Autoblog

With the mostly unloved Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren set to get the official axe in 2009, the path is clear for the next McLaren-branded supercar to be unveiled. Expected to be built at its facility in Woking, England, McLaren has plans for the as-yet-unnamed vehicle to compete with Ferrari's incredible F430. Rumored to be powered by a 550-horsepower V8 engine featuring a basic design snagged from Mercedes and built by Mahle (that of the former Cosworth tuning fame), the power-to-weight ratio should handily outdo that of the Prancing Horse. Shortly after the new coupe codenamed P11 is unveiled, a convertible version is also expected.

True hardcore McLaren enthusiasts should mark 2012 as the year that McLaren returns to form with a proper replacement for its awe-inspiring F1 of a few years back. Powered by a lightweight version of the P11 architecture, this car codenamed the P12 is expected to be powered by a V10 engine with over 600 horsepower. The waiting list will likely start right... about... now.

[Source: Autocar]

There's a new MG TF on its way to replace the current TF, which is once again rolling out the doors at its Longbridge, UK ancestral home. The new TF will be available as a roadster, natch, and as a coupe, and based on the Roewe 550. AutoExpress has worked up some renderings based on insider information about the new rear-drive MG, and the car amounts to a smorgasbord of cues from a variety of unfortunately styled vehicles. There's a lot of X80 concept, a dash of the crosseyed Qvale Mangusta, and a peppering or two of the MG SV, too. The end result looks like something Noddy assembled in a candlelit workshop, but then again, so does the existing MG TF.

The underlying platform for the new TF is one of the last vestiges of MG Rover, and would have been used for the MG ZS/Rover 45 replacement. Ricardo also played a role in the development of the chassis, which will have a turbocharged 1.8-liter four and a 2.5-liter V6 as power options. Still, more coupes in the MX5's sandbox can't be a bad thing, so we wish the new MG TF well, and hope that it comes to the United States for a proper taunting.

[Source: Auto Express]

The rendering specialists at AutoBild have come up with images of the next Passat. It gets a bit more character in the twin swage lines running down the side of the body, a feature that is looking like the next big design thing. The front end continues the tripartite bumper design VW has recently taken up, but swaps the giant headlamps for some sleek, stylized numbers reminiscent of Audi.

We aren't sure about the sedan design. It looks like it could be a contender with character... or it could be a sedan just trying to be fancy. The wagon, however, looks pretty sexy. We'll know when we see it in the flesh, but the Passat CC is probably a good indicator in the mean time, so if you like that, then you'll probably like this.

[Source: AutoBild via German Car Blog]

The original Ford Capri was born in the early '70s as sort of a European take on the all-American Mustang and it looks like Ford may be on the verge of reviving the nameplate. Now that the Volkswagen has brought back the Scirocco (in Europe at least) Ford looks set to create a coupe off the Focus platform with the old name. Unlike another rendering we saw last month, this one doesn't have the rear fender vents, but sticks with the current fashion of front fender openings (or at least the appearance of openings). The style of this rendering takes the kinetic design language of Ford's Euro line and applies it to a shooting brake-style coupe very similar to the Volvo C30 (which also sits on the Focus C1 platform) and mixes in hints of the Mazda RX-8. At least it's all being kept in the family. If this new Capri does happen, it likely won't appear before the early years of the next decade, although a concept could appear somewhere in 2009.

[Source: AutoExpress]

This latest rendering of the long-rumored return of the Isetta brand, an offshoot of BMW, looks much more modern than any previous rendering that we've seen of the rolling mini-retro-mobile. According to the accompanying report on Autocar, the rear-engined zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) has indeed been approved by BMW, though we've heard nothing truly official as of yet. If true, the U.S. would be the likely first market to see the Isetta, possibly as early as 2012.

At this point, BMW is reportedly still deciding whether or not to offer both electric and internally-combusted versions of the new city car. BMW has quite a few small engines currently powering their line of motorcycles, and one of these engines could make an appearance in the rear of the vehicle. Possible powertrains also include a hybrid, natural gas or even fuel cell variants. Because of the high investment required to get the proposed vehicle off the ground, BMW could partner with Daimler-Benz which already offers its own tiny car under the smart brand. Rumors also link long-time BMW partner Manga Steyr to the project. Interestingly, the Canadian based auto parts giant has recently confirmed that they are working on hybrid vehicle development.

