New Car: 2013 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Rolls-Royce has announced that the Ghost will be upgraded next year, with revisions to the in-car entertainment and comfort.

The new Ghost will feature an advanced amplifier and the addition of ‘exciter’ speakers to the audio system, as well as natural grain leather and cross-banded wood veneers.

On the exterior an additional alloy wheel option is available, alongside a Comfort Access boot – opened by foot, which activates a sensor under the rear bumper, should both hands be full.

Production of the 2013 Rolls-Royce Ghost will start later this year.

Thanks to: Autocar

Spied: 2014 BMW 5-Series Touring

With Mercedes set to unveil a significantly revised E-Class Estate at the Detroit Motor Show in January, BMW is giving the 5 Series Touring a subtle facelift to help keep it competitive with its big-selling rival.

These spy pictures of a lightly camouflaged 5 Series estate show a series of minor styling changes to the front and rear end of the current model, which was introduced in late 2009.

A new front bumper will be the most obvious change, with redesigned air intakes and a larger kidney-grille. New light clusters are also set to feature both at the front and rear, along with new LED taillights. The rear bumper will also get a slightly tweaked design.

The interior is expected to remain largely unchanged, while the existing range of petrol and diesel engines will be carried over.

The new BMW 5 Series Touring is expected to be priced similarly to the current model, which starts from around £33,000, when it goes on sale in spring 2013.  For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

New Car: 2013 Kia K7/Cadenza

Buyers in Gangnam have a new model to look at – Kia has updated its Cadenza/K7 sedan for 2013. While the current Cadenza may be on sale elsewhere in the world, we will probably (finally) get the Cadenza in the U.S. with the introduction of the 2013 model.

The Kia Cadenza shares much of its underpinnings and mechanicals with the Hyundai Azera (it is to the Azera what the Optima is to the Sonata). That means front-wheel drive, V-6 power, and a six-speed automatic transmission. While we have get to see any final specifications for the U.S.-bound Cadenza, we now have a look at the car’s design.

We previously caught the Cadenza out testing, wearing enough camouflage to obscure the 2013 model’s updates. The styling tweaks are pretty minor, but help to keep the sedan fresh and bring the look of the Cadenza more in line with the rest of the Kia lineup. The grille is now a more aggressive interpretation of the brand’s “tiger nose” grille is most noticeable, and there is a new hood, updated light clusters, and revised bumpers. Around back there are new taillights, and a set of air vents now adorn the front fenders.

 

Kia has yet to release any images of the 2013 Cadenza’s interior, but we don’t expect it to be much updated from the previous model. The 2012 car’s cabin topped the center stack with a large infotainment screen and used fairly straightforward buttons and knobs for the audio and climate controls.

Timing has yet to be confirmed on when we can see the Cadenza in our shores, but expect Kia to introduce the sedan some point within the next 12 to 15 months.

Thanks to: Motor Trend

Spied: 2014 Toyota Corolla

The next-generation 2014 Toyota Corolla is a big deal for the Japanese automaker. With rivals stepping up their game in the compact segment, Toyota must make sure the 2014 Corolla is still competitive with cars like the soon-to-be-refreshed Honda Civic, Chevrolet Cruze, and Nissan Sentra to stay near the top of the sales charts.

A Motor Trend reader spied this 2014 Toyota Corolla prototype testing with a next-generation Lexus IS not far from Toyota’s Torrance, Calif. headquarters.

The 2014 Corolla looks like it’ll rely heavily on the Toyota Camry for styling cues – not the worst strategy for Toyota. The most obvious connection to the Camry is in the taillights, which appear to feature the same boomerang design seen on the Camry. We expect rounded sheetmetal as well as a profile not unlike that of the Camry.

Styling of the 2014 Corolla’s front end will borrow heavily from the Camry and the Avalon, and inside it’ll offer more an updated interior with the latest version of Toyota’s Entune infotainment system, which is already offered on the 2013 Corolla.

Not much is known about the next-gen Corolla’s powertrain, but it wouldn’t surprise us to see a slightly modified version of the current car’s 132-hp 1.8-liter I-4 carry over. With a six-speed manual replacing the five-speed, and a six-speed automatic or CVT replacing the dated four-speed slushbox, the current Corolla’s 27/34 mpg city/highway rating will likely approach 28-30 mpg in the city and 38-40 mpg on the highway.

