Facebook is quickly becoming a serious weapon in promoting new cars. We’ve seen Mazda feature its new Mazda2 in a special game for the social network, while Ford has used it to unveil the 2011 Explorer SUV.

Now, Skoda Belgium has decided to offer a new Fabia Rock edition as a prize in a brand new campaign, centered around Facebook.

Basically (given our intermediate French skills), if people give 1 Like to the Skoda Belgium fan page, 1 Euro gets deducted from the price of the Fabia (12.950 Euros).

For two days people can like the Skoda Belgium page, share the news with others, and then place a bid for the Skoda Fabia Rock edition. The more likes, the less money you will have to pay for the car.

Currently a bid has already been placed, so Skoda is analyzing it. But if it gets turned down, you’ll need to place your own as soon as possible.

Overall, this is a pretty interesting campaign, and it gets a lot of props for originality. While you’re still on Facebook, why don’t you like our own website. We won’t give away a car (not yet, anyway) but you’ll be able to stay up to date with the latest news from our website.

Source: Twitter

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Skoda Belgium offers a Fabia on Facebook in new campaign

Welcome to a new edition of Motorsport Weekend, our own feature where we talk about the most exciting motorsport events from the last three days.

This weekend we were treated with the MotoGP San Marino GP, which took place in Monza, Italy, as well as with the Nascar Emory Healthcare 500, which took place at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, counting for the Sprint Cup.

If you’re curious to see how Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Tony Stewart or Carl Edwards faired in their respective events, hit the jump to find out.

The MotoGP San Marino GP was part of a tragic weekend, as young Moto2 rider Shoya Tomizawa died after a violent crash. This is the second death in two weeks, after American rider Peter Lenz died last week at the Indianapolis GP in the USA.

The MotoGP race was won by Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, who managed to fend off Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi. This was the first podium for Rossi after he recovered from his injury in the middle of the season.

Overall standings still see Lorenzo in the lead, with 281 points, followed by Pedrosa, with 208, and Andrea Dovizioso, with 139.

Nascar’s Sprint Cup arrived at the Atlanta Motor Speedway this week, for the Emory Healthcare 500. It was an extremely tough race, and many of the leading drivers in the overall standings led at some point or another the rest of the pack.

The end win went to Tony Stewart, which is showing impressive form in the last 14 races. Runner up was Carl Edwards, who is also performing great in the last seven race. Third spot was nabbed by reigning champ Jimmie Johnson.

Overall standings see Kevin Harvick in the lead, followed by Jeff Gordon, 219 points behind, and Kyle Busch, 260 behind. It’s also worth noting that Tony Stewart is fourth with 283, followed by Edwards with 297. It’s an extremely close top five.

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Motorsport Weekend: MotoGP San Marino GP and Nascar Atlanta race results

Bugatti impressed a lot of people when it presented the Veyron hypercar, which broke the world speed record for a production model. Soon after that, Shelby Super Cars revealed the Ultimate Aero TT model, which stole the crown from the European company.

As you no doubt know by now, Bugatti fought back a few months ago, and released the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, which achieved a new world record of 267.81 mph.

As soon as the news hit, rumors began to fly around that SSC would gladly pick up the gauntlet and reveal an improved Ultimate Aero, to take down the Veyron SS.

Now, the first shots of the SSC Ultimate Aero II have been leaked, and posted by the guys at Jalopnik. The new model is much more attractive than the TT, and you can clearly see the work of Jason Castriota, now lead designer at Saab.

No other details are know, but you can be sure that this car is built with just one purpose, taking the world speed record from the Veyron Super Sport and bringing it back to the USA.

Source: Jalopnik

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SSC Ultimate Aero II leaked before it will take on the Bugatti Veyron

Cadillac is extremely proud of its CTS-V lineup, and has released a brand new commercial highlighting the high performance these models can achieve.

In this ad, titled ‘The Competition’, the Cadillac CTS-V sedan is taken around the famed Nurbugring circuit. Also in the ad, Caddy gives credit to the two models that have inspired the development of the CTS-V, the BMW M5 and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG.

For some stunning footage of the Cadillac CTS-V lapping the Nurburgring in 7:59.32, check out the commercial after the jump.

Source: Cadillac

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Video: Cadillac CTS-V laps the Nurburgring in the new ‘Competition’ ad

It seems that the huge negative backlash after the reveal of the Lagonda SUV has made Aston Martin reconsider launching the ghastly concept we saw last year.

According to a new report, Aston Martin won’t pursue the Lagonda SUV plans as existing customers have sent a lot of negative feedback about the awkward concept.

Instead, Aston might still revive the Lagonda brand, but with a different type of model. It seems that the British carmaker is planning a Lagonda sedan, which will be based on the existing Rapide.