[Source: Autocar]

Thankfully we can officially report that the humongously ugly rendering of a GT-R based SUV, which appeared in Best Car's early February edition, has no basis in reality. Reliable sources, both at Nissan's HQ in Tokyo and at the company's development center in Zama, who typically answer questions with non-committal "can neither confirm nor deny" statements, were adamant that no such project exists.

With the GT-R snatching the Porsche 911's crowns left, right and center, and the upcoming new hardcore Z rumoured to be a Cayman eater, Porsche can relax in the knowledge that the Cayenne, at least, is safe for now.

Click image to enlarge

We don't know if the shot you see above is an official picture of the new F01 BMW 7 Series or not, but it looks to be a pretty accurate rendition of what we've seen so far in spy shots. The front of the car apes the design language of the BMW CS Concept rather nicely, with dual oversized kidney-shaped grilles dominating the rather sedate-looking headlights. The sides are mostly devoid of flame surfacing, with a high character line drawing the eyes to the rear where the bangle-butt of the old model gets major lipo. We also note that the design mimics the current high-beltline trend, reducing the total surface area of glass considerably.

All-in-all, this appears to be a rather conservative design as compared with the CS Concept, along with BMW's other efforts over the last few years. We'll reserve final judgement for the day we get to see the new 7 Series in the flesh, of course, perhaps in September at the Paris Auto Show. Thanks for the tip, Brett!

[Source: BimmerFile]

Mazda's 6 is having a tough time finding love in its home market where it goes by the Atenza moniker. 7Tune is reporting that Mazda's going to flip the script and introduce three new variants of the Atenza; a coupe, a convertible, and a high performance version called the Mazdaspeed Atenza for JDM consumption. Mazda looked to the holy-grail BMW 3 series for inspiration, though that car is rear-wheel-drive, and hopes to achieve the same build quality with its Atenza line.

The vehicles in 7Tunes renderings are more conservatively styled than the current 3-Series, though that's hardly a bad thing. We think the renderings are easy on the eyes, with clear RX-8 influences, though all suffer from a basket-handle spoiler tacked on to the trunklid. It's tough to imagine the Mazdaspeed Atenza amounting to anything other than a tasty snack for the monstrous M3, though we're sure the Mazda will comport itself sportily. If any of this conjecture rings true, it's tough to go wrong benchmarking the icon of the segment.

[Source: 7tune]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Geely NL Concept

Geely's Beijing Motor Show concept parade rolls on, and the latest preview from our counterparts at Autoblog Chinese focuses on the NL concept. As has been the case with many of these Beijing-bound concepts, details are scarce, and we can't vouch for the accuracy of the renderings you see in the enclosed gallery, either. If they're actually indicative of the vehicle that Geely will present, expect to see an SUV blending the general shape of the Ford Kuga with a front end that's vaguely reminiscent of an Opel Antara/Saturn Vue Red Line. In this case, things seem to come together rather nicely. We'll find out what the real deal is next week when the Beijing show kicks off.


[Source: Autoblog Chinese]

When Alfa Romeo revealed the engine line-up for the new MiTo hatchback, at the top of the list sat a turbocharged 1.8-liter four producing 230 horsepower. The notion of the punchy turbo sitting in the sumptuous little package set of a rash of speculation that the range-topper would warrant the application of Alfa's stoic GTA badge. Those rumors have now been rendered by Projetto955 into the image you see above, portraying what an Alfa MiTo GTA might look like. It's boiling over with go-fast features including jumbo wheels housed in bulging arches and connected by contoured side sills, with a big black lip spoiler jutting out the front and fender vents fore and aft to provide extra cooling for the added goin' and stoppin' power. While it has yet to be confirmed that the top of the range MiTo will indeed be a GTA, if it does, it's likely to look something like this.

[Source: Projetto955 via CarScoop]

Emerging reports suggest that Mercedes is gearing up to preview the new CLK coupe with a shooting brake concept at the upcoming Paris Auto Salon in October. For those unfamiliar, "shooting brake" is Euro-speak for a three-door estate wagon or extended hatchback, originally coined by coachbuilders for custom motor carriages made for hunting.

Although the CLK Shooting Brake is expected to show up as a concept car, reports suggest that Mercedes could actually build it in that form as an alternative bodystyle to the more conventional coupe and convertible variants replacing the ones we have now. Otherwise styling is expected to follow along the lines laid down by the S-Class sedan, like the E-Class sedan which the CLK is made to accompany in Merc's mid-range line-up.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport]