European Cars Archives

To celebrate its 50th anniversary McLaren has announced the limited-edition McLaren 50 12C and 12C Spider. The McLaren 50 12C and McLaren 50 12C Spider feature a number of bespoke styling and specification enhancements to mark the milestone event, which will be celebrated in September.

The all-new 2015 VW GTI is slated to arrive around this time next year, but the model that most enthusiasts are probably most excited about is the top dog of the Golf lineup, the Golf R. VW hasn't unveiled the new Golf R, but prototypes of the high-performance hatch have been zooming around the Nürburgring in Germany.

Aston Martin has taken the covers off its newest concept, the CC100 Speedster concept, which celebrates Aston Martin's 100th birthday. The one-off CC100 looks both to the past and the DBR1 - Aston Martin's greatest sporting triumph on the track - and to the future with its teasing glimpses of a potential future design direction.

BMW has unveiled the updates to the entire 2014 5 Series range. The 2014 5 Series gets an updated exterior, a new diesel engine for the sedan and more available equipment. On the outside the 2014 5 Series sedan gets a revised grille and redesigned lower air intakes. The accentuated width of the rear end is underlined by an extra crease in the apron and the taillights have been updated.

As expected BMW has announced plans for a new Competition Package for the 2014 BMW M5 and M6 models. The Competition Package boosts the 4.4-liter V-8's output by 15 hp 575 hp. At the same time, the package includes an extensively tuned the chassis set-up. Along with new coil springs and damper calibrations, anti-sway bars have also been stiffened. For the BMW M5, these adjustments have resulted in a lowering of the car by around 10 millimeters. The potential inherent in the rear axle design - based on the race-derived principle of the rear axle subframe being rigidly bolted to the body - and the even more precisely calibrated bushings for the front axle are exploited with the Competition Package.

Aston Martin has released this teaser of its new concept that will be unveiled on May 19th. The new concept coincides with the celebration of Aston Martin's 100th anniversary. According to Aston Martin, the concept "encompasses the past, present and future in one exceptional design."

An Audi insider has revealed that the next-generation Audi Q7 will be around 800 pounds lighter than the current model. The Audi Q7 is built on the same VW platform as the VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne and is built in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Volvo's V60 plug-in hybrid, which is also the world's first diesel plug-in hybrid, is selling higher than Volvo's initial expectations. Volvo is now ramping up production by 90 percent, just to keep up with the demand. The increased demand, especially in Holland, Belgium and Italy, means that the Plug-in Hybrid production at Volvo Cars' Torslanda plant in Sweden will be increased continuously from 150 to 282 units per week. All in all, Volvo Cars will produce 7,600 plug-in hybrids in 2013 - and the 2014 target is 10,000 units.

Porsche has released a batch of new photos of the 918 Spyder and officially confirmed the specs for the hybrid supercar. The 918 Spyder has been designed, developed and produced by Porsche engineers who build race cars, in cooperation with series production specialists. A great deal of insight gained from the development of Porsche race cars for the 24 hours race in Le Mans in 2014 is thus integrated into the 918 Spyder - and vice versa. The 918 Spyder will also act as the gene pool for the Porsche sports cars of the future.

BMW has unveiled the new M Sport edition package that is available on the 2014 BMW 6 Series Coupe, BMW 6 Series Convertible and BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. The M Sport edition models include the M Sport package, which consists of an M aerodynamics package, 19-inch M light-alloy wheels in double-spoke design, LED foglamps, the BMW Individual High-gloss Shadow Line, black-painted brake callipers, exhaust tail pipes in dark chrome and Adaptive LED headlights.

BMW has released a teaser of the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé, which is the result of a partnership between BMW and Pininfarina. The BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé will be unveiled at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2013 and is the sequel to the BMW Zagato Coupé that was introduced at last year's Concorso.

The current BMW M5 is set to get a minor facelift for the 2014 model year and the first official photos were leaked onto BMW's website. The configurator on BMW.de was accidentally updated too soon, giving us our first look at the minor updates we can expect from the 2014 M5.

VW used the Wörthersee festival to unveil the Amarok Power-Pickup concept, which is powered by a 268-hp 3.0L V6 TDI engine. The Power-Pickup, based on an Amarok single cab, is designed as a rolling workshop to carry spare parts, tools and race equipment. It reaches 0-62 mph in 7.9 seconds and the V6 engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent 4MOTION transmission.

