New 2012 Porsche 911 Filmed on the Road

Undisguised prototypes of the upcoming 2012 Porsche 911 are quickly becoming a more common sight than Bratwurst sausages in Germany.
In our latest encounter, a barely disguised 991 test car equipped with a sunroof was caught filling up at a gas station in Stuttgart before firing up its six-cylinder boxer engine and driving away.
Turn up the volume of your speakers and follow the jump to enjoy the video.

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2012 Toyota Avensis

At the 2008 Paris Motor Show, Toyota lifted the wraps off the third generation Avensis, which went on sale across Europe in both four-door sedan and station wagon formats in January of 2009.
Even though Toyota's proposal in Europe's highly-competitive mid-size segment has only been in the market for less than three years, the Japanese carmaker has apparently decided to give the Avensis a mid-life facelift to help bolster its position in market.
And while Toyota was evidently trying to keep its plans on the refreshed Avensis under secrecy, a reader of the Dutch car magazine Autoweek stumbled upon two completely undisguised models and made good use of his camera.
The pictures show that both the sedan and station wagon variants of the 2012 Avensis gain a new front fascia that bring it line with Toyota's latest models such as the Yaris and the upcoming FT-86. Aside from the new front grille, the refreshed Avensis gets reshaped headlamps and a redesigned bumper.
The styling tweaks continue at the rear end with the restyled tail lamps and the new bumper. If you head over to Autoweek, you'll find a few more pictures including one of the interior, though we couldn't manage to spot any changes inside due to the poor quality of the image.
We're still waiting for Toyota to issue a press statement about its plans for the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, but chances are the 2012 Avensis will be among the cars to debut at the German show.

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Land Rover Rumored to Reveal New Defender Concept

Designing a new car from scratch is a relatively easy task for an automaker –provided it has the resources. Replacing an icon, however, is much more difficult.
Especially if said icon has a long and distinguished history and has made its manufacturer synonymous to hardcore 4x4 capabilities. The Defender is one such example.
However, that’s what Land Rover intends to do, and the first step will reportedly be the unveiling of a new Defender concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Land Rover director John Edwards told Autocar magazine that he “can’t imagine not producing a successor” to the four-wheel drive that established the brand. However the market is now much more competitive and Land Rover's owner Tata Motors must find a way to make the new Defender a credible rival that can command higher prices without losing its legendary character.
Edwards admits that for the project, which is scheduled to begin production in 2015, to be viable, annual sales must be in the 60-80,000 units region.
In comparison, only 18,000 Defenders were sold worldwide last year. Edwards says that, like the 4x4 it intends to replace, it must be versatile and reliable enough to adapt to army use.
Currently Land Rover is considering all options for the new Defender’s underpinnings, from using a modified Discovery chassis to designing something completely new.
Whatever the British company decides, one thing is for sure: they need to satisfy the loyalists and at the same time attract a much larger clientele.

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Ferrari to Drop the Top on New 458 Italia Spider

Emerging from the rumormill are talks about Ferrari getting ready to reveal a convertible version of its new 458 Italia supercar at next month's 2011 Frankfurt auto show.
According to the report from Germany's Auto Motor und Sport magazine, like its predecessor, the 458 Italia Spider will be offered with an electrically operated cloth convertible top that disappears behind the front seats.
Under the hood, the 458 Italia Spider will sport the same 4.5-liter V8 engine with direct injection technology found in the coupe model.
The V8 delivers 570 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and a peak torque of 540Nm or 398.2 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm. All that grunt will be sent to the rear wheels through Ferrari's highly-acclaimed 7-speed F1 dual-clutch gearbox.
Expect to see the Spider version in showrooms in 2012. 
 

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BMW Turbocharges X3 with Two Engines

A pair of new turbocharged engines will soon be added to the range of the recently-launched BMW X3. These include a base four-cylinder gasoline unit and a flagship straight-six diesel.
The new entry level version of the X3, the xDrive20i, is powered by a 2.0-liter aluminum four cylinder gasoline engine featuring a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel injection, Double Vanos variable camshaft control and Valvetronic variable valve control system. It delivers 184HP at 4,800 rpm and 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) of torque from just 1,250 rpm.
The X3 xDrive20i will be offered with either a 6-speed manual or, optionally, an 8-speed automatic transmission both of which (as the “x” denomination reveals) will direct power to all four wheels.
The second new powerplant is a 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel with twin-stage turbocharging and the latest generation of BMW's common-rail direct injection system with up to 1,800 bar of pressure. It will power the X3 xDrive35d, which with 313HP and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque from 1,500-2,500 rpm, is the most powerful version yet in line-up.
At low engine speeds, only the smaller turbocharger operates with the compressed air passing through the larger one building up pressure. Thus, when maximum power is needed, an electronic controller engages the larger turbocharger promising “spontaneous response”. The xDrive35d comes standard with four-wheel drive, an 8-speed auto gearbox and an auto stop-start system.
Both the xDrive20i and the xDrive35d will go on sale this fall.
Other changes to the X3 include the revised Auto Hold and ConnectedDrive systems plus new interior trim options.

