2012 Porsche 911 Spied Again, This Time With Details and Colors That Aren’t Flat

July 25, 2011 at 4:26pm by Stuart Fowle

We’ve spied 911s as high up the range as the Turbo and we’ve even ridden in a mule with the engineers. But when can you finally see the darn thing without all the black cladding? You can see the darn thing right now.

Okay, so the view of the yellow car is still vaguely distorted by the car version of one of those plastic masks basketball players wear to protect broken noses, but it is at least clear, and between it and the optical illusion at the front of the blue 991 seen here, you should have a solid idea of how the car’s details look: familiar. Aside from a set of grille openings that now look more akin to those of the Boxster and Cayman and a hood-and-headlight combo that’s a little more serious, there’s not much about the car’s face that’ll upset the traditionalists.

The same goes for the side profile, despite the fact that the new car sits on a wheelbase that’s 4.0 inches longer. The designers, it seems, have paid special attention to preserving the iconic proportions of the 911. Only one new wheel design is represented among the two cars, but at least it’s a good one. You’ll also notice rear windows with or without the wiper option.

It’s out back where all the controversy will be stirred. The changes might seem mild by typical standards, but as far as 911s go, they are fairly revolutionary. Actually, in the way the decklid now cuts off flush with the top of the taillights, it’s more retro than anything, a reference perhaps back to every model before the 996. Alongside other contemporary designs, however, it’s hard to look past the cut lines having a more hunchbacked Aston Martin look. And those taillights are the sleekest things Porsche has ever made this side of the 918 Spyder concept, from which they do seem to draw inspiration. We like the updates, but know they’ll take some time to find love in some circles. Plus, we still haven’t seen an uncovered interior. Hopefully soon, our spies will infiltrate even deeper. Or perhaps Porsche could just show the thing officially, already.

Tags: Porsche, Porsche 911, spy photos |

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Five-Door Audi A1 Sportback Spied, More A1s Planned

August 11, 2011 at 11:26am by Jens Meiners

Audi’s latest venture downmarket has not been a smashing success so far. The Volkswagen Polo–based A1 packs all the ingredients of a well-equipped, fun-to-drive subcompact, but its sales figures have been disappointingly low. Perhaps this will change with some of the upcoming variations: Before the end of the year, Audi will launch a five-door A1, which, according to a well-placed company source, will be called the A1 Sportback. Also this fall, there will be a powerful Quattro all-wheel-drive version of the three-door A1 with around 200 hp.

The A1 Sportback, captured here by our spy photographers, will likely be powered by the same engines currently offered in the three-door base model: three gasoline engines with 86, 122 and 185 hp; and a trio of diesels with 90, 105 and 143 hp.

The Audi A1 Sportback will be officially unveiled this fall after the Frankfurt auto show. Will it be offered in the U.S.? Unlikely. The next-generation A3 is almost ready to be launched and Audi USA will focus on this model family here. But in Europe, the Sportback version should enhance the appeal of the A1 model line.

Tags: Audi, Audi A1, Audi A1 Sportback, spy photos |

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2013 Toyota Prius C Hybrid Spied: Aww, Look, It’s a Baby Prius!

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2012 Toyota Prius C Spy Photos - Future CarsNifty-looking concept gives way to drab-looking price-buster. BY STEVE SILER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRENDA PRIDDY & CO. AND THE MANUFACTURER
June 2011

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We’ve known for some time that Toyota’s Prius family would expand to include a smaller, lower-priced model, and this year’s Detroit auto show provided a vague idea of what it might look like in the form of the cool Prius C concept.

Based on these spy photos, it seems that the budget Prius is going to look less like the low-slung concept hatch and more like, well, a budget Prius. Gone are the high-set headlamps and razor-sharp front-end sculpting, replaced by conventional polygonal headlamps, a bland trapezoidal scheme for the air intakes, and the Prius’s trademark hood lump. The rear end is somewhat more interesting, chopping the Prius shape off behind the C-pillar to allow an overall length some 18 inches shorter than the standard model’s. Like the Prius C concept, the car sits rather squat between the flared rear fenders, although it is hard to tell if the rear window dips below the wiper and down toward the license plate, which would mimic the concept. In any case, most of the zest of the show car appears to be gone.