Lamborghini has unveiled the new Lamborghini Egoista, which celebrates Lamborghini's 50th anniversary. "I am very attached to this Italian brand, being an Italian myself. I wanted to pay homage to and think up a vehicle to underline the fact that Lamborghinis have always been made with passion, and with the heart more than the head," said Walter De Silva.

A brochure for the all-new 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class has leaked online ahead of the sedan's debut next week. We've already seen one photo of the new S-Class, but now we get to see even more, including its profile, the rear end and full shots of the interior.

Bentley has announced six new Le Mans Limited Edition trims that are available on the Mulsanne and the Continental models and will be produced exclusively for North America. Each model is inspired by a driver from Bentley's six victories at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race.

Here are the first official photos of the 503-hp VW Design Vision GTI concept that is debuting this week at at the Wörthersee festival. VW's designers and engineers created the race car concept specifically for the event. Based on the seventh-generation GTI, the Design Vision GTI's design team has drawn the C-pillars and sills outward as autonomous body elements, thus creating space for substantially wider front and rear tracks, as well as specially developed 20-inch wheels.

Volkswagen is reportedly working on a new carbon fiber roof option for specific performance versions of the Golf. The new carbon fiber roof will help the Golf drop around 20 pounds, which will improve its performance and fuel economy.

For the 13th year in a row, Mini is donating one of its models to the Vienna Life Ball. Each year Mini works with a designer to create a unique Mini model that is auctioned off at the ball, with proceeds going to projects dedicated to the battle against and prevention of HIV and AIDS. This year the Mini Paceman has been modified by fashion designer Roberto Cavalli.

VW has often been criticized lately because of the fact that its turbocharged 2.0L generates a lot less horsepower than other automakers like Hyundai and Kia, which are generating a lot more power from an engine that is the same size. Although the new VW GTI's 2.0L engine can generate up to 230 horsepower with the optional performance pack, VW has upped the ante even more with a twin-turbocharged 503-hp 3.0L V6 engine.

Star Trek fans are getting ready for the next installment of the movie franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness, which opens in theaters on May 17th. To get ready for the movie, Audi wants to know what happens when old school goes head to head with new school in a battle of speed and wits? Audi is putting the Spock of past (Leonard Nimoy) and present (Zachary Quinto) together in its latest commercial for the Audi S7.

When the BMW i3 electric vehicle arrives this fall, it is expected to be priced around the same price range as the BMW 3 Series, which means that buyers can expect a price tag around $40,000. Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW of North America revealed the details to Automotive News.

Land Rover has confirmed plans to unveil a new hybrid version of the new Range Rover Sport this fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The new hybrid version of the Range Rover Sport will be powered by a diesel-hybrid powertrain.

The original VW Scirocco launched in 1974 and now 39 years and three generations later, VW is celebrating the production of the one millionth Scirocco with the new Scirocco Million special edition. The Scirocco Million is painted in "Deep Black Metallic " with an accent strip running down the center of the body. The exterior rear mirror caps are painted in "Galvanic Grey" and it rides on standard "Interlagos" 18-inch alloy wheels. The Scirocco Million edition also gets R-Line bumpers, R-Line side sills, smoked tail lights, "Million" stickers on the wings and rear windows that are 90% smoked.

VW has given the Beetle Turbo, Beetle Turbo Convertible, and the Jetta GLI models a few updates, with the most notable upgrade being the addition of the new version of VW's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. The new engine makes 210 horsepower, an increase of 10 hp over the previous Gen 2 TSI engine. Peak power is generated 200 revs higher in the engine range, at 5300 rpm, and torque remains unchanged at 207 pound-feet. The Beetle Turbo coupe takes 6.6 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph, 0.2 seconds less than the previous version: At 6.7 seconds, the Jetta GLI is a tenth faster with the manual transmission and two tenths quicker with the DSG dual-clutch automatic than the cars equipped with the Gen 2 engine.

