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.
Pagani is already selling the Huayra supercar, which is enjoying great success, but the company decided to take a look back in the past and developed the Zonda Revolucion, or, as Pagani describes it "the apex of the celebration of performance, technology and art applied to a track car."
When compared to a standard Zonda, the new version features an improved aerodynamic package, a new rear wing with a Drag Reduction System and, of course, some extra power under the hood. All these changes make it ready to take on any circuit in the world.
The new Zonda Revolucion was unveiled at the 2013 Vanishing Point - the international Pagani gathering - and will be priced at €2.2 million plus taxes (about $2.8 million). It will be limited to only five units, four of which were sold during the private presentation.
Click past the jump to read more about the Pagani Zonda Revolucion.
We already knew that Maserati is preparing to replace the current GranTurismo and GranCabrio with a new generation of models. Along with these next-gen models there will also be a smaller GranSport version.
Now, in an interview with Motor Trend, Maserati CEO Harald Wester revealed more details on what the three new models will bring new on the market.
He started by saying that the current GranCabrio is too big and that the next model will shrink, slightly. In fact it looks like the next generation will be about the same size as the future Gran Sport, making it a competitor for the recently launched Jaguar F-Type and other like it.
He also pointed out that while the design for the new cars is still not finished, the next three models will be more "sporting and lighter than anything Maserati makes now.” A source told Motor Trend that the next-gen cars will be about 177 inches, which is a good bit shorter than the 192.2-inch-long GranCabrio and GranTurismo.
To achieve this downsizing, the new models will move to a considerably shortened version of the new Quattroporte and Ghibli platform. Powering these smaller sports cars will be a 404-horsepower, twin-turbo V-6 engine.
The new lineup is still more than three years away, so there is time for Maserati to change its mind.
Click past the jump to read more about the future Maserati GranCabrio.
A few days ago, a rumor popped up that Caterham would continue to celebrate its 40th anniversary with the unveiling of a new and more affordable entry-level Seven. Today, the company released the first teaser image for the new model that is set to arrive in the autumn of this year. First deliveries should come before the end of 2013.
According to Caterham Cars CEO, Graham Macdonald, the new entry-level Seven will be "uncomplicated, easy to run and, most important of all, an intuitive and exciting drive." It will pay homage to the brand’s engineering DNA of "adding lightness" and will be powered by a super-compact, flexible and EU6-compliant engine. Additionally, the new model will also be the most fuel-efficient Seven ever built.
Caterham promised to keep the car’s price in the £17k range ($25k at the current exchange rates), so we are pretty sure the new model will quickly enjoy tons of success.
Click past the jump to read more about the current Caterham Seven.
After much teasing and prodding, Lexus finally unveiled the third-generation IS sedan earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show.
Well, it looks like the Japanese automaker isn’t done with its IS lineup just yet.
According to What Car, Lexus is expected to launch a coupe version of the IS in 2014, which will be based on the IS sedan.
As far as styling goes, the IS Coupe will take inspiration from the 2012 LF-CC Concept that we first saw at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Should that be the case, you can expect the IS Coupe to carry some of the concept’s design elements, including the large trapezoidal front grille, the contoured and aggressive looking profile, and the expansive use of LED lights.
As far as powertrain is concerned, the thinking within Lexus is to outfit the IS Coupe with the same 2.5-liter hybrid engine, which would only be available in Europe, Japan and other markets, if the coupe model stays consistent with the sedan. In this case, U.S.-bound IS Coupe models would likely arrive with the same 2.5 and 3.5-liter engines as the American sedan, which produce 204 horsepower and 306 horsepower, respectively.
Updated 05/30/2013: Today we have prepared a pretty cool rendering for the upcoming Lexus IS Coupe. We have started with a IS sedan and added a revised roofline and proportions inspired by the LF-CC Concept.
Click past the jump read about the Lexus LF-CC Concept and the upcoming IS Coupe
Remember when Porsche released the Cayenne? Remember all the people in their Porsche owners club shirts sitting around and telling you about how this new SUV was a disgrace to the Porsche logo and that all the company should design and produce are 911 variants?
While they might have had a point, the Cayenne sold like bottled water and like this water in plastic, it’s completely pointless. People don’t need this much power from something that will be used to haul around families. Yet, it became the automaker’s best-selling model, despite its looks.
Now, to put owner’s club folks in the mental home, Porsche has created a smaller SUV that it has dubbed the Macan, which was originally named “Cajun.” This puppy is intended for people who find the Cayenne to be a bit too large and fancy something a bit more crossover like.
Porsche officially confirmed the small SUV in a statement detailing its hopes for the vehicle: "Under the working name "Cajun," this efficient and sporty model will further expand the world’s most successful Porsche segment in the SUV sector. In addition to the new Cayenne, which has clearly consolidated its market position as the most successful sporty SUV in the premium segment, the "Cajun" will also have a very positive impact with its typical Porsche features such as light weight, ease of handling and agility. As an attractive entry model in the Porsche world, the "Cajun" will attract new and even younger customers to the premium brand along with the Boxster, the market leader in the segment of two-seater, mid-size sports cars."