We expect that the Prius C will share at least a few—if not most—of its chassis components with the next-generation Yaris. That car’s 1.5-liter four could take over the internal-combustion role in its hybrid powertrain in place of the 1.8-liter currently installed in the Prius. As the price leader (and based on this prototype’s stark interior), we don’t expect many frills to accompany this fuel miser. We also don’t expect much in the way of fun behind the wheel, but we’d love to be proven wrong. Watch for the production Prius C to appear in showrooms within a year, likely priced about $5000 less than the Prius’s $24,280 base sticker. Such pricing would line it directly up with Honda’s equally boring Insight, which starts at $18,950.

   


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Lightweight 2012 BMW M3 GTS Sedan Spied at the ’Ring

May 25, 2011 at 6:08pm by Erik Johnson

The lightweight M3 four-door moves closer to production.

BMW added the orangalicious, bewinged, and stripped-out GTS to the M3 coupe lineup last summer; the next model in the special-edition pecking order, apparently, is the M3 sedan.

Keep Reading: 2012 BMW M3 Evo / GTS Sedan Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: BMW, BMW M, BMW M3, BMW M3 GTS, German, sedan, sports car, spy photos |

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2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-class Spied

May 25, 2011 at 5:52pm by Steve Siler

Mercedes-Benz’s three-row box is headed for a refresh in 2012.

The arrival of the second-generation Mercedes-Benz GL-class brute is drawing closer, and today our spies got their best look yet at the next three-row ute at, of all places, the Nürburgring.

Keep Reading: 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-class / GL450 / GL550 Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: crossover, German, luxury, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz AMG, Mercedes-Benz GL-class, Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG, spy photos, SUV |

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Aston Martin V12 Zagato Spied in Race Trim

May 26, 2011 at 5:31pm by Jon Yanca

Just a handful of days have past since Aston Martin confirmed it’s building the V12 Zagato race car to compete in this June’s 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. The images of the relatively tame red car, though, pale in comparison to these shots of the fully prepped version. The car, which will lap the Nordschleife for four hours this weekend as a warm-up to the longer summer event, was caught by our spy photographers while unloading at the famed German track.

Changes from the “preview” car are a bit obvious, beginning with the bright, emerald-green paint job that’s believed to be the primary color of the final livery. In the rear, the V12 Zagato now sports a colossal spoiler and an equally serious-looking diffuser, each necessary to keep its curvaceous sheetmetal planted to the pavement at speed. Both ends of the car are now fitted with the required towing fixtures, and the passenger-side C-pillar has a quick-fill fuel valve. Lastly, the massive wheels have been replaced by a set of smaller, race-worthy rollers wearing what look to be the car’s full-tread rain rubber. The front carbon-fiber splitter is absent, presumably to preserve it from the hazards of transport.

If it sticks with the current Aston livery pattern, expect to see lipstick surrounding this racer’s pouty grille when it makes its grand debut. Until then, check out the rest of the details on this 510-hp beast here.

Tags: Aston Martin, Nürburgring, race car, Zagato |

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2013 Bentley Continental GTC Spied on the ‘Ring

May 18, 2011 at 5:49pm by Jon Yanca

With the subtly evolved second-generation Continental GT coupe now making its way into the garages of newly-signed rappers, inebriated movie stars, and the rest of the moneyed populace, it’s time for Bentley to pop out the first variant on the new model. Spied here stretching its legs on the Nürburgring is the ragtop version of the GT coupe, the Continental GTC.

Expected to be revealed at the end of this year or the beginning of 2012, the convertible will take on most of the styling tweaks that appear on the 2012 GT coupe, including the same updated interior, centered around the new eight-inch touch-screen display. Additionally, while the droptop ultimately will weigh more than its fixed-roof sibling, we expect it will also shed some pounds in this generation; the coupe lost some 140 pounds in its 2012 make over. Still, at more than two and a half tons, the next GTC won’t exactly be svelte.