Thanks to: Motor Trend

Hot News: Bugatti is Rumored Preparing Super Veyron

Bugatti is reportedly preparing to debut a new car at next year’s Frankfurt show, but it won’t be the much-delayed Galibier sedan. The staff in Molsheim is working on yet another special edition Veyron that’s faster, more powerful, and well, just more super: the SuperVeyron.

Since updates to the Veyron are all Bugatti can offer its customers until the Galibier arrives, the automaker went all-out to make the updates good. The SuperVeyron wears more carbon fiber, helping it shave off about 550 pounds over the Veyron SuperSport W16. It will also look slightly different with new front and rear ends, and more active aerodynamics. The biggest news, though, is what’s under the hood: a more powerful 8.0-liter (or 9.6-liter) engine putting out 1600 hp. That translates to a maximum top speed of 288 mph (up 29 mph over the SuperSport), and a rumored 0-62 mph time of just 1.8 seconds.

It gets better: the 3527-pound supercar will reportedly have a power-to-weight ratio of one kg (2.2 pounds) per hp. Until the Galibier arrives, Bugatti customers will have to do with the SuperVeyron, which will likely cost north of $2.5 million.

Thanks to: Motor Trend

Spied: 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C

What It Is: Believe it or not, proof of the Alfa Romeo 4C, which we first saw in concept form at the 2011 Geneva auto show. This is a running prototype, and it looks every bit as exciting as the show car. The doorsills are simplified and the rear window seems to have slightly grown, but that’s about it as far as changes go, from what we can tell. Thank you, Alfa, for staying true to a wonderful idea.

Why It Matters: The mid-engined 4C will spearhead Alfa's latest plan to return to the U.S., and it will be an eminently important car for the brand's global image, as well. The brand's diminutive lineup of vehicles has become stale, but the 4C promises to serve as a convincing foundation for a reinvigoration of the lineup. For sports-car enthusiasts, the 4C could bridge the gap between the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S and the Porsche Cayman. 

Platform: The 4C will use an entirely new mid-engine platform. Details are sketchy, and we hope that the high-performance, lightweight approach of the concept remains intact. That concept, for instance, made liberal use of aluminum and carbon-fiber chassis elements. If, as claimed for the concept, the weight remains below 2000 pounds, Alfa engineers will have pulled off a triumph.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

Hot News: Nissan Will Return to Hatchback Segment

Nissan will launch a direct rival to the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf in 2014, and will build it in Sunderland. It will be the first time the Japanese manufacturer has offered a new car in the European small family hatchback class since 2006, when the Sunderland-built Almera was withdrawn.

Since then Nissan has marketed the Qashqai crossover, after it concluded in the early 2000s that it could only compete in the family car segment by offering something different.

It subsequently applied the same formula to the supermini segment, launching the Juke in 2010 to further sales success.

Following the success of those two models, company officials have said the firm has the confidence, and European market share, to offer a more mainstream model again.

The decision to go with a mainstream C-segment hatchback was made 18 months ago, according to Nissan’s head of product planning Andy Palmer, but the model is still two years from completion.

The new hatchback is expected to look similar to the current and next-generation Qashqai, as well as the production version of the Invitation concept - shown at the Geneva show earlier this year - which replaces the Note. “The designers have created a very emotional design that draws on the Qashqai,” said Palmer. “It’s a little bit cheeky.”

According to Palmer, Nissan will invest the car’s content and character with a mix of “innovation and excitement for everyone”, twin themes that are intended to resurface in every future model. He also said the car will be “beautifully designed, with exciting technology”.

Features are expected to include Nissan’s around-view monitor, a self-parking option, affordable satellite navigation and live music streaming.

The engine line-up is likely to include Renault’s recently revised 1.5 dCi diesel and downsized petrol power units, the three-cylinder 1.2 supercharged DIG-S potentially being among them.

Meanwhile, just a five-door bodystyle will be offered.

Nissan needs a new Focus rival if the company is to maintain its impressive momentum, which is currently over-dependent on the Qashqai and the Juke. Nissan’s UK sales were up almost 10 per cent in the first nine months of 2012, while its European share has also grown modestly.

