Spy Shots

With an impending approach of the numerous Volkswagen ID electric cars, the spy photographers come into their own finally having a proper reason to film camouflaged Volkswagens. The latest that fell victim to a spy photographer’s lens is a curiously uncovered Volkswagen Tiguan. It was wheeling, silently, in nearly the same way as that Golf Sportsvan I wrote about earlier. As it turns out, this one famously hides the body of the next Volkswagen ID Crozz. It is definitely one of the most important electric vehicles that will appear in the next year or two, and this is essentially all that we know about it.

Launched in 2011, the Range Rover Evoque pioneered the luxury compact SUV market, prompting other premium brands to either join the niche or improve upon existing models. Come 2018, and Land Rover has introduced the second-generation crossover, placing it again high above the competition.

Redesigned on a brand-new platform, the second-gen Evoque ditched its old Ford-sourced engines and adopted JLR’s new four-cylinder diesels. More importantly, almost all drivetrains are now 48-volt mild hybrids, with a plug-in hybrid set to join the lineup in 2019. Land Rover took a rather evolutionary approach to the Evoque’s design inside the out, so it remains familiar. The redesign is more of the facelift variety styling-wise, but everything is new under the shell.

Update 02/12/2019: We’ve updated this review with a bunch of new pictures taken that the 2019 Chicago Auto show. Scroll on down to the gallery below to check them all out!

The Porsche Cayenne Coupe is the company’s much-rumored competitor for the BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, and the recently unveiled Audi Q8. Rumored to break cover for the 2020 model year, the Cayenne Coupe seems to be a sleeker Cayenne with a coupe-style roof and minor changes to the design. The crossover was spotted on public roads in many forms in recent years.

Rumors of Porsche working on a competitor for the BMW X6 surfaced a few years ago, right before the Germans launched the mid-cycle upgrade for the second-generation Cayenne. Although original reports claimed a 2015 launch, Porsche’s competitor for the BMW X6 failed to show up. In the meantime, Mercedes-Benz came up with its very own proposition, the GLE Coupe. Not much is known about the Cayenne Coupe at this point, but it’s expected to use the same underpinnings as the standard Cayenne, as well as the same drivetrains. The name is not yet official so you should take the "Cayenne Coupe" nameplate with a grain of salt, but this badge is very likely given that the sleek crossover will be part of the same family. We’re still waiting for Porsche to confirm the new SUV, but until that happens, we created a rendering of the upcoming vehicle, as well as a speculative review about what it may bring to the table.

Updated 02/11/2019: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Cayenne Coupe out for a testing session during cold winter conditions.

After the first journalist drives of the Volkswagen ID Neo prototype, we can almost understand what Volkswagen wants to do with its compact electric car. The Volkswagen ID Neo is a Golf-sized hatchback created on top of Volkswagen’s new MEB architecture, and it will be unveiled later this year. It is a close competitor to the Nissan Leaf. Yet, as Volkswagen promoted it as a car with the size of a Golf but roominess of the Passat, I am sure it will embark on its way to steal some buyers from the likes of the Kia E Niro, the Hyundai Kona Electric, or other similarly sized electric cars and crossovers.

However, the car that hides under the body of the Golf Sportsvan shown here is probably a bigger, family version of the same kin. Make no mistake; this one is also based on the same ID Neo architecture. Apparently, Volkswagen has plans to introduce as many as 50 new electric models by 2025. The ID Neo will create an electric VW avalanche and, at first, it will be priced in a similar bracket as the Golf Diesel. I believe that the electric Golf Sportsvan’s brother will cost a tad more.

Estates have always been looked upon as family and luggage haulers. They were never meant to be attractive, fast, or adventurous. These vehicles were boring, but very practical. But with time, estates, aka wagons, started getting glamorous and confident, and lately, even luxurious. One classic example of the same is the Audi A4 Allroad. Other than the slight body roll and the long tail, it is a perfect blend of a sedan’s ride and handling and an SUVs practicality and off-roading capabilities.

Just after we saw spy photographs of the Kia Ceed Sportswagon PHEV, the internet world provided us with photographs of the new Kona PHEV. The small Hyundai city crossover is already available in its gasoline, diesel, and electric guise. The upcoming PHEV will, most certainly, circle out the offering of the highly successful crossover. Caught on film (well, on an SD card really), somewhere in Germany, the new Hyundai Kona PHEV may even prepare us for the upcoming facelifted version of the same car. Before all of that, we have to get adjusted to the fact that small, classy, and fashion conscious crossovers are selling as hybrids like hotcakes. Just note the Toyota CH-R hybrid. We actually do know that the photographed Kona is a hybrid thanks to an eye witness of the photographer who said that it was filled up at a petrol station, but it drove off completely silent probably on electric power alone. Well, in that case, that makes this an “ear witness”, but what the hell!?

Mercedes was caught testing restyled E-Class prototypes that look like they’re hiding new front and rear fascias. It also appears that most of the work will be done on the front end, which is covered by the heaviest camouflage, although there are other details hidden as well.