Under the bonnet, you’ll find the same 6.0-liter W-12 paired again with all-wheel-drive. The 12-cylinder mill produces an extra 15 hp and 37 lb-ft of torque in its latest iteration, totaling 567 hp and 516 lb-ft. But the big news is the expected arrival of a turbocharged, 4.0-liter V-8 installed in a new entry-level GTC with a base price of around $200K. The V-8 will be shared with the next Audi S8, and churn out about 475 hp

Later spin-offs of this spin-off undoubtedly will include a juiced-up GTC Speed and pavement-gobbling Supersports, but we’ll have to wait a few years for those to arrive.

Tags: Bentley, Bentley Continental GTC, British, convertible, spy photos |

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Mazda CX-5 Mule Spied in SoCal

April 27, 2011 at 3:55pm by Steve Siler

Thanks to an observant reader in San Juan Capistrano, California, we have our first spy shot of Mazda’s next crossover, the CX-5. The mule seen here appears to be wearing a sectioned rear door and other parts from the much larger CX-7, an example of which Mazda conveniently parked nearby to aid our comparison. The CX-5 is expected to take on a cleaner and more elegant look than the CX-7, and will finally replace the Ford Escape–based Tribute that has been serving as Mazda’s compact SUV since the Paleolithic Era.

If you want a better idea of what the CX-5 might actually look like, take a gander at the slick Minagi concept that Mazda first showed in Geneva and confirmed for production last week at the New York auto show. Of course, some of the show-car indulgence might not make it to production, but it’s pretty safe to say that, unlike the lovely mule roaming free in SoCal, the CX-5 will don high-set headlamps, finessed body surfaces, and a thick, kinked D-pillar.

Alternatively, we can look at the Escape’s replacement, previewed in Detroit this year as the Ford Vertrek concept, which also happens to have high-set headlamps, finessed body surfaces, and a thick, kinked D-pillar. It’s quite possible that the Mazda and Ford cute utes will continue to share a basic platform. Mazda, however, has made a big deal about controlling weight with its future vehicles, and the CX-5 will use Mazda’s new SKYACTIV family of engines and possibly a diesel. We expect the finished product to arrive for the 2013 model year.

Tags: Mazda, Mazda CX-5, Mazda Minagi concept, spy photos |

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Mazda CX-5 Mule Spied in SoCal

April 27, 2011 at 3:55pm by Steve Siler

Thanks to an observant reader in San Juan Capistrano, California, we have our first spy shot of Mazda’s next crossover, the CX-5. The mule seen here appears to be wearing a sectioned rear door and other parts from the much larger CX-7, an example of which Mazda conveniently parked nearby to aid our comparison. The CX-5 is expected to take on a cleaner and more elegant look than the CX-7, and will finally replace the Ford Escape–based Tribute that has been serving as Mazda’s compact SUV since the Paleolithic Era.

If you want a better idea of what the CX-5 might actually look like, take a gander at the slick Minagi concept that Mazda first showed in Geneva and confirmed for production last week at the New York auto show. Of course, some of the show-car indulgence might not make it to production, but it’s pretty safe to say that, unlike the lovely mule roaming free in SoCal, the CX-5 will don high-set headlamps, finessed body surfaces, and a thick, kinked D-pillar.

Alternatively, we can look at the Escape’s replacement, previewed in Detroit this year as the Ford Vertrek concept, which also happens to have high-set headlamps, finessed body surfaces, and a thick, kinked D-pillar. It’s quite possible that the Mazda and Ford cute utes will continue to share a basic platform. Mazda, however, has made a big deal about controlling weight with its future vehicles, and the CX-5 will use Mazda’s new SKYACTIV family of engines and possibly a diesel. We expect the finished product to arrive for the 2013 model year.

Tags: Mazda, Mazda CX-5, Mazda Minagi concept, spy photos |

View the original article here