Wednesday 29 February 2012

Spied: 2013 Kia Sorento facelift

While out on their travels, spies caught the revised Kia Sorento mid-sized SUV undergoing cold-weather testing in Northern Sweden.

Judging by the amount of thick disguise on the prototype, the facelift will be pretty extensive. We can expect sleeker, reworked headlights with LED daytime running lights, restyled grille and bumpers, and updated tail-lights. It seems that Kia is pitching the newcomer against premium compact SUV's as shooters say the Sorento prototype was accompanied with a Mercedes GLK and Audi Q5, meaning we can expect a more upmarket interior.

Spied: 2013 Nissan Altima

Nissan accidentally revealed a pre-production version of the fifth-generation Altima mid-sized family car in a online video. The video, which has now been removed, highlighted 30 years of engineering efforts at its North American Technical Centre.

The Altima's design has been described as “innovative” with a “bold design”, however, spy photos show that the car will feature evolutionary styling with angular headlights, a chrome grille, and swoopy character lines.

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Spied: 2014 Cadillac CTS

The current Cadillac CTS, an anomaly in the mid-sized luxury segment, spanning the space between compact executive sedans and mid-sized executive sedans, is fast approaching its mid-cycle refresh, but instead of giving the current CTS a facelift, the American marque is preparing its third-generation CTS sedan.

Spied somewhere in the U.S, the next CTS will be longer than the current model - thanks to the recently-introduced ATS compact premium sedan - allowing engineers to stretch the car.

Spied: 2013 Land Rover Freelander/LR2 facelift

Land Rover is preparing a second facelift for the popular Freelander 2/LR2 compact SUV.

Following the first facelift in 2010, the second facelift will be receive minor updates, with a new grille, headlights, LED tail-lights, updated bumpers and alloy wheels. We expected an updated interior and new, more fuel-efficient engines.

Monday 27 February 2012

Spied: 2013 Kia Carens/Rondo and Hyundai ix30

Spies have captured the first prototypes of the upcoming Kia Carens/Rondo replacement undergoing cold-weather testing alongside its sister car, Hyundai ix30, in Northern Sweden.

Although heavily disguised, the Carens/Rondo successor will boast more mature, premium styling over the ix30. The Hyundai ix30 will borrow design cues from the 2008 HED-5 i-Mode concept, so expect aggressive styling, sloping roofline, an hexagonal grille, and plenty of character lines.

Sunday 26 February 2012

Spied: 2014 Renault City-car/Smart ForTwo

Following confirmation of the Daimler-Renault alliance in Spring 2010, spies have caught the upcoming Renault City-car test mule being loaded onto a transporter in France.

Pictures of the 2014 Smart ForTwo test mules date back to late 2009 and we haven't seen any prototypes since, although, this is the first time the Renault sibling has been snapped.

Friday 24 February 2012

Spied: 2014 Audi Q7

Testing is in full swing for Audi's next-generation Q7 large premium SUV, as spies got up-close and personal with a test mule undergoing cold-weather testing in Northern Sweden.

Using the current Q7 6.0 litre V12 TDi bodyshell, the mule is boasting beefier wheelarches, shorter overhangs, and a partial honeycomb air-intake.

Tuesday 21 February 2012

When test-drives go wrong: BMW Z8 lays upside down on roadside

With only 5,703 BMW Z8's in the world, the model is an endangered species. So, it doesn't help when a 30-year old man from Germany crashes one nearly beyond recognition during a test-drive.

According to the German Police report, the man lost control of the sports car in Rambach and slammed into an embankment, causing the car to flip and land upside down in a ditch.

Video: Peugeot releases unrelated but fun video of 208 (NSFW)

Peugeot has released a funny but pointless video of the new 208 supermini, in which you only see the car for 20-odd seconds towards the end, called "Let Your Body Drive".

We call it pointless because the video mainly focuses on a nude man who was caught cheating on his girlfriend and gets himself into all sorts of bizarre situations. There's plenty of rear-end nudity in this short film, which is why it's most certainly not safe for work.

Second calling: Ferrari FF catches fire in China

We all get a second calling in life. Whether it's to go back to your dream job, being a parent for the second time, or in Ferrari's case, to see another FF combusted.

This incident occurred in China, where the owner was cruising in the proximity of the Shanghai World Expo Avenue on Saturday. Passers-by informed the driver, who came to a quick stop and called the emergency services, but before the fire fighters could arrive, the vehicle was engulfed by the fire, almost destroying it.

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Teaser: 2013 Kia K9/Oprius

Kia has released the first design sketches of its all-new flagship sedan, codenamed 'KH'.

Set to be launched in South Korea within the next few months, the KH is expected to be called either K9 or Oprius when it launches, although the final name is still being finalised.

Video: Fail; Suzuki Swift vs concrete barriers (PL)

We all know that taking your driving test is a nerve-racking experience and you're bound to make mistakes. Although, certain mistakes can be more dangerous, if not deadly, than others as you're about to find out.

A woman from Częstochowa, Poland, got herself into a dangerous situation during her driving test when she accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake, thrusting the Suzuki Swift into a concrete barrier and out onto a quiet road by the dual-carriage way.

