Remember the rumors of working just below the ? The evidence trail was so faint that we called it “the most speculative sort of specualtion” when we posted on it six months ago. The trail and the car just got a lot hotter now that the very three-door hatch in question, the M135i, has been spotted burning serious gas around the Nürburgring.
Juice will come from BMW’s N55 inline-six cylinder with somewhere around 320 horsepower, and we’re told there will in fact be an all-wheel-drive version to follow. This will put BMW at ground zero of the small luxury hot hatch battle alongside the 350-horsepower and 340-horsepower Audi RS3. That gives us one more thing to remember: even if the Benz comes in at 340 hp there’ll be 1,000 horsepower between just these three cars in a segment best known for frugal luxury, which means the good old days in this segment are still on the way.
Can’t say we didn’t see this one coming. Hot on the heels of Audi’s official announcement that it had from Investindustrial Group, , the in-house performance arm of German automaker , has ended its “marketing cooperation” with the storied Italian motorcycle brand.
Naturally, Mercedes-Benz doesn’t want to sponsor Ducati now that it’s been taken over by, in its own words, “a rival car manufacturer.” While there had been some speculation that Mercedes or its AMG division might make a bid for Ducati, the automaker claims that was :
“Our focus lies clearly in developing and producing premium performance cars and we will be concentrating all our energy on this.”
Seems pretty cut and dry to us, but if you want to read more, feel free to for the brief announcement. We have to wonder, though, what will be come of the ?
has been kind enough to give us all a glimpse of the company’s ahead of the super SUV’s debut at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show. A 5.5-liter AMG-built twin-turbo V8 engine lurks behind the updated face, complete with a heady 544 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. The direct-injection engine is also laden with fuel-saving gear, including a start/stop system and an intelligent alternator that only charges the vehicle’s electrical system when needed.
We’re guessing the tech may help move the boxy Geländewagen’s fuel economy from supremely abysmal to merely exceptionally atrocious. Mercedes-Benz hasn’t released any solid estimates beyond saying the numbers have improved by around 13 percent on the EU cycle. Keep in mind, that’s with 44 more horsepower than the outgoing G55 AMG. A seven-speed automatic transmission handles shifting duties.
If the G63 AMG doesn’t provide enough power for you, there’s always brawny . With its twin-turbo 6.0-liter V12 engine, the monster delivers 612 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. For perspective, that’s more thrust than vehicles like the with a Duramax turbodiesel, the or the . This dog will surely hunt.
European G-Class buyers can look forward to shelling out €137,504 (circa $180k USD) for the G63 AMG, including Value Added Tax. The G65 AMG, meanwhile, starts at a breathtaking €264,180 (roughly $347k). Mercedes-Benz suggests we should see the G63 AMG in the States beginning in August, but it’s remaining mum on the G65’s prospects, and it has not disclosed U.S. pricing. Learn more in the official release .
We certainly like the idea behind the Infiniti Performance Line, but execution has left us . Instead of an M or AMG fighter, buyers are left with little more than fancy paint and a stiffer suspension. But according to Motor Trend, Infiniti may have something more impressive brewing.
An unnamed source spilled the goods on the future of the G line, including a juicy detail about a hyper performance coupe. The next-generation G is set to hit the market during the summer of 2014, bringing with it a rash of changes.
One of those is the introduction of an IPL-specific 3.7-liter V6. The source claims the engine is all-new and features direct-injection and two turbos to help it produce a whopping 530 horsepower. This time, it seems Infiniti has its heart set on stepping up to the and . The engine will be built in Japan alongside the powerplant for the .
Now for the bad news. The shadowy source says the high-performance IPL will be priced in line with the GT-R, at least in Japan. On this side of the globe, the brawny commands a price well north of the $58,930 MSRP on the C63 AMG, which leads us to believe there’s still some pricing to be sorted out on that front.
The Mercedes-Benz A25 AMG has disrobed almost completely compared to the . It makes minimal changes to the A-Class form, just a fiercer set of wheels and, under the last remaining camo, a brace of larger air intakes in front and a restyled diffuser in back. We’d also expect those oval pipe finishers to be swapped for trademark AMG quad pipes come production time.
