Rumors: Next Infiniti M and G May Share Platform with Mercedes E-Class

There has been a lot of talk lately about the recently inked strategic cooperation between Daimler AG and the Renault-Nissan Alliance. And we're not referring to the official agreements on the development of a new rear-wheel drive platform for small cars and the swapping of diesel and petrol engines between the two groups.

Leaving aside recent rumors of a small Infiniti CUV based on the next generation of Mercedes' A / B Class, Japan's Best Car magazine is now reporting in its latest issue that the Infiniti M and G replacements (Nissan Fuga and Skyline in Japan) will share a common architecture with the Mercedes E-Class.

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New Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge Spied in Italy?

Is this Ferrari's 458 Italia Challenge weekend racer? It sure does look like it. According to Axis of Oversteer, the car was spied at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy. As you can see from the pics, the 458 Italia has special tires, center-locking wheels, a lexan window, and tow hooks.

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SCOOP: Mystery Sedan Spied, Could it be the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta?

The folks over at GM Inside News have a mystery car on their hands. Forum member 'GMfan1111' snagged a pair of identical sedan models, both of which featured an unfamiliar badge on the boot.

We'll agree with most members from the forum that the car's styling cues including the pronounced lower side lines and the shape of the fascia, as well as its relatively compact dimensions point towards the next generation of the Volkswagen Jetta (see a spy video of the 2011 model here).

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SCOOP: New Opel Astra Sports Tourer Caught on Film

The estate version of the new Opel / Vauxhall Astra has been spotted doing the rounds at the Nurburgring.

Scheduled to be shown for the first time this summer with a Paris Motor Show debut to follow in autumn 2010, the Astra Sports Tourer looks like a smaller version of the Insignia station wagon boasting a more raked roofline and a less boxy / conservative shape than the current model.

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Scoop Video: Up, Close and Personal with the 2011 BMW X3

For obvious reasons, unlike New York, a parked BMW dressed in swirly camouflage doesn't cause a bomb scare in Munich (click here to read about the NYC incident). So, instead of notifying the authorities, this Youtube user took out his camera and shot a two-and-a-half minute long video that walks us around the new 2011 BMW X3 crossover.

The video after the jump gives us a pretty good look of the Bavarian automaker's new crossover that appears to be more stylish as well as a bit bigger than the current X3.

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2012 Ford Explorer SUV Officially Teased

Pictured here next to Jim Holland, chief engineer behind the new Ford Explorer, is (trumpets, please), well, the new Explorer - or at least, a smidgen of it.

The successor to Ford's 90's break-out hit is supposed to debut this year, but there's still no official word from Ford.

We know the new Explorer will be sharing its underpinnings with the Flex, something that usually wouldn't make sense. The Flex is a quirky crossover, and the Explorer is supposed to be an SUV.

That is, unless Ford has some crazy off-roading, efficiency-themed crossover technology coming out. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Power would hopefully come from some Ecoboost 4- and 6-cylinder engines.

Sadly, there's really nothing to be said about the styling...yet. If it has a hint of Ford's 2008 Explorer America concept in it, that would be nice. And sliding doors need to make a comeback, too.

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Dodge Fan Renders 2012 Durango SUV from Official Sketches

couple of months ago we broke the story on the official patent drawings of the next Dodge Durango SUV (see here), or whatever else Chrysler LLC bosses decide to name it. Andrew Currie from the 'Cheersandgears' forums took a couple of these sketches and rendered them to offer us a more realistic view of Dodge's full-size SUV.

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2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS: New Photos Surfaces Online

New Photos of Porsche's hotly anticipated 911 GT2 RS - apparently shot during some sort of official presentation- have made their way on the internet revealing Stuttgart's hardcore sports car in all its glory.

The pictures reveal that the baddest ever road-going version of the 911 gets a wider body, spoilers of all sorts, a carbon fiber hood and massive air intakes behind the doors along with a new set of wheels.

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Camouflaged BMW X3 Prototype Sparks Bomb Scare at NY Museum

There's no such thing as bad publicity, as BMW intends to prove. After a variety of recent bomb scares, man-made catastrophes, and natural disasters worldwide, a cleverly oblivious test driver left an X3 prototype parked and running in front of the American Museum of Natural History...so he could go for a walk in the park, according to the New York Daily News.

The end result is just what one would expect: the bomb squad showing up Hurt Locker-style, busting in through the rear window, and making sure the swirly-wrapped SUV (sorry, SAV) was no longer a threat. Oh, and now everyone's talking about BMW. Word of mouth is the best marketing, after all.

Driver Martin Birkmann explained, "It's a misunderstanding...I was test-driving it." Clearly you were NOT, sir; bomb squads don't show up to defuse cars when people are driving them...nor are tickets for idling issued.

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SPY SHOTS: 2011 Chevrolet / Holden Captiva SUV with Aveo-esque Fascia

Chevrolet's European arm is moving along with the development of the facelifted Captiva that's due to go on sale on the other side of the Atlantic later this year. Judging by these spy photos, if not all, most changes appear to be concentrated on the SUV's redesigned front end that looks heavily influenced from the Aveo RS concept we saw at this year's Detroit show.

Details remain scarce for now, but it is possible that Chevy might also perform some upgrades to the 2011 Captiva's interior and mechanical hardware.

