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Filed under: Spy Photos, Buick, Opel
It's no secret that the
Buick Regal is an Americanized version of the
Opel Insignia, and
Buick even uses this fact to try and persuade the public that the car is a European sport sedan rather than just a way to try and make some profit from the black-ink-challenged Opel unit. The Opel Insignia is headed for a mid-cycle facelift very soon, and camoflaged test cars have been snagged by spy photographers.
While the models in the photographs are a European-spec hatchback and a wagon, there's clearly a new grille in the works, and the headlights and tail lamps will be changed, plus some other minor nips/tucks. The Insignia will debut the changes first, and we'd expect the Regal to pick them up soon after.
Opel Insignia facelift spotted... will Buick's Regal get one too? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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April 12th, 2012
Filed under: Spy Photos, Hybrid, Sedan, Paris Motor Show, Fisker, Electric
Who wants to wait until the
official unveiling of the
Fisker Nina plug-in hybrid next week when we can see spy shots right this second? Neither do we.
So, what do the shots reveal? For starters, we can see that the Nina is indeed shorter than its
Karma big brother. This is expected, but the impression we have is that the Karma's design language translates quite well into a vehicle about the size of a
BMW 5 Series. The front end, too, sports a moustache-like grille that's similar to the one on the Karma. On the back side, the "EVer" badge is still proudly in place, but the
non-functional diamond-shaped exhaust outlets are missing. The four-door sedan's rear doors have the handles hidden smoothly between the window and the C-pillar. Then there are the wheels. It's hard to miss those. If you want to compare the Nina with the Karma directly, open the gallery above as well as
this gallery in another tab and click away.
The problem with these images is that they still don't tell us much about the car itself. We've heard the cost for the Nina, which is supposed to be
powered by a BMW four-cylinder engine, will be about the same as a top-of-the-line
BMW 3 Series. That implies something north of $45,000, despite what Vice President Joe Biden
said back in October of 2009: "It looks like a four-door Ferrari, I can't believe it's only going to be $40,000." We'll hopefully know more when we get to the
New York Auto Show next week.
After all the problems Fisker has had with the Karma launch and the DOE loan, it's important to remember that it's the vehicle you see above that the DOE has been helping with all along. Do you like where your tax dollars have gone?
Fisker Nina caught peeking out before New York reveal originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 29th, 2012
Tags:
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Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz has a history of offering performance models that would make any niche supercar manufacturer cower. The latest among them is the
SLS AMG, 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
SLK55 AMG Black Series, CLK63 AMG Black Series,
SL65 AMG Black Series and (most recently) the
C63 AMG Black Series, 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.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series caught braving the cold originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 23rd, 2012
Filed under: Spy Photos, Hybrid, Etc., Technology, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Electric
Our spy photographers managed to spot something curious (and decidedly hilarious) recently.
General Motors has been busy testing what would appear to be
Chevrolet Volt models with massive 20-inch wheels and tires in place of the low-rolling resistance pieces on the stock plug-in.
Why? Guesses are slim at the moment, but one hypothesis is that this is actually our first glimpse at a
Cadillac Converj test mule. That vehicle will make use of an altered version of the
Voltec drivetrain found in the
Chevrolet, albeit bolted to flashier wheels. The luxury hybrid has been an on-again-off-again affair for
General Motors since the concept first rolled across the stage at the
2009 Detroit Auto Show.
Last we heard, the Converj is on track for launch in either 2013 or 2014. If true, now would be the time to begin working out any engineering bugs on the rumored Voltec 1.5 system. With luxury buyers more willing to hand over stacks of cash for new technology, the Converj could make quite a bit more sense to buyers than the Volt. Or bolting chrome dubs to a hybrid, for that matter.
Is this dub-rockin' Chevrolet Volt actually a Cadillac Converj in disguise? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 22nd, 2012
Tags:
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Etc.,
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Filed under: Spy Photos, Etc., Europe, Crossover, Audi, Design/Style, Luxury
Our spy photographers have nabbed the first glimpse at the upcoming
Audi Q6 - a crossover that's being designed to give the
BMW X6 something to torment on the playground. These shots show that the Q6 will ride on an altered version of same platform underpinning the current
Q5, but from the look of things, the Q6 is a good bit longer and wider than its donor with a little extra ride height to boot. Of course, this is simply a test mule undergoing development, so don't count on the thoroughly awkward B-pillar we see in these shots making it all the way to production.
So far, the German automaker hasn't said much about what buyers can expect to find under the hood, but we wouldn't be shocked to see anything other than a selection of the same troop of engines currently powering the company's stable. That means a powertrain lifted from the parts bin of the Q5 and the
Q7. A supercharged 3.0-liter V6 would provide a nice foil for the 300-horsepower X6 xDrive35i, though more thrust would be necessary to parry the X6 xDrive50i with its 400-horsepower, turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. The company's home market will likely get one or two diesel powerplants, as well.
Audi Q6 mule spotted testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 21st, 2012
Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Volkswagen, Electric, Diesel
Just over one year ago, we heard reports suggesting that Volkswagen would
actually be building a production version of its
Formula XL1 concept for limited consumption. And while the skeptics among us were quick to dismiss these reports with a resounding "yeah, right," this latest set of spy shots show that
Volkswagen is indeed making progress on an honest-to-goodness road-going model of its 1.0-liter fuel economy warrior.
It's still unclear exactly what will power the production XL1, though the concept car featured a two-cylinder TDI diesel paired with an electric motor, lithium-ion battery pack and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. All in, this is said to be good for an astonishing 235 miles per gallon. It might look big and sleek, but the XL1 is about as long and wide as a Volkswagen Polo. It should be ultra-light, too - the concept version tipped the scales at just 1,753 pounds.
The XL1 might look sleek and sporty, but performance will be anything but. The latest report from our spy shooter's sources state that the production car will be limited to a stop speed of about 75 miles per hour, and that it'll take 32(!) seconds to shoot from a standstill to 50 mph, even though earlier reports have suggested a 0-62 time of as little as 11.9 seconds.
We'll keep our eyes peeled for future XL1 prototypes as development continues, but for now, scroll through our attached high-res image gallery to see the space-age VW for yourself.
Groundbreaking pre-production Volkswagen XL1 caught testing on the ice originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 19th, 2012