The engine is what will make the real difference, with its 2.0-liter four-cylinder rumored to be rated as high as 350 horsepower and sending that glory to all four wheels through a dual-clutch gearbox. Those specs mean the A25 AMG is a shoo-in for heaps of comparos with the all-wheel drive, 340-horsepower Audi RS3, the driving prowess of the 256-horsepower and the . Check it out in our gallery of high-res spy photos.
The is a whole lotta car. Not only is the name a mouthful, but the 510-horsepower German rocket can be a handful too, well, in the wrong hands. This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen techs or valets getting their kicks behind the wheel of a vehicle that doesn’t belong to them, but it seems some employees at one Ottawa-area dealer didn’t get the memo.
Our tipster claims that a couple rogue techs at a dealership called (formerly Carling Motors) decided to take out one of the 30 existing Black Series in Canada for a joyride. While we agree that some test drives of performance cars should be spirited to find performance-related problems, it’s pretty clear these guys just wanted some kicks behind the wheel of $115,000 Autobahn assassin.
For over eight minutes they negotiate the streets of Ottawa near the Hunt Club Road dealership, breaking all kinds of laws, risking property and injury in the process. The police would gladly impound this Black Series for some of these speeds, and MB enthusiasts would gladly slap these guys in the face for redlining the motor for so long.
Why any tech would post this on YouTube is beyond us, as they’re are only asking to be fired. The Internet has moved in for some e-justice and has been set ablaze with nasty comments on the matter. Not only did they identify the location of the dealership, they have also sent the video, the original of which was removed from YouTube but then re-uploaded by a forum member, to Mercedes-Benz Canada HQ and are hard at work trying to find the possible owner to show him what’s been done to his car pre-delivery. Check out the video by .
techs taking C63 AMG Coupe Black Series for joyride caught on video
One might suppose that since Pagani came out with the Huayra, the Zonda would go the way of the dodo. But as the Modenese automaker has said all along, if someone wants to buy a Zonda, it’ll gladly make one for them. And so it has with the very latest one-off supercar.
Called the 760 RS, it’s the most powerful Zonda that Pagani has ever built. With 760 horsepower squeezed out of the AMG-built V12 engine underneath that bespoke carbon fiber rear hood, it’s got 90 more horsepower than the Zonda Cinque and 20 more than the track-bound, hardcore Zonda R. As such, it’s said to be good for a 217-mile-per-hour top end.
The Zonda 760 RS reportedly started out as the Zonda 750, ordered and then canceled by an undisclosed Arabian customer. Pagani turned it into the 760 RS and found a new buyer (said to be in either China or Chile), and while pictures and details have been scarce, this video footage has surfaced giving us a glimpse at the custom supercar. to check it out for yourself.
Hot on the bumpers of the , the oddball officially shows its ever-so-slightly redesigned face to the world. As we’ve discussed previously, it looks a whole lot like last year’s model, but distinguishing tweaks outside include the dashes of LEDs underneath the headlights and new side mirrors.
The momentous advances have come inside and under the hood. The along with a 544-hp, twin-turbo V8 G63, both of them sitting above a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 in the carryover G550 (the G500 in Europe) and a diesel V6 in the Bluetec G350. Don’t get your hopes up for that G65, though – Mercedes-Benz has confirmed to Autoblog that the V12 monster will not be coming to the United States.
Inside, the dash and console get a thorough resculpture, with bezeled dials in the cluster and discrete control pods replacing the flat planes in the previous model. Additional comfort and luxury options can be checked if one wishes for radar-based cruise control, Blind Spot Assist and Parktronic. The ESP programming has even been reworked to play nicely with trailers.
The 2013 G-Class will be available at European dealerships in June with U.S. sales to follow in August. Prices for our market haven’t been released just yet, but we do know that the European version will start at €85,311 for the G350, which we also won’t get (along with the cabriolet models). The current G550 starts at $107,000, so you should plan on adding a few grand to that to get in the 2013-model-year’s big, square door.
to read all about the new G-wagen models and have a gander at the new celebrity hotness in the high-res gallery above.
Last week we brought you Inside Line’s list of the 10 cars most likely to be . The came out on top among the ladies. But what’s most likely to be owned by a guy? Minivans? Fuel-efficient hatchbacks? Hybrids?