Leaked: 2013 Lexus RX facelift

Scanned brochure photos of the 2013 JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) Lexus RX facelift have leaked onto the Internet for the first time.

The third-generation RX hit the market in Spring 2009 and will launch this Summer. The revisions for the RX include new headlights with LED daytime running lights, Lexus' new Spindle grille, revised bumpers, and reworked LED tail-lights.

Monday 13 February 2012

Taking a cold shower: Premium SUV's sink in lakes across Europe

Pictures and videos of two Hummer H2 SUV's that fell through ice are making there rounds on the Internet. The photos were taken in Lake Balaton, Hungary over the weekend by a GTSpirit.com reader.

Temperatures across Europe sunk to new lows, with temperatures of -30°C (-22°F) recorded near Lake Balaton, causing Central Europe's largest lake to freeze over.

Spied: 2013 Audi Q5 facelift

Spy photographers have snapped the upcoming Audi Q5 facelift in Germany.

Tweaks on this prototype are very minor, but include revised headlights, new grille inserts, and a new engine designation badge. The finished article will receive an updated interior, reworked rear fascia, and improved powertrains, alongside with aforementioned items.

Sunday 12 February 2012

Spied: 2014 Mercedes C-Class

Development of the next-generation Mercedes C-Class is well under way as spy photographers have snapped another prototype undergoing cold-weather testing.

Despite the extensive cladding, the next C-Class is expected to adopt styling cues off the larger CLS coupé and will feature a smaller oval-shaped grille.

Spied: 2013 Citroën C4 sedan

Citroën has begun testing the second-generation C4 notchback sedan in the Swedish countryside. The newcomer, likely to keep its C-Quatré/C4 Pallas nameplate, will be longer than the current model and underpin the same platform as the current Citroën C4, which itself is based on the original C4 hatchback that launched back in 2004.

Styling for the C-Quatré will be bespoke, although it will share some bodypanels with the C4 hatchback variant, albeit with alterations such as new character lines. Despite the extensive camouflage, the prototype seems to be boasting a fairly upright rear windscreen and numerous straight surfaces.

Saturday 4 February 2012

Video: Mercedes driver barges into oncoming traffic

There's one thing many motorists have in common: they don't like traffic jams.

However, the driver of this German (second-generation Mercedes M-Class) SUV decided to express their fury by barging through traffic, damaging cars on both sides.

Chinese car sales sink 24% (CN)

New car sales in the world's largest market plunged 24% in January, marking a weak start to sales in the auto industry.

Bloomberg reports that the fall in sales is the largest decline in seven years, although the earlier than normal Lunar New Year holiday slashed a week worth of sales. The best-selling car was the Buick Excelle GT, racking up 28,660 sales.

U-Spy: 2013 Range Rover

Our eagle eyed-reader has spied the next Range Rover undergoing chassis testing in Mojacar, Southern Spain. Prior to arriving in Spain, this particular test car was spied testing in Warwick, England in August 2011.

According to Derek, who was walking his dog at the time, two prototypes have been in the area for the last couple of weeks, clocking up more test miles.

Friday 3 February 2012

Teaser: 2013 Mercedes Citan

Mercedes has released the first sketches of their upcoming entry-level commercial van, ahead of its debut at the 2011 IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover in September.

The Citan, combining the words “city” and “titan,” is the fourth model to be added to Mercedes' ever-expanding commercial vehicle family. The Citan will the Vario truck, Sprinter large van, and Vito mid-sized van when it goes on sale in Spring 2013.

Annoyed drivers push aside Audi A3 Sportback (GR)

When a driver double-parks, a simple call to the local authorities resolves the issue. But when authorities are nowhere to be seen, frustrated motorists take matters into their own hands.

This is exactly what happened in the small town of Exarcheia, downtown Athens, Greece, when an owner of a Audi A3 Sportback double-parked in front of a pair of large bins, partially blocking the road.

Thursday 2 February 2012

Video: Driver runs down traffic cop

Accidents can happened anywhere, at any time, to anyone, even policemen. With that in mind, it's not surprising to see a careless driver in this small commercial van in Taiwan mowing down a traffic cop.

To balance out the blame, the traffic officer did wonder in the path of oncoming motorists. Despite being hit, the officer managed to get up and walk to the pavement to avoid anymore accidents.

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Video: BMW X5 lands in bedroom

They say “always expect the unexpected”. Unfortunately, 34-year old Michael Sweat from Connecticut was not prepared when a BMW X5 came crashing into his bedroom, landing on top of him.

It all started when when police began pursuing a motorist in a BMW X5 after he refused to pull over, regarding a few motor vehicle violations, at around 12:30am local time on Tuesday morning.

Spied: 2013 Fiat Linea facelift

Spies have caught up with the 2013 Fiat Linea facelift in Turkey, a car that has been on the market since 2007.

Judging by the spy pictures, the facelifted Linea will obtain revised bumpers, headlights and tail-lights, bootlid, and interior. Powertrains will either be updated or replaced, to offer improved performance and lower running costs.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...