As these spy shots seem to suggest, the right time for a new generation of the iconic Mini Cooper has finally come: currently known by the codename “F56,” these images show us a prototype of the 2014 Mini Cooper caught on camera while undergoing some tests on some European public road. Just a few details are known at the moment, but apparently this new Mini will share its chassis with the next-generation BMW 1-series. Moreover, BMW is considering adding a 3-cylinder option to its usual 4-cylinder line-up.

From our photos, it looks as if the next Mini will come bigger in size than the current generation, adding a bit of width and length. That paintjob surely doesn’t help, but the grille looks a little shorter, and possibly a little wider too, while hood and front overhang also appear to be longer than the current model. However, the possibility that Mini chalked that up in order to fool the onlookers cannot be ruled out. Besides, both front and rear windshields appear to be more raked than the current Mini. Production is expected to start in the first quarter of 2013, with the convertible variant following one year later.

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We talked about the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder just a few posts back, and here is the first bunch of spy shots showing us a prototype caught on film while testing in Germany. The pictured model sports the new, almost-definitive livery of the 918 Spyder even though the model is not supposed to make its debut on the markets until the second half of the next year.

Some people consider this car as the spiriutal successor of the iconic Carrera GT (that was listed in Porsche’s line-up some ten years ago) and just like the Carrera GT, the 918 Spyder will have a removable top, that by chance is open in the pictures. As previously stressed out, the 918 Spyder will be a hybrid supercar powered by a 4.6-litre V8 credited with an output of 570 hp, a 109 hp electric motor at the front and a 120 hp electric motor at the rear: in other words, the 918 Spyder is expected to deliver close to or more than 800 hp.

With a price tag expected to be in the 660,000 € area (roughly 530,000 £ / 850,000 $) this will not be the sort of car that you will be able to see at every corner, but since it is believed that only 918 units will be produced, chances are that you will only get to see it live at some motor show next fall and that’s it.

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Mercedes-Benz is currently working on a facelifted version of its own E-Class that is supposed to enter the market next year, and here are a few sneaky pics of its estate variant that our photographers managed to take a few days ago. We can see that the split headlights will actually turn into a single sleeker unit, implying that Mercedes is going to move away from the four-eyes look that was started on the W210 E-Class back in 1995. The LED Day driving lights will be integrated in the headlight unit while both front and rear bumpers will obviously get a restyling too. The rear lights will get new graphics but will still remain in the same shape.

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The new BMW 4-Series Convertible (or 3-Series convertible, depending on which source you give more credit to) has been caught again by our photographers, and this time we spotted it with its foldable top down. Apparently, the spring has arrived in Germany too as these two guys from BMW thought it was a good idea to go out for a spin with the latest, hottest convertible prototype from the Bavarian manufacturer. Well, we surely agree and appreciated that.

The new BMW 4-Series is being developed on the same platform the latest 3-Series, with the ranges sharing the same engine line-up as well. However, rumor has it that a Coupe and a Convertible version of the 4-Series will come with the engine of the next M3, that is a 3.3-litre 6-cylinder unit credited with an output in the 450 hp region.

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And finally here it is: the Porsche Macan, the new baby SUV from the German sportscar manufacturer based on the same platform that generated the Audi Q5. Check it out as this is not a regular ‘mule’: this is it, the real deal, the almost definitive version of the car, spotted in its full body for the first time. They tried to fool our photographers by hiding it with a light camouflage, to make it look loke bigger brother the Cayenne, but they did not succeed.

Although the Macan will share its platform with the Q5, Porsche will fine tune the chassis and also give the Macan better brakes and other wheels. Power will come from petrol and diesel engines supplied by Audi, but Porsche will fine tune them too, so that the Macan will boast higher power figures than the Q5.

An hybrid version of the car will also be made available with a 2.0-litre TFSI unit delivering 210 hp combined with a 44 hp electric motor. That will help Porsche to come closer to the average CO2 goal of 130 g/km that all car manufacturers need to reach by 2015. The Porsche Macan will be launched with four doors initially, but later on there might be a sportier looking two door version as well.

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We just received a new set of spy shots starring the upcoming Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake, a station wagon variant of the famous coupe from the house of the three-pointed star, and from what we can see the model is clearly into its final stage of testing. The very light camouflage worn by the pictured mule allows us to appreciate what we would expect to be the definitive design of the model, which retains the aggressive styling we had seen with the Shooting Brake Concept, a concept-car which anticipated this model and was firstly introfuced at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show.

