If you were disappointed by reports that BMW was planning to retire the award-winning, high-revving V10 engine from the current M5 in favor of a twin-turbo V8, well...we can't really blame you. It's one heck of an engine, and we'll all miss it dearly. But all is not lost. The Bavarian automaker is hard at work on the next 5 Series, and with it the next-gen M5. And now spy video footage of the uber-sedan lapping the Nurburgring has surfaced.
With all the swirly camouflage, it's hard to tell much about the car's styling. You can expect it to follow the lead set by the new 5 Series Gran Turismo, though. But the engine – well, just follow the jump, watch the video and tell us if you're not hearing that telltale turbo whine.
Fiat's Abarth performance division only has two basic product lines, so how many revisions can it possibly have on the burner? Well, two, as reports emerging from Europe suggest.
Following hot on the heels of the 695 Tributo Ferrari unveiled in Frankfurt and the rally-spec R3T presented in Sanremo, come spy photos of an Abarth version of the ragtop Fiat 500C. Reports first emerged of an Abarth 500C a couple of months back, but what looks to be a working example has been spied at Abarth's Officine 83 Mirafiori facility. Sources expect a possible debut in March at the Geneva Motor Show.
Meanwhile, there are also more reports of an updated Punto Abarth. The hot hatch is expected to wear cosmetic modifications concurrent with the new Fiat Punto Evo, and the 170hp 1.4-liter MultiAir four from the Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadifoglio Verde is tipped to replaced the existing 155hp engine. Reports also suggest that the Abarth could be one of the first Fiat group products to showcase the company's new six-speed dual-dry-clutch transmission.
While the new Punto isn't expected to make it Stateside, there's a strong chance the Abarth 500 will. However there's no word yet as to if and when the 500 range might get the MultiAir engine and DSG.
2010 Honda Accord Crosstour spy photos - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Reader Jackson De Oliviera dropped us a line this weekend to let us know he caught the highly-controversial Honda Accord Crosstour out in the wild and had posted the shots he took on his blog, DriveToEscape.com. Jackson was kind enough to allow us to reprint those photos in our gallery below. In short, Jackson's pics probably aren't about to change any minds regarding the Crosstour's looks.
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After spending time with the Jetta sedan last year, we came away mostly impressed by its performance and looks. V-Dub's bread-and-butter model is handsome enough to keep buyers interested, but every design gets stale and after wearing the same duds since 2004, VW is working on all-new sheetmetal for the 2011 model year.
KPG caught the new Jetta Sedan undergoing hot-weather testing in Arizona, and while most of the shots show little more than swaths of black camo, the heat and wind worked away at the adhesive to reveal crisper lines, a swoopier roof, a more angled rear side window and some snazzy looking taillights.
VW is calling the revised Jetta its "New Compact Sedan" and the Jetta name is in no danger of being changed. Expect the 2011 Jetta to take aim at the Civic and Corolla with a significant drop in its base price when it goes on sale late next year.
Extra flared fenders, furrowed-brow visage, and a sinister matte black paintjob, all accompanied by a V8 snarl. While it's a development prototype, the RS5 mule snapped during lucky-dog brake testing duty in the Alps strikes us as the perfect look for a topped-out Audi two-door built for high speed strafing. When a car is coated in matte black and backs it up with 400-plus horsepower of engine, it means business, and the RS5's stock in trade will be all-wheel drive enabled speed.
If Audi really wants its new coupe variant to be tough, we propose sending a mule or two out for torture at the hands of automotive journalists.
The news media has turned its empty head to the deeper world of automotive coverage, beyond the front lines of dismal sales numbers and Cash For Clunkers.
None other than spy photographer extraodinaire Brenda Priddy has now been on the receiving end of the gentle, semi-informative coverage mainstream news is so deft at cranking out. A quick package on ABC's flagship World News Tonight broadcast was but a precursor to a more in-depth piece on Nightline that blows Brenda's cover and profiles her hard work in the searing desert heat.
Porsche's Cayenne is starting to show its age. With the arrival of the Panamera, it's no longer the most controversial looking vehicle in the company's product portfolio, though its road-scorching edge remains undiminished in turbo form. A new Cayenne is coming in gas, diesel, and hybrid flavors, and a fresh spy shot has surfaced showing what may well be the reshaped keister of the next model. It's got a bit of Volkswagen in it, maybe, but check those wheels and the way the lower valance is a diffusery thing - very Porsche-esque. If it is the Cayenne, this next generation might actually look okay while it continues to defy physics. Before we get too vitriolic, the Cayenne's volume has helped make 911s and Caymans possible – and for that, we say thank you.
BMW unveiled the X1 Concept at the 2008 Paris Motor Show to our bewildered eyes, and spy photographers have just surfaced with photos of the production version that do little to address our concerns for this littlest of soft roaders from Munich. As you can see, the production version will hardly differ at all from the concept, which means the swollen nose from the new 7 Series remains, along with all the surface pinching and odd details that we were so not fond of in Paris. Styling aside, we question whether there's a market for another BMW sport or crossover utility vehicle, considering that the brand is already loaded with the X6, X5 and X3. The X1 also appears just plain redundant being so similar in size to the X3. That said, it will be built on the same platform as the 3 Series and offer a heaping helping of BMW gas and diesel engines, so it should be the Ultimate Driving Honda CR-V.
"Blue skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face!" Why the singing? Despite the recent stoppage of further development on high performance vehicles, it looks like the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe might make it out of the barn before the doors are shut. While we would have settled for the uninterrupted arrival of the CTS Coupe, the fact that a mule has been spied running around with V-Series markings is all the more exciting. Perhaps the all-conquering V-Series of the two door CTS was already too far underway to scrap, or perhaps the badging on the mule is just a reminder of quashed dreams.
The next Opel/Vauxhall Astra – which may or may not make it to the States as a Saturn – has been caught outside General Motors' testing facility in Germany. The singular spy shot reveals a new greenhouse design, hatch, taillights and rear wing. The Opel Insignia's influence is apparent from the side, where the chunky creases of the current model have been dropped in favor of a smooth swage line that runs the length of the two doors and terminates ahead of the rear wheel arch.
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