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Czech carmaker Skoda is more or less done hiding its Rapid sedan prototypes, one of which was snagged by our scoop photographers while running around the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany.
Skoda's engineers simply applied some convincing, but fake, decals on the tail lamps, the top part of the headlamps, and the rear door lines, just to keep our spies on their toes.
Other than that, what you see in these pictures is what European buyers will get when the compact sedan model makes its first public outing at the Paris Motor Show this September before reaching dealerships at the end of the year.
The European market Rapid (Skoda also sells a smaller and unrelated Rapid sedan in India) is the production variant of the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show Mission L Concept.
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German aftermarket specialist Wheelsandmore believes it can convince at least a few of the 500 owners of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione to make the plunge and shop its new tuning package for the Italian sports coupe. First up is the hard-to-miss matte white foil wrap with black and red racing stripes running from bumper to bumper, and the 21-inch 6Sporz2 forged alloy wheels shod in Hankook S1Evo tires size 245/30 21 on the front axle and 345/25 21 on the rear.
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Reinforced A-pillars and pyrotechnically charged roll hoops are obviously not on the menu for this second-generation Lexus LS 400 Cabriolet, which was created in a matter of minutes during a DIY coachbuilding lesson at the 2012 StanceWars event in Belgium this past weekend. Make the jump to view the videos for yourself.
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If there was ever a more important model in the vast lineup of the Volkswagen Group, it is the seventh generation of the Golf, which we will have the opportunity to see it in person for the first time at the upcoming 2012 Paris Motor Show this September. Say we had to single out one variant out of the Golf's range, that would no doubt be the GTI, the model that gave birth to an entire segment. However, before you get too excited, learn that we will not be seeing the next Golf GTI in Paris but most likely in Geneva the following March.
Since its presentation is a full year away, we have the next best thing with our first spy pictures of the Golf GTI MkVII wearing its production outfit while testing on the 'Ring.
Compared to the regular Golf prototypes we caught earlier this year, the GTI is distinguished by the larger alloy wheels wrapped around beefier tires, the lowered body and the side skirts. The car seen here is the five-door model, but Volkswagen will also offer a three-door variant and possibly a convertible later on.
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Watching a large truck tip over while negotiating a curve on the road and then seeing it coming towards your way without you being able to react is an experience that no driver would like to face. That said, this driver should feel extremely fortunate that the only thing damaged in the incident you are about to view in the video below is the front end of his car...
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Since the first thing you will notice about the 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet in these latest spy shots is the metal roll bar behind the front seats, let us start by pointing out that this is an engineering prototype and that the production model will feature a clean design. With that out of the way, let us see what Porsche is preparing for the new turbocharged Cabriolet model.
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While the debate on whether or not a picture of an Alpine concept car that hit the interwebs earlier this week is real still holds on, Renault has indeed confirmed plans to unveil such a model on Friday, March 25, to coincide with the Monaco Grand Prix. The French carmaker tells us that the car's design "should stir your memory for several reasons" and that "blending the past and the future of the brand, the 400-hp concept car commemorates the 50th anniversary of an emblematic Renault vehicle".
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We are going to confess that before we pressed play on Cadillac's latest advert, we thought the concept would be similar to the brand's previous commercial that pitted an Escalade against a Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan Disappointingly, this time, there was no race between the 2012 Cadillac CTS and the 2012 Audi A6 mid-size sedan.
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The new BMW 3-Series sedan, Hyundai i30 compact hatchback, Mazda CX-5 crossover and Peugeot 208 supermini are the latest cars to be evaluated by Euro NCAP, the organization charged with crash-testing Europe's vehicles. All four models achieved a maximum five-star rating with Euro NCAP officials pointing out that carmakers have made significant improvements in the area of pedestrian protection.
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Remember back in February when we told you about the availability of a fiberglass body kit that attempted to replicate the looks of the $1.6 million Bugatti Veyron on 1992-1995 Honda Civic Coupes? At the time, the seller was offering the eight-piece kit alone for $4,500, but we have now discovered that you can buy a completed model on eBay.
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There is a showoff born every minute. Haplessly for this young lad who wanted to take some attention off a parade of classic and sports cars by performing a wheelie on his scooter bike, the stunt went wrong and he landed on his buttocks. Despite the fail, he stood up and then carried on with a second wheelie. Some people never learn…
Head past the jump to watch the short clip.
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The man credited with styling the exteriors the current generation of the 7-Series and the 2007 Concept CS sports sedan, Karim Habib, will take over as Head of BMW Design on June 1, 2012, the German premium carmaker announced today. Since March of 2011, the 42-year-old Lebanon-born Canadian has been in charge of Exterior Design BMW Automobiles.
