Flower Power: Alfa Romeo MiTo "Inked" by Louise Dear

Alfa Romeo has commissioned a one-off art piece to mark the UK launch of its congestion charge free MiTo 1.3 JTDM-2 Sprint, which is powered by an 85-horsepower turbo diesel that emits 95g/km of CO2 . Read more »

2012 Toyota HiLux Pickup Truck gains Refreshed Looks and More Powerful Diesel

Toyota has blessed its European market HiLux pickup truck with a mid-life facelift for the 2012 model year. The cosmetic surgery starts with the exterior that gains a redesigned front end sporting a different grille dressed in chrome, new bonnet, headlamps and front bumper. The changes continue with the redesigned front and rear wings, a new crop of 15- and 17-inch steel and alloy wheels, plus new door mirrors. Read more »

2012 Toyota Yaris: New Gallery with 86 Photos and UK Pricing

Toyota today announced prices for its next generation Yaris hatchback in Europe including the UK where the supermini is available for order now with first customer deliveries to take place in September.

The new Yaris is available in three- and five-door body styles with British buyers offered a choice of four grades (T2, TR, SR and T Spirit) and three engines including 1.0 and 1.33-litre petrol units and a 1.4-litre D-4D turbodiesel. On-the-road prices start from £11,700.

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2012 Audi A5 Coupe, Convertible and Sportback Receive a Mild Facelift

Audi today unveiled the facelifted versions of its A5 range which includes the Coupe, the Sportback and Cabriolet models. The company’s goal was to freshen up the A5’s exterior looks and to improve both their driving dynamics and fuel economy.

The 2012 Audi A5 range is available exclusively with direct injection engines featuring forced induction and stop-start and energy regeneration system as standard. As a result, Audi says fuel consumption has been decreased across the range by 11% on average and CO2 emissions by as much as 22%.

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GM Rumored to Offer Chevy Cruze with a 50mpg Diesel in the USA

Citing two unnamed people that were briefed earlier this week on GM’s future product plans, the Detroit Free Press reported today that the company is mulling the addition of a diesel engine to the Chevrolet Cruze’s range.

According to the insiders, a diesel version of the Cruze would return a highway fuel economy of around 50mpg rivaling the efficiency of the Toyota Prius hybrid which is rated at 51 mpg (4.6 lt/100 km) in the city and 48mpg (4.9 lt/100 km) on the highway. A diesel Cruze would also help GM meet the more demanding government gas mileage rules.

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BMW Creates New Performance Edition models to Celebrate Sponsorship of 2012 London Olympics

There are many ways to celebrate the sponsorship of an event like the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but when it comes to automakers, the norm is the introduction of special edition models.

For BMW, the festivities over its sponsorship of the games begin with the UK launch of two new Performance Edition models based on the 1-Series hatchback and 3-Series sedan.

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New BMW 6-Series Four-Door GT Spied in Black

Here are some fresh spy shots of BMW’s new Mercedes CLS and Audi A7 Sportback adversary, the four-door version of the latest 6-Series, which was spotted testing in Europe.

The third iteration of the 6-Series after the two-door Coupe and Convertible models will most likely be called the 6-Series GT or the 6-Series Gran Coupé and will reach showrooms in the first half of 2012. BMW believes the four door model will overshadow the rest of the range and predicts that it will account for around half of all 6-Series sales.

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Mercedes-Benz Outlines the New 2012 B-Class Small MPV Ahead of Frankfurt Show

We’ll know all the ins and outs of the new 2012 B-Class in about two months time at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but Mercedes today provided us with the first official teaser photos and initial specifications of its small MPV that will go on sale in Europe in November.

While the shape and styling of the new B-Class won’t surprise anyone given the close proximity to the current model, there’s more than meets the eye about the Mercedes-Benz model.

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New Peugeot 508 RXH with AWD Diesel-Electric Hybrid Drivetrain Takes on Audi’s A4 Allroad Quattro

Only a week after we brought you spy shots of Peugeot’s high-riding 508 SW, and the French carmaker released the first official photos of the production model that will carry the RXH moniker, ahead of its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September of 2011.

The new nameplate isn’t the only thing that differentiates Peugeot’s new crossover from the rest of the brand’s Outdoor models as the 508 RXH comes with all-wheel drive, courtesy of the Hybrid4 diesel-electric hybrid drivetrain.

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Lumma Design Unleashes BMW X6 xDrive40d

The German tuners over at Lumma Design are taking yet another stab on the BMW X6, this time, on the most powerful diesel model, the xDrive40d that is equipped with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six delivering 306-horses and 600Nm (442 lb-ft) of peak torque in factory tune.

After Lumma Design’s people get their way with the diesel unit by updating the software and adding a custom exhaust system, output is increased to a more hearty 340-horses and 670Nm (494 lb-ft).

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Redesigned Chrysler Grand Voyager MPV Reaches UK Shores

Chrysler’s facelifted for the 2011 model year Town & Country has arrived in Britain as the revised Grand Voyager. Different name aside, the UK market model features the same styling revisions as its American counterpart, including a redesigned nose, LED tail lamps, new rear bumper and revised tailgate on the outside, and a restyled dashboard and steering wheel on the inside.

However, instead of the new 283HP 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, the Grand Voyager is offered exclusively with 2.8-litre CRD diesel engine producing 161bhp at 3800rpm and 265lb ft of torque.