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Alfa Romeo Says 4C to Appear in "New Exclusive Look"

On Thursday, we brought you news on Alfa Romeo's plans to exhibit the 4C at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Today, the Italian automaker's social network gurus released an updated announcement saying that the 4C will be presented in a "new exclusive look" at the German auto show.
Clearly, Alfa Romeo's latest cryptic statement may be interpreted in different ways, but it won't be long before the Italian firm releases more details on the matter so stay tuned on Carscoop for more.
In the meantime, check out our previous article on the rear-wheel drive Alfa Romeo 4C Concept with details and live photos from its Geneva Salon debut.

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Irmscher Sports up the New Opel Astra GTC

Well-known Opel tuner, Irmscher, is one of the first to get its hands on the new generation of the Astra GTC revealing details on its customazation program ahead of the car's world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
The upgrade starts with a performance package for the Astra GTC with the 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. A stage 1 kit lifts output from 180-horses and 230Nm to 212HP and 274 Nm (202 lb-ft).
Exhaust exits through a stainless-steel system with new quad exhaust tips while handling is improved via a sports suspension that lowers the ride height by 30mm.
The Irmscher styling package for all Astra GTCs includes a front apron, new upper and lower grilles, side sills, a larger roof spoiler, and a rear diffuser.
Customer can choose from several alloy wheel designs in sizes up to 21 inches.
As for the interior, the German tuner's offerings include leather upholstery and aluminum trim and pedals.

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Mercedes-Benz SLK New Design by Brabus

Whenever there's a new Mercedes-Benz model out, you can be sure that Brabus will be one of the first customizers to jump on the tuning bandwagon.

For the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster, the German firm has developed an extensive customization program to take care of both the styling and performance aspects of the car.
Brabus says it is currently working on more extreme engine upgrades but for the time being, an available kit promises an increase of 26-horsepower and an additional 30Nm (22 lb-ft) of peak torque for the SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY.
There are two available performance packages for the SLK 250 BlueEFFICIENCY. The first kit bumps output from 204HP to 230HP, while the second package lifts output to 240-horses and 370Nm (273 lb-ft) for a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 248km/h (154mph).
Those looking for a deeper exhaust note can order a stainless-steel sport exhaust system with quad tailpipes. Brabus will also add a sports suspension that lowers the two-seater model's ride height by some 30 mm (1.2-inches) and a high-performance braking system.
On the outside, the German company has developed several aerodynamic components including a front bumper with spoiler lips, side sills, a rear diffuser with a centrally mounted rear reflector and a boot lid spoiler.
There are several alloy wheel designs to choose from ranging in size from 17- to 20-inches. The larger rims are shod in high-performance tires from Continental, Pirelli or YOKOHAMA in sizes 235/30 ZR 20 on the front axle and 275/25 ZR 20 at the back.
Finally, Brabus offers a variety of interior upgrades ranging from high-gloss polished stainless-steel scuff plates and aluminum foot pedals and shifter to bespoke leather treatments.

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Alfa Romeo 4C at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

The countdown for the highly anticipated 2011 Frankfurt auto show in the second week of September has begun and carmakers are trying to keep us on our toes with enticing teasers like this invitation from Alfa Romeo.


Shown on the Italian firm's Facebook page, the teaser is about the new 4C mid-engined sports car that was previewed as a thinly disguised concept study at this year's Geneva Salon.
Being that the Sergio Marchionne, the head of the Fiat and Chrysler groups, has said the Alfa Romeo 4C will hit European showrooms during the first half of 2012 with some examples reaching U.S. hands by the end of the same year, there's a very good chance we'll see the car in its final production form.
If that's not the case, then it could be that Alfa Romeo may show either a roadster version of the 4C or a more powerful version.
We'll remind you that the 4C concept study in Geneva was fitted with a 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine pushing 200-horsepower towards the rear axle via a twin dry clutch automatic transmission dubbed “Alfa TCT”.

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Video: 2012 Fiat Panda Prototypes

Fiat's engineers are putting the final touches on the third generation of the Italian firm's best-seller in the mini segment, the Panda, which will make its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September before going on sale in select European markets by the end of the year, with the rest to follow in early 2012.

If you're weren’t content with our recent spy photographs of the prototype 2012 Panda, you might want to take a look at this video that was said to have been filmed in Napoli, Italy.
It shows a couple of heavily cladded test models passing by on the road. Even though Fiat will keep the monobox formula of the current model, the new Panda will grow in dimensions offering improved interior space for both passengers and their cargo.
The regular Panda will be followed in about a year's time after launch by a successor to the 4x4 model while a sportier Abarth version may also be in the cards.

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Mercedes-Benz Viano Vision Pearl Concept

We first reported on Mercedes-Benz's Frankfurt auto show-bound Viano Vision Pearl Concept just last week, but since then, the German automaker has released a slew of new photos detailing the luxury people carrier.

But for those that simply want the skinny on the design concept, Mercedes-Benz crafted a deluxe passenger van out of its Viano model with most changes taking place inside.
These include a full leather treatment in a two-tone white and gray color theme, wood flooring and matching side trim, brushed aluminium accents and a bespoke Bang & Olufsen sound system.
On the outside, there are some modest touches such as the unique "magno pearl grey” and a revised front end featuring LED daytime running lamps.

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