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2013 Audi R8 Facelift arrives (+video)

Audi has given the R8 a facelift for 2013 with cosmetic tweaks, a new 7-speed S tronic dual clutch and the Audi R8 V10 Plus. Audi’s answer to the Porsche 911 has been with us for six years and has grown to a complete range of supercars with four rings, including V8 and V10 versions as Spyder or Coupe and an R8 GT. But now its time for a complete refresh with the arrival of the 2013 Audi R8 Facelift.

Kia Carens (2012) first offical pictures

Another Paris motor show attendee has been confirmed today: the lower, sleeker, altogether less mumsy 2012 Kia Carens. Ex-Audi design guru Peter Schreyer looks to have treated the Carens to the now-trademark Kia grille and more European-style design, but all we've got to go on so far are these rather 'negative' teaser images from Kia. Kia's 2012 Carens: the details Judging by these Photoshopped teaser photos, the new Kia Carens is a world apart from the more squared-off, minivan MPVs that have gone before.

Audi R8 facelift (2012) first official pictures

Audi has updated its R8 flagship to keep up with the relentless pace of the supercar class. There are several minor visual tweaks to keep the now-six-year-old R8 looking fresh, and a substantial revision under the nip-and-tucked skin to improve performance. The new 2012 Audi R8 is available in coupe and open-top Spyder bodystyles from late 2012.

News watch July 2012: 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-hour Tuesday 31 July 2012•Porsche SE recorded a first half profit of €1.15bn, in comparison with €149m for the same period in 2011. The enormous jump has come not from directly selling cars, but from the group's investments in Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH and Volkswagen AG (Porsche SE)•Reuters suggests Germany's car market is in recession, but few outside the industry would know it, thanks to a controversial sales practice that inflates official statistics and paints a flattering picture of demand.

Mazda 6 (2012) revealed in teaser images

Mazda has released shadowy teaser images of its new 6 saloon, in anticipation of its world premiere at the Moscow motor show, running from 29 August - 9 September 2012. The car's nose is very similar to the Takeri concept of 2011, continuing the new Mazda family face first seen in production trim on the new Mazda CX-5 crossover. The new 2012 Mazda 6: all the details Like the CX-5, the new Mazda 6 will benefit from Mazda's 'SkyActiv' technology. SkyActiv brings a lightweight modular architecture and a range of cleaner petrol and diesel engines – which Mazda claims are nearly as frugal as hybrids without a bulky EV battery in sight.

Exhibition: BMW Art Drive London

Entering the seventh floor of a London car park to find three spaces occupied by BMWs is an inconsequential occurrence given the proliferation of Bavarian-born cars in the UK Capital. Except, that is, when the three in question have been touched by the hands (and brushes) of Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschernberg. As part of the London 2012 Festival and in partnership with the ICA, BMW has taken over a grimy multi-storey in London's hipster Shoreditch district, filling it with 16 works from its iconic, priceless Art Car collection.

2013 Lincoln MKZ starts at $36,800

Lincoln says the redesigned 2013 MKZ sedan gets a base sticker price of $36,800 including the shipping charges. For that price you'll get a turbo four-cylinder making 240 hp, an adjustable suspension and a push-button shift for the automatic transmission. Interested in the hybrid version?

VW wants more vehicles tailored to U.S. buyers

The Volkswagen brand's U.S. product planner wants a more Americanized lineup. His wish list calls for a small, locally built SUV, more diesels and possibly a return of the Phaeton.

Red Tails Mustang joins auction at AirVenture Oshkosh

Ford has produced a one-off Red Tails edition of the 2013 Ford Mustang GT for an auction at the Gathering of Eagles charity event on July 26. The event will take place during the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh 2012 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. Proceeds will benefit the Young Eagles program, which provides free introductory flights for young people.

Gale Banks brings new diesels to military expo

When most of us think of Gale Banks, we think of diesel engines, big honkin' trucks and tuning boxes that make pickups perform like slingshot dragsters. What you might not know is that Banks and the U.S. military have been working together since the 1970s.

Audi previews refreshed R8 in Twitter image

Audi's R8 halo machine is getting a light update, and the freshened model will go on sale in the United States early in 2013. Audi released European specifications this week. U.S.