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SPY SHOTS: New Hardcore Porsche 911 GT2 RS Could get 600HP

Porsche is set to release its most powerful factory-built street car ever, the GT2 RS. Possibly. Here are the spy shots.

So, how powerful is it? The twin-turbocharged GT2's flat six is rumored to be getting output rated in the 600-horsepower range (it could even more than the V10 Carrera GT's 605 horsepower) and is targeting a 7:22 lap time at the 'Ring. Value shoppers, on the other hand, will probably still want to stick with the ZR1.

Exterior differences to keep an eye on are mostly GT3 in nature: center-lock alloys, a hood-forward nose intake, mild front fender flares, a stripped interior with door pulls instead of handles, and a full roll cage.

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U.S. Patent Drawings of 2012 Buick Excelle Sedan

If these U.S. patent drawings of Buick's forthcoming entry-level compact sedan are anything to go by, then the North American version of the car will be identical to the China-market 2012 Buick Excelle that was recently caught on film without any camouflage whatsoever.

We don't know if GM will keep the 'Excelle' nameplate for North America, but we do know that the General is planning to bring the car to the States in 2011.

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SCOOP: Porsche Continues Testing of All-New 2012 Boxster

Once again, our spy photographers have snagged the brand new iteration of Porsche's Boxster model during testing in Germany.

The prototype version seen here continues to be under camouflage, though to a lesser extent than previous. According to our spies, the new model appeared to be slightly longer and wider than the current version, something that should benefit the roadster's interior space.

As with most Porsches, the exterior looks of the new Boxster will be a subtle evolution over the previous model. However, bigger changes are expected in the interior that will most likely take styling cues from the Panamera.

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2011 BMW M5 Sedan [F10] Rendered Again

From Alpine325Ci, the 'Bimmerpost' artist who created last week's pretty 6-Series photoshop (and those previous M5 renderings), comes another look at the next BMW M5.

As we can see, his take on the big M retains the new 5's attractive snout while gaining the M division's dumbfounded-expression front bumper and more aggressive skirts.

The mirrors also get a little tweak, and it wouldn't be a stretch to believe the F10 M5 would be coming with that carbon fiber roof.

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Opel Corsa OPC: Nürburgring Edition Spy Shots

Here are some spy shots of what is believed to be the Opel Corsa OPC Nürburgring Edition special.

Based on the standard OPC, this should basically be the Corsa version of the Astra-based 2008 Nürburgring Edition model. That means it'll most likely come with the standard Corsa OPC's 192-horsepower (141 kW) / 170 lb-ft (230 Nm) turbocharged 1.6 liter mill and extra add-ons.

Other baubles to expect are upgraded Brembo brakes, Recaro leather seating, carbon-look decor for the interior, unique lightweight wheels, and maybe even a tuned suspension.

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SCOOP: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster with Retractable Hardtop

Our spy photographers have snagged the next generation of Mercedes-Benz's SL roadster, which is due to arrive in 2012. As you can see in the pictures, Mercedes-Benz obviously will continue with the front-engine, rear-drive format, as well as with a retractable metal hardtop.

The prototype model's heavy disguise and body cladding makes it difficult to distinguish any details, but it's safe to assume that the new SL will carry styling hallmarks from the German firm's "artsy" design language previewed in its most recent concept models such as the CLS Shooting Break and the F800 Style.

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SPIED: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG with New Bi-Turbo V8

Even though the standard 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class is still undergoing development, the company's AMG division has began testing the high-performance version of the series.

Expected to arrive shortly after the standard M-Class model, which itself, will go on sale in late 2011, the ML 63 AMG will feature the brand's newly developed 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 in place of the outgoing car's naturally aspirated 6.2-liter unit.

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Bentley-Snout Part II: Huatai's New B11 and B21 Sedan Snapped Ahead of Beijing Show

From the makers of the Porsche Cayenne clone (see here) B35 come these two Bentley-faced sedans called the B11 and B21. We're almost certain that many of you will find quite a few styling similarities (in the details) between Hawtai's Beijing Auto Show sedans and other Western and/or Asian cars...

The only thing we know about the two family sedans from Hawtai is that they will be offered with a choice of a 1.8-liter turbo and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engines. Full gallery after the jump.

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New 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS Sports Saloon Scooped

Here are the latest spy shots of the upcoming 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS, whose design is clearly previewed by the German firm's Shooting Break Concept that will make its first public debut at this month's 2010 Beijing Auto Show.

What we can expect is this: a possible debut at this September's Paris motorshow, showing off the SLS "soft nose" with its much more appealing headlights. Down the sides there will probably be more crisp, current-E-Class lines through the rear quarters.

Under-hood we'll likely see the Shooting Break concept's 306-horse 3.5 liter V6, putting it square against anything mid-size entry-level luxury starting with 5 or ending with 6 (that's BMW's 5-Series and Audi's A6).

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Only in China: A Porsche Cayenne Clone with a Bentley Snout by Hawtai

Just when you think we've seen it all from China's clone-loving auto manufacturers, along comes Hawtai with this gem: the oh-so Porsche Cayenne-ish B35 SUV that was caught here by photographers as it was unloaded off a truck.

Set to make its world premiere at this month's 2010 Beijing Auto Show, the Hawtai B35 "improves" upon the first generation Cayenne's looks by adopting a very Bentley-like fascia with a large chrome grille.

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