Spy photos are an integral part of the automotive industry. Some come from legitimate sources, while others are simply released by the manufacturers to peak pique a little interest by the consumer. My question though is, do these little snippets of a fender here and a headlight there really do anything to peak your interest? Take for example the recent release of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, a car that BMW trickled down to us for the better part of 8 months. Every now and then we’d get another little spy photo and while the first one did in fact peak my interest, those that followed simply aggravated me to the point where I just waited for the full car to be revealed. Lamborghini also played the spy photo game with their new Murcielago replacement, the Aventador. I understand the “why” behind the spy photos, but as consumers I’m curious to know how you guys feel about them?

So here it is, the brand new 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8 and I have to say that it looks pretty damn good. Chrysler has a lot riding on this car because this is the baby that’s going to go head to head with the best sedans from Germany and Japan. At it’s heart is the new 465 hp / 465 lb-ft of torque 6.4-liter HEMI V8, an engine that should motivate the big 300 along nicely. Will it be BMW M5 quick? Well… that’s doubtful, but since it’s most likely going to come in at around half the price I wouldn’t expect it to be.

The cars exterior has gone through a total refresh with new sheet metal at all four corners. The front end is a bit softer then the old model, yet its styling is more aggressive. The lower fascia seems to slope outwards thus giving one the feeling of constant movement. Wheels are big 20-incher’s with what looks to be the same big Brembo caliper and rotor package that’s found on the previous generation 300 SRT8.

Move towards the back of the car and you’ll once again notice softer lines, a larger rear deck lid spoiler, and what look to be back-up monitoring sensors in the rear bumper. The big news for the Chrysler 300 SRT8 though, aside from its new HEMI, is the completely redesigned interior. Everything from the gauge cluster to the flat-bottom SRT8 steering wheel, to that big 8.4-inch touch screen in the center of the dash has been redesigned to give the car a more aggressive look and feel. Oh yeah, it also now comes with a funky starter button as well… nice right?

As a current owner of an SRT8 product, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing all of the new Chrysler performance models in person. I just hope that they can live up to all the hype that’s been surrounding them.

Source: AutoWeek.com / Photo Credit: Brenda Priddy & Co.

In the past premium brand hatchbacks have never been well received here in the United States. Hot hatches as a rule generally come in one of two varieties; either the fuel efficient cutesy kind, or the high horsepower fun to drive kind. Take for instance the 1995 BMW 318ti, a car that was basically a BMW 318 with the trunk cut off. BMW marketed this as their entry level sports coupe, but since the little 318ti was neither powerful or fun to drive, sales languished and consumers stopped walking into BMW showrooms. Then there is the case of the 2002 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor hatchback. As with the BMW, this baby Benz was an attempt to bring younger thirty-somethings into the showroom in the hopes that after owning a C230, that they would graduate up to an E-class or something better. Now while it was a valiant attempt, the American public simply didn’t want to be seen in an entry level premium car when they could, for the same money, get more value for their dollar by going with either an American or Japanese alternative.

What you are viewing here is the Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class, a highly stylized hatchback that is poised to change the way people view entry level premium cars. The Concept A-Class was penned by the same gentleman that designed the beautiful Mercedes-Benz SLS Gullwing, a car that has garnered accolades from around the world. Powered by a direct-injected 210 hp turbocharged four-cylinder, and utilizing front wheel drive, the concept A-class seeks to deliver moderate performance, big interior style and premium brand quality in a compact package that, for the first time, looks worthy of the Mercedes-Benz nameplate. I recently sat in on an episode of Fast Lane Daily with Alex Roy, J.F. Musial and Leo Parente to discuss this new Mercedes concept. We all agree that the styling is there, but the biggest factor in the end will be price point. Click play on the video and let us know what you think.

Not long ago I was out in California test driving the new 2012 Ford Focus, a car that I liked very much. It had a great chassis, superb road manners, while at the same time delivering a good value for your dollar. The one problem though was that its 160 hp 2.0-liter 4-cylinder simply didn’t have enough grunt for my taste. Now keep in mind that Ford will be releasing the new 2012 Ford Focus ST at the end of the year, a car that many hot-hatch enthusiasts are patiently waiting for. Recently I was taking a stroll over at “>VWVortex.com when I spied a few photos that a member had taken of what he believed was pre-production 2012 Focus ST.

If the reports are correct then the new Focus ST will have a turbocharged four-cylinder that pumps out 247 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque through a traditional six-speed manual. The spy shots are pretty dead-on from the more aggressive cloaked front end to the center exit exhaust. So… whatcha’ think, is this the 2012 Ford Focus ST or not?

Source: vwvortex.com

Quick: name your first choice of vehicle to drive fast over snow-packed roads. I’ll go out on a limb here and guess that your first choice probably wasn’t a 555 horsepower, front-engine-rear-drive BMW M5. As their German-speaking test driver shows, even getting the car moving on snow-packed roads is no problem with the car’s traction and stability control systems. Of course having good snow tires is critical, and the car in the video is indeed fitted with winter tires. Call me a masochist, but it seems like a fun way to spend an afternoon, as long as you’re not worried about details like oncoming traffic or spinning off into a pine tree. Video below.

Want more M5 sliding and counter-steering action, set to a techno soundtrack? Alrighty then, here you go. Enjoy.