DRB-Hicom reject offer for Lotus

DBR-Hicom – owners of Proton and Lotus – have rejected an offer for Lotus and are intent on nursing it back to health. The rumours surrounding the fate of Lotus - especially after the Dany Bahar saga – have been rumbling around the car world for a long time. Will DRB-Hicom – who bought Proton, owners of Lotus, in 2011 – cut and run, or will they see Lotus as a possible jewel in their crown to be nursed back to health?

Mercedes A Class production outsourced

Mercedes is outsourcing some new A Class production as orders continue to flood in for Mercedes’ new compact car. Last week we had the news that Mercedes will be building new A Class compact SUV – the Mercedes GLA – at the Mercedes plant in Rastatt as production of the A Class kicked off. But despite the new A Class being built at both Rastatt and the Mercedes plant in Kecskemet, Hungary, Mercedes don’t have enough capacity for the volume of order flooding in for the new A Class – over 40,000 since it went on sale just over a month ago.

Ferrari F40: 60 F40s parade at Silverstone Classic (+video)

A total of 60 Ferrari F40s took to the Silverstone track at last weekend’s Silverstone Classic to celebrate 25 years of the F40 – a world record. Perhaps, just perhaps, the Ferrari F40 is Ferrari’s finest hypercar and stands as Enzo Ferrari’s last automotive statement before his death a year after the F40 launched in 1987. To celebrate the F40′s 25th birthday the Silverstone Classic gathered together as many F40s as they could muster for a parade lap at Silverstone at the weekend.

Jaguar C-X75 500bhp hybrid supercar - here by 2014

Jaguar today confirmed it will bring a limited, 200-strong edition of the C-X75 hybrid supercar to market in the next two years. The C-X75 is being developed in partnership with Williams and will be the second British hybrid supercar – alongside McLaren's new P11 – to challenge the Ferrari Enzo successor and Porsche 918 e-sypercars. Jaguar C-X75: the latest news Coventry today confirmed to CAR that just 200 C-X75s will be built in a low production run.

2013 BMW 7-series comes with more power, features, cost

BMW released the details of the 2013 7-series sedan on Friday, saying that the entire 7-series line will offer more power, better fuel economy and more advanced features. And it all comes at a slightly higher cost. The 740i and Li will now feature a version of BMW's stalwart, 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline-six engine delivering 315 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque.

Not every Chrysler dealer gets to sell SRT Viper

The redesigned 2013 SRT Viper will be sold at about one in five Chrysler Group dealerships, says Ralph Gilles, head of the high-performance SRT brand. To qualify for the sports car, dealerships will have to train staff, buy special tools and improve their facilities. "We're going to open it up to any dealer who can put the money forward and the training, but it's going to be pretty difficult to hit all of those things," Gilles said during a broadcast interview with journalists in Detroit this month.

2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed hits 205 mph

The range-topping 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed is the fastest production model ever from Crewe, England. Barely. Capable of 205 mph (with a little rounding) it noses out the Continental Supersports by less than 1 mph.

Next Kia Forte sedan is wider, lower

Kia will introduce the next Forte sedan in 2013, and we have pictures, straight from the office in Korea. The sedan sports a wider and lower version of the front clip from the Kia Rio. The body is stretched, and the roofline looks lower.

Ford targets Toyota Prius with C-Max Energi crossover

Ford is going after the Toyota Prius with its new C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid. In its latest release, the Blue Oval called out the best-selling hybrid seven times while announcing the new crossover's fuel, range and pricing. Ford says the C-Max Energi will travel 550 miles on one tank of gas.

Aston Martin DB5 James Bond SKYFALL video preview

The new James Bond film – SKYFALL – features the most iconic Bond car – the Aston Martin DB5 – featured in this video preview. As we reported back in February, the makers of the new James Bond film, Skyfall, have decided to sprinkle a bit of historic Bond fairy dust on their new movie with the return of the Aston Martin DB5 to Bond. And with the release of Skyfall getting closer (it debuts in the UK on 26th October) the makers are getting a bit of Aston Martin PR rolling with this video showing the DB5 in action on the Bond set.