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Even though we are less than a year away from the scheduled start of production of Opel's Astra-based convertible at GM's Gliwice plant in Poland, the company continues to perform tests with early engineering prototypes. In our latest scoop shots, Opel's engineers removed the cloth top but retained the framed doors on the unfinished test car.
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Most of us are used to seeing massive red fire trucks speeding down the road when there is an emergency somewhere nearby. A big red truck is also what YouTube user Tespadeinator was expecting to come around the corner of his friend's house in the small town of Nobleton in Ontario, Canada, when he heard the fire sirens.
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Only a few days before the new SL-Class hits UK dealerships, Mercedes-Benz has released pricing for the sixth generation of its luxury roadster model. The new V6-powered SL 350 has an on-the-road price of £72,495, while the V8-powered SL 500 costs £83,445, with both models set to arrive in the UK in June 2012. They will be joined later in the year by the 530hp SL 63 AMG and the 621hp SL 65 AMG V12, with pricing for these two models to be announced closer to the launch date.
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So what if the G-Wagen was initially developed as a military vehicle before Mercedes-Benz began offering it as a rough n' tough civilian model back in 1979; tuners continue to see a street racing potential in the G-Class, despite the fact that everything about this model screams "4x4 off-roader". Then again, Mercedes itself has gone down this path with its insane and utterly pointless AMG variants spearheaded by the new G65 AMG, which sports a…603bhp 6.0-liter bi-turbocharged V12.
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Among all the safety features introduced on the V40 compact hatchback, which as you may have already heard, will not be coming to North America, the most impressive is the ground-breaking pedestrian airbag that will be fitted as standard to all specifications. Developed as part of the Swedish automaker's somewhat unrealistic goal that "no-one should be killed or injured in a new Volvo by 2020", the V40's pedestrian air-bag promises to significantly reduce the risks of head injuries.
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We cannot say for sure if the first BMW M5 is also the best of the series, but it was without doubt, if not the finest, one of the greatest sports saloons in its era, which is why one of the few right-hand drive examples made resides in the garage of Chris Harris. In this latest episode of Drive, Harris takes his 1986 M5 out for a spin and explains to us what makes this car so special. You can watch the video right after the break before you head out to eBay to check out prices for used E28 M5s...
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For the second time this year, our spy shooters have caught up with a prototype of the facelifted Kia Sorento crossover, which will likely be badged as a 2014 model in North America and a 2013 model in Europe and other parts of the world. Interestingly, this latest prototype features more styling changes than the previous model we scooped.
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Don't you just hate arrogant drivers that believe they own the road? Sure you do. So here we have at least half a dozen motorists on all four corners patiently waiting their turn to pass through an intersection when the Fast & Furious driver of a Porsche Cayenne SUV decides it is his (or her) right to cross the road just because… See what happens next in the video after the jump.
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Following an official confirmation earlier today, Renault has now published a teaser video of its new Alpine concept sports car, reportedly named A110-50, in advance of its world premiere on Friday, March 25, at the Monaco Grand Prix. The 30-second long clip gives us a foretaste of some of the concept's styling details like the black alloy wheels and the orange overtones.
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With all the odd and crazy things we have seen taking place on Russian roads thanks to the widespread use of dashboard mounted cameras over the past years, one could say that nothing surprises us anymore. All the same, we cannot say that we remember seeing a police officer filming a pursuit on a hand held camera (or cell phone), but we guess there is a first for everything in Russia these days… Perhaps the explanation is that the cop was an avid fan of the Nissan GT-R, who knows.
Anyway, the two Moscow cops in the Ford Focus managed to catch up to the lime-green Nissan GT-R R35, but only because the latter gave up. One of the police officers approaches the car, politely tips his hat and asks for the driver's license and registration. The driver then exits the GT-R and gets into the cop's car, at which point the video ends.
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With its sights set mainly on emerging markets, Peugeot has introduced a new compact sedan named the 301 in advance of its world premiere at the Paris Auto Show in September. The new 301 will be assembled in Peugeot's factory in Vigo, Spain, and will go on sale from November in Turkey and then into Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, The Middle East, Gulf and African States, as well as in select Latin American markets.
The French firm says that the 301 has been designed to appeal to customers looking for an economical but modern compact saloon and that it was developed to adapt to all climates and conditions of use.
The 301 is 4,440mm long and rides on a 2,650 mm wheelbase offering a class-leading boot volume of 506 liters. Both the exterior and interior design of the saloon draw their inspiration from Peugeot's latest models such as the mid-size 508 and the 208 supermini.
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The 'black edition' fever has hit Mitsubishi, which has announced the availability of the new L200 Barbarian Black pickup truck in Britain. The new special edition is based on the double-cab model and sports an array of styling features painted in satin black including the roof, grille, resin guard, wing mirrors and door handles, plus the fuel filler cap, light bezels, fog lamp housings, rear bar and side steps.
