Audi has turned up the heat on its smallest hatch.

Audi Australia has confirmed that the new S1 pocket rocket – which will debut at the Geneva motor show early next month – will be available Down Under.

The S1 will be equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 170kW of power and 370Nm of torque, feeding through a six-speed manual transmission to Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system.

The S1 will cover the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.9 seconds.

International markets will get both three-door and five-door variants, but only the five-door version – known as the S1 Sportback – is slated for Australian showrooms.

UK pricing will start at £24,900 (AU$45,790) for the five-door. Local pricing is expected to start around $50,000.

The S1 will target the two-wheel-drive Mini Cooper JCW, which is similarly priced at $50,400 but offers less power at 155kW.

Styling for the S1 incorporates typically aggressive S-model appointments, with quad exhaust tips at the rear and reworked Xenon headlamps up front. Standard wheels are 17-inch while 18-inch units will be offered as an option.

Audi has previewed the S1 ahead of Geneva in two-tone paint, with a black turret section. Two new colours will be introduced with the S1, Vegas Yellow and Sepang Blue.

Interior options include a ‘quattro upgrade’ package featuring a flat-bottomed steering wheel and highlights in red, black or yellow.

Expect to see the Audi S1 in Australian showrooms before the end of 2014.

Honda will lift the covers off the 2015 Honda Civic Type R Concept at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Honda released this illustration of the concept, outlining what we can expect to see when the new model is revealed.

Anticipation for the new Type R has been building steadily since we drove the engineering prototype late last year at Honda’s research and development centre in Tochigi, Japan.

Honda sources claim the new Civic Type R will beat Renault’s front-wheel-drive production car lap record at Nurburgring (8:07.97), a record set by the Megane RS Trophy in 2011.

Honda’s chief engineer, Ayuma Matsuo, confirmed the new Type R will feature a 2.0-litre four-cylinder direct-injected petrol engine, assisted by a turbocharger for the first time in the model’s history.

Officially the new engine will produce 206kW/400Nm, however speaking exclusively to Wheels, Ayuma Matsuo revealed plans are underway to extract more. “It’s very capable,” he said. “220kW or more we are hoping.” That figure will stack-up well against the Ford Focus ST (184kW/340Nm), Renault Megane Sport 265 Cup (195kW/360Nm) and Volkswagen’s Mk7 Golf GTI (162kW/350Nm).

Stylistically, the Civic Type R design concept looks significantly bolstered in comparison to previous models. Huge arch flares and vents tie in with the new rear wing section. The spoiler and tail-lights are a now one integrated piece with the uprights shown in carbon-fibre. The rear door handles are discreetly hidden by the C-pillars, giving the illusion of a two-door body. But how much of this artist’s rendering will carry into the production model remains to be seen.

Honda hasn’t offered the Civic Type R in Australia since 2011, when it cost $39,990 plus on-roads. Expect the 2015 Civic Type R to be priced competitively with the likes of the Megane Sport 265 Cup ($42,640). Exact pricing and availability for the 2015 model should follow after the Geneva Motor Show fires up in three weeks.

Mercedes-Benz is laying claim to a technological first with the 2014 S-Class Coupé. It’s called Magic Body Control (MBC) and it’s touted as the first “suspension with eyes”.

MBC detects curves in the road up to 15 metres ahead using a stereo camera system behind the windscreen. That information is combined with transverse acceleration readings and used to adjust the suspension, tilting the car into bends the way a motorbike or a skier takes a corner according to Mercedes.

“Lateral acceleration acting upon occupants is reduced in a way akin to driving on a steep curve, and passengers sit more firmly. On country roads in particular, the new curve tilting function enhances motoring enjoyment and comfort,” the company’s tech info claims.

The system uses the hydraulic Active Body Control to adjust the force on each suspension strut individually. The Coupé reacts in fractions of a second, leaning by up to 2.5 degrees, depending on the road angle and vehicle speed.

Challenging the suspension’s abilities is a biturbo 4.7-litre V8 engine based on the current CL500 motor. The new S-Class Coupé now generates 335kW and 700Nm – 15kW and 170Nm more than the CL500.

