Starting in the 2013 model year, BMW will stop offering a 3-Series Coupe and Convertible. Instead the new models will wear the 4-Series moniker, while the 3-Series name will only be kept for the sedan and station wagon. BMW is currently under intense testing of the future 4-Series Convertible and in the past few months, we have brought out plenty of spy shots. And the spy shots keep coming. This series of spy shots capture the future 4-Series Convertible with its top down so we can have a better look at the interior.
The 4-Series Convertible will be placed under the 6-Series Convertible in terms of price, but it will combine design elements from the 5-Series and 6-Series, as well as carry the now famous BMW wide kidney grille. Under the hood, the new model will feature the latest four and six-cylinder petrol and diesel units found in the BMW lineup, including the new 245 HP 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine.
Expect to see the new BMW 4-Series Convertible launched in 2013.
Previous spy shots of the Porsche Macan were a little deceiving because the luxury SUV was well-hidden under the Audi Q5 body, but now we’re getting the real deal! Our spy photographers were able to catch the future baby SUV testing for the first time wearing its full body. Porsche tried to hide it under the usual array of camouflage, but it is clear that the future Macan will share design elements with its bigger brother, the Cayenne.
The Porsche Macan is based on the Audi Q5 platform, but it will come with an improved chassis, better brakes, and other wheels. Under the hood, Porsche will also be using engines borrowed from Audi in both petrol and diesel variants, but tuned to deliver better performance. A hybrid version is also expected and will combine a 210 HP 2.0 TFSI with a 44 HP electric motor. This system will help the Macan deliver a Co2 emissions of only 130 g/km - a target that needs to be hit by all manufacturers by 2015 according to the new European regulations.
Porsche has already confirmed that the new Macan will be produced in Leipzig starting 2013. The model will initially be offered in a four-door configuration, but a sportier looking two door version is also expected.
The future Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake has stripped down to its skivvie, laying out all it has to offer with no camouflage in sight. For the first time, we can easily see the lines of the rear lights and the hatch opening. And judging by the fact that the car is almost completely bared, we expect to see it launched in the very near future.
The CLS Shooting Brake name is in fact an elegant way of calling this vehicle a station wagon version of the luxury CLS. This means that, except for the rear, the CLS Shooting Brake will feature the same design elements as the four-door coupe model and the same technology and engine lineup.
Expect to see a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 engine under the hood, capable of producing 306 HP and 273 pound-feet of torque, as well as a 4.6-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine with 429 HP and 516 lb-ft of torque.
Audi currently offers a Q3, a Q5, and a Q7 SUV in their line-up, with a Q6 in the pipeline to serve as a competitor for the BMW X6. Now new rumors suggest that the company is already working on a new baby SUV that will be sportier than the five-door Q3.
The future Audi Q2 will be built on the MQB Group architecture and will be closer in design to the A1. Rumors say that the new Q2 will introduce advanced LED headlight technology never before seen in small cars and that Audi will offer customers the chance to personalize the Q2 in any way they see fit.
The Q2 will be a two-door SUV featuring a front-wheel drive system as standard, but quattro four-wheel drive will be offered for the most powerful versions. Under the hood, we will see the same engines as in the A1 including a 1.4-liter direct-injection four-cylinder turbo and an efficient 1.6-liter diesel engine.
A concept version of the Audi Q2 should debut in about a year’s time, with a production version set to arrive in 2014.
It is no longer a secret that Opel has been working on a new model to be placed under the current Corsa. At this point, the new vehicle is being called the "Opel Junior," but it is believed that the future model will be called Allegra and that it will debut in 2013 as a competitor for models like the Volkswagen Up and the Fiat 500.
Be it Opel Junior or Allegra, the new model has been caught testing for the first time outside a test facility while driving on public roads. The model will be about 3.7 meters long and will only be offered in a three-door variant.
As far as power is concerned, Opel has yet to officially announce the engine lineup for the Junior/Allegra. However, it is believed that it will be powered by a new family of engines, which we may also be seeing in the next generation Opel Corsa. Considering the fact that Opel is already preparing an electric powertrain for the Rak, expect to see an electric version of the Junior as well.
UPDATE 03/23/2012: Opel will unveil its new Junior model in September at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. The car will use a small engine family of three- and four-cylinder units co-developed with Opel’s China partner, SAIC. The engines will have displacements from 1.0 liters to 1.4 liters and will all feature direct injection and turbocharging capability. The new engines - next to a 1.6-liter diesel and a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline unit - "will have replaced a substantial amount of our current engines by the end of the decade," said Jeff Lux, Opel’s head of powertrain engineering in an interview with Automotive News.