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The Fiat 500 has made a name for itself as a cute and stylish mini that is ideal for city use thanks to its small footprint. In other words, this is definitely not the kind of car you would want to transfer a lot of people, unless of course, for whatever reason, you decide to put it on the Procrustean bed…
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A French forum has got it hands on what we have to assume are the official images of Renault's much-talked about Alpine A110-50 mid-engined sports car concept, which is scheduled to make its first public appearance at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix. This also means that while the first picture we saw of the car may have been partially doctored in one way or another, it did indeed preview the real car.
The A110-50 seems to be heavily based on Renault's DeZir Concept from the 2010 Paris Auto Show featuring the Alpine brand's traditional blue hue and a redesigned front-end sporting some styling cues from the original A110 of the 1960s such as the circular air-intakes between the new headlamps.
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Turning a facepalm-worthy drift fail that entailed a rollover into an epic win is no mean feat, even more so if said stunt was performed in an old Mazda pickup truck. The short clip was filmed in Clock Hill in Alexandra, New Zealand and was originally part of a DVD called "Asses of Alex 2" featuring people performing various stunts and pranks (think Kiwi-flavored Jackass), which was distributed in the country back in 2008
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With automakers constantly adding new products to their lineups, the once easier to understand numeric naming systems have become a complicated affair. For as long we can remember, Peugeot has been using three digits, and more recently, four digits as well, with the first number identifying the segment size, followed by a single or double '0' in the middle, and an end digit signifying the generation of the vehicle.
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If you want try out a car's top speed on a public road, then there is only one place to go: Germany's famed Autobahn, the only motorway system in the world incorporating sections with an unrestricted speed limit. This is where EVO magazine's contributing editor Jethro Bovingdon took the new 2013 Nissan GT-R Track Pack, which just arrived in UK shores.
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The sporty looking compact sedan we initially came to know as the Mercedes-Benz CLC before the Stuttgart automaker's design boss Gorden Wagener revealed that it would be named the CLA, has been caught once again by our spies in Germany. Hidden under all that black camouflage is the toned down, production version of the well-received Concept Style Coupé (CSC), which Mercedes-Benz showed less than a month ago.
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With 662 SAE-certified ponies kicking under its hood, the revamped 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 promises to be the meanest pony car on the road offering Ferrari (straight-line) performance for Ford prices (the coupe starts at US$54,200). When the crew over at Motor Trend magazine got their hands on the new Shelby GT500 in, they wanted to do something out of the ordinary so they assembled the new 2013 Ford Taurus Police Interceptor and 2012 Dodge Charger Police Pursuit, to create a short film of sorts.
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It is not the first time that it has been done, but it is always interesting to hear what kind of music artists can produce using sounds produced from an automobile. Detroit-area Techno artists Joshua Harrison, Keith Kemp and Tom Newman accepted Ford's challenge to each create their own bespoke track through the use of analog and digital sounds sourced directly from the new 2013 Ford Fusion sedan.
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Ladies and gentleman, time to take out your magnifying glasses and open a couple of windows to compare these fresh scoop pictures of the 2014 Aston Martin DBS to its current namesake. Note that according to some sources, Aston Martin may replace the DBS nameplate with a new one, though we have yet to hear this from channels.
To save you some research time, we can tell you that the 2013 model year DBS or whatever Aston Martin decides to call it, adopts some styling cues from the One-77 such as the more heavily arched front and rear panels, the door mirrors along with new front and rear lights, and grille and bumper designs.
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A reader of Swedish car magazine, Teknikens Värld, nabbed these spy photos of a beefed up S60 while undergoing tests in Scandinavia. Despite the fact that the car is registered as a T6 AWD with 304 horsepower, the team over at Teknikens Värld claims to have information that there is more than meets the eye to this prototype claiming that it is likely an R model being prepared in cooperation with Volvo's racing partner, Polestar.
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Some four years after its market debut, BMW is updating its flagship 7-Series limousine with a mid-life facelift for the 2013 model year. When we hear the word facelift, we usually think of styling tweaks, which holds true for the latest 7-Series, but not to the extent you would rave about it. On the other hand, there is much more than meets the eye to the updated model as it has undergone several changes under the skin.
On the outside, the most evident change concerns the new LED headlamps with corona rings, which are accompanied by the modified grille with nine slats instead of the previous 12, a revised front bumper, new indicators under the mirrors and a thin chrome strip connecting the two slim reflectors in the rear apron.
Moving on to the interior, the 2013 model year brings newly designed leather front seats, a new 1,200-watt Bang & Olufsen High End Surround Sound System and an optional Rear Seat Entertainment package with a new 9.2-inch monitor.
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Other than that, what you see in these pictures is what European buyers will get when the compact sedan model makes its first public outing at the Paris Motor Show this September before reaching dealerships at the end of the year. 
