Maserati Levante Testing In Cold Weather

Expected to debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the 2016 Maserati Levant has yet to show its production face in public, with only the Kubang remaining the only indication as to how the performance crossover may look.

 SUV enthusiasts shouldn't worry though, as the Italians have been testing what will eventually become the Levant since late 2014, albeit only as a deformed mule with a perched Ghibli body. Seen for the very first time in November 2014, the prototype was spotted once again by our skilled paparazzi, this time around undergoing cold-weather testing in winter Sweden.

The mule’s destination is not at all surprising. This SUV needs to be both reliable and fun to drive in just about any conditions, especially since Maserati plans to sell it all over the world. The Levant has the Porsche Cayenne to bark at once it hits showrooms and it seems the Italians are willing to test it in the most harsh conditions before moving onto the next stage of development. The SUV is likely to travel to the warmer areas of Europe as spring kicks in, but for now, the folks in charge of the project are stuck in a sub-zero climate.

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Volkswagen Golf R Launch Edition Sold Out In Less Than 12 Hours

There is no doubt that many Volkswagen and hot-hatch enthusiasts had their calendars marked for January 8th, 2015, which is when the pre-order process opened up for the 2016 VW Golf R . That is because when the online order process started at 12:01 a.m., it took less than 12 hours for all 500 special-edition units to be spoken for as announced by Volkswagen on Twitter.

Laying down your hard-earned $500 (fully refundable) deposit put you in line to be one of the first in the U.S. to be seen in the new Golf R, but you still have to come up with the remaining balance, which is $39,090 and does not include the $820 destination and delivery charge. Even then, VW points out, though, that “dealers set the actual price, which may exceed the MSRP” or worse, VW “cannot guarantee that a dealer will sell the vehicle to you at all.”

All of the special Launch Edition Golf R models will be the same painted in the Lapiz Blue Metallic paint and equipped with 19-inch Cadiz light-alloy wheels, a DSG dual clutch gearbox, DCC adaptive damping and a navigation system. As an added bonus, these buyers will also get an exclusive R-branded watch, two keychains (one stainless steel and the other carbon fiber) and a serialized certificate to go with that particular car’s VIN.

If you weren’t one of these lucky 500, don’t fret. Since the deposit was refundable, there is a good possibility that some of the potential buyers may back out, and in that case, VW also has a waiting list in case spots open up.

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Volkswagen Polo R WRC 2015

Introduced for the 2013 racing season, the Polo R WRC is Volkswagen’s first WRC-spec factory car since the 1990 Golf Rallye G60. Based on the road-going Polo, the first-gen R WRC was built to second-generation World Rally Car regulations and powered by a turbocharged, 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine. The Polo went on to win its maiden WRC season in 2013, putting an end to Citroen’s fantastic five-year run. In 2014, Volkswagen Motorsport shattered its competitors for the second time running, defending both its drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles. For 2015, the Germans are set to tackle the World Rally Championship with a revised iteration of the Polo R WRC, one that has "undergone intense further development, both on the inside and the outside," according to Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neußer, Volkswagen Board Member for Technical Development.

In all, nearly three quarters of last year’s components were optimized, while the already traditional white livery has been replaced with a more complex blue-and-white paint scheme.

While the supermini received significant updates, the team’s operating it remained unchanged for the 2015 season. The No. 1 car will be driven by two-time WRC champions Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, while the No. 2 Polo retains its Finnish crew consisting of Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila. The season debuts on January 22nd with the Monte Carlo Rally and comes to an end on November 15th with the Wales Rally. This year’s WRC includes 13 events in 13 countries and four continents.

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Cadillac Confirms Sub-ATS Sedan And Compact Crossover

With both Audi and Mercedes-Benz doing quite well in the image department after bringing small, front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive sedans to the United States, it seems that Cadillac wants to follow suit and introduce an even smaller sedan than the CTS. Not only that, but the alleged smaller sedan may also be complemented by a compact crossover, just so the Audi Q3, Mercedes-Benz GLA and BMW X1 don’t feel lonely in their segment. The information above has been confirmed by Johan de Nysschen, who recently spoke with Autoblog about the matter at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. 

Part of a rather ambitious offensive of new models that is expected to finally turn around the American carmaker, the two aforementioned models would be likely based on GM’s Alpha platform, therefore sharing quite a lot of parts with the ATS and CTS. According toAutoblog, which is quoting Nysschen, the compact sedan is scheduled to arrive in 2017, while the compact crossover should be launched a year later.

