Top Cars That Won't Come to America

Fed up with the MINI? It's understandable if you are, for MINIs have pushed well past the boundaries of exclusivity. In Europe, it's even worse. So Citroen's DS3 could — and should — be the next logical step. It's idiosyncratic in all the good ways that Citroens used to be, the sort of left-field automobile that is always filled by a Saab in the movies. It's a similar size to the MINI, with personalization opportunities that go on as long as you have the patience to dig into the options list. Underneath, it's the new Citroen C3 supermini, but hey, who's looking?

This 2010 C-Max is Ford's offering in the sensible compact MPV segment. The original C-Max was the best driver out there, and this new model expands the concept by offering a long-wheelbase 7-seat option. Based on the Max concept seen at the Geneva salon last March, it has Ford's new high-efficiency, low-carbon-dioxide EcoBoost engines. And you will eventually be able to buy one of these, albeit in uglified Grand C-Max form, but not until 2011. Just don't expect the space you'd normally expect in a 7-seater.

Shocking, Renault showed four electric concept cars in Frankfurt. Zoe — cute name — is a compact, 4-seat supermini for short daily journeys in urban areas. It features scissor doors at the front and butterfly doors at the rear, a 70 kW motor for a 100 mile range, 21-inch alloy wheels and a retractable rear spoiler for greater aerodynamic efficiency. So what, I can hear you saying, it's a concept. True, but the technology is that shared with Nissan in its Leaf. And that's a car you will be able to buy in the U.S.

R-rated (for "racing-rated") VWs have in recent years been blessed with a V6 engine that lately grew to 3.2 liters. This Scirocco R has to make do with a mere 2-liter four banger, but with turbocharging it pumps out 261 horsepower while offering better mileage than you could ever dream of with the V6. After a long period in hibernation, this latest Scirocco is the perfect solution for those who found the Audi TT too anodyne. The R version gets a styling makeover, with massive front air intakes, a rear roof spoiler and a zero-to-60-mph time of 6.4 seconds. It looks perfect.

View Pictures:  Volkswagen Scirocco R

You won't have missed Jaguar's new luxury saloon, the 2010 XJ. Large and imposing, it tosses aside the old Jaguar design heritage in favor of a radical new blueprint. It looked simply great at Frankfurt, and is scheduled arrive in the U.S. in December. But what you won't get is the diesel version. This state-of-the-art unit produces 275 horsepower, which means that in the XJ's lightweight aluminum body it will reach 60 mph in six seconds flat and return 40 mpg. Best of all, it doesn't sound like a diesel.

For some bizarre reason, no doubt best known to the BMW marketing department, you have not been able to buy a diesel version of the current MINI in base level trim. Hang on. Doesn't diesel equal better mileage, which equals saving money? Is anyone in at MINI? Well, apparently they are and now you can get a budget MINI in dirty-fuel form. Satisfied with the 50 mpg you get in your gas-powered MINI? Well, Europeans get an additional 20 mpg! There's a touch less power; 90 horsepower instead of 110 in the MINI Cooper D, but anything that helps turn in better mileage is welcome these days.

Kia continues to have sales success, even though most of its small cars are confined to Europe and its domestic South Korean market. So important are these ultracompact cars in Europe that Kia has three in the same class — the Soul, the Rio and now the Venga. It boasts C-segment interior space on a B-segment footprint, all achieved by building it tall and installing a sliding rear seat. Every engine gets the stop-start fuel-saving technology that will surely come to every new car soon. You have to hand it to Kia. It bombards us with new models that get better every time. This one is even designed and built in Europe.

No apologies for once again including this iconic German brand in Cars You Can't Get. These meticulously engineered roadsters combine classic style with underpinnings that are state of the art. New for Frankfurt is the MF5. Powered by BMW's shock-and-awe 5-liter V10 engine, there is more than 500 horsepower at your right foot that translates into zero to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 195 mph. The base price is $275,000. Just 55 will be built.

Isn't it about time someone else built an Audi TT? Well, now Peugeot has and it's called the RCZ. The double bubble of the concept car is retained, so like the TT, this is a car that hasn't suffered much in the move from show star to production automobile. A touch smaller than the TT, the price reflects this, but it will surely be a fave with the fashionistas who care little about the lower levels of performance. With two trim permutations and a whole book of options, this is the automobile that Peugeot ought to bring to the States.

This one will make U.S. Porsche collectors green with envy. Imagine owning the 1973 911 2.7 RS (and they all do, believe me), then bringing it up to date. That's the Sport Classic. There are the imitation Fuchs alloy wheels, a ducktail spoiler and a double-bubble roof to free up more room for your crash helmet. It's a pastiche of the original, of course, a reworked Carrera S with a few more horses, special gray paintwork, a pair of stripes and a lovely interior. Just 250 are to be built and sold at not far short of twice the price of the base 911.

View Pictures:  Porsche 911 Sport Classic

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