen also were not rated for 2015.

For comparison among competitors, the 2016 Mazda3 hatchback received a five-star NHTSA rating, as did the 2016 Hyundai Elantra GT. The Mazda scored five stars for frontal and side crashes, and four stars for rollovers, while the Hyundai scored four stars for frontal crashes and rollovers, and five stars for side crashes.

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2016 BMW 640i Review

CARS.COM — The 2016 BMW 640i coupe is powerful and surrounds you with a richly finished interior, but a litile more ride comfort would enhance its grand touring personality. The 640i balances sporty handling and comfort in a class with high-performance-handling machines — such as the Jaguar F-Type and Porsche 911 -- on one end and the cruising-oriented Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe on the other.

Find out more in my review.

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Rolls-Royce Unveils Black Badge Trim at 2016 Geneva Motor Show

10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Bugatti Chiron

Like clockwork, once every 10 years or so there’s a new top-speed champ in the automotive world. When I was a growing up in the ’90s, that car was the 230-mph McLaren F1. A decade later, it was the 253-mph Bugatti Veyron. Now there’s a new bad Bug on the block. Packing 1,500 hp behind the rear seats, the Bugatti Chiron is designed to carry the production car automotive speed records for the next decade. Here are 10 things you might not know about the new Chiron.

How’s your French?

Those who have worked in sports and news broadcast might be tempted to call the Chiron “kai-ron,” like the company named Chyron that creates television graphics, but it’s actually pronounced “shir-on,” preferably with a heavy French accent. It’s named after legendary Bugatti driver Louis Chiron.

Fashionable and functional

This may come as a surprise to those who weren’t aware of Bugatti until the Veyron burst onto the scene, but the French automaker has a long and storied history. Although you’ll notice obvious visual similarities between the Chiron and its predecessor, the Chiron effectively looks to the future while blending in styling traits from its past. Take the distinctive C-shaped satin silver line that dominates the Chiron’s profile view, for instance. That line mimics the legendary 1930s Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic while providing the engine with clean, undisturbed air.

Speaking of Satin Silver …

The Bugatti badge on the Chiron’s grille is made of hand-enameled sterling silver, and it costs parent company Volkswagen $550 a pop.

We are the 0.02 percent!

That $550 badge represents just 0.02 percent of the Chiron’s estimated $2.7 million sticker price. (Bugatti only quotes the price in euros. It goes for 2.4 million of them.) According to Bugatti, the average Chiron buyer owns 42 cars, a jet, a yacht, three helicopters, and four houses. All right, then.

It’s going to be really fast

Bugatti’s still playing coy with the Chiron’s top speed, but computer simulations suggest at least 275 mph, 7 mph faster than the Veyron Super Sport and 5 mph faster than the Hennessey Venom GT.

But not so fast …

Bugatti will limit top speed of customer cars to just 261 mph. The Chiron’s true top speed can be unlocked by factory technicians after a set of ultra-finely balanced wheels and tires and some additional sensors have been fitted for a factory-backed v-max run.

More power!

To hit that 261-mph marker, the Chiron obviously needs a serious engine. The Chiron is powered by an updated version of the Veyron’s 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W-16 engine. Under the Chiron’s hood, the big 16-cylinder engine makes 1,500 hp and 1,165 lb-ft of torque, and it drives all four wheels through a seven-speed automated manual transmission.

You’ve never seen a dyno chart like this

Most dyno charts are progressive power and torque curves that slowly gain along the y-axis as they travel along the x-axis. Not so with the Chiron; the Bugatti’s torque curve shoots damn near straight up the y-axis to 2,000 rpm and then remains flat to 6,700 rpm, and the Chiron’s power curve is more like a power line, rocketing straight up to 6,700 rpm.

The big Bug can turn, too

The Veyron got a bad rap for being unwieldy on racetracks and on canyon roads. As a result, Bugatti’s engineers paid special attention to how the Chiron handled, fitting the new hypercar with a new ZF-sourced electric power steering rack, external reservoir Sachs suspension dampers, and custom hand-built Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. Oh, and yes, we’ve been assured the new Chiron can drift.

Blowing Hot Air

The Chiron uses a neat trick to expel exhaust gases while making it more slippery. Although it appears that the Chiron has just four exhaust pipes, the Bugatti actually has six 3.2-inch titanium exits. Four of the exhaust tips exit centrally, and the other two exit downward on the left and right sides of the car, which helps create a Formula 1-style blown diffuser that increases downforce at speed.

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