Future cars in the making. Should they be an innocent drawing, a fine computer rendering or real driving concept, they always preview the cars of the future in some aspects.
Even though it is not slated to come to the U.S., nor are any Peugeots, we have kept a watchful eye on the new Peugeot 301 four-door hatchback. Behind the scenes and obviously out of our prying eyes’ range, Peugeot has been working on a different version of the 301, a sedan, or saloon for you U.K. folks.
Yup, this new 301 looks just like the 301 hatchback that we have seen frolicking around, but has the hatch hacked off and a trunk put in its place. This new 301, which is set to debut at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012, is positioned in the automaker’s developing market lineup – Turkey, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Middle East, Gulf and African States, and certain Latin America markets.
Even though its release is not scheduled for a few more months, Peugeot has decided to give us a sneak peak at this new model and a short press release to let us now about some of its key features.
Click past the jump to rear our full review on the upcoming Peugeot 301 Sedan.
In a recent interview, Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW’s North American sales subsidiary, offered a few more details regarding the company’s plans to expand its M line-up. He said that the American market is pressing BMW corporate headquarters in Munich to add an M variant to its new BMW 7-Series, even though BMW has said that the M7 will never happen. Now, this negative response to the production of the M7 may be changing, especially with Willisch’s counterpart in China also asking for the same thing. "I think we will get it," the BMW North America CEO said, but his lips were sealed tight after that, skipping out on offering any further details such as a launch date prediction.
Our hopes of seeing yet another M model gracing the BMW showfloor are high, but Willisch also reiterated that not all BMW models would get an M version. For example, he said that an M variant will never happen for models like the X1 or the X3. Instead, models like this will get a range of accessories through its new M Performance line. These options will improve the models’ general look, but won’t add significant performance upgrades.
Back in April 2012, Jaguar officially confirmed that the F-Type sports car wold be coming, except they only confirmed it in a coupe version and a roadster version. Now, recent spy shots have revealed that an R version is also under development. Come on, anyone knows that all Jaguars come with their own R version, so this little development shouldn’t have taken anybody off-guard.
The future Jaguar F-Type R will be powered by the usual supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine used in almost all the other R models, but detuned to around 450 HP, which is still pretty impressive for such a tiny sports car.
Compared to the standard F-Type, the R version will get a set of quad exhausts, more prominent front and rear bumpers, a new set of wheels, and a sportier interior.
It is believed that the R version will be launched at the same time as the standard version, so expect to see the new F-Type in all its glory later in September 2012.
Now all we need to complete the lineup is for the Jaguar F-Type RS to get picked.
The last time we saw or heard from IFR Automotive was back in 2008 when they introduced the Aspid sports car at the 2009 London Auto Show. If you recall, the Aspid was presented as a 700 kg/1543 lbs sports car that was designed like a futuristic Morgan and packed a walloping 400 horsepower, good enough to produce a 0-60 mph time of just 2.8 seconds.
That was four years ago.
This year, the Spanish automaker is returning with a new version of the Aspid sports car, one that has come with a new teaser and a rather intriguing tag of "Keep watching your mirrors, a new Aspid is coming."
Details are scarce at this point, but we do expect the car to look like a bigger version of the 2008 Aspid to go with a more powerful and technologically advanced engine than the 2-liter engine its predecessor came with.
More details are sure to follow when they become available.
The Cadillac Escalade has always been a love-it-or-hate-it type of vehicle, thanks to its awesome styling but terrible fuel economy. Sales have been falling off lately and incoming CAFÉ regulations are really putting the squeeze on GM to increase the overall fuel economy of its sole luxury automaker. This led to talks of the Escalade getting the axe in coming years, but apparently GM is not ready to throw in the towel yet.
Reports are pointing to an all-new Cadillac Escalade arriving in 2014 as an early-2015 model year. Instead of Caddy going the direction that many other SUV builders have gone, it will keep the Escalade on a truck frame, whereas many builders are changing SUVs to sit upon car platforms. This means that the 2015 Escalade will ride on the same platform as the soon-to-be released new Chevy Silverado and Sierra.
Unfortunately, we have nothing to really offer except speculation on the incoming Chevy and GMC trucks, as we have only seen heavily camouflaged models. All we can say for certain is that the Cadillac will share the same platform as its pickup brethren. Some experts are anticipating a change in the Silverado/Sierra twins that rivals the 1996 space shuttle treatment that the F-150 received. If this is the case, we can also expect a vastly redesigned Escalade.
We also know that GM has to work on the fuel economy of this luxury SUV to help it meet CAFÉ regulations in the future and the 18 highway mpg that the 2012 Escalade gets is simply not going to cut it. Look for GM to develop an engine that rivals the Ford’s EcoBoost V-6, like the 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine that has been mentioned, and toss it into the Escalade. The only other option would be to go turbo diesel, which may not sit well with Cadillac owners.
We will continue to bring you more information as it becomes available on the upcoming 2015 Escalade.
Collaborative efforts aren’t anything new in the car world. Companies have been borrowing bits and pieces from each other for years, but lately it seems as though full blown projects are being split between companies to develop almost identical vehicles. Take Subaru and Toyota, for example. They joined forces to develop the new GT 86/BRZ sports car that carry identical parts with different maker flares. Now Fiat and Mazda are jumping on board the team builder wagon to produce a new small roadster based on Mazda’s next-generation MX-5 rear-wheel-drive architecture.