Historically, the S-Class has introduced Mercedes-Benz’s cutting-edge developments and exclusive features, and the 2014 Coupe also features what the manufacturer calls ‘Intelligent Drive’ safety systems. These include Pre-Safe braking, which predicts rear-collisions and warns following drivers by flashing the rear hazard lights, along with Active Lane Keeping Assist and Night View Assist.

On the options list you’ll find “expressive” headlamps, each featuring 47 Swarovski crystals, heated armrests, ‘hot stone massage’ inspired seats and a head-up display including navigation and speed limit info. Sadly, Magic Sky Control can’t stop it raining – it’s a panoramic roof with variable transparency from almost clear to 99 percent opaque, so you can enjoy the open-top feeling, whatever the weather.

The new S-Class Coupé will have its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. Distribution to dealerships is scheduled for the second half of 2014, with prices expected to start around $330,000.

Toyota’s having a tough week. Just three days after announcing it’s quitting local production, the Japanese giant has recalled two million Prius Hybrids, including 5500 in Australia.

An electric fault in the current-gen Prius (2009-2014), which can cause cars to slow suddenly, is behind the recall, with more than 400 cases of the problem already reported worldwide.

Ten cases have been flagged in Australia, with the fault affecting models built between January 2009 and February 2014.

“Yes, we’ve encountered the fault, but we’ve had no accidents or injuries,” said Toyota Australia spokesperson Beck Angel. “We’ll be sending a letter out to all impacted owners in the next few weeks. It’s easy to resolve; it’s only a software update that takes less than an hour.”

Toyota says the fault, caused by a gremlin in the hybrid system’s programming, could cause cars to slow suddenly, but not stop.

“In limited cases, the hybrid system might shut down and the vehicle will stop, perhaps while being driven,” said a Toyota statement.

Mercedes-Benz has revealed pricing of its new pint-sized GLA crossover, which will arrive Down Under in April.

Starting at $47,900 for the entry-level front-wheel-drive, diesel-powered GLA200, the range tops out at $74,900 for the all-wheel drive GLA45 AMG performance model.

Interestingly, the GLA45 AMG undercuts its Audi rival, the RS Q3, by a significant $7000.

Only the base GLA200 CDI will be available in April, the $57,900 petrol, all-wheel drive GLA250 being delayed until July and the GLA45 AMG not coming until September.

All GLA models will boast the same standard kit as their A-Class and CLA-Class siblings, headlined by a reverse camera, auto reverse parking and an electric tailgate.

All engine variants are mated exclusively to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, with the base GLA200 churning out 100kW/300Nm from its 1.8-litre diesel.

The mid-range, 2.0-litre petrol GLA250 produces 155kW/350Nm, while the range-topping GLA45 AMG musters 265kW/450Nm – the same outputs as the A45 AMG and CLA AMG.

Mercedes-Benz has just launched the fourth of the five models based on its front- and all-wheel-drive small-car architecture known as MFA, but this platform’s role will be dwarfed by what’s to come next.

The company’s even more flexible new rear- and all-wheel-drive architecture will underpin more than double this number of models, research and development chief Thomas Weber has revealed.

“The largest and most important architecture in our line-up is Mercedes’ rear-wheel (drive) architecture,” he said at the recent international launch of the GLA compact front-drive and all-wheel-drive crossover in Spain.

“The first vehicle based on our new MRA architecture is the new C-Class,” said Weber, referring to Mercedes’ “completely new designed architecture”.

Some details of MRA – which is much lighter and uses more aluminium – have already been revealed in the lead-up to the global launch of the new C-Class sedan. Weber confirmed MRA will play a huge role in the company’s plans for growth.

“With this architecture, we are able to do much more than 10 different vehicles,” he said.

The MFA architecture, using just one wheelbase, has provided the basis for five different vehicles — the A-Class, B-Class, CLA, just-launched GLA and the so-called CLA Shooting Brake due late this year.

“The new MRA platform is even more flexible because more wheelbases are possible, more the width of the vehicle can be differentiated.”

