TopSpeed Renderings

Back in 2014, BMW took a very confident step into the world of the EV, officially launching its “Project i” sub-brand with the i3. Following hot on its heels was the remarkable i8 hybrid coupe, which garnered the German brand oodles of green cred for its futuristic aesthetic and advanced powertrain. These days, BMW says it has big plans for its electrified lineup, with a total of 12 battery-electrics planned by 2025, plus 13 hybrids as well. One of the most exciting prospects is dubbed to i4, which promises four-door practicality, high-end luxury, extraterrestrial styling, and next-generation technology.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2020 BMW i4.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the German automaker’s tip of the spear when it comes to luxury and opulence, offering the very latest in technology, styling, and interior features. With a history that dates back to the early ‘70s, the latest sixth generation for the flagship sedan model (also known as the W222) was introduced back in 2013, which means it’s time for a ground-up redesign. With that in mind, we pulled out the TopSpeed crystal ball, drew up the above-pictured rendering, and wrote up a speculative review on what exactly the next S-Class could be bringing to the table.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The BMW X4 came to be in 2014 as a coupe version of the popular X3. Although sporting a sloping roofline and a redesigned rear end, the X4 is actually an X3 underneath, using the same chassis and drivetrains. The purpose of this crossover was to offer customers a sportier looking X3, as well as expand the company’s SUV lineup to four models. Unlike most Bimmer, the X4 has yet to gain a proper M version, although BMW did launch an M40i for the 2016 model year. In 2017, rumors that an X4 M might be underway began to turn into reality with more prototypes spotted on public roads. Come 2018 and the first-ever M version of the crossover is getting closer and closer to its official debut.

With the X4 having received a facelift , there’s no doubt that the X4 M will benefit from the same visual cues. It’s still a mystery as to why BMW delayed the X4 M for so long, especially with Mercedes-Benz already offering AMG version of the GLC, but we at least know that the performance-oriented SUV is on its way. An official launch date has yet to be announced, but we gathered all the information we have in a speculative review. We also created a new rendering of the X4 M based on the latest data provided by test cars seen on public roads.

Updated 04/04/2018: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming BMW X4 M during hi-speed testing on the Nürburgring in Germany.

Continue reading to learn more about the BMW X4 M.

If there is a car that is included on almost every list of “greatest enthusiasts car,” it’s the Toyota Supra. The little two-door sports car was originally bolted together as a response to the Z cars coming from competitor Datsun (and later Nissan), but it eventually grew into a special machine with a cult-like following. Now after years of rumor, speculation and dreaming, the Supra is set to return. With Toyota having launched the FT-1 concept in 2014, with sporty prototypes spotted on the road since 2016, and a Supra racing concept at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the next-generation coupe turned from rumor to reality and an official debut is expected to happen by the end of the year.

The story of the Supra may start in 1978, but it was in 1987, with the introduction of the first turbocharged model, that it began to truly build its performance legacy. This third-generation Supra was fitted with more than a powerful engine. It featured adjustable suspension and brake systems that helped make it great around a racetrack as well. It became a cult icon in the auto enthusiast world, and everyone has been clamoring for a new model since the old one was pulled from U.S. showrooms in the late 1990s.

But we heard nothing but rumors until September 2016, when the first prototypes hit public roads. The camouflaged cars offered strong hints that Toyota is using a familiar design with some FT-1 cues. We also got more and more reports that the new Supra will share underpinnings and engines with the next-generation BMW Z4, as part of a collaboration between the two companies. But information remained slim until recently, when a couple of leaks brought more data into the spotlight. With the GR Supra Racing concept having already debuted in Geneva, the production model is just a few months away from showing itself in the metal, and we gathered all the existing information in the speculative review below. Check it out and make sure you stay tuned for updates.

Updated 04/11/2018: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Toyota Supra testing on Nurburgring.

Continue reading to learn more about the Toyota Supra.