The two companies will have to develop two differentiated, distinctly styled roadsters and each variant will be powered by specific proprietary engines unique to each brand. Both models will be built at Mazda’s Hiroshima, Japan, plant with production for Alfa Romeo envisaged starting in 2015.
"Establishing technology and product development alliances is one of Mazda’s corporate objectives and this announcement with Fiat is an important first step in that direction. It is especially exciting to be collaborating with such a prestigious marque as Alfa Romeo on a new roadster based on the next-generation MX-5, which is such an iconic vehicle for Mazda and recognized as the best-selling roadster of all time." said Takashi Yamanouchi, Mazda’s Representative Director and Chairman of the Board, President and CEO.
"This agreement clearly demonstrates our commitment to Alfa Romeo and the determination to grow it into a truly global brand. By partnering with Mazda, we will be co-operating with the recognized leader in compact rear-drive vehicle architectures in order to deliver an exciting and stylish roadster in the Alfa Romeo tradition. We are appreciative of this collaboration with Mazda and look forward to maintaining a fruitful and continuous relationship." said Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne.
Back in 2008, Mercedes was looking to expand its market to include the younger population and they decided that the best way to do that was to offer a C-Class Coupe alternative. That project led to the birth of the CLC whose success in the market was more lackluster than bedazzled. Now, Mercedes is at it again with a much more simple approach to meeting the needs of the younger generation. This simple - in the best sense of the word - vehicle is the C-Class Coupe, and Mercedes is even taking a stab at an AMG version. This is certainly a good thing because, well, the BMW M3 Coupe needs a real competitor, right?
The new C63 AMG Coupe will join the current AMG Coupe and will be put on sale this July in Europe, while on the US market sales will begin in September 2011. The first units will be sold as the "Edition 1" and will be offered with exclusive equipments.
UPDATE 05/24/2012: Mercedes’ "Thank You - 2 Million Times" video generated some positive feedback and many people have requested to see the uninterrupted drift footage. Questions were even asked as to if the C 63 AMG Coupe actually drifted the corkscrew or if it was creative editing. Mercedes is offering the answer to this question with a new video. Enjoy!
Not only does the Nissan DeltaWing prototype resemble something out of batman rather than a racer which will take up a grid position at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, but it may also suggest what the future of racing could look like. Unfortunately for many motoring enthusiasts, that does include the elongated, tapered front end and the aircraft inspired hind quarters.
However, the effectiveness of this design will not be proven until after the Le Mans endurance race and despite the car being largely experimental, the guys over at Top Gear recently teamed up with English car customizer, Andy Saunders, to produce a replica of the DeltaWing concept.
Andy Saunders is no rookie when it comes to producing the weird and wacky, and his very own DeltaWing will be testament to the belief that what’s worth doing, is worth overdoing. In order to create the one-off piece of art, Saunders will search the scrap heap for components which not only resemble certain elements of the original but can also be tweaked to get the look just right.
So far, Saunders has borrowed the wheels from a Ford Mondeo, the rear axle from a Ford Escort, and has combined components from the Fiat 126 and Morris 1000 bonnet to shape the rear deck of the car.
And that list will continue to grow as the rear pod sections will be created from old Mazda MX-5 bumpers, while the “DeltaWing kick-ups on the rear” will be formed around the air intakes of Australia’s last F1 champion, Alan Jones’ 1975 Formula One racer.
It’s currently unclear what engine, drivetrain, and transmission Saunders plans to utilize for the car, but you can be sure of two things: they’ll be recycled and when finished, the Top Gear DeltaWing will be significantly heavier, less powerful, and slower than the real racer.
Nonetheless, we respect Saunders’ ambition and wish him all the best!
Here we go, folks. The 2012 model year will be the last for the current Aston Martin DBS and a newly redesigned model is on its way. In the mean time, Aston Martin fans can enjoy the 2013 DBS Ultimate, which is little more than a slightly upgraded version of the Carbon Black model, but a limited edition nonetheless.
We all anticipate seeing the upcoming 2014 Aston Martin DBS in the 2012 Paris Auto Show, which kicks off the 29th of September. We are also anxiously awaiting some official photos from Aston Martin, which we expect to see some time in June. As we wait, the spyshot groups are out and about seeking some prey and fell upon a 2014 DBS specimen frolicking around the streets and snapped a few pics. Unfortunately, the DBS was wearing significantly more clothing than the models at the Beijing Auto Show and there wasn’t much to be seen.
Well, our crack rendering team has stripped the clothing from this beauty and gave us a good idea of what to expect, with the above picture. Rendering is not what we’re all about though, as we also are prepared to offer you a full review of this new beast using the information we have gathered and just a pinch of speculation.
Click past the jump to read the entire review on the 2014 Aston Martin DBS
There have been tons of rumors surrounding the engine choice for the next BMW M3, ranging from a new V6 engine to an inline-six engine with tri-turbo (our favorite rumor), but now, the President of BMW North America, Mr. Ludwig Willisch has finally confirmed that the next M3 will feature an inline 6 layout - the same layout that will be used for the M4.
Willisch also said that, at some point, BMW was indeed considering a V6 engine for the next M3, but in the end, this choice was dropped. What he didn’t specify was whether or not the new inline-6 engine will get bi-turbo or tri-turbo. Regardless of the technology, the future M3 will deliver at least 450 HP.
Ludwig Willisch also confirmed that the next M3 will be lighter, faster, more powerful, and more efficient than the current M3. It will be offered with an optional or standard manual transmission.
Don’t expect to see the new BMW M3 launched until late in 2013 or early 2014.
