Luxury cars are expensive and come in all shapes: sedan, coupe or convertible. They offer all the comfort, luxury and performance but you will have to pay premium price. German cars like BMW or Mercedes are the first brand that come to our mind but nowadays nearly all car makers offer nice and comfortable models that enter in the luxury car category.
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.
Aston Martin is intensely preparing their new DBS for its official launch and in the past few days, the future DBS was spotted running a very quick lap around the Nürburgring with its sticky Pirelli tires.
According to our spy photographers, the sports car was very fast! That speed comes from its previously used 6.0-liter V-12 engine delivering somewhere between 550-600 HP. Add that to the fact that it was built on a lighter chassis and extensive use of lightweight materials, and you have the recipe for a very successful - and fast - sports car!
As for the design of the DBS, Aston Martin clearly took inspiration from its One-77, visible on the front of the vehicle with its reshaped headlights. The rest of the design seems to be a direct evolution of the current DBS with sportier touches here and there. The rear of the vehicle was more refined with adjustments made to the rear bumper and exhaust.
Expect to see the new Aston Martin DBS launched at the 2012 Paris Auto Show this September.
Our spy photographers have been on fire these past few days, revealing a number of test vehicles as they make their rounds. Today, the car du jour is the upcoming Mercedes CLA - a model that until recently was known as the CLC. The name change occurred because Mercedes decided that all of its future coupe or four-door coupe models would get a name that starts with CL. Since this baby CLS is based on the A-Class platform, the name naturally evolved to the CLA.
But back to the car. The CLA is based on a long-wheelbase version of the upcoming front-drive B-class platform. It will also get an AMG model that is considered an indirect successor to the classic 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II. As you can see in these images, when compared to the previous prototypes caught testing, this CLA is donning less camouflage, revealing more details such as the front, the rear lights, and more of its overall lines.
The future Mercedes CLA will be offered with a four-wheel drive system that will be paired up with the same petrol and diesel engines found in the new A-Class. In the A-Class, the petrol line-up includes 1.6 and 2.0 liters engines, with power ranging from 115 HP in the A 180, 156 HP in the A 200, and 211 HP in the A 250. Diesel versions include the 109 HP A 180 CDI, the 136 HP A 200 CDI, and the 170 HP A 220 CDI. For the CLA, Mercedes will also be offering an AMG version that will get a turbocharged 2.0-liter unit with about 335 HP.
Expect to see the new Mercedes CLA launched sometime in 2013.
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
Cadillac’s recently unveiled XTS Platinum Concept has been made over into a production model revealed at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Cadillac XTS sedan will hit dealer showrooms in 2012 in late spring or early summer as a competitor for models like the Audi A6, the BMW 5-Series, and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
The new XTS will be placed above the CTS in the current Cadillac line-up and will deliver "the space, elegance, and dramatic presence that are Cadillac signatures, but with entirely new and technically advanced methods tuned for a new generation of luxury customers."
"The Cadillac XTS represents a new formula for luxury, driven by advanced technology," said Don Butler, vice president of Cadillac Marketing. "XTS showcases the evolution of our Art & Science philosophy, merging the best technical ideas with the continued refinement of Cadillac design."
UPDATE 05/22/2012: We have just added 50 new high res images in the XTS picture gallery, including images of the Platinum Collection. Enjoy!
When it comes to building wide-body tuning kits, you won’t find a tuner that does a better job than Prior Design. Heck, it was only a few months ago when they released a wide-body kit for the Mercedes CL-Class luxury coupe. Apparently, it didn’t take them too long to build off of that with what they call "version 2" of the Black Edition program.
Similar to what we saw previously, Prior Design really went balls-to-the-wall on the Black Edition V2, dressing up the CL-Class with a package that’s far sportier and more aggressive than its predecessor.
For this program, Prior Design fitted the Mercedes with a slew of new bodykit components, all of which are made from Dura-Flex Fiber Reinforced Plastic. The kit includes a new front bumper, a front lip spoiler, larger side skirts, a rear bumper and diffuser, a new front hood, and mesh grilles.