Update 5/30/2013: Reports have revealed the unveil date and the rough release date of the 2015 Macan. See more after the jump.
Earlier this month, Caterham unveiled the Seven Limited Edition Pack - a model specially developed to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Now, it looks like the company will continue its celebration with the unveiling of a new entry-level version of the Seven.
According to the first details we have on the car, it will take the firm back to its roots and will pay homage to the brand’s DNA. Talking about the new model, Caterham Cars CEO Graham Macdonald said: "Colin Chapman designed the original Seven to be entirely ‘fit-for-purpose’ – a racing car for the road with the driving experience at its heart. With that in mind, the new entry-level Seven will be uncomplicated, easy to run and, most important of all, an intuitive and exciting drive."
The new entry-level Seven will be unveiled in the autumn of 2013 and will be priced at about £17,000 - or around $25,000 at the current exchange rates.
Click past the jump to read more about the current Caterham Seven.
Mercedes is preparing to replace the current SLS supercar with a new SLC sports car that will also aim against models like Porsche 911. The current SLS will go out of production in 2015 and the SLC will enter the market in 2016 and it will offer a few major differences over the current SLS.
First it will offer no gullwing doors and will be lighter and slimmer with the use of plenty of carbon fiber and aluminum. Mercedes will offer a base version delivering about 485 horsepower and priced at about €109,000 (about $140k at the current exchange rates). Next there will be a S version delivering about 550 horsepower and priced at €145,000 ($186,000 at the current exchange rates). The most powerful version will be the Black Series which will deliver a total of 485 horsepower.
The next SLC will only be offered in coupe version with no plans for a roadster or a four-wheel drive version.
Click past the jump to read more about the current Mercedes SLS.
Things are going very well at the Tesla headquarters now that the company did an early repayment for its loan from the U.S. Energy Department. In fact they are going so well that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is already considering a new model for the next three or four years.
The model will be offered as an entry-level version for Tesla’s lineup and according to the first details it will be "less expensive than the Model S and nicer than Nissan’s electric-powered Leaf."
Musk said that the world "really needs is a great, affordable electric car. I’m not going to let anything go, no matter what people offer, until I complete that mission."
As the current Models S is too expensive for most people, new model will be priced below $40k and will deliver a range of about 200 miles.
Note: Current Tesla Model S pictured here.
Click past the jump to read more about the current Tesla Model S.
If it wasn’t made evidently clear by a previous video teaser, Aston Martin has a mysterious car that it’s been teasing.
What isn’t clear is what car it actually is, although if you look at the second teaser, you get some glimpses of that seem to suggest that what the British automaker is keeping under the covers looks like a variant of the V12 Vantage. The air scoops you see ever so fleetingly in the trailer is a pretty indicative tell.
The teaser vid also makes good use of carbon fiber elements, which could suggest that this isn’t some kind of a road car but a possible race car with some serious attitude attached to it. It also helps strengthening that hypothesis that the driver is wearing a full racing suit.
We’re extremely intrigued to see what Aston Martin has in store for us with this new model. But even with the lack of details, we’ll venture a guess that this new car won’t be as insane as the CC100 Speedster Concept we saw Aston Martin unveil a few weeks ago.
Click past the jump to watch the first teaser video of this mysterious Aston Martin model
When Ferrari launches a new-generation sports car on the market, everyone is well aware that they should expect at least three versions: a coupe, a spyder, and a Scuderia. We’ve already had our fill of the Ferrari 458 Italia Coupe and Spyder, but this new rendering of a Scuderia model got us thinking. What should we expect from Ferrari’s most fiery version of this aging model?
If this rendering from Milanno ArtWorks is any indication as to the design of the Scuderia, then we can expect a much more aggressive design illustrated by the sharp edges of the bumper followed by the sharp edge design of the front lights. Since the Scuderia name is synonymous with weight reduction, expect a weight loss similar to that of the 430 Scuderia, which lost about 220 pounds compared to the standard model. This will be done with a mostly aluminum body, since Ferrari has already made it clear that it would stick to this material rather than using carbon fiber, like the competition.
Power for the newest Scuderia monster may come from a turbocharged V-8 that will push out anywhere from 590 to 700 horsepower. At one point, Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo said that a 458 Scuderia would not be produced because the 458 Italia was just so advanced, so if rumors are circulating that a Scuderia will follow, then we expect to see a power output that will blow our minds. The only problem is, we won’t see it until at least the end of 2013.
Update 5/21/2013: According to Car and Driver, the long-awaited 458 Scuderia could finally show its face in Frankfurt, rounding out the 458 family. Sources also told Car and Driver that the 458 Scuderia could be inspired by the 458 Challenge race cars, which run around the track with smaller waist lines than the standard 458 Italia.
As far as power goes, the direct-injected V-8 that will power the 458 Scuderia is expected to reach an output of about 600 horsepower, significantly more than the 562-horsepower output of the standard model. Tweaks to the engine, including recalibrated ECUs could be partly responsible for the performance spike. (Car and Driver)
Click past the jump to read about the Ferrari 458 Italia