The new hatchback should also offset the possibility that the next-generation Qashqai will fail to maintain the growth of the present model. Palmer admitted that replacement of the Qashqai is a challenge. “There’s always a risk, because you tend to be conservative when you’re replacing a successful model,” he said. “We need to create Qashqai-ness and be bold.”

Thanks to: Autocar

Spid Up Date: 2014 Skoda Octavia

The all-new Skoda Octavia is set to be revealed late next month. The new car is the fourth to use the VW Group’s new MQB modular platform, after the new Volkswagen Golf, SEAT Leon and Audi A3.

The new car will also become the longest MQB car so far. The Golf, A3 Sportback and Leon five-door measure 4,199mm, 4,292mm and 4,315mm respectively. The Skoda Rapid, which fits under the Octavia in the Skoda range, is 4,483mm, while the larger Superb is 4,838mm.

This means that the Octavia will measure around 4,650mm, thanks in part to its larger saloon-style boot than the current model, which measures 4569mm.

The new Octavia - seen here almost undisguised - will follow the design language of the Vision D concept car more closely than the new Skoda Rapid, too. As you can see from the spy pictures, the Octavia features the same arrow-head-shaped C-pillar, narrow headlights and creased bonnet as the concept car.

The new car is also expected to get a more upmarket interior to distance it from the value-focused Rapid. Prices will rise accordingly, with the new Octavia expected to start from around £15,000 – cheaper than its MQB brothers, but more than the current entry-level Octavia's £13,385.

The new Octavia will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2013, with UK sales beginning shortly afterwards.  For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

Hot News: Fiat to Introduce 500E & Abarth Convertible at LA Show 2012

A press release from the Los Angeles auto show has prematurely revealed two new models that will debut at the show. The Fiat 500e electric car and Fiat 500 Abarth convertible will both debut at the L.A. show in late November.

Both cars were long expected, but their debut hadn’t yet been publicly confirmed by Fiat. The Fiat 500e had been rumored for a long time; last month, the car was revealed at a Chrysler Group dealer meeting in Las Vegas. It makes sense for Fiat to create an all-electric version of the tiny Italian hatchback: the car’s low weight will help keep driving range relatively high, and the model will compete with the promised Chevrolet Spark electric.

As for the Fiat 500 Abarth convertible, the L.A. auto show release says the car will have a turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four engine with 170 lb-ft of torque, and a 34-mpg highway rating. Those specifications all exactly match the ratings of the Fiat 500 Abarth hatchback — the feisty turbo-four engine cranks out 160 hp. Adding a convertible variant makes sense as Fiat tries to broaden the appeal of its go-fast Abarth model. From prototypes we’ve spied in southeast Michigan (pictured below), the convertible will adopt the same aggressive body kit, dual exhausts, larger alloy wheels, and plethora of scorpion emblems as the regular Abarth hatchback.

After the Fiat 500e electric and Fiat 500 Abarth convertible make their public debuts next month at the L.A. auto show, expect them to go on sale in spring or summer 2013.

Thanks to: Motor Trend

Spied: 2015 Mercedes S-Class Convertible

What It Is: The first true S-class convertible by Mercedes-Benz since the W111/112 convertible of the 1960s and ’70s—cars that will set you back upwards of $200,000 in today’s market. This will be a true soft-top convertible and thus clearly distinguished from the current SL-class with its folding hardtop. The roof will be conceptually similar to the Porsche 991 cabriolet’s and will offer superb high-speed capability. Inside, there will be a dashboard full of chrome and wood, with two TFT displays, and likely the S-class sedan's two-spoke steering wheel.
 
Why It Matters: It will give Mercedes a unique vehicle that is virtually without competition. Neither Audi nor BMW offer anything of similar size; the closest vehicle in concept is the Bentley Continental GTC, which is loosely based on the Volkswagen Phaeton. The S-class cabriolet also will be important because Benz has come under pressure for its styling, which is not deemed as classic and timeless as it used to be. This upmarket cabriolet will offer an opportunity to correct this perception.

Platform: The S-class cabrio will be based on the next-generation S-class, which means it will be huge, powerful, and full of technology. All the latest telematics and driver aids, such as night vision, LED headlights, huge screens, and voice recognition will be available.

Thanks to: Car and Driver