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2012 Range Rover Sport Benefits from 8-Speed Auto and More Powerful Diesel

After the introduction of the updated Discovery 4, Land Rover released details on its 2012 Range Rover Sport that features similar mechanical changes and equipment upgrades for the new model year.

As with the Discover 4, the Range Rover Sport’s more powerful 3.0-liter SDV6 diesel engine receives a 10HP boost lifting output from 245-horses to 256HP and is now mated to Land Rover’s new ZF 8HP70, 8-speed automatic gearbox. As a result, CO2 emissions have been reduced from 243g/km to 230g/km while combined fuel economy has improved from 30.7mpg to 32.1mpg UK.

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Land Rover Updates Discovery 4 / LR4 for 2012MY, gets New 8-Speed Auto Transmission

The Land Rover Discovery 4, also known as the LR4 in North America, is entering the 2012 model year with some minor refinements, the most important of which is the introduction of a new ZF 8HP70, 8-speed automatic transmission on the 3.0-liter SDV6 diesel engine which also benefits from a power boost.

First fitted to the Range Rover TDV8 for 2011, the 8-speed auto helps improve fuel consumption to 8.8lt/100km (26.7mpg US or 32.1mpg UK) in the combined cycle and bring down CO2 emissions from 244g/km to 230g/km.

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Only for Europe: New Ford Fiesta Sport Special Edition

Building on the success of the European market Fiesta Sport + (called the 1600S in the UK and Sport S in Germany) that was launched this past February, Ford has unleashed a new Sport Special Edition that includes further enhancements inside and out.

The latest sporty Fiesta is available with two engine options, the most potent of which is the 1.6-liter Duratec Ti-VCT petrol unit delivering 134-horses and 160Nm torque at 4,250rpm.

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ABT Kicks Off 2012 VW Beetle Tuning Party with the Speedle

The 2012 VW Beetle tuning wars have began. Leaving aside the Beetle RS project with some very light styling modifications by the enthusiast website VWVortex that we showed you back in June, ABT Sportsline is the first mainstream tuning firm to take on the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, or as the company likes to call it, the Speedle.

The noted VW Group tuner said it is still working on the performance upgrades for the latest Beetle, which won’t arrive in customer hands until September, but it can give us an idea of what to expect based on its current offerings.

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BMW 5-Series Gains New 2.0-Liter Four-Cylinder Turbo Engines, 5-Series GT gets the M Sport Treatment

There’s a lot going on in Munich today as BMW has unleashed details on its new model year portfolio. Following the news on the 6-Series, more of which you can read in our previous post here, we bring you the updates to the 5-Series range that includes the four-door sedan, the Touring (station wagon) and the Gran Turismo liftback.

We’ll begin with the changes to the engine lineup of the 5-Series saloon and Touring models. Starting from this fall, European buyers will be able to order the 5-Series with BMW’s brand-new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine, which is offered in two forms producing 184HP and 270Nm (199 lb-ft) in the 520i and 245HP and 350Nm (258 lb-ft) in the 528i.

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BMW Updates New 6-Series with M Sport, Diesel and xDrive Variants

BMW is wasting no time in enhancing the range of its recently launched 6-Series Coupé and Convertible models. To sum up the changes, from this autumn (and depending on the market, of course) both body styles will be available with an M Sport package, a new diesel engine and for the first time in the 6-Series model’s history, the Bavarian firm’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system.

Starting with the M Sport option, the package includes an M aerodynamics kit with bespoke front and rear bumpers, LED foglamps, 19-inch M light-alloy wheels in double-spoke design, sports seats with Alcantara/leather upholstery and an M leather steering wheel.

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AC Schnitzer Unwraps New BMW X3 Tuning Package

Available since autumn 2010, the second iteration of the BMW X3 continues to draw the attention of European tuners. Seen here in AC Schnitzer guise, the F25 X3 has been upgraded with a styling package and go-fast modifications.

For starters, AC Schnitzer has upped the performance on the 2.0-liter diesel-powered xDrive20d from 184-horses to 218HP, while the company is also working on a kit for the xDrive30d as well as the 6-cylinder 2.8i and 3.5i petrol models, which will be released later this year.

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New BMW 6-Series GT Four-Door Coupe Spied in the Wild

Not too long ago, we brought you official design sketches of the production version of last year’s BMW Gran Coupé Concept. Now, our man with the long lens has captured an actual prototype that is production ready with only a few splashes of BMW’s traditional swirly camouflage covering its sides and rear end.

BMW’s first ever attempt to rival the Mercedes CLS in the so-called four-door coupe segment will most likely carry either the 6-Series GT or 6-Series Gran Coupé moniker.

Whatever the name, the sporty looking sedan model will share its underpinnings with the new 6-Series and of course the latest 5-Series, which forms the basis for BMW’s flagship coupe and convertible models.

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BMW Turbocharges X1 SUV with New 2.0 liter Gasoline and Diesel Engines

BMW is extending its smallest SUV’s range by adding two new engines to the X1's line-up. The first unit, which will be available this autumn, is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine producing 184HP and 270 Nm (27,5 kgm) from 1,250-4,500 rpm.

The compact crossover will be available in both rear and four-wheel drive versions bearing the sDrive20i and xDrive20i designations respectively, and which accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 7.4 (sDrive) and 7.8 (xDrive) seconds.

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