The current E-Class, the fifth generation of the nameplate, was launched in 2016 and it is due for a refresh next year. Most changes will be done to the styling, to better reflect Mercedes’ new design language that was originally showcased on the new A-Class and CLS. The updated E-Class is expected to experience an extra infusion of tech as well.

No changes will likely be made to the engine range since the Mercedes started selling the E-Class with its new generation of four-cylinder and straight-six diesel engines, both of which make up the bulk of sales in major markets such as Europe.

Update 01/22/2019: The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is due for a mild facelift, and it should be coming in 2020. It’s only been about a month since we last laid eyes on the pre-production prototype, but we’re getting another look at it. There aren’t any real changes in terms of what we can see on the outside, however, we do get a decent look at the interior, and there are some minor things that we can spot. Check out our spy shots section below for all the details.

Audi’s crossover and SUV lineup is already mighty stout, but that isn’t stopping the Four Rings from adding yet another high-rider to the list. The latest will take the name Q4, and as you might expect, it’ll squeeze in between the Q3 and Q5 within Audi’s stable. Alternatively, the new crossover could also carry the name Q3 Sportback. Either way, the fresh ‘ute will offer a more coupe-like roofline compared to the standard Q3, but carry over the current Q3’s interior appointment, engine, and drivetrain, plus all the options.

Update 1/22/2019: The Audi Q4, a coupe-like SUV that will slot just above the Q3, has been spotted doing some more cold-weather testing, just a year after it was last spotted in the wild. Nothing has changed as far as design or camo cover, however, this recent sighting tells us that Audi is still working on the compact crossover, and that’s something to be happy about. Check out the latest shots in our spy shots section below.

The Lexus RC F Track Edition is track-prepped version of the company’s compact coupe. It was unveiled at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show alongside the updated RC F, so it benefits form all the add-ons introduced with the facelift.

Although it doesn’t feature a more powerful engine, the Track Edition is more dynamic thanks to a handful of aerodynamic tweaks and weight-saving measures. Lexus promises quicker lap times in this vehicle, which is aimed at German track cars such as the BMW M4 GTS. Spotted testing since early 2018, this coupe was originally believed to feature a "GT" badge, but Lexus eventually went with Track Edition. Despite the name that suggests a special-edition model, the Track Edition is a proper upgrade that sets it apart from the standard RC F. Let’s find out more about it below.

The current-generation Audi SQ7 was only unveiled last year, but it didn’t take Audi long to start developing an updated version of the punchy SUV. That appears to be the case as new spy photos of an SQ7 test mule have been spotted in the wild. The prototype appeared in the wild with another test vehicle — likely the Q7 — in what can only be described as the latest evidence that Audi isn’t sitting on its laurels when it comes to giving its two performance SUVs the necessary updates that’ll keep it fresh in the eyes of consumers.

Update 01/10/2019: The 2020 Audi SQ7 is being put through pre-production, cold-weather testing and is probably in the final stages of testing. A debut should be coming in the next few months, but until then, we have a fresh batch of spy shots located in the gallery at the bottom of this article. Enjoy!

Land Rover is already working on a next-generation Discovery Sport, but with the model still a few years away from arriving, a facelifted version of the current Discovery Sport is making test rounds. The prototype is wrapped in heavy camouflage, but the overall shape of the SUV suggests that there could be a lot of changes made to the updated Discovery Sport ahead of the next-generation model’s arrival in a few years.

Update 01/10/2019: The 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport playing in the Scandinavian Snow. Check out the new shots in our gallery at the bottom of the page.

Audi first kicked off production of the Q3 luxury subcompact crossover in 2011 for the 2012 model year, following it up with a series of refreshes in 2014 and 2015. Also offered as a pair of tuned versions from Audi Sport GmbH under the SQ3 and RS Q3 nomenclature, it looks as though the Four Rings is gearing up to release a second generation for the go-faster Q3’s, as evidenced by this series of spy shots showing a black-and-white test mule out and about for some apex huntin’ at the Nurburgring.

Update 01/10/2019: The Audi RS Q3 was caught on camera playing in the snow only this time, it’s taken more of a production-ready appearance that pushes us to believe Audi looks to compete with the new AMG A45. Check out our spy shots section below to see the images and learn about the latest developments.

Audi is in the advanced stages of testing an all-electric version of its Q2 crossover, the smallest high riding vehicle it currently sells. The Q2 e-Tron (which is what it will most likely be called) will complete the Q2 lineup that also includes the SQ2 performance model, as well as an extended wheelbase Q2 destined for the Chinese market. The Q2 EV won’t differ much visually from other models in the range, but with a careful look, you will be able to spot that it is the battery powered model. The camouflaged prototype snagged by our spies has no exhaust pipe, for instance, and it’s bound to have additional small exterior giveaways as to what it is. It’s also been suggested that the Q2 e-Tron might use the lengthened platform of the Chinese-market model, but at the moment we really cannot make a definitive judgment on that based solely on this batch of spy shots. Furthermore, the Q2 e-Tron may only be sold in China, although there is a good chance it will reach Europe as well - this would represent the first sale of a long-wheelbase Chinese-market Audi model in Europe.