This completely modular approach will give Mercedes great flexibility and freedom of choice.

“We can do SUVs, we can do coupes, we can do limousines (sedans) and so on,” Weber said. “Maybe we can do vehicles you don’t even know at the moment.”

All models in the current C-Class line-up will have successors, Weber promised, and MRA will also underpin the next-generation E-Class.

This means it will provide the basis for the next C-Class sedan, wagon, Coupe and C-Class-based GLK SUV, as well as E-Class sedan, wagon, Coupe and Cabriolet, plus the successors of the E-Class-based CLS and CLS Shooting Brake. That’s 10 models right there.

New SUVs will take the count even higher. The current ML, which uses a platform at least partly co-developed with Jeep before the collapse of the DaimlerChrysler joint venture, will surely move to MRA for its next generation. Rumoured Mercedes-Benz rivals for BMW’s hideous X6 and X4 would also use it.

While Weber declined to outline the company’s full product plan for the next five years, he did acknowledge that SUVs will make up a higher percentage of sales than at present.

“These types of vehicles, their share will grow. I see at least a potential 40 (percent) and higher.”

While Mercedes is clearly determined to enter every profitable niche the market provides, its reliance on just two core architectures – MFA and MRA – will simplify the task.

“With only two main architectures … 90 percent of the volume is based on in the future.”

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Look out M and AMG, Audi is planning an assault to grow its RennSport tuning arm and see an RS variant sit atop every model in its range.

Speaking exclusively to Wheels at the launch of the new RS7 and all-new RS Q3, Audi Australia boss Andrew Doyle revealed more RS models are already in the pipeline, with the brand keen to grow its performance credentials.

“I love performance cars, so I’d love to say we’ll have an RS variant for each model, but I can’t confirm that,” Doyle said. “But I know there’s a clear message from Audi AG that Audi Sport will only grow bigger and quattro GmbH will only get bigger.

“Audi, in the past, hasn’t had multiple RS models at one time and now we have seven, which I think is a wonderful thing. So I’m always open to more RS models and more high performance products. Plus, it’s clear from our sales that the Australian consumer has a real appreciation for our RS derivatives.”

Audi Australia’s RS performance arm grew 172.2 percent in 2013 to sell 1121 vehicles, nearly double BMW’s M Division (623), yet still behind Mercedes-Benz’s performance arm AMG (1650).

Seven percent of all Audi sales in 2013 were RS models, up on three percent the previous year.

But Doyle is tipping even stronger growth in 2014, with Australia earmarked to become just the second market for the brand’s new ‘Audi Sport Sales Concept’, which will see an RS shop incorporated into select showrooms.

“At the end of the day, we’ve been short-selling our credentials,” he said. “There’s not many brands, when you look at our rivals, that have such a strong motorsport heritage as our brand, so by all means we want to strengthen the RS brand. We’re pushing hard in that direction and I certainly don’t think more models will dilute the RS brand or anything like that.”

Doyle wouldn’t be drawn on what the next RS model would be, but hinted that an RS Q5 could be a logical choice.

“Look, it could be a number of models,” he said. “But we’ve had outstanding success with the SQ5 and you can say that was a bit of a no-brainer. The Q5 is such a strong-selling car, to offer it with more performance was only going to boost sales.

“We’re planning to have 60 Audi models by 2020 – we’re currently at around 49-50 and we have another 10 confirmed for production – so we’ve got a very, very exciting horizon.

“Audi has just invested $A30 billion between now and 2018 into new infrastructure, the majority of which is going into new products.”

The Lotus C-01 motorcycle has been in development for two years and has finally seen the light of day. And it’s stunning.

Although a Lotus in name only, Lotus F1 technology and materials have inspired the C-01 project. It will be built by German manufacturer Kodewa Performance Motorcycles in conjunction with Lotus.

The bike was penned by German designer Daniel Simon, who is best-known for creating the vehicles of Tron: Legacy and his work as senior designer for Bugatti.

Lotus calls the C-01 a “hyper bike with integrated racing technology”. The frame is fabricated from aerospace-quality steel, titanium and carbon-fibre, as used in Formula 1.