UPDATE 05/07/2012: Opel has officially confirmed that their new model will be called Adam and that it will make its official debut in autumn at the Paris Auto Show.
Mini has a knack for developing vehicles that are as appealing to the market as donuts are to our boys in blue. This is evident in the fact that all of their models have been well-received by all, production as well as concept versions. Now, the company is adding another ace in the hole with a production version of the Paceman Concept unveiled at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. The model will be sold as a coupe version of the Countryman and has just been caught testing for the first time. The new Countryman Coupe will be making its world debut at the 2012 Paris Auto Show and will be sold on the US market as a 2014 model.
The Countryman Coupe will feature the same technologies and engines as the standard Countryman, which means it will get a 122 HP 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine for the standard model and a turbocharged variant with 184 HP for the S version. Customers will be able to choose between both a six-speed manual or an automatic transmission. We just hope that Mini will also bring out a JCW Countryman Coupe.
Inspired most likely by the huge success the Opel Insignia sedan is enjoying on the market, Opel is preparing a sedan version for the most successful model in their line-up: Astra. An official debut will be made later this year at the Paris Auto Show, but until then we have a series of new spy shots for you.
As usual the car comes only with the rear camouflaged, because this will be the only difference between the hatchback and the sedan. But even if Opel is trying to keep it a secret anyone knows that the new Astra sedan rear will be similar to the one found in the Insignia.
The engine line-up for the Astra sedan will be carried over from the hatchback, meaning a choice of eight different engines mated to a six speed transmission and with power ranging from a standard 95 Hp to 180 HP for the top versions.
Lets face it: Mitsubishi Colt has never been a very successful model, especially on markets like Europe. And due to the lack of sales the company has been forced to shut down its plant in Europe and as a result lots of Mitsubishi models will be imported from other global factories.
The first affected model will be the supermini Colt which will be replaced by the new Mitsubishi Mirage that was shown for the Asian market last year. Our spy photographers have caught a lightly camouflaged Mirage during testing in Europe and it seems that the European version will get some slightly changed details and probably a different set-up then its Asians cousins.
Despite being a very small model, Mitsubishi has promised that the new Mirage will offer interior space for five adults. Let’s hope they have tested that with five Europeans.
Under the hood there will be a range of petrol engines starting with a three-cylinder 1.0 liter engine with start/stop. An official debut is expected for 2013.
The new take on the classic Porsche 911 may be a window into the future if these new spy images have anything to say about it. This is the future Porsche Panamera that in due time - 2013, to be exact - will strut into the market with a minor facelift.
Our spy photographers were able to capture the future Panamera as it tries to hide the new headlights, bumpers, and rearlights it is now sporting. The front end looks to have taken a page from the new 911’s book, but the rear end is still holding on to the old design...for now. We expect that prototypes displaying the full changes for the facelift will arrive shortly.
As for the engine lineup, we anticipate the current line to carry over, maybe with some performance enhancements for good measure. This will mean a 3.6-liter V6 engine that may be slightly more powerful than the 300hp at 6,200rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque at 3,750rpm it currently delivers. Direct fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication, and “VarioCam Plus” will also carry over, as will the 7-speed PDK transmission.
UPDATE 01/20/2012: The facelift version of the Porsche Panamera has been caught testing one more time, now during winter conditions. The new images revealed slightly changed front lights and a new designed front bumper, the rear lights with a new graphics and a changed rear bumper.
UPDATE 05/01/2012: While we are all awaiting the release of the facelifted Panamera, a lucky YouTube member was able to take a video of the future model while it took a pitstop at a fuel station in Stuttgart, Germany. Check out the video after the jump! Pay careful attention to the 00:03, 00:08, and 00:13 marks as there is where you will be able to rear the sound of the engine!
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A few days ago, Mercedes Head of Design, Gorden Wagener, officially confirmed that the new baby SLS - also known as the SLC will officially be unveiled sometime in 2014. This new model will take on vehicles like the Porsche 911 and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and will be priced from about $130,000.
As previously reported, the future SLC will drop the famous SLS model’s gullwing doors, but will feature the same design language as the current SLS. Under the hood, Mercedes will place a twin-turbocharged 5.4-liter V8 engine with an output of about 500 HP. There were rumors suggesting that the next baby SLS would use an inline-6 engine, but we strongly doubt that Mercedes will drop their usual V8 engine for a sports car. The engine will more than likely be a downsized version of the V8, with its capacity taken to about 4.0 liters, but those are rumors as well.
