With just months to go before the debut of the new BMW M3 and M4, it’s only right that we’d catch a prototype or two testing. And we have: this M4 coupe prototype was spotted testing recently at the Nurburgring.
2014 BMW M4 Spy Shot – Front 3/4
The next-gen model will ditch the natural aspiration and V-8 engine for a twin-turbo six-cylinder model (an I-6, not the rumored V-6) that will make about 450 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque — an increase of 36 horsepower and 106 pound-feet over the current engine. Total weight loss for this new model is estimated to be 220 pounds through the adoption of a carbon fiber roof, trunk, and hood. With the increase in power and decrease in weight, the M4 you see here should be able to sprint to 62 mph in 4.3 seconds, down from 4.6.
2014 BMW M4 Spy Shot – HeadOn
We should see the final car this fall at the Los Angeles auto show, months before a summer 2014 release.
Last month, BMW confirmed that its long-awaited X4 crossover would debut next year, but other than imagining a smaller X6-shaped crossover. It’s no secret that BMW is planning to enlarge its crossover lineup with a more style-oriented version of its popular X3. However until Yesterday we had no idea how a compressed X6 would look like. Fortunately yesterday a Russian website (Autowp) leaked a handful of embargoed images this morning showing the X4 Concept that will be unveiled in a couple of weeks at the Shanghai Motor Show.
2015 BMW X4 Concept SUV – Head On
While the X4 follows the same general blueprint as the X6, the coupe-SUV combination appears to be better suited to the X4′s tighter proportions proportions. The X4′s exterior design is also aided by more organic character lines. The concept’s 21-inch wheels give the X4 a decidedly sporty look, but those rollers will likely be downsized for production.
2015 BMW X4 Concept SUV – Front 3/4
This thinly veiled concept truck should carry over almost untouched when it enters production with the exception of the door handles and the overly stylized fascias and side mirrors. According to CarScoops, it will measure the same length as the current X3 and use the same engine lineup as well.
2015 BMW X4 Concept SUV – Side Profile
The production version of the X4 will be built alongside the X5, X6 and X3 and BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Look for the road-going version of the X4 to make its world debut this fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with sales likely to kick off in early 2014.
2015 BMW X4 Concept SUV – Rear 3/4
Stay tuned, as we’ll have more information on this concept shortly.
With GM promising it’s loyal red, white, and blue followers five world debuts at next weeks New York Auto Show the rumor mills have been running rampant. One Model that was indirectly confirmed to be in the big apple next week will be the 2014 Cadillac CTS.
While the Detroit carmaker is holding back on the pictures, it confirmed details on the engine lineup, which is highlighted by a brand-new 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 gasoline unit paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission – both a first for the brand. The PR department has indicated that “The new powertrain is the highest-output V6 we’ve done in General Motors history,” said Richard Bartlett, assistant chief engineer for the engine. Which is a far cry from the 3.8-liter V6 found under the hood of my Dad’s old 88 Bonneville which could only manage a few ponies over 200, or the 245hp in his 98 supercharged model.
2014 Cadillac Twin Turbo 420hp LF3 Engine
The Brand-new 3.6-Liter unit will produce 420hp at 5750 rpm and 430 lb-ft of torque between 3500-4500 rpm. On this non-V CTS, Cadillac claims a 0-60 mph time of 4.6 seconds with a top speed of about 170 mph. A version of the engine will also be made available in the 2014 Cadillac XTS.
This LF3 engine will feature an all aluminum construction and will feature both direct injection and rather large intercooler. Official fuel-economy ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency haven’t been set, but Cadillac expects the new CTS engine will be rated at 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway, running on required premium fuel. It will be available only in a rear-wheel-drive layout.
2014 Cadillac Twin Turbo 420hp LF3 Engine
The next-generation CTS will carry over the 3.6-liter V6 from the current car (likely as a base engine) and also add the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder from the ATS. The twin-turbo V6 is the most powerful of three engines announced for the redesigned CTS. We had to look up stats on those engines and discovered the following: The naturally aspirated directed injected 3.6-liter V6 is rated at 321 hp at 6,800 rpm and 275 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm; and the Cadillac ATS’ turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder is dialed up to 272 hp at 5,500 rpm and 295 lb-ft at 1,700 rpm.