No.
At the top of is the very masculine, testosterone-oozing . It should be no surprise that 95.3% of 458 owners are men. We sure would like to meet the other 4.7%.
Ahem. Anyway, in second place is the , then the , the and then, at No. 5, the . So far, we’ve pretty much recited every male motorhead’s ultimate wish list. Seriously, what self-respecting man doesn’t put himself to sleep every night running through the gears of any of those cars?
At No. 6, is the perennial , then the at No. 7 with 87.9% male ownership. No. 8 is the obligatory closely followed by the at No. 9. Rounding out the list at No. 10 is the consummate mid-life crisis with 86.9% male ownership.
So where does that leave the Ford F-650? Are there really that many women buying that monster?
It takes a special type of individual to take a look at a twin-turbo V8 roadster with 530 horsepower like the new and say, “Nope, that’s not enough.” And for just such an individual, now presents the new SL65 AMG.
Unveiled here at the alongside the facelifted and crossovers, the replaces its predecessor with a pair of turbos and twelve cylinders good for a monumental 621 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. It also gets a seven-gear Speedshift transmission that has been beefed up enough to handle all that twist in place of the five-speed that soldiered on through the last model.
All that is packed, of course, into the newer, (relatively) lighter new , complete with Airscarf and Magic Sky Control and all that jazz. The new roadster sits at the very top of the SL range, and if the outgoing model is any indication, this droptop is likely to receive a starting price well over $200,000.
We were on hand for the new SL65’s unveiled here at the Javitz Center, and you can join us for a closer look in the high-resolution image gallery above and the press release .
SL65 AMG packs an earth-moving 738 pound-feet of torque
The is right around the corner, so let the embargo-break-a-palooza begin. Ahead of its official unveiling later this week, a few images of the have leaked onto the web, and if you’re familiar with Merc’s new design language, the updates to the big GL will come as no surprise.
Up front, the new headlamp design seen on the and has translated to the GL, complete with LED running lamps flanking each side above large air intakes. The design almost looks AMG-like, and while we never truly warmed to the design of the current GL, we like the looks of this 2013 model. The interior design hasn’t changed too much, though we’re sure that nicer materials and more up-to-date tech are on tap.
As of this writing, no official powertrain details have been released, though we don’t expect them to change a great deal from the current model. We’ll likely see a GL350 Bluetec model fitted with the delicious 3.0-liter diesel V6, as well as a GL550 with Merc’s new twin-turbocharged 4.6-liter V8 underhood. Seven-speed automatics will surely be offered with either engine, and all of the power will be sent to the ground via 4Matic all-wheel drive.
We’ll have the full suite of official details and images later this week, as well as live impressions direct from the New York show. Stay tuned.
We will now know the “” – the small four-door “coupe” built on the MFA platform supporting the (pictured above) and – as the CLA. It will debut at April’s , and it’s just one of the five variants that has planned for its MFA underpinnings.
When it hits the streets in 2013, advance reports indicate that both front- and all-wheel-drive versions will be available. Power will come from a range of gas and diesel engines with anywhere from 110 to 150 horsepower (there’s even a potential AMG model with more than 300 hp on the way), mated to seven-speed dual-clutch and six-speed manual transmissions.
Of note, though, over its long gestation, the CLA has been referred to as the CLC, but the CLA and CLC are different cars. The CLC is the Concept Style Coupe, said to be , which was a two-door hatchback, yet also of the , which was a sedan. The CLA will make its debut in China, but the CLC will be at an Mercedes-sponsored art festival called “Transmission LA: AV Club.” The Beijing show and the art festival overlap, so we’ll find out which car is which and what they both look like soon enough.
Italy’s Superstars Series may have seemed like an insignificant championship in the past, but drivers and manufacturers alike are beginning to take notice of what is rapidly emerging as Italy’s equivalent of Germany’s DTM, Japan’s Super GT or Australia’s V8 Supercars series. One of those drivers is Tonio Liuzzi, and one of those manufacturers is .
The German automaker had been represented in the series before, but is now launching an officially factory-sanctioned works effort with a specially-prepared touring car fielded by Caal Racing. And it has lined up an experienced driving talent to man the wheel.
