The 2014 Mercedes C-Class (codenamed BR205) has been spotted during its first winter testing, and here are a few spy shots of the model. As you can see in these images, the pictured mule is wearing quite some heavy camouflage which makes it really difficult to see the lines of the new design, with the only exception of the roof. The model is expected do draw some inspiration from the F800 Concept Car showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010, especially as far as its front end is concerned. Considering that the C-Class is probably the most important model for Mercedes-Benz, it seems unlikely that they will experiment too much with the design of the new model, but in order to compete with such cars as the Audi A4 and the 3-Series from BMW it will have to look dynamic and sporty.

The new C-Class will come with an engine range made of several petrol and diesel units, but it will also see the addition of a hybrid powertrain for the first time. The sedan version will be the first C-Class body-type to become available on the market in early 2014, followed by the wagon a few months later. The coupe and convertible version instead are supposed to debut in early 2015. Apparently, the new C-Class will be produced in the US as well: rumor has it that the Alabama plant will build the C-Class as well as the GL and M-Class.

Tesla just introduced its new Model X Concept at its headquarters in Palo Alto, California, in front of over 1000 attendants. The car is an all-electric crossover that will join the Roadster and the Model S as the third model in Tesla’s range, and has been described by its maker as ‘more responsive’ than a Porsche 911 and ‘roomier’ than an Audi Q7.

The Model X is powered by the same electric powertrain of the Model S and it can be coupled to a battery packages of 40, 60 or 85 kWh, that would provide the model with a range between 145 and 270 miles (233 and 435 km), thereby a good 10% less than the Model S. The Model X is also the first model to adopt Tesla’s Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive system, which provides for two extra electric motors giving the car a proper 4-wheel drive traction.

Design-wise, the car sports a quite captivating curvy dome and an interesting an innovative “Falcon Wing” rear doors opening system, a new take on the classic gullwing-doors concept. According to Tesla, this configuration will allow for an easier access to the rear seats. The cabin in fact can host up to seven people over three rows, and offers the same sort of electronic trickery that can be found on the Model S as well, but with better finishing. At the moment the Tesla Model S is still a prototype, but the definitive version of the car is already scheduled to enter the market in early 2013.

View the full Tesla Model X Concept photo gallery

This lot of spy shots comes once again from cold Northern Scandinavia, and the mule wearing that heavy cammo is the new Citroen C4 Sedan, a three-box version of the popular French family car. The current C4 Sedan is sold mostly in China, but with other small sedans popping up, from different manufactures (we had some Opel Astra Sedan spy photos just yesterday) it is possible that this car will find its way in several European markets.

Apparently, in countries like Italy and Spain and in Eastern Europe, the smaller sedan segment is experiencing a certain growth, and some European manufacturer might want to exploit the moment. As for the engine range, we expect the power to come from the well-known units that are already fitted in the other C4 models.

View Citroen C4 sedan spy shots photo gallery

Opel Astra’s line-up is going to welcome yet another addition in the form of a brand new three-box sedan. The mule pictured in these spy shots sports a mildy disguised rear end that let us understand pretty well the sort of the design the final model will use, and quite frankly there’s nothing really exciting there. This kind of body-type hasn’t been successful in Europe for quite a while, and at the moment it is unclear whether Opel will have it marketed in these countries.

The Opel Astra sedan is expected to borrow the same engine range of the hatchback, meaning the naturally aspirated 1.4- and 1.6-litre (producing 100 and 115 hp respectively), a turbocharged 1.4 litre unit delivering 140 hp and, possibly, the 180 hp supercharged 1.6 too. As for diesel options, there is a 95 hp 1.3 and a 1.7-litre unit available in three power steps, 110, 125 and 130 hp, this last one with standard start-stop system. At the moment, the inclusion in the range of the powerful 2.0-litre CDTI unit (producing 165 hp) seems quite unlikely.

The heavily disguised mule featured in these spy shots from Northern Sweden is the new Kia K9, a new sedan based on the same rear wheel drive platform of the Hyundai Genesis that some people on the internet call ‘the South Korean answer to the Maserati Quattroporte‘. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it? Still, the next flagship for the Korean manufacturer will come with an engine line-up that does sound quite promising: a 3.8-litre V6 delivering 333 hp, a 4.6-litre V8 delivering 385 hp and also a 5.0-litre V8 producing 429 hp. The V8 units will be available in North America only while a diesel powertrain is also in the works to rise more interest among European motorists. The new K9 will come with a standard 8-speed automatic transmission, but a 10-speed gearbox option is also being developed.

Rumor has it that the car will eventually adopt the name ‘Opirus’ and will complete Kia’s three-box line up that features the Forte (C-segment), Optima/K5 (D-segment) and Cadenza/K7 (E-segment). Aesthetically, this car seams to bear some resemblance with the GT Concept we had seen at the latest Frankfurt Motor Show (see gallery below), while the headlights seem to be using full-Led technology. Kia K9/Oprusl is expected to debut by the end of the current year.

View the full Kia K9 spy shots photo gallery
View the full Kia GT Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show photo gallery

When we first saw the Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet Concept (pictured) at the Worthersee Tour last summer, we thought that - giant rims aside - the model had little or nothing to do with what a concept car is supposed to be. It was pretty clear that that car could have been turned into a production-ready model with just a handful of mild corrections and, according to Auto Express, this is exactly what is about to happen. Apparently, the definitive VW Golf GTI Cabriolet will be premiered at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show (March 8-18) and will be basically identical to the ‘regular’ model it is based upon, with the obvious exception of the chopped off roof. This means that the model will make use of the same 211 hp 2.0-litre TFSI engine 211 CV and DSG dual clutch transmission of the current VW Golf GTI.