The new model has been developed on the same platform that generated the Mercedes CLS, and will have the same engine range too: on the petrol side there will be a 3.5-litre V6 developing 306 hp, and a 4.7-litre twin-turbo V8 developing 408 hp, whereas on the diesel side we will have a 2.1-litre biturbo producing 204 hp with 500 Nm of peak torque as well as the recent 3.0-litre V6 delivering 265 hp and 620 Nm of torque. AMG and AMG Performance variants equipped with the well-known 5.5 litre twin turbo V8 engine are obviously also in the cards: the former will use a power configuration of 525 hp and 700 Nm, the latter will count on an output of 557 hp with 800 Nm of peak torque.

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Here are a few spy shots revealing the definitive look of the upcoming Mini Countryman Coupe, arguably one of the most ‘eccentric’ projects of the Anglo-German carmaker. The model is the final evolution of what we had seen with the Paceman prototype, meaning a compact crossover with a more ’sporty’ attitude than the standard Countryman model it is basically based upon. For this model the Mini designers decided to get rid of the rear doors, a choice that implied a change of the whole rear section of the car as well.

This new Countryman Coupe will position itself in the same niche of the market ruled by the Range Rover Evoque, although the different size and price-tag of these two models will have them competing in two different segments of the market. The model is scheduled to make its debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show in September. Just as a reminder, the Mini Paceman measured 4.11 meters in length, 1.79 in width and 1.54 in height.

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Here are the latest spy shots picturing the upcoming Opel Astra sedan, the three-box version of the popular German hatch. The pictured mule is wearing just some light camouflage on the front grille and on the whole rear section, and shows us a front-end that doesn’t seem too different from what we have already seen on previous spy shots and on the station wagon and convertible versions of the car.

In terms of engine range, the model should come with the same line-up of the other body types: on the petrol side we have a 1.4-litre unit delivering 100 hp, a 1.6 delivering 115 hp and a turbocharged 1.4 producing 140 hp. As for the diesel, there will be a 1.3-litre engine producing 95 hp as well as a 1.7-litre in power steps of 110, 125 and 130 hp, all of which CDTi. The inclusions of a more performing, supercharged 180 hp 1.6-litre turbo petrol unit and of a 165 hp 2.0 diesel unit have not been ruled out and are still in the cards.

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The new Mitsubishi Mirage that was introduced last year to the Asian markets will replace the current Colt in Mitsubishi’s range over here in Europe. At the moment it is not clear whether the model will still use the Colt name or not, but it seems certain that it will make its debut in 2013, and here are a few spy shots picturing a lightly camouflaged European version of the car captured during a test. Apparently, the car will get some slightly changed details and is will probably come with a different set-up than its Asians cousins.

Since Mitsubishi is producing the new Mirage at their new plant in Thailand, it seems quite likely that European version of this model will end up being much cheaper to produce than the outgoing Colt, which is being assembled at the Born plant, in the Netherlands. Even if it is slightly smaller than the current Colt, Mitsubishi says the Mirage will still be able to accommodate up to five adults (obviously including the driver). Power is expected to come from a range of petrol engines starting with a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine with start/stop

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Here are a few spy shots of the next Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, that the Blue Oval said it will come with the most powerful V8 production engine in the world. Apparently, this 5.8-litre turbocharged unit entirely made of aluminum will produce a staggering 662 hp with 855 Nm of peak torque and use an intercooler heat exchanger with the volume increased by 36% over the previous version. The model boasts a dry weight of 1750 kg and comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox with upgraded gears, bearings and housing to manage its outstanding torque.

Ford also claims that the new car will be the most efficient model of its segment: average fuel consumption is rated at 13.07 l/100 km (15.67 l/100 km in the city and 9.8 l/100 km on motorways). Top speed is rated at 320 km/h (about 200 mph). Nearly every part of the powertrain has been optimized for producing the additional horsepower, including a new supercharger, new cross-drilled block and heads, updated camshaft profiles, a new carbon fiber driveshaft and upgraded clutch, transmission and axle. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 comes with 19″ forged aluminum rims at the front and 20″ on the rear.

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