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

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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.

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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

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Three years after the launch of the latest generation, Mercedes introduces a restyled version of its E-Class, dubbing it ‘model year 2012′. The large sedan of the three-pointed star house expands its offer aiming at a younger and more dynamic custom-base, promising a more sporty and exciting driving experience. This doesn’t mean that Mercedes is adding more versions to the already large E-Class family, they actually did quite the opposite: in an attempt to simplify things, they have reduced the number of the variants, but those which survived the slashing will get a fairly enriched standard equipment. However, the classic Mercedes-Benz’s partition in three levels of equipment - Executive, Elegance and Avantgarde - is still in place.

The entry level version now comes with ILS bi-xenon lights, LED daylight strips and new 17″ alloys, which join features such as the multifunctional steering wheel and the advanced info-tainment system with Bluetooth connectivity in the standard equipment. All that already makes it quite a rich entry level model. The Elegance trim confirms its more comfort-oriented attitude, while the new Avantgarde variant pushes the boundaries of its sporty feeling even further: the car now includes in its standard equipment the AMG Exterior Sport Package, 18” 5-spoke alloy wheels, an upgraded braking system with bigger discs and Mercedes-branded calipers and also a lowered ride height. All models will come with two trapezoid shaped mufflers.

In the cabin we find some pretty interesting addition too: Mercedes’ own Comand Online - the innovative browser-based app solution that provides users with access to several connected services such as Google POI search, weather, full internet browsing and the likes - is now standard for all E-Class models, as is the three-spoke steering wheel borrowed from the CLS. Besides, in order to emphasize the new-found sporty attitude of the whole range, AMG packages will be made available for both Executive and Elegance trim levels. The package include AMG sports steering wheel, AMG 18″ or 19″ alloys, sporty seats, aluminum pedals and lowered ride height.

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Last month we showed you a bunch of spy shots picturing a mule of the Rolls Royce Phantom sedan, which is currently undergoing its mid-life restyling. Similarly, the coupe version of the famous RR model will is also about to receive some cosmetic change, and here are a few spy shots showing us the relative mule taking on some cold weather testing.

The most visible modifications should be affecting the front end of the car, especially the layout of its head lamps. In fact, just like the aforementioned Phantom sedan mule, this one too sports some smart cammo on the front lights designed to resemble the aesthetics of the current model, making it clear that that is the area where the major changes will happen. As with the sedan version, we suspect that the coupe will feature some minor changes to the interior and infotainment system too, and it is quite likely that some new units with more power and less CO2 emissions will also be added to its engine range.

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German specialist Edo Competition introduces yet another tuning program for the Porsche Panamera Turbo S that includes new air filters, exhaust manifolds, turbochargers, a stainless steel exhaust system with butterfly valves, high-flow catalytic converters and a recalibrated ECU. All these modifications allow the 4.8-litre V8 engine of the standard model to boost its output from 550 hp and 750 Nm (553 lb/ft) up to a staggering 700 hp and 880 Nm (649 lb/ft) of peak torque.

This spiced up version of the Panamera S boasts a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of just 3.5 seconds, meaning three tenths of a second less than the stock version, while the 0-200 km/h (124 mph) is completed in 11.4 seconds, definitely way faster than the 13.5 seconds that the standard model requires to reach that same speed. Top speed instead is limited to 340 km/h (211 mph). Other remarkable features of the model include Edo competition’s own suspension lowering module - which can reduce the Panamera’s ride height by 30 mm - and a set of house-made 22″ alloy wheels.

View the full Porsche Panamera Turbo S by Edo Competition photo gallery

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Kia Motors America (KMA) introduces a new commercial that is set to air during the fourth quarter of XLVI Super Bowl. In the spot, titled “Drive the Dream”, the new 2012 Optima Limited races through a Gen X couple’s wildest thoughts as they sleep, including: Victoria’s Secret Angel Adriana Lima waving the checkered flag at a speedway; an in-your-face Motley Crue concert; mixed martial arts legend Chuck Liddell battling in the ring; a heroine and hunk on horseback in a romance novel setting; champion bull rider Judd Leffew taming a bucking rhinoceros and a fairy tale ending.

“With more than 100 million people watching the Super Bowl broadcast and millions more viewing content online around the world, Kia will once again deliver a memorable, one-of-a-kind campaign that entertains people before, during and after the game and leaves them wanting to see the Optima Limited fantasy again and again, - said Michael Sprague, KMA’s vice president, marketing & communications - We selected an eclectic group of celebrities and personalities for ‘Drive The Dream’ to enable us to tap into a diverse body of fan bases and leverage each talent’s expansive social media footprint.“

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Cadillac presents its Superbowl ad dedicated to the brand new ATS sedan, a model that has been introduced to the world at the recent 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The ad features footage of the ATS taken during several stages of its development at the Nurburgring - going from the typical ‘disguised mule’ stage until the final product - and makes no mystery of the fact that the ATS has been designed and built to compete with its most fierce rival: BMW 3-Series. This commercial is called ‘Green Hell’, which is the nickname of the famous German track.

The ATS will initially be available with three petrol engine options: a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder producing 200 hp and 255 Nm of torque, a turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder unit delivering 270 hp and 352 Nm of peak torque and a 3.6-litre V6 generating 318 hp and 362 Nm, all of which mated to either a manual or an automatic 6-speed transmission. Cadillac has already confirmed that the ATS will soon get a diesel engine too, but no further details on the matter have been released.

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Volkswagen releases an official video starring the new models that they brought at the recent North American International Auto Show, which took place in Detroit a couple of weeks ago. The footage was taken at their stall in the Cobo Hall, the venue of the event, and features the all-electric Volkswagen E-Bugster Concept, the 2013 Jetta Hybrid, the Fender Beetle Concept (made with the input from the world-famous guitar manufacturer), the Golf R, the new Passat, the Jetta GLI and then some. Surely VW really made an effort to impress the American crowd, and we think they did a good job there. You can also take a better look at the new models in our photo galleries by clicking on the links below.

View the full Volkswagen E-Bugster Concept at the 2012 NAIAS photo gallery
View the full Volkswagen E-Bugster Concept photo gallery
View the full 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid photo gallery

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A new photo gallery starring the recent BMW ActiveHybrid 5 has just been released by the German manufacturer. The hybrid version of the 5-Series is pushed by a 306 hp 3.o-litre TwinPower Turbo engine coupled with an electric motor delivering 55 hp and 210 Nm of torque which is integrated in its 8-speed automatic transmission, while the battery package is located underneath the boot. The combined action of these two units provide the car with a total output of 335 hp and 450 Nm of peak torque.

The model can travel up to 4 km on electric power alone, with zero emission and 60 km/h (37 mph) of top speed, but the combined action of its two engines allows it to go from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in just 5.7 seconds. Its Eco-Pro mode allows the model to fully exploit the electric engine while keeping the fuel consumption down to a minimum, and on motorways it can automatically switch off the petrol engine and travel on kinetic energy only with the help of the electric unit.

The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 also uses a special sat-nav that can even calculate the best route to go from point A to point B in terms of fuel consumption only. The average fuel consumption of the model is rated between 6.4 and 7 l/100 km with CO2 emissions between 149 and 163 g/km.

View the full BMW ActiveHybrid 5 photo gallery

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