Here are some spy shots of the much anticipated BMW i8, the hybrid plug-in sportscar which is scheduled to enter the market in 2014. The pictured mule has been spotted while undergoing some cold weather test in snowy Sweden, and doesn’t seem to show any dramatic change in comparison to the concept version we had seen at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September.

The mildly disguised bodywork of this mule is still very reminiscent of the lines showcased by the concept, with the most notable differences being the design of both front and tail lights and the slightly different doors. This prototype sports a front end that seems to adopt the new BMW design language that started with the new 3-series, while a set of more conventional rims has replaced the futuristic 5-spoke design we had seen on the concept version. However, by the time 2014 will come, they might decide to change some of these features.

The BMW i8 should come with a 2+2 seat configuration and a plug-in hybrid powertrain with the classic engine mounted in the middle and the electric motor on the front axle. Some performance figures are also circulating: 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration in less than 5 seconds and an average fuel consumption in the 3 l/100 km area.

What we have here is a bunch of spy shots picturing a Skoda Superb prototype equipped with Scout parts, which has been spotted together with a mule of the production version of the VisionD concept car. Rumors of a Superb Scout model have been floating around for quite some time, and we suspect that the car has probably been ready for almost as long as these rumors have, but as usual it’s Skoda’s parent company Volkswagen that makes the decisions, and it is likely that VW wanted to find a better time to introduce this model in order to not get in the way of their own Passat Alltrack.

In light of the fact that it is Volkswagen making the rules here, we guess that Skoda will not be allowed to use the 170 hp TDI engine for their Superb Scout. Chances are that the model will end up using the less performing 140 hp TDI unit, but at this moment there is no official information on this topic. The Superb Scout is expected to share engines and drivetrains with the ‘regular’ Superb 4×4.

In order to figure out the possible new design of the next Porsche Cayman, it would be enough to take a look at the new Boxster and then get carried away by the imagination. These spy shots of the new Cayman show us a mule that is still pretty disguised, but it is not to difficult to spot the similarities between this prototype and the recently unveiled Porsche Boxter. This kinship gets even more evident looking at the interior of the car, which bears some resemblance with other recent models such as the 911 (991 series) and the 918 Spyder. It is fair to assume that the next Cayman, in the comparison with the latest Boxster, will just have a different rear end.

As for the engine range, the new Cayman should make use of the same 2.7 and 3.4 litre units equipping the Boxster, but they’ll probably be a little more powerful than the 265 and 315 hp boasted by Boxster’s engine line-up. Thereby, the new model should turn out to be more performing than its predecessor, also because of its new aluminum bodyshell that is arguably the most significant enhancement over the current version. Other remarkable features will include electronic power steering and torque vectoring system. the new Cayman is expected to make its debut toward the end of the current year.

The long-awaited seventh generation of the mighty Volkswagen Golf is expected to debut on the market worldwide in the second half of the current year, and a new GTI version of the iconic hatchback is obviously in the works too. According to some rumors collected by website GermanCarBlog, the new Golf range will weigh - roughly and on average - a good 70 kg less than the current version thanks to the extensive use extra high-strength steel in the shell, optimized suspension and lighter engines and components. Apparently, the new Golf GTI will go even further than that.

The next sporty version of the German hatch is in fact supposed to make use of even more aluminum, which should result in an overall weight loss of about 100 kg over the current GTI, which boasts a dry weight of 1,320 kg. Rumor has it that the roof will also be made of steel, a move that will play a part in keeping its center of mass as low as possible.

This diet will obviously be an adavantage for the new engine too: the revised 2.0 TSI engine of the next model should end up receiving an extra 20 hp, boosting the total output of the model in the 230 hp region, while the maximum torque figure should go up from 280 to 300 Nm. No doubt these are really interesting figures, which can just add up to the anticipation. The pictures featured in this article are old spy shots of the new Golf GTI and Golf R provided by our parent site Autoblog.it, that date back to last July.

View the full Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R spy shots photo gallery

via | GermanCarBlog

A few months after it was last spotted and immortalized in some sneaky picture, the new Porsche 911 Turbo 991-series has been caught on camera again by our photographers. The mule pictured in these spy shots during some winter testing is still wearing some heavy camouflage that doesn’t allow us to see its front and rear bumpers, which have always been among the most distinctive features of the previous 911 Turbo. Same goes for the air intakes, including the ones on the sides of the vehicle. However, insiders report that the car will get a brand new rear wing with a mobile part as well as specifically designed mufflers.

As for the engine, it is fair to assume that the Turbo version of the 911/991 will come with a twin-turbo variant of the 3.8-litre boxer engine that can be found under the bonnet of the recent ‘Carrera S‘, but with an output in excess of 500 hp. This power will be transmitted to all four wheels through Porsche’s signature automatic 7-speed PDK ‘dual clutch’ transmission. Although no confirmations are currently available on the subject, some people think that the new Porsche 911 Turbo will be officially unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, in March.

Here are some spy shots of the next Hyundai model that is up for a mid-life facelift, the i20. The pictured mule is wearing quite some heavy camouflage, but we expect the exterior of the re-styled i20 to be influenced by the design language adopted by the i40, especially as far as headlights and front bumper are concerned. The rear end should undergo a similar treatment too - as the abundance of camo on this mule would suggest - but this set of shots doesn’t say much on the subject. Since our photographers reported that the interior of the car was even more hidden than the outside (meaning that not only the dashboard was covered, front and rear seats were as well) we predict some major changes in the passenger compartment too.