2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible confirmed

Volkswagen will reveal the 2013 VW Beetle Convertible at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The new VW Beetle is only just starting to make an appearance on UK roads but already it’s about to be overshadowed by its flasher sibling – the 2013 VW Beetle Convertible. Launching at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, the new Beetle Convertible will be loosely based on the VW E-Bugster Cabriolet Concept we saw at the Beijing Show in the Spring.

Hyundai to tone down ‘Fluidic Design’ for ‘Fluidic Precision’

Hyundai’s US boss, John Krafcik, has said that Hyundai will refine their ‘Fluidic Design’ in to something they’re calling ‘Fludic Precision’. The Hyundai Fluidic Design language was really the start of Hyundai’s move from Halford’s special to mainstream car maker. But the design language is starting to look a bit fussy and Hyundai are reacting to that by moving towards what they call ‘Fluidic Precision’ (there’s already a less fussy look about the new Santa Fe).

Bentley SUV confirmed for production

A Bentley worker has told the Sentinel that the Bentley EXP 9 F – the Bentley SUV – is confirmed for production. It obviously didn’t seem like a big deal to the reporter at Staffordshire’s Sentinel newspaper when a Bentley employee told them that the Bentley SUV was going in to production and would guarantee employment for the next 14 years. But it is a big deal.

Toyota GT86 Drift Sprint with Keiichi Tsuchiya

The Toyota GT86 gets another dose of ‘Cheap Fun’ PR with the Drift Sprint competition featuring Keiichi Tsuchiya. Keiichi Tsuchiya is the ‘Drift King’ with his Toyota AE86 sliding and squirming in balletic slides as he makes it dance in a way cars just don’t. So it makes sense to get Keiichi Tsuchiya in to the driving seat of the new Toyota GT86 to show that an affordable sports car from Toyota can be a whole bunch of fun in ways that more powerful cars just aren’t.

German Grand Prix (2012) RESULT

With Alonso on pole and Vettel alongside – and rain in the air – is the 2012 German Grand Prix going to be Silverstone repeated? Qualifying for this year’s German Grand Prix in Hockenheim was a rather damp affair, with final qualifying run in a monsoon. A monsoon that saw Fernando Alonso put his Ferrari on a convincing pole with the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel alongside.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato – 49 bite the dust

The Aston Martin V12 Zagato was going to have up to a 150 production run, but Aston Martin now say they will build just 101 cars. The Aston Martin V12 Zagato is a great creation with OTT styling courtesy of Zagato. But, when all’s said and done, it’s just a V12 Vantage in pretty clothes with a few tweaks, yet it costs three times as much – a slightly eye-watering £330k.

Porsche 918 Spyder hits the Nurburgring (video)

The Porsche 918 Spyder – Porsche’s hybrid replacement for the Carrera GT – has been caught on video at the Nurburgring. Incredibly, it’s more that two years since Porsche took the wraps of the 918 Spyder at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, yet we’re still more than a year away from actually seeing production cars. But Porsche are putting their time to good use. Porsche has made a few cosmetic tweaks already from the original 918 Concept, but they’ve also let it be known that the 918 Spyder will get a 550bhp 4.6 litre V8 to go with its electric motors on the front wheels  (one less motor than originally envisaged – there was going to be one one the back axle too), which will make the 918 Spyder a FWD Porsche when in EV mode.

Lexus LFA: Orchestrated and Choreographed

We have video of a trio of Lexus LFA drifting and performing at an event in Japan to the strains of Elgar and Rossini. There are only 500 Lexus LFAs in existence, so seeing more than one at a time is quite a motoring spot. To see three together in one place is unusual, even more so when they’re performing a car ballet.

German Grand Prix 2012: Alonso on pole for Ferrari

Fernando Alonso put his Ferrari on pole in Hockenheim for the 2012 German Grand Prix, with McLaren trailing far behind. It’s not just the UK that offers F1 a wet experience, the 2012 German Grand Prix in Hockenheim did a very good impression of the British weather for today’s qualifying. Star of the show – once more – was Fernando Alonso who put his Ferrari on pole position for the second time in a row, comfortably beating second place Sebastian Vettel who was half a second slower, just in front of team mate Mark Webber.