If you’re holding out for a Camaro Z/28, production is slated to begin on January 1, 2012. That makes no sense to me, since January 1 is considered a holiday in most of the free world, and even if it isn’t – do you want hung over assembly line workers building your 556 horsepower uber-Camaro? Besides, January 1 is a Sunday, so let’s say that production will begin on or about January 2, 2012 for 2012 model year Z/28 Camaros.

We still don’t know exactly what the finished product will look like, nor do we know what the final horsepower will be. The Z/28 will use a 6.2 liter LSA engine, same as the Cadillac CTS-V, so it’s safe to assume the horsepower will be at least 556 (although my money’s on the Caddy getting a bump, with the Z/28 coming in just under the CTS-V). Left Lane News believes that 20” wheels, shod with Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber, will be standard issue and that stopping duties will be handed over to the same Brembo package currently used on the CTS-V. If that’s the case, expect the Camaro to stop VERY well, and have no brake fade under all but the most adverse driving conditions.

Pricing is still up in the air, but if the Camaro Z/28 has all the tasty bits from the Cadillac CTS-V, I’d expect a starting price in the high $50k range. My first thought was, “Damn, that’s serious money for a Camaro,” but it’s in line with what Ford charges for the Shelby GT500. Expect the Camaro to put out just a few more horsepower, and maybe even keep a few tricks up its sleeve until closer to launch. We’ll keep you posted.

Source: Left Lane News

Well folks, here it is. The new 2011 Chrysler 300 and it’s coming out hot on the heals of the new 2011 Dodge Charger and revamped Dodge Challenger. Chrysler is all about brand identity, they always have been and always will be. After seeing these spy shots however I’m not super convinced that this new 300 is going in the right direction. Sure it looks good and yes, it’s a full redesign, but that doesn’t change the fact that its front end reminds me way to much of the new 2011 Chrysler 200, a car that looks to be nothing more than a revamped old Sebring. When the 300 came out back in 2005 it was so distinctively cool looking with its chopped roof line and high fender haunches. This new one though, well… I’m just not feeling it yet.

Like the new 200, Chrysler has decided to go with a softer, more stylized front end with a less pronounced grill and headlight treatment. From the side the car is distinctly a 300, which is a good thing, as they’ve managed to keep the cars masculine lines intact. Keep moving rearward and you’re actually treated to big a improvement with a rounder, more sculpted backside (kinda’ sounds like I’m talking about J-Lo’s tush right)… seriously though, they did a nice job with the rear.

Under the hood will be the same 5.7-liter 372 hp HEMI that sits in the 2011 Charger R/T, but there is no word as of yet if it’s going to get the new 392 HEMI slated for the SRT8 models. Overall it’s a nice looking car, I just wished they’d have released photo’s of this car before the Chrysler 200, it would have made that front end easier to swallow.

Source: AutoNews.com

Yesterday we brought you some stills of Chevrolet’s new 556 hp 2012 Camaro Z28 testing at the Nurburgring in Germany and now thanks to the guys at Camaro5.com we actually have some video as well. I have to say that the new Z28 produces a low burble exhaust note that sounds remarkably like the 2011 Corvette ZR1. I also noticed that in the video you can see what looks to be a big 6-piston Corvette Z06 brake caliper up front which is leading me to believe that this is going to be one serious automobile. Some crafty camera hounds followed the new Camaro until it pulled an abrupt turn into what looks to be a GM facility at which point all was lost. Honestly, this video really has my interest peaked as I have a feeling that this new Camaro is being prepped to do battle with the biggest and baddest out there. We’ll soon see I suppose… we’ll soon see.

With the new Mustang Shelby GT500 pumping out 550 hp and Dodge’s soon to be released 475 hp Challenger SRT8, it’s good to see that Chevrolet has decided to step up to the plate with the new Camaro Z28. The Z28 has always been the hot-rodded road race version of the Camaro line and the fact that GM has decided to bring it back should tell you that they are definitely headed in a more performance oriented direction. According to Autoblog.com these pics were taken of the new 2012 Camaro ripping around Germany’s famed Nurburgring as it was undergoing some testing.

Said to be packing the same 556 hp supercharged 6.2-liter V8 as the Cadillac CTS-V, the new 2012 Camaro Z28 is most likely going to be a major force in the pony car marketplace. We can see from the photos that the car is sporting new wider rubber, a raised and vented hood scoop, small duck tail spoiler and a more aggressive front fascia. Right now the Mustang is kicking the Camaro’s ass in the sales department, so hopefully for Chevrolet the gamble in building the new 2012 Camaro Z28 will pay off big time.

In the beginning of this year Dodge came out and told us that after 18 years our beloved big-bore V10 snake, the Viper, was going to meet its demise. Fans of the car cried and pouted as Chrysler seemed to think it was a good idea to kill off its only sports car. Then a wonderful thing happened as rumors started swirling around that the big snake was not dead but in fact only on a short vacation as Dodge announced that it would be back as a 2012 model. Well apparently there has already been a showing of the new model and from what I understand it was conducted under some pretty tight security with industry insiders having to go through metal detectors just to catch a glimpse.

So far we know that the car looks very similar to the Generation 2 Viper (1996-2002) as the cars front end is much rounder with a fuller look and feel. We’ve also heard that the V10 will return with direct injection, but we’re not sure how that is going to work. One thing we do know is that the above artwork is supposedly the new Viper’s new logo, which is fine in our book as the old one looked like an upside down Daffy Duck.

Source: Moparts.com