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Rolls-Royce teases Wraith before Geneva motor show

Rolls-Royce has revealed the first actual photo of the upcoming Wraith coupe, which will debut at the Geneva motor show in March. The first teaser image was just smoke in the shape of the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, but this photo shows the actual shape of the car. Last week we reported that the big coupe will most likely carry a 6.0-liter V12 engine that should create about 600 hp, and that the car will be about 7 inches shorter than the four-door Ghost.

McLaren P1 lands on SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills

We first laid eyes on the stunning McLaren P1 at the Paris auto show in September. The intriguing cross between the alien from Alien and an MP4-12C promised to break new ground for a production supercar. Soon after, we caught it testing on public roads in Spain wearing black-and-white camouflage.

BMW i3 EV WILL get BMW motorcycle engine as range extender

BMW’s head of R&D, Herbert Diess, has confirmed the BMW i3 EV will come with the option of a range extender engine. BMW’s head of R&D, Herbert Diess, has confirmed to Automotive News that when the i3 arrives in BMW showrooms at the end of 2013 it will be offered with a range extending engine as well as a pure EV. The range extender engine will be housed in the boot and is derived from a BMW motorcycle engine, and will turn the i3 from a small EV, useful only in confined city environs with a range of around 40 miles, in to a small runaround that has a range of 250 miles.

Jaguar XF CKD assembly starts in India

Jaguar Land Rover has started assembling the Jaguar XF at its plant in Pune, India, in a move to reduce XF retail prices in India. Lower taxes on cars assembled in India from CKD kits produced in the UK  (although not as low as they were), rather than importing complete cars from the UK, mean assembling the Jaguar XF in India will give the XF  - already Jaguar’s best-selling car in India – a more attractive headline price. That means the 3.0 litre Jaguar XF dropping in price from 5.8 million rupees (around £68k) to 5.1 million (around £60k) and the newly introduced 2.2 litre diesel XF will come to market at 4.5 million rupees (around £53k).

Rolls Royce Wraith: First tease photo of Ghost Coupe

The first tease photo of the Rolls Royce Wraith – a coupe version of the Ghost – has been revealed ahead of a Geneva Motor Show debut. It’s only been a few days since Rolls Royce told us that the Ghost Coupe will be the Rolls Royce Wraith, and we were expecting a few teaser photos surface in the next couple of months as the Wraith gets close to a reveal at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. But it looks like we might have to hunker down for an endless series of teases for the Wraith between now and March as the first teaser photo for the Wraith – a shadowy view of it in profile – has already been released.

2013 Ford Fiesta ST: Price from £16,995

The 2013 Ford Fiesta ST will cost from £16,995 when it arrives in Ford’s UK showrooms in March, with an extra £1,000 buying the Fiesta ST2. But now, with the Fiesta ST about to arrive as a three door in UK showrooms (the 5 door Fiesta ST will be sold in the US), Ford has come up with prices and specs for their hot Fiesta. The regular Fiesta ST will get some butch bumpers, a set of 17″ alloys, suspension lowered by 15mm, tinted glass, Recaro seats, DAB and AirCon, and if you want to spoil yourself you can opt for the Fiesta ST2 which adds in LED headlights, keyless start, part leather seats and climate.

Rolls-Royce Wraith (2013) first teaser image of Ghost coupe

Following last week's official announcement of a Rolls-Royce Ghost-based coupe, the Goodwood manufacturer has released the first in its series of teaser images of the new Wraith two-door. We'll see the car in full at the Geneva motor show on 5 March 2013. The Rolls-Royce Wraith doesn't look like I expected it to...

CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition winners announced at NAIAS

The winners of the CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition have been announced at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Following a guided tour of the auto show with the GM design team, the finalists gathered on the GMC stand in Cobo Hall where Mark Adams and Ken Parkinson – heads of design for Cadillac & Buick, and Chevrolet & GMC respectively – were joined by Car Design News' Editor Owen Ready to present the winners of each brand's competition brief. Joining them on stage were the mentors from GM's design teams who interacted with the entrants throughout the competition to critique and help develop their work, making this a truly unique contest.

Honda Gear Concept

Rather than fighting for headlines at NAIAS, Honda debuted its new GEAR Concept at the Montreal International Auto Show. The subcompact GEAR is apparently inspired by fixed-gear bicycles (although quite how is unclear), described as a customizable vehicle that demonstrates the carmaker's way of providing vehicles for young, urban, Gen-Y lifestyles. "Subcompact cars are usually either utilitarian, but uninspiring or they're fun, zippy cars that are impractical and too expensive for the Gen-Y buyer," said Dave Marek, Design Director at Honda R&D Americas, Inc.

How the Honda Civic got a fast makeover

Jay Guzowski was getting more nervous by the day. As senior product planner for the redesign of the 2012 Honda Civic, Guzowski was shepherding the compact car from design freeze to market. But as he listened to others around the American Honda conference table -- with a year to go before the car's on-sale date -- he heard a disturbing refrain: The upcoming Civic was not good enough.

