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Coming in the heels of the Toyota Wigo launch here in the Philippines, the global office of the giant automaker is exhibiting in Geneva the all-new Aygo together with its French cousins, the second-gen Peugeot 108 and Citroën C1.

Looking a bit more upscale than the French duo, Toyota’s second generation of the Aygo has grown in length by 25mm to 3,455mm while height has dropped by 5mm to 1,460mm but even so front headroom is up by 7mm. In addition, Toyota decided to widen both front and rear tracks by 8mm and applied a completely different front fascia compared to the new C1 and 108 thanks to an “X” graphic which makes the model look quite interesting and unique.

The revamped Aygo has a sloping beltline and an integral rear spoiler while body style choices will be limited to three and five doors as it seems Toyota hasn’t developed an open-top version like its French relatives. At the back we notice a hexagonal tailgate with the bumper extends to the more muscular rear wheel arches making the car look bigger than it actually is.

Power comes exclusively from an updated variant of Toyota’s three-cylinder 1.0-liter gasoline engine which now delivers 68 bhp (51 kW) at 6,000 rpm and 95 Nm (70 lb-ft) at 4,300 rpm to the 14- or 15-inch alloys. Drag coefficient is down from 0.30 to 0.29 which has helped improve fuel economy to 57.2 mpg US (68.8 mpg UK or 4.1 liters / 100 km) with corresponding CO2 emissions of 95 g/km. For the interior Toyota has designed a trapezoidal center console and elongated the cabin by 9mm even though the 2,340mm was left untouched. Also up is the luggage room as the capacity has increased by 29 liters while the firm’s newly developed x-touch multimedia system takes care of the entertainment department with a 7-inch touchscreen display offered as standard with a rear view camera.

Nissan is presenting in Geneva the facelifted Juke Nismo RS which has gained a bit more power. If you will recall, the “regular” Juke was displayed in the 2012 Philippine International Motor Show, which was said to be launched that year. The Juke turned out to be a joke, as the model introduction did not materialize.

In Geneva, showcased alongside the regular Juke facelift, the hotter Nismo RS derivative carries over the same styling tweaks but more importantly packs an extra punch from its 1.6-liter DIG-T turbocharged gasoline engine. Output of the motor has increased by 18 HP (13 kW) and 20 Nm (27 lb-ft) to 218 HP (160 kW) and 280 Nm (379 lb-ft).

Moreover, the 2WD variant will be offered as standard with a mechanical limited-slip differential while the size of the front disc brakes has increased from 296mm to 320mm. The list of updates continues with rear ventilated disc brakes, tweaked spring and damper settings along with a strengthened body structure and optional Recaro bucket seats.

It should be noted the torque increase is available on the version equipped with a manual six-speed manual gearbox, while the AWD version has torque vectoring and an Xtronic transmission with an eight-speed manual mode and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Nissan has also modified the exhaust system which now delivers a sportier soundtrack as a result of the muffler’s larger diameter.

Back home, the Nissan Juke seems to have been erased from memory, with the launch of two new models. Recently, the motoring media has been receiving invites for the launch of Nissan Sylphy and Altima this Friday, March 7, courtesy of the “new” Nissan Philippines. Based on the dealers’ teasers in their Facebook account, the units should be available in the showrooms by March 10. Watch out for the full features and specifications here soon.

The prophecy that Apple will invade all aspects of our life seems to be getting truer than ever – the technology giant has officially unveiled their CarPlay system ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

Described as a “smarter, safer and more fun way to use [the] iPhone in the car,” the CarPlay system will enable users to make calls, listen to music and access Maps via Siri or the car’s native interface. The system can also read messages aloud and allow the driver to dictate a response.

CarPlay will be available as an update to iOS 7 and will work with the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5.

The system will initially be supported by Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo but will eventually gain support from BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota. Chrysler also issued a statement saying “Our companies are focused on iPhone and iPod compatibility testing with Chrysler Group’s current Uconnect Systems, and we continue to discuss and explore technologies that can further enhance the driving experience and keep drivers focused on the road.”

Clearly missing in the list is Volkswagen. We wonder – is the German carmaker a Microsoft or Android fan to disregard this feature?

According to Apple’s vice president of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing, Greg Joswiak, “CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car.” He went on to say “iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction. We have an amazing lineup of auto partners rolling out CarPlay, and we’re thrilled it will make its debut this week in Geneva.”

Whatever the case may be, we hope this technology reaches our shores too, and soon.