When BMW introduced the 8 Series back in 1989, it reshaped the full-size luxury segment with a car that was gorgeous, unique, and loaded with innovative features. However, the global crisis and high fuel prices of the early 1990s prevented it from becoming a strong seller, with a little over 30,000 units delivered until 1999, when it was discontinued. Almost two decades later and the 8 Series is set to return. Following the unveiling of a concept car in May 2017, BMW also released a bunch of photos confirming that an M8 is also underway in 2018.

The M8’s arrival will mark a premiere for the nameplate, which didn’t receive the M treatment in the 1990s. Although BMW did make a prototype, it eventually decided that there’s no market for the M8 and the project was scrapped. Times have obviously changed now, and with Mercedes already offering AMG versions of the S-Class Coupe and with Bentley producing the Continental GT Speed for quite a few years now, BMW needs an 8 Series and an M8 to keep up with the competition. Find out what we already know about this grand tourer in my speculative review below.

Updated 03/15/2018: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming BMW M8 Coupe out playing in the snow.

Continue reading to learn more about the BMW M8.

AMG might be responsible for Mercedes’ most-powerful and appealing models, but the high-performance brand has yet to use its full potential as a car manufacturer. Sure, the Affalterbach-based division brought us the awesome SLS AMG, and more recently, the AMG GT, but it hasn’t developed more than one stand-alone vehicle at a time. Until 2018, when Mercedes-AMG launched the GT 4-Door, a four-door, four-seat version of the AMG GT sports car. Unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, it’s the brand’s highly anticipated competitor for the Porsche Panamera, and it includes the most powerful GT-badged model ever.

The company’s plans to develop a high-performance four-door became more than obvious at the 2017 Geneva Auto Show, where Mercedes-Benz unveiled the AMG GT concept. The show car also confirmed that the sedan will be based on the AMG GT in terms of design, but still feature some of the more traditional Mercedes cues seen on the regular sedans. The concept was pretty much a mash-up between the AMG GT sports car and the CLS four-door coupe, attributes that also made it on the production model. Let’s find out what Merc’s new performance sedan is all about in the review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe.

When it unveiled the 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4 in February 2015, Porsche finally did what gearheads had been asking for a very long time: it allowed the mid-engined Cayman to live up to its true potential, which had been kept leashed to prevent it from being faster than the base 911. Now that the first Cayman GT4 has come and gone and the mid-engined sports car it was based on received its mid-cycle update, it’s time for a new track ready coupe.

Ever since the first GT4 was announced, enthusiasts have been asking themselves whether Porsche will take things up a notch and develop a GT4 RS. But, despite favorable rumors and the fact that an RS version would make sense, a more powerful GT4 has yet to happen. This could change with the upcoming model. And even though there’s no confirmation whether it will be called the GT4 or GT4 RS, the new coupe will definitely pack a significantly beefed-up engine. So I’m tempted to go with an "RS" badge.

Updated 02/13/2018: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Porsche Cayman GT4 out for a new testing session during cold winter conditions. New details suggest that the GT4 will be unveiled on March 6, at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.

Continue reading to learn more about the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS.

Many in the industry basically begged Dodge to build a three-row SUV based on the then-new 1994 Ram 1500 pickup. Those requests went ignored for three generations of pickups, even as the Ram Trucks brand spun off onto its own from Dodge. But it seems the stars have aligned yet again; Ram has an all-new 1500-series pickup for 2019, SUVs are enjoying a healthy uptick in popularity, fuel are holding steady at a reasonable price, and Fiat Chrysler is basically abandoning domestic sedan productions to make room for more crossovers and SUVs.

So, that begs the question – will Ram build a competitor to the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban and Ford Expedition?

Sadly, we haven’t heard any official rumors or seen any appropriately shaped and camouflaged test mules running around Detroit, so it’s almost impossible to speculate with any certainty. However, the timing has never seemed more right. As such, we decided to compile what we imagined a new Ram SUV might look like. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Continue reading for more information.