Why the Corvette Stingray should pace the Indy 500

Will the new Corvette Stingray be at the head of the field on May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the start of the Indianapolis 500? I say -- how could it not be! With its new body and frame and 450-hp V8 engine the Stingray could do the job with just minor modifications.

Video: Audi's custom slot car track

Slot Mods of Clinton Township, Mich. is in the business of building hyper-realistic, hand-crafted 1:32 scale slot car tracks. Leno is getting one, Bobby Rahal has one, and now Audi has one.

Hennessey Venom GT claims Guinness World Record

We've been talking about the Hennessey Venom GT for what seems like decades now and the verdict seems to be: it's fast. Of course, it should be. When you shoehorn a 7.0-liter V8 Corvette engine into a Lotus body, add a pair of turbochargers and channel it through two slabs of rubber in the back, the machine will move.

Skoda Yeti Laurin & Klement adds gloss to the Yeti

Skoda has revealed a range-topping Yeti SUV – the Yeti Laurin & Klement – with extra equipment over the Yeti Elegance. It might sounds like a firm of solicitors, but Laurin & Klement (Václav Laurin and Václav Klement) are the founders of what is now SKODA and Skoda use their names to badge their range-topping cars, hence the Skoda Yeti Laurin & Klement. The Yeti Laurin & Klement starts off as a Yeti Elegance before Skoda bolt on £4,000 worth of extra goodies, and you can have it only as a 4WD with the 1.8-litre TSI 160PS, 2.0-litre TDI CR 140PS DSG or 2.0-litre TDI CR 170PS engines.

Bentley SUV – the Bentley Falcon – close to production decision

The Bentley SUV – expected to be called the Bentley Falcon – is close to being officially signed-off for production. Within a month of that report we heard that Bentley had decided to give their new SUV the Bentley Falcon‘ moniker – a clear sign VW had decided to produce the Bentley SUV – and now we learn that the EXP 9 F Concept is ready to be signed-off as a production model - albeit with substantial changes to is design. Wolfgang Schreiber, Bentley CEO, has told Automotive News that Bentley is now close to making official the decision to build the Falcon and that it will get a V8 under the bonnet, and possibly the option of a W12 too.

Land Rover backed Race2Recovery team finishes Dakar Rally

The Race2Recovery Rally team – a group of disabled servicemen backed by Land Rover – has become the first disabled team to finish the Dakar Rally. Land Rover may have backed the Race2Recovery team in the Dakar Rally, but the real triumph is that of the team’s members as they become the first disabled team to complete the gruelling rally. In the space of just eighteen months, the Race2Recovery team has gone from a handful of disabled servicemen to a fully fledged Dakar Rally Team with 28 people, four Wildcats and a bunch of support vehicles including a pile of Discoveries for transporting the support team and equipment.

Holy Auction Prices! Batman’s Batmobile sells for $4.2 million

The Batmobile from the 1960s Batman TV series, starring Adam West and Burt Ward, has sold for $4.2 million at auction. For those of us of a certain age, the Batmobile from the original Batman TV series of the 1960s is the only Batmobile, and probably the first time we saw a car being the star of a TV show. Starring Adam West and Burt Ward, the Batman TV series was tongue in cheek and full of on-screen graphics like POW, WHAM and THWACK as Batman and Robin took on the bad guys.

Hendrick buys first Corvette Stingray

Race team owner and car dealer Rick Hendrick bought the first 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, VIN 0001, at the Barrett-Jackson car auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan. 19. Hendrick's winning bid was $1.05 million, for a car that's estimated to have a sticker price around $60,000.

SEAT Altea Copa & Altea XL Copa Editions launched. Price from £16,425

The SEAT Altea Copa and Altea XL Copa Editions have been launched by SEAT with more equipment for no more money. The SEAT Altea has been with us for a very long time and is not quite as enticing as it once was as a sporty take on a compact MPV – based on the SEAT Leon with a higher roofline and slightly raised suspension  – so SEAT are launching the Altea Copa (and Altea XL Copa) to try and breathe a bit of life in to Altea sales. In the process of launching the Altea Copa, SEAT are also simplifying the Altea range a bit by dropping the ‘S Emocion trim along with the 1.4 litre 85 PS and 1.4 TSI litre 125 PS petrol engines, which leaves three engines to choose from in the Altea range - 1.2 TSI 105 PS, 1.6 TDI 105 PS, and 2.0 TDI 140 PS.