In terms of market segment, the sub-ATS sedan should battle with the likes of Mercedes-Benz CLA , Audi A3 sedan and the upcoming BMW 1 Series sedan , all of which use a front-wheel-drive-based architecture.The compact crossover may be either small enough to step on the toes of the Mercedes -Benz GLA, Audi Q3 and BMW X1 or a little bit larger and occupy the segment right above. Either way, these are only two of the cars with no direct predecessor that Cadillac aims to unveil in the upcoming five years.

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Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG 2015

The hot-rod A-Class, known as the A45 AMG, has been around since 2013, and overall, it’s been quite good. It ticks all the right boxes, like stiff suspension, sport seats, oversized brakes, and enough power to place it at the top of the heap amongst its competitors. But as 2015 gets underway, the battle for hot-hatch supremacy seems to be reaching a boil. Pumped-up, teardrop-shaped commuters with an odd number of doors and loads of performance are popping up at a rather steady rate, with examples coming from Volkswagen, Ford, Honda, and Mazda, among others. Of particular note is the new Audi RS3, which was announced in December 2014 with 362 horsepower, ousting the 355-horse A45 AMG for most powerful hatchback on the road. But Mercedes has a plan. With an upcoming mid-life refresh, the new model A45 AMG will pack on even more muscle, a move clearly aimed at overthrowing the challenger from Audi. In an interview with the British motoring publication Autocar, AMG boss Tobias Moers proclaimed that the new car “will be the most powerful again”.

The A45 AMG is based on the pint-sized A-Class, the smallest Mercedes of them all, which represents the German marque’s bid to reach past the six-figure, caviar-and-champagne types normally associated with a three-pointed-star badge. Instead, the A-Class takes aim at a crowd that’s a bit more common. You know, the kind of people who own only one car, which they happen to drive themselves.

But sometimes, that market segment wants speed. Gratuitous, butt-clenching, pinned-in-the-seat speed. These folks have a little bit more tucked away in the bank, and they’re looking to blow it on a luxury ride that can kick-start the old adrenaline reserves. To accomplish something like that, Mercedes enlists the tuning prowess of AMG, and thus, the A45 was brought into existence.

Auto car says the 2015 A45 AMG is scheduled to arrive in the fall of 2015, so the world will have to wait and see exactly what Mercedes and AMG have planned. For now, however, there are a few safe speculations to make about this sporty five-door.

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Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe 2016

Despite the fact that we haven’t even began seeing pre-production prototypes or even mules for the upcoming Coupe variant of the C-Class, it seems that the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe may be set for an unveil as early as the fall of 2015, at least according to a recent report from Auto Express. Citing an unnamed Mercedes-Benz insider, who somehow decided to spill the beans to the British magazine at the Detroit Auto Show,Auto Express says that the C63 Coupe will be launched at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

So far, only prototypes of the first-ever C-Class Cabriolet have been caught on camera, despite the fact that its Coupe brother should essentially launch before it, as per Mercedes-Benz tradition. Either way, this would be the second generation of the C-Class Coupe and the second time that it receives an AMG variant as well. Compared with the first C63 AMG Coupe, the new model will get a different moniker, a new type of engine and will be much more differentiated from its sedan brother in terms of styling.

The new moniker will happen because of a recent change in naming strategy at AMG, with the future model’s full name to be "Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe." Also mucking up the name a little is the fact that its engine will no longer be the rumbling 6.2-liter V-8, but rather the new 4.0-liter, biturbo V-8 found in the 2015 C63 and C63 S sedan. Unlike the first generation, which was introduced as a quick after-thought in the lineup, the new C-Class Coupe will benefit from a highly distinctive look, in the same way that the S-Class Coupe is a bit more than just a two-door S-Class.

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2012 Ford Focus ST by M&J Enterprises

Of the five programs for the Ford Focus ST being readied for the 2012 SEMA Auto Show, the one being prepared by M&J Enterprises just might be the most impressive. Now, to be fair, none of the programs have unveiled all of their cards just yet so this could all still change.

Nevertheless, the early returns on the M&J Enterprises tuned Ford Focus ST are quite impressive. To begin with, the aftermarket company added a new aerodynamic kit that includes a vented hood, a huge rear wing, plenty of carbon fiber details on the exterior and interior, and a new set of Cosworth wheels. There’s also new suspension components courtesy of Ford Racing and as the added garnish to the pie, a number of graphic decals and stripes all over the sports hatch.

One in particular, on the side, seems to suggest the name of the program: "Cosworth CS 330." That, of course, is an allusion to Cosworth, who was in charge of tweaking the Focus ST’s engine, increasing the output from the car’s 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine from 250 horsepower to 330 horsepower and about 318 lb/ft of torque.

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