It’s been around six months since Lamborghini upgraded the flagship Aventador to S specs, thus introducing the facelifted model, and the Italian firm is already testing a new iteration of the supercar. With the mid-cycle facelift and the high-performance SuperVeloce (SV) already on the road it might seem out of place for Lambo to test a new version of the current generation model, but the prototype our paparazzi caught testing on public roads doesn’t appear to be a next-gen car. Instead, it looks like Lamborghini is actually preparing yet another high-performance model.

There’s no official confirmation from the automaker as of this writing, but the general consensus is that Lamborghini will launch a Performante version of the Aventador soon. As you may remember, the Performante is a more extreme version of the Huracan that uses a more powerful engine and race-inspired aerodynamics. Oh, and it’s the fourth quickest car around the Nurburgring as well as the fastest Lambo on the German race track. Yup, it’s quicker than the Aventador SV, which is why a Performante version of the flagship supercar is actually a really good idea. Let’s find out more about it below.

Updated 02/02/2018: Based on the recent rumors and speculations, we created a rendering for the upcoming Aventador Performante.

Continue reading to learn more about the Lamborghini Aventador Performante.

Ever since its introduction in 1992, the Subaru WRX has promised enthusiasts a thick slice of the high-flying, sideways-sliding, gravel-spraying antics that made the six-star brand famous in the World Rally Championship. Thanks to its turbocharged flat-four engine, stout suspension set-up, speed-oriented interior, and wing-heavy exterior styling, the WRX has cemented its reputation as a machine capable of competition-style performance, but at a price that keeps all your internal organs inside you, rather than going to the highest bidder. Over the years, we’ve seen four generations of the ’Rex, with U.S.-based consumers getting their first taste in the early 2000’s with the second-gen “bug eye” iteration. These days, though, the WRX is considered a bit long in the tooth. While still a solid performance buy, the alternatives are plentiful, while the WRX’s updates mostly just spin the tires. In truth, enthusiasts are clamoring for an updated next-generation WRX capable of besting much fresher offerings from the likes of Ford and Honda.

Luckily, it appears as though Subaru is working on exactly that, as previewed by concepts like the Viziv Performance sedan that dropped at the Tokyo Motor Show back in 2017. But we’re impatient, so we decided to create a rendering, put on our thinking caps, and write up a speculative review on what we think the next-gen WRX could bring to the table. Read on for the details.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2020 Subaru WRX.

Having launched the Leaf back in 2010, Nissan is one of the pioneers of the all-electric industry. While not as efficient as the recently launched Tesla Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt, the Leaf remains the best-selling EV ever build as of early 2018. However, Nissan has yet to expand its all-electric lineup beyond this hatchback, and it is now falling behind the competition. This could change by the end of 2018, with Nissan likely to debut a battery-powered crossover based on the IMx concept.

Introduced at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, the IMx is described as "an all-electric crossover concept vehicle offering fully autonomous operation and a driving range of more than 600 km." Nissan also says that the vehicle provides "a glimpse into the future of Nissan Intelligent Mobility, Nissan’s approach to changing how cars are powered, driven and integrated with society." The IMx also previews the company’s new design language, so it could change quite a few things for the Japanese automaker. If put into production, it could go against the Tesla Model X, currently the quickest, most efficient, and most popular electric crossover out there.

While Nissan didn’t officially confirm a production version of the IMx, an all-electric crossover is the next logical step now that the second-generation Leaf is on its way to dealerships. Let’s find out what it may bring to the table in the speculative review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Nissan IMx.

When BMW joined the SUV market with the X5 back in 1999, little did we know that the German manufacturer will become such an important player in this segment. But in a little more than a decade, the Bavarian brand has launched no fewer than four different crossovers. At least two more are underway as of 2017, with the X7 to join the family as a range topper, above the popular X5 and the sportier X6. The SUV was already spotted on public roads and we have just enough info to speculate as to what it may bring to the table.