The gorgeous exterior panels are formed from carbon-fibre, giving an overall weight of just 180kg.

Turning the rear wheel is a 1195cc v-twin engine producing 149kW.

But don’t be fooled into thinking this is a one-off prototype marketing device. The C-01 as you see it is the real deal. It will be built.

Lotus plans to release 100 of them, so getting your name on the list will be the first obstacle.

No pricing information is available at this stage, but those lucky enough to get their hands on one will be able to select from an assortment of customisable paint schemes and race decals.

We’ll take one in JPS livery, thanks.

TEXAN tuning house Hennessey has knocked off Bugatti to claim a record top speed of 435.31km/h with its Venom GT at NASA’s 5.1km Space Shuttle landing facility in Florida.

The v-max record was previously held by Bugatti’s Veyron Super Sport, but it was outpaced by the low-volume Hennessey Venom GT, by a mere 4.33km/h.

The Venom GT already holds the 0-200mph (322km/h) title, so this new record is just another feather in its cap – at least it would be if the record was official.

Guinness World Records won’t validate a v-max record unless it’s performed twice – once in each direction – and averaged, to account for wind assistance and resistance.

Hennessey boss John Hennessey said: “We wanted to run in both directions, but the NASA guys wouldn’t let us. Getting into NASA isn’t easy. It was a two-year process.”

Had they managed to run a second pass, Hennessey would still be without the title because Guinness requires 30 cars to be built to qualify as a production car. Hennessey plan to build only 29 Venom GTs.

Still, the Hennessey team aren’t fazed. They have their sights set on lap records at well-known tracks to validate the Venom as a record-breaking machine.

Underneath the familiar exterior of the Venom GT (think stretched Lotus) lies a thoroughly worked-over 7.0-litre GM LS-motor with a couple of turbochargers. Total output is an eye-watering 928kW.

Check out the footage below of former Michelin tyre test engineer Brian Smith piloting the Venom GT to the recorded top speed of 435.31km/h (270.49mph).

Ever fantasised about living the life of a secret agent? Of course you have. Well, now is your chance of getting closer to your fantasy because a fanatical James Bond fan has his collection of 007 vehicles for sale.

Michael Dezer is a real estate developer from New York with a passion for vehicular movie stars. He has an arsenal of 59 vehicles used in Bond films, from the first (Dr No) to the most recent (Skyfall).

Should you manage to find £20 million ($A37m) down the back of the sofa, you could be the new owner of not only the Bond cars, but boats, planes, hovercrafts and even the T-55 Soviet tank from GoldenEye.

In 52 years on the silver screen, James Bond’s character has scarcely been seen in anything other than beautiful exotics.

Dezer’s collection includes the requisite Aston Martin DB5, as driven by Aussie actor George Lazenby in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and the bronze Lotus Esprit Turbo steered across ski slopes in Northern Italy by Roger Moore in For Your Eyes Only.

Not even Bond villains have been left out of Dezer’s incredible assortment. As the collection’s new owner, you could take to the helm of the 1937 Rolls Royce III as Oddjob did in Goldfinger, or perhaps Zao’s Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day will be more to your taste.

Other notable mentions include the Lockheed Jetstar from Goldfinger, ‘Little Nellie’ the gyroplane from You Only Live Twice, the BMW Z8 from The World Is Not Enough, the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish from Die Another Day and the ’71 Mustang Mach I seen on two wheels with Sean Connery behind the tiller in Diamonds Are Forever.

Several cars in the collection are worthy of hefty price tags regardless of their cinematic provenance. Of particular note is the Toyota 2000GT from You Only Live Twice. A regular version in mint condition recently sold at auction for $US1.2m.

Dezer has already parted company with the legendary Astons driven on-screen by Sean Connery and a small selection of other highly desirable Bond cars that he chose to sell individually. The famous Lotus Esprit-turned-submarine was one of those cars, sold at auction last year for $US1m.

It goes without saying that no maniacal bad-guy will be able to escape the clutches of this collection’s new owner. We just hope they call us for a joyride.