Official: New Alfa Romeo Spider based on new Mazda MX-5

Following a MOU in May 2012, Alfa Romeo has confirmed they will be launching a new Alfa Spider in 2015 based on the next Mazda MX-5 Back in May 2012, Fiat and Mazda signed a memorandum of understanding to produce a new Alfa Romeo Spider built on the same platform as the next generation Mazda MX-5, and that has now turned in to a solid agreement with the new Alfa Spider arriving in 2015. But this won’t be a simple badge-engineering by Fiat to roll out a new Alfa Spider that’s just the same as the next MX-5 but with a different badge and grill, but will feature different styling and engines to make sure there is real differentiation between the roadsters. That means the new Alfa Spider getting Italian styling (which we hope has more than a passing nod to the original Alfa Spider) an, it’s expected, Alfa’s 1750cc engine we’ll see in the new Alfa 4C when that arrives.

Want your 2013 Mercedes E63 AMG to look like an E220? Now you can.

Mercedes are to offer a Business Line Pack for the 2013 E63 AMG which tones down its extreme looks and makes it look more prosaic. If you run a successful business, it’s important to look the part. But it’s equally important not to shout about your success (well, it is in Europe) too loudly or your workforce might think you should be paying them more instead of indulging your petrolhead side, and customers might decide you’re overcharging them if you look too flash.

Top Gear Series 19: Video trailer & 1st episode details

Series 19 of Top Gear returns to BBC 2 on 27th January, and we have a video trailer and details of the first episode. It’s been a bit odd without Top Gear on our screens (well, new Top Gear episodes), but normal service will resume on 27th January as series 19 of Top Gear returns to BBC2. Ahead of the first episode of series 19 (there will be seven episodes in total), the Beeb is making sure we know there’s a new Top Gear series coming with a short video trailer, and the BBC has also sent us details of the first episode.

Qoros set to unveil two concepts in Geneva

Qoros has announced it will showcase two concepts alongside its first production car, the GQ3 compact sedan, at this year's Geneva motor show. The Cross Hybrid Concept and Estate Concept preview future Qoros designs and technologies and are both based on the same platform as the GQ3. The two also feature the same signature design cues, developed under the direction of executive director of design, Gert Hildebrand.

Alfa Romeo, Mazda confirm roadster project

The Fiat Group and Mazda Motor Corp. have finalized an agreement to co-develop a pair of compact two-seat roadsters that will go on sale in the United States in 2015. The cars will be the fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata and a modern interpretation of the classic Alfa Romeo Spider.

Mercedes AMG engine guru to join VW

The man credited with development of Mercedes-Benz AMG's latest line of high performance gasoline engines, Friedrich Eichler, has been lured to the Volkswagen Group, where he will take up an as yet unspecified position this summer, sources with knowledge of the move tell Autoweek. Eichler, who joined AMG after working his way up through the ranks at Porsche, was instrumental in the development of AMG's naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8, twin-turbocharged and naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 and twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 that powers the Pagani Huayra. Friedrich Eichler also developed turbocharged four-cylinder engines for upcoming Mercedes AMG cars.

Chrysler introduces 300 Glacier to tackle winter weather

Between Jeep, Mopar and Dr. Dre, Chrysler makes more special editions than Nike makes Air Force Ones. Immediately following the announcement of the Chrysler 300S Turbine that we saw at the Detroit auto show, the company announced a new edition of the 300 sedan called the Glacier.

What's next for the new Corvette Stingray?

Now that the camouflage is off the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, photo-choppers have new fodder for speculating the looks of the C7 convertible. Want to see some? Just punch "C7 Corvette convertible" into your preferred web search tool.

Aston Martin. Burj Al Arab Hotel. Helicopter. Mix & Serve.

As part of Aston Martin’s Centenary celebrations in Dubai, an Aston Martin Vanquish has been helicoptered to the top of the Burj Al Arab hotel. There’s no more extra power on offer from the centenary edition Astons, but they do get a special paint job and interior and come with solid silver enamelled plaques commemorating the centenary, even if Aston Martin seem to have only been able to cobble together a Vanquish Centenary Edition so far. But things have got a bit more spectacular in Dubai, with Aston Martin using a helicopter to stick a Vanquish on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, 1,000 ft up at the top of the iconic sail-shaped building.

Woken up to snow? Go grab a new Land Rover Freelander!

Land Rover want you to know that if you’ve woken up to snow – and you want a 4×4 now – the Freelander 2 Black & White is a stock car. There are times of the year when it’s cheaper to buy certain types of cars, and times of the year when they get a bit pricey. The height of the summer is the best time to grab an SUV and the depths of a snowy winter the best time to grab a soft top.

News watch January 2013: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourFriday 18 January 2013• Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda) and Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. (Fiat) announced today the signing of the Final Agreement which will see Mazda produce an open-top two-seater sports car for Fiat’s Alfa Romeo brand at its Hiroshima, Japan, plant starting from 2015 (Mazda) Thursday 17 January 2013•  Mark Reuss, North American chief of General Motors, has jumped to the defence of Electric vehicles and said he is not giving up on them despite struggling sales in 2012.