The Bavarian brand made an announcement about the X7 in 2014, when it revealed that it will be built at the company’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, which also produces the X3, X5, X5 M, X6, and X6 M models. Although production was initially planned to start in 2016, it appears that the X7 will hit the assembly line later, most likely in 2018. There’s no word as to when the X7 will make its public debut, but I expect it to break cover in the second half of 2017, meaning it could go on sale for the 2019 model year. When it arrives in showrooms, it will become BMW’s largest offering yet and will enable the German manufacturer to compete against SUVs such as the Mercedes-Benz GLS, Range Rover, and even the Cadillac Escalade.

Updated 12/18/2017: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming BMW X7 out for a new testing session, and it is pretty obvious that the prototype started to drop some of the camouflage.

Continue reading to learn more about the upcoming BMW X7.

After many years of rumors, Mazda has finally confirmed that the beloved RX-7 will get a successor by the end of the decade. The confirmation came at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, where the Japanese brand unveiled the RX-VISION, a front-engined, RWD concept that sports an aggressive interpretation of Mazda’s KODO design language. What’s more, the company also confirmed it will have a new-generation rotary engine under the hood.

Mazda didn’t say when the production car will arrive in showrooms, but it seems that the next-gen RX-7’s development depends on how fast the engineers can come up with a reliable and fuel-efficient Wankel powerplant. More details should become available in 2016, but until that happens, we created a rendering of the production vehicle, as well as a speculative review about what the next-gen RX-7 might bring to the table.

Update 12/07/2017: Mazda has been caught testing the next-gen Wankel engine. Unfortunately, it was being testing in an older RX-8 shell instead of a full-body prototype of the next-gen RX-7, but it’ll do for now. The good news is that it is practically confirmation that a next-gen RX is, indeed, on the way. Check out our spy shots section below to see the RX-8 prototype with the next-gen Wankel and to hear what we know.

Continue reading to find out more about the 2018 Mazda RX-7.

Introduced in 2003, the Bentley Continental GT has become a big hit for the British firm and its German parent company, Volkswagen AG, and the 2011 redesign made it even more popular. However, the update wasn’t as extensive as you’d expect from such a high-profile car, and the second-gen Conti became a bit long in the tooth after years. This is why Bentley launched a completely overhauled version for the 2018 model year. With the new Continental GT almost in dealerships, a convertible model is just around the corner.

Spotted testing on public roads since mid-2016, the new Continental GTC has yet to show itself without camouflage. However, that’s not to say we’re dealing with a mystery since most convertible are identical to the their coupe counterparts below the waist. Expect the new GTC to feel as modern as the recently unveiled Continental GT and boasts the same luxurious cabin with state-of-the-art technology. All of this will be complemented by the infinite headroom that comes with every cabriolet out there.

Update 11/24/2017: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Bentley Continental GTC out for a new testing session, but this time during cold winter conditions.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2018 Bentley Continental GTC.

First confirmed in 2015, the X-Class was unveiled in 2017 as a production model and became the company’s first mass-produced pickup truck. Produced by Nissan Motor Iberica, the X-Class isn’t an original Mercedes-Benz design, as it borrowed its chassis and many body panels from the Nissan Navara. However, it employs many Mercedes-specific styling cues on the outside and new technologies inside the cabin. In addition, it features a more premium interior, at least in the more expensive trim. Similarly, most engines available come from Nissan, but the range-topping model uses Mercedes’ V-6 diesel mill. With the X-Class on its way to showrooms, is the German company finally planning to roll out an AMG model?

So far, there aren’t any signs that Stuttgart wants such a model. What’s more, Tobias Moers, the man in charge of AMG, said that there are no plans for a beefed-up X-Class, adding that he doesn’t see a market for it. This was in late 2016. In 2017, the AMG was again dismissed by Mercedes-Benz Vans boss Volker Mornhinweg, who said that the truck "is not right for a V-8." However, the AMG-badged X-Class is still "something that we will listen and look carefully," so there is still hope of a production model. Actually, I’m positive that Mercedes-Benz will eventually make one, as both the Middle East and the U.S. markets will be more than happy to get it. We’ve already made a rendering of the truck, and we’re going to discuss what it may bring to the table in the speculative review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-AMG X63.