A veteran of 80 grands prix, Vitantonio Liuzzi has driven for Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India and HRT, but unfortunately failed to distinguish himself with a single podium finish, pole position or fastest lap in the span of his six years in Formula One. Prior to ascending to the pinnacle of motorsports, he had won the International Formula 3000 championship, and has also tried his hand at A1GP (representing Italy) as well as the Speedcar Series (a stock car series held briefly in the Middle East).
Will he prove himself a greater talent in touring cars than he did in F1? We’ll have to wait and see, but given the factory support in a privateer-dominated series and the number of championships Caal Racing has won, things are looking up for Liuzzi and Mercedes. for the official announcement (in Italian) and check out the batch of official high-resolution images in the gallery above.
Sure, you can enjoy the LMP1 race car, a and the deviously capable in the new April Alpinestars Pack for Forza Motorsport 4. But a little further down the list of ten cars are some delightful sleepers: the 1972 300 SEL 6.3 that would inaugurate AMG’s tuning and motorsports credentials (our personal favorite), the 1995 that cemented that model’s reputation, and the 1997 850 R that was still glowing from the wagon’s racing campaign in the British Touring Car Championship.
The pack will be available for 560 MS points on April 3 (or free for those with a Season Pass), and is rounded out by the Sport GT S, 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE, 1959 Eldorado Biarritz Convertible, and 2012 . You’ll want to watch the associated video trailer, so for that.
300 SEL 6.3 the star of Forza 4’s April Alpinestars Pack
If you think the is the champ at incremental revisions through successive generations, then you should have a look at the Geländewagen, whose features change on a scale of geologic, not automotive time. We’ve the 2013 and its new LEDs and mirrors, and at a on test. That AMG, however, will be getting more than new trimmings when it arrives later this year: the twin turbo, 6.0-liter V12 from the SL65 AMG will be tucked under its bonnet. It’s the first time the G-Class has gone with a dozen cylinders.
Since the G55 never got the 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated AMG engine, and so never switched to the G63 name, this could mean that it will stick with the same model name now that it’s getting the twin turbo, 5.5-liter V8 with 536 horsepower. However, Autocar indicates the name will be changed to G63.
That would leave a little less branding daylight between it and the G65, but the power should convince: the bigger boy will have 621 horsepower and 737 pound-feet to work with, mojo enough to move it as fast a from a stoplight to 60 mph. Both it and the G55 will also get the 7G-Tronic transmission, while the G63 will add stop/start and brake energy recapture.
Formula One may, to outsiders, seem like a monolith, but it is in fact a gathering of rather disparate parties. There’s the FIA which governs the series from a sporting standpoint, there’s the collective of teams competing in the series, and Formula One Management, the company that holds the sport’s commercial rights under the direction of one Bernie Ecclestone. The only way they all get along is through the terms of the Concorde Agreement – the contract that divides up the spoils, namely television revenues and prize cash, between the parties. And that contract is coming up for renewal.
Ecclestone is eager to please the teams and get them to sign what will become the seventh Concorde Agreement when the current one expires at the end of the year. And to get there, rather than negotiate with all the teams equally, Bernie has been offering big incentives to certain teams. Those include in particular , McLaren and Red Bull – the teams which have, in the past dozen years or more, accounted for the lion’s share of the titles (both drivers and constructors). F1 would suffer a tremendous blow if any of these teams were to leave, so Ecclestone has reportedly offered them such incentives as cash bonuses, shares in Formula One Management and seats on its board, and performance incentives that would in theory be open to any team that achieves them but would in practice favor those three top team.
One team being left out of those incentives is , one of the largest automakers participating in the sport – running its own team and supplying engines to two more (including McLaren), not to mention the safety and medical cars used at each grand prix. According to The Telegraph, Mercedes is now threatening to take legal action under European competition laws (regulations that are formulated to prevent the abuse of a dominant position) if it gets left out of the incentives being offered to other top teams. Ecclestone may be forced to cave to Mercedes’ demands, lest he find himself back in court while losing a top team and engine supplier from his roster.
has a history of offering performance models that would make any niche supercar manufacturer cower. The latest among them is the , but the gullwing coupe and its roadster counterpart aren’t the extent of what the German automaker’s skunkworks have in store. No, that place of honor at the top of the Mercedes-Benz lineup will soon be taken by an SLS AMG Black Series.