Not much is known, but according to the same report, the Lagonda-branded Rapide will arrive much later, in 2014 at the least, in order to give the Aston Martin version time to expand its sales. This date might also hint that the Lagonda will be based on the second generation Rapide, and incorporate some of its improvements.

Still, at least we should be happy that Aston Martin has scrapped the whole Lagonda SUV project.

Source: EGMCarTech via Automarket

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Aston Martin scraps Lagonda SUV plans, might launch Rapide-based Lagonda sedan

Chevrolet is keen on expanding the Cruze lineup in Europe, where the compact model has achieved impressive sales.

As such, the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback show car has been officially revealed before it will be making its debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, later this month.

The model is just for show, at this moment, meaning the end version of the Cruze hatchback won’t necessarily look like this.

Still, the overall aspect will remain the same. It is expected for the Cruze five-door to compete against the likes of the Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf, but will add a bit more utility, given its bigger platform.

The production-ready Chevrolet Cruze hatchback will be officially unveiled next year, with sales due to begin in summer of 2011. Pricing will also be unveiled at that time, and engine options are expected to remain the same.

Sadly, you won’t be getting to see this pretty attractive hatch on US soil, as American customers aren’t exactly pleased with such hatchbacks. You’ll just have to take satisfaction with the regular Cruze sedan.

Hit the jump to see two more photos of the new Chevrolet Cruze hatchback show car.

Source: Chevrolet

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Chevrolet Cruze hatchback revealed before Paris debut

It seems that the statements of Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota, about his company pursuing fun to drive, sporty models in the future, is gaining momentum.

A new report coming from Japan says that the company will invest in its new G Sports lineup. Currently, this range consists of just accessories packages for the JDM Voxy and Noah minivans, but will soon expand and even contain a proper sports car, based on the MR2 Sports Hybrid concept we saw before.

The new, sportier models will need to attract the younger demographic, which is getting less and less interested in cars altogether. Toyota wants to fix this by launching fun to drive models, which are affordable enough for young people to buy them. This will introduce them to the Toyota range and might get them to buy another car when they’re older.

Without a doubt this is a bit of a gamble for Toyota. Do you think it’ll work? Leave your comments below.

Source: Mainichi Daily via Autoblog

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Toyota to launch entry-level sports cars in Japan

Here we are with yet another example of one rich Arab sheik’s ingenuity. It seems that Sheik Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan decided that his Nissan SUV needed something more personalized, for when he’s riding around the desert and checking out his oil fields.

That’s why he mounted another axle in the front of the car, and, through a customized hydraulics system, he can switch up the front axles.

Why? Nobody really knows, but when you’ve got his money, things like customized six-wheeled Nissan SUVs don’t need a reason.

Check out the crazy contraption in the video below.

Source: Autoblog

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Video: Six-wheeled Nissan SUV proves Arab Sheiks (don’t) know tuning

Renault is preparing quite a few surprises for the upcoming Paris Motor Show, including its brand new flagship model, the Latitude.

Alongside it, according to a recent report, will be the refreshed version of the Renault Laguna. As you can see above and below, the new model has already been leaked onto the web.

First off, the front fascia of the Laguna has been restyled, with the headlights received new elements. The new look is more aggressive than the outgoing Laguna, and will no doubt position the model as a sportier alternative to the more entry-level Fluence.

The wagon model has also been tweaked, and we might expect new wheels and exterior customization options to be available.

The engine lineup is expected to stay the same, but the frugal 1.5-liter diesel will see its CO2 emissions lowered to around 120 g/km.

Expect more details as soon as the Paris show opens its doors at the end of the month.

Source: Autoblog.it via Automarket

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Renault Laguna refresh leaked before Paris debut?

Even though there are still a few months before the winter holidays, BMW has already presented its new Lifestyle Collection, filled with interesting gift ideas for any dedicated BMW fan.

First off, as you can see above, is an electric miniature version of the BMW M3 GT2 race car, which can reach a ‘dizzying’ 1.5 mph and can go up to 1.5 hours before it needs to be recharged (hopefully things are better with the Megacity project).

Next up, for kids who like to spent their winter in the snow, BMW offers a special Snow Racer sled. It has a special steering system with built-in suspension, an ergonomic seat, and even a horn mounted on the handlebars.

Those who travel a lot can get a special BMW Joy backpack. It’s filled with compartments to store your various things, and is black with the Joy logo being branded in the center.

For the ladies, BMW offers a special watch. It has a black screen, on which the BMW logo is present. Even though it has German branding, the watch has been custom made in Switzerland, according to BMW.

Last but not least, we have a special USB memory stick, shaped like an actual BMW key. It can store up to 8 GB of data, and will certainly fool quite a lot of your friends.

Source: BMW via Automarket

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BMW presents its Christmas gifts in the 2010 Lifestyle Collection