For the entire package, Prior Design has stickered a price of €12,900, which is around $16,500 based on current exchange rates. Given the money customers are likely to invest or have invested on a CL-Class, this kind of purchase shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Misha Design has become synonymous with building some of the most aggressive body kits for German cars. After their ventures with the Porsche 911 and the BMW M3 netted positive results, the tuning firm has now taken another German vehicle under its wing.
This time, it’s the Mercedes CLS-Class four-door coupe. The luxury sports coupe’s aesthetic credentials are already a sight to behold on their own. But when Misha Design decided that a new wide body kit was in order, nobody really voiced their displeasure against it.
The new kit includes a plethora of new components, including a new front bumper, redesigned with bigger intakes, a gloss black chin spoiler, a retouched grille and bumper, new side skirts, new fenders, a rear diffuser, a roof spoiler, and a trunk spoiler.
Should you wish to add a splash of carbon fiber on the accessories, you can do so and Misha Design will be more than happy to oblige.
No powertrain modifications are in order. Nevertheless, expect the car to still a pack a wallop, thanks in large part to its 4.6-liter direct-injection twin-turbo V8 engine that produces an impressive output of 402 horsepower and 443 lb/ft of torque and a fuel economy of 17 city / 26 hwy.
About two weeks ago, Auditrademarked a series of new names, providing a glimpse of their future lineup. One of the names trademarked was the Q8, which logically speaking, will be a new SUV placed above the current Q7. Now, British magazine CAR is offering up the first details on the upcoming SUV.
The future Q8 will be built on the company’s new MLB platform and will benefit from all the technologies that will help the future Q7 be lighter than the current model. This means, the future Q8 will consist of 60% steel and 40% lightweight materials like aluminum.
As for the engine, the upcoming Q8 will see the same engines found in the Q7, except for the car’s new four-cylinder base engine. This means that the Audi Q8 will use two petrol V6 engines with 230 and 300 HP, a V6 TDI engine with 250 HP, and a 4.2 V8 engine with 400 HP. An S version will get a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 with an impressive output of 550 HP. Audi will also be offering a hybrid version that will combine a V6 TDI engine with a pair of electric motors.
Expect to see the new Audi Q8 launched sometime in 2015.
A few days ago, Auditrademarked an impressive amount of names that we hope will join the lineup sooner rather than later. One of the most anticipated names from that list is the S9, which has brought out a new hope that the previously rumored Audi A9 will be launched sometime in the upcoming years. And, of course, whenever there is hope for a production version of a model, we automatically create a rendering that embodies our vision for it.
The Audi A9 has been churning up the rumor mill for a long time, but Audi hasn’t really confirmed or denied anything about it, leaving the general public with an empty feeling in regards to the vehicle. The S9 should evoke better feelings, as long as Audi doesn’t drag its feet through the mud with its details. As for the A9, rumors have lead us to believe that it will be a large sedan to be placed above the current Audi A8, and ready to take on models like the Porsche Panamera Turbo. In its base version. it will get a 3.0 TFSI engine with around 300 HP, while the top version will get a V8 with 500 HP.
The Audi A9 will go on sale around 2015 with a price tag of about $150K.
Our spy photographers have been pretty busy today. First, we got a set of images for the Porsche 911 Turbo, then came the spy shots for the Landrover Range Rover, and now their third round of spy shots reveal the next Acura MDX.
The MDX was caught testing on public roads somewhere in Germany, close to the Nürburgring. This prototype is heavily camouflaged, even though we don’t expect to see big changes in the design of the future MDX. It will, however, borrow some of the design elements seen on the RLX concept.
Under the hood, we will see the same engine line-up as in the RLX, meaning there will be two different engines. The standard model will get a V6 engine with about 300 HP. It will be joined by a new hybrid model featuring the Acura Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system that will also find its way to the next NSX supercar.
Expect to see the new Acura MDX launched in late 2013 as a 2014 model.