Following in the footsteps of the , CLK63 AMG Black Series, and (most recently) the , the new SLS AMG Black Series promises to eclipse them all with an anticipated 560 horsepower, reduced curb weight and aggressive aerodynamics package.
These spy shots, snapped while the vehicle was undergoing cold-weather testing in the frigid north, also show the tell-tale widened fenders to house the upgraded rolling stock and a new front bumper to feed the over-clocked engine with all the air it needs to breathe.
We’re told to expect the SLS AMG Black Series sometime next year, but you can check out the spy shots now in our high-resolution image gallery.
Earlier today, we showed you a brace of images starring that will make its debut at the next month. But upon closer inspection, the folks at CarScoop found something very interesting hiding in the back of one of the GLK photos: the revised .
It’s unclear exactly which G-Class model this is, though our best guess is that it’s the standard G550. (Those wheels look much too tame for an AMG model.) The G-Wagen’s overall design hasn’t changed (that’s fine, we like it just the way it is), but updates for the 2013 model year include LED running lamps under the headlights and redesigned mirrors.
Word on the street is that the G-Class will feature a reworked interior for 2013, including a new instrument panel, steering wheel and consoles. The big news, however, is that the G55 AMG found in the other AMG models, though it’s unclear if its nomenclature will be altered. You know, because G63 AMG absolutely makes sense.
Mum’s the word on when the official G-Class details will be released, but since the car appears to be finished and already posing for photos, we don’t expect Mercedes-Benz to hold off for too much longer.
Swedish Model Goes To The Polestar Gym, Comes Back Stronger
has its M Division. has AMG and has a range of S- and RS-badged models. has… well, what does Volvo have, anyway? Yes, we’re all familiar with the brand’s sterling reputation for safety, and in recent times, for attractive Swedish design. Not long ago, with the introduction of the latest sedan, Volvo even took a stab at injecting some so-called into its machinery. And while all those adjectives are welcome, Volvo’s reputation in the United States has never really included performance, despite some credible offerings like the , 850R and S60R.
Interestingly enough, that’s not necessarily the case in its home market of Sweden, where Volvo has been racing and winning in competition for years, oftentimes with the assistance of a tuning company known as . Since 1996, Volvo has been working with Polestar in an official capacity, and for 2012, the automaker is introducing its United States customers to a slew of Polestar-infused models.
Volvo’s entire range of five- and six-cylinder models have been bolstered with performance updates from Polestar, and for the purposes of this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at the crossover. As it turns out, this Swedish ‘ute offers up plenty of reasons for consideration, even in the face of stiff opposition from Volvo’s formidable competition in the entry-level luxury segment.
When the doors open at Manhattahn’s Javitz Center for the in less than two weeks, will have a refreshed version of its on display. But you needn’t wait that long, as parent company Daimler has just released the full spectrum of details and photos of its updated entry-level crossover.
Decidedly evolutionary in its refresh, the 2013 GLK is characterized largely by the same sharp lines as the model it replaces, but now, the creases and sculpting is slightly more rounded and more dynamic in appearance. While the exterior has had its sharp edges smoothed out, the interior has likewise been updated, with those -derived retro air vents dominating the restyled dashboard and the gearshift lever moving to a stalk on the steering column in similar fashion to other recent Three-Pointed Star vehicles.
The biggest news, however, comes under the hood. While the existing GLK was only offered with a single engine, the new model will be available in two specs: the GLK350 with direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 now good for 302 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque (up from 268hp and 258 lb-ft), or the GLK250 BlueTEC diesel that, at 190 hp and 369 lb-ft, offers less power but far more twist from its 2.1 liters and four cylinders. While the updated GLK350 will be available starting in the summer, American buyers intent on the diesel will have to wait until early next year. Both are mated to a seven-speed automatic with stop-start ignition, and can be had in either rear-drive or 4Matic all-wheel drive.
There’s plenty more to delve into in the press release after the jump, and a whole mess of high-resolution photos in the gallery, so check ‘em out and watch this space for live coverage from the vehicle’s unveiling in New York.
GLK gets facelift, diesel option ahead of New York