Porsche has unveiled the new 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S models, which happen to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first 911 Turbo prototype. The 911 Turbo models get an new all-wheel-drive system, active rear axle steering, adaptive aerodynamics, full-LED headlights, and up to 560 hp from a 3.8L flat six-cylinder engine.

The first official photo of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class has leaked online, which gives us our first look at the new sedan. The 2014 S-Class is going to officially be unwrapped in a few weeks. The new S-Class will get a new sleeker exterior that features many of the same design cues as the much smaller CLA.

Audi's head of R&D has confirmed that Audi is working on a new SUV that will go head to head with the Range Rover Sport. The Audi Q8 will be get coupe-like styling, but will be based on the same platform as the Q7, Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg.

Land Rover is celebrating its 65th birthday with a celebratory event at Packington Estate near its Solihull homeland and a special edition Defender - the LXV. The Defender LXV features 16-inch Sawtooth alloy wheels and comes in Santorini Black or Fuji White with a contrasting Corris Grey roof, grille and headlight surrounds and facia. The interior gets full leather seats with LXV embossed front headrests and unique orange contrast stitching on the seats, steering wheel and center cubby compartment to complement the exterior LXV decals.

Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos has confirmed that a convertible version of the new Wraith is in the works. Muller-Otvos told Auto Express, "the design certainly lends itself to a drophead coupe, and I think that will be the next variant."

Jaguar has premiered a new short film, called "Desire" that features the new F-Type at Sundance London, which was filmed in collaboration with with Ridley Scott Associates (RSA). The film stars British actor Damian Lewis, who was dressed for his role in Burberry Tailoring, as well as Spanish actor Jordi Mollà and American actress Shannyn Sossamon.

BMW and Solarwatt have announced a new partnership to provide home solar charging for BMW's upcoming i3 and i8 electric vehicles. The combined rooftop and carport photovoltaic solutions will offer BMW i3 and BMW i8 owners an attractively designed solar-based electric vehicle charging plus household microgeneration system using innovative glass-glass modules.

Audi is going to bring a new concept version of the Audi TT to this year's Wörthersee Tour 2013, which kicks off on May 8. The Audi TT ultra quattro concept is a new lighter version of the TT, which comes in at just under 2,500 pounds and is powered by a 310-hp 2.0L TFSI engine, which catapults the concept from 0-62 mph in 4.2 seconds.

The first electric vehicle from the partnership between Volvo and Siemens, the C30 electric vehicle will arrive this summer in Europe. Beginning summer 2013, European leasing customers will drive and evaluate an upgraded demo fleet of 100 Volvo C30 fully electric cars. Volvo has also announced that the electrically-powered C30 will reach 0-43 mph in 5.9 seconds and can be full recharged in only 1.5 hours.

VW has unveiled two new special edition versions of the small up!, the Groove up! and Rock up! that will arrive in Europe this summer. VW says that the new special edition models are designed for fans of loud music and great-looking small cars.

VW has announced the introduction of the 2013 VW Passat Wolfsburg Edition, which will arrive in showrooms by late spring. The Passat Wolfsburg Edition slides in between the base S and the mid-level SE trims. The Passat Wolfsburg Edition adds new 16-inch alloy wheels, perforated V-Tex leatherette seating surfaces, a power driver's seat, heated front seats, satellite radio, and a Media Device-Interface (MDI) with an iPod cable.

Volvo has no plans to compete with the flagship sedans from Mercedes-Benz and BMW according to a recent interview with Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson. Samuelsson told Automotive News China that a large flagship sedan doesn't fit into Volvo's "green image" and Volvo customers wouldn't even consider a model of that size.

BMW is celebrating its 10th anniversary of working with Paris Photo and this year BMW is presenting the M1 BMW Art Car by Andy Warhol, created by the pop artist in 1979, in addition to a special set of photos of the 6 Series Gran Coupe.

Smart has announced the production version of the ForJeremy that we saw last year in concept form at the LA Auto Show. Smart created the unique ForJeremy with fashion designer Jeremy Scott, which will be available as an extremely limited special edition licensed for road use. With its striking wings at the rear, the vehicle retains a central design element of the original show car.

VW has unveiled the iBeetle, which is VW's first model with a new docking station and special iPhone application. At the beginning of 2014, the iPhone will interface with the VW Beetle and Beetle Convertible via a specially developed app and a docking station.