2014 Cadillac CTS – Front 3/4 Spy Shot
We are expecting the turbocharged four and naturally aspirated V6 will be the only all-wheel-drive engines of choice due to the huge amount of that the twin turbos can produce in the newly introduced V6 engine. The rear-drive naturally aspirated V6 will also be mated to the new eight-speed transmission, while the all-wheel-drive variant and the turbocharged four-cylinder will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
2014 Cadillac CTS – Rear 3/4 Spy Shot
In GM’s release there was no mention of the ATS-V, but if the 420-hp twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6 can make the 2014 CTS accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds, it may do just fine under the hood of the ATS.
The 2014 CTS goes on sale this fall and the brand has clearly addressed the one area where they were not yet able to compete with their German rivals, which in the words of jeramy Clarkson is “POWER!!!!!” Tune back next week when the cars official images will be released to see if the aggression from under the hood will translate to the body-lines of the car.
All the numbers for the CTS’ Engine and Transmission Options
Maserati has revealed it plans to show its new four-seater GranTurismo alongside the Quattroporte at the upcoming Geneva auto show. When Maserati launched the GranTurismo MC Stradale back in 2010 at the Paris Motor Show, its goal was to create a more performance-orientated version of the Pininfarina-designed coupe, with more power, less weight and a stiffer suspension.
2014 Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale – Front 3/4
Maserati says the GranTurismo MC Stradale takes its “inspiration from the racing version which competes in the Maserati Trofeo Championship.” However unlike the original MC Stradale, this car will not remove the rear seats meaning it will seat four. Other than that the 4-seater GranTurismo MC Stradale is identical to its 2013 MC 2-seater sibling.
The exterior styling of the GranTurismo MC Stradale has been taken to the next level and is highlighted by a new carbon fiber hood with an integrated air scoop. There are also new air extractors at the rear, and the updated GranTurismo MC Stradale rides on new look 20-inch forged alloy wheels.
2014 Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale – Rear 3/4
Under the hood is the brand’s (or Ferrari’s) latest refresh of the 4.7-liter V8 engine making 455 hp, mated to a sequential 6-speed automatic transmission for quick shifts and enabling a top speed of 188 mph. And while it may be track focused, Maserati boasts that the new 4.7-liter engine is also more efficient, meaning fewer emissions, however they have yet to tell us how they have managed that feat.
The GranTurismo MC Stradale will make its world debut next week at the Geneva Motor Show alongside the European debut of the all-new 2014 Quattroporte.
Jeep is not afraid to take risks, that’s for certain. This is officially the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, which replaces the Liberty, except in foreign markets, where that car was called the Cherokee all along. Jeep has pulled the sheets off the Cherokee well in advance of its New York auto show debut. The 2014 Jeep Cherokee replaces the Liberty midsize SUV and, finally, the U.S.-spec version’s badges will match those of the European model.
2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited – Front 3/4
Jeep has only released a handful of shots of the trucklet’s new nose, not showing off the profile or rear view (we note that today’s spy shots didn’t show the rear, either), but they do give the best look yet at what is likely to be one of the most polarizing designs to come out in 2014. The crimped-back seven-slot grille is a big enough design change that it will take some getting used to, but add in the Cherokee’s aggressive split-lens headlamp treatment and you’ve got the makings of a design revolution.
2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited – In Motion
It also announced that the model will start to arrive in dealerships during the third quarter. In a previous report by Automotive News, we learned that powering the Cherokee is a 3.2-liter V-6 engine based on Chrysler’s 3.6-liter Pentastar engine. It also gets an all-new 9-speed front-wheel-drive automatic transmission that ZF Friedrichshafen designed. We won’t be surprised either when it is announced the Cherokee will also have the 2.4-liter TigerShark four-cylinder and possibly 3.0-liter diesel for Europe on the options list. Fuel economy improvement will be more than 45 percent versus the outgoing mid-size SUV model (aka Liberty).
2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited – Interior
The all-new, “no-compromise” 2014 Jeep Cherokee sets a new standard with even more best-in-class capability, exemplary on-road driving dynamics, and fuel economy improvements of more than 45 percent versus the outgoing mid-size SUV model. The 2014 Jeep Cherokee will hit dealer showrooms in the third quarter of this year and production is expected to begin in May at the Chrysler Group’s Toledo, Ohio assembly plant.
Now isn’t this a tantalizing glimpse of the Geneva Auto Show bound Toyota GT-86 convertible “concept car”. The picture was snapped in Cape Town, South Africa, where we are guesstimating that it was participating in a photo shoot ahead of its big debut party during the big show next month. Seeing it finally in the flesh confirms that the convertible is just as pretty as the rendering that we have previously posted.
Toyota GT-86 convertible “concept car”
You can see them by clicking on the hyper links below:
This is repost as i’m updating the server back up and web servers, so the following is from AutoBlog word for word.
“Word has it General Motors may offer as much as 700 horsepower in the C7 Corvette ZR1. Motor Trendreports the next Corvette Z06 will continue to rely on its naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V8 engine for thrust, but the lump will deliver substantially more power. How much more? MT says the engine could deliver up to 600 ponies. That’s a jump of 95 horsepower over the current Z06, though no figures have been finalized as of yet. Right now, GM is reportedly waiting to see what sort of grunt it can glean from the next ZR1.
2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette – With the other 6 Generations
The automaker has already made it clear it will resurrect the LT5 name for the new supercharged V8, and if GM is already pulling 600 from the Z06, the big dog ZR1 would theoretically offer 700 horsepower. Either way, the range-topping Corvette will be suitably insulated from its less potent siblings. Stay tuned. We aren’t likely to see the Z06 for at least a year, with the ZR1 trailing along at some point there after.”
This photo, which leaked online by VWVortex and picked up by a number of other sources this morning, allegedly show the new GTI which will allegedly be dropping the concept car badge to become the official 2014 VW GTI.
The new GTI will use the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the 2013 Audi S3 tuned to 217 hp, modest 17-hp bump from the current GTI.
However, the MkVII GTI should feel much faster, thanks to an extra 50 lb-ft of torque and a reportedly lighter curb weight than the current car’s 3034 pounds. Auto Express reports that the GTI will now make the sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds, down from 6.9 seconds.
Confirming on-again, off-again rumors that a drop-top version of the GT86 is in the works, a concept version of the GT86, called the FT-86 Open Concept, will debut in the Swiss city. While it’s not confirmed for production, Toyota has said it, “previews a possible future development of the award-winning GT86 sports coupe.”
Toyota FT-86 – Open Concept Car Sketch
Named the FT-86 Open concept, Toyota says it “previews a possible future development of the award-winning GT86 sports coupe” and that its goal is to “gauge the public reaction to the idea of an open-top GT86″.
The Japanese carmaker went one step further adding that “testing of a prototype version of the car is already underway”, which means if public reaction is positive, we could see a production model within the next year or so in both Toyota 86/GT86 and Scion FR-S trims.
The teaser sketch reveals very little about the FT86 Open but it confirms that the convertible retains four seats. Whether it comes with a soft top or a retractable hard top is not currently known, though rumors indicate that Toyota has picked the first option in order to save as much weight as possible.
After debuting in Geneva as a thinly-masked concept, the FT86 Open will be added to the Toyota lineup as a regular production model before the end of the year. It will be sold under the Scion banner in the U.S.
McLaren has released video footage with a P1 prototype, ahead of an official unveiling slated for later this year. As previously reported, the production version of the P1 will retain 97 percent of the concept’s design and will suffer minor changes to the front bumper. The rear end will receive a tighter mesh design which will still show the supercar’s mechanics.
2014 McLaren P1 – Spy Shot of the Front 3/4
The camouflaged P1 mules we’ve scooped testing in Southern Europe are helping the McLaren engineers develop bespoke components for the P1. Japanese outfit Akebono has the task of delivering a braking system able to rein in the P1′s power, likely to be north of 900bhp. That output comes courtesy of an upgraded 12C twin-turbo V8 (pumping out around 720bhp) and an F1-inspired KERS electric motor boost system. Ferrari’s new F150 hybrid will boast electric assistance, though the Italian car uses a mid-mounted, normally aspirated V12. Expect the McLaren P1 to cost around 1.2 Million dollars.
2014 McLaren P1 – Spy Shot of the Reart 3/4
The McLaren P1 will debut in Geneva a little over a month from now. God willing, so will the Ferrari Enzo successor, which would make Geneva 2013 the best auto show ever, as the two sides passive-aggressively trash talk each other in their respective press conferences. The team at McLaren Automotive has continued the relentless testing program for the car. The goal being: to produce the best driver’s car in the world on road and track.
