2012 BMW 3 Series priced from $35,795*

Have you been waiting for the new BMW 3 Series to come around? Well the wait is over. The sixth generation of the quintessential sport sedan is upon us, and now we've got the pricing to go with it. BMW of North America has placed the base MSRP for the four-cylinder 328i at $35,795, and the six-cylinder 335i at $43,295 – inclusive of destination charges(*). While these prices represent a $320 and $370 respective increase over the models they replace, BMW is adamant that the jump is worth it. Not...

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Mercedes-Benz killing Maybach in 2013, replacing with S600 Pullman

According to an unnamed Mercedes-Benz source speaking with AutoWeek, the German automaker is killing off its Maybach line in 2013. The unsurprising news comes after the brand was resurrected in 2002, but failed to meet sales expectations with its two core models, the Maybach 57 and 62. Further solidifying its fate, a deal with Aston Martin to aid in the development of future Maybachs fell through earlier this year. According to the AutoWeek insider, the plan is to continue to sell both Maybach...

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2013 Lexus GS 350

Engine: 3.5L V6 Power: 306 HP / 277 LB-FT Transmission: 6-Speed Auto 0-60 Time: 5.7 Seconds (est.) Top Speed: 142 MPH (limited) Drivetrain: Rear- or AWD Curb Weight: 3,795 LBS Seating: 2+3 Cargo: 14.3 CU-FT MPG: 19 City / 28 HWY MSRP: N/A So Lexus wants to be taken seriously now. Certainly the brand is a heavyweight – and has been since the moment it launched 22 years ago, changing the luxury market almost overnight. It's just had trouble garnering the respect of the cognoscenti, the car enthusiast...

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Europe's Toyota GT 86 sports car revealed

It's no secret that the Toyota FT-86 will finally make its production-spec debut next week in Tokyo, and ahead of that, the automaker's UK office has released the first official photos and some initial specs. In Europe, the car will officially be called the Toyota GT 86. Cutting right to the chase, here are the specs that are now official, from the Toyota UK announcement. Obviously, there's more to come: 2.0-liter boxer with D4-S injection (direct and port injected) 197 hp @ 7,000 rpm and...

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2012 Shelby GTS

The Shelby name doesn't come cheap. Vintage Shelby Mustangs and Cobras can command six or sometimes even seven figure sums. The current Shelby offerings are much cheaper – the GT350 is priced around $70,000 while the Ford-built GT500 is a little less expensive with a base price just short of $50,000 – although we still wouldn't consider them attainable to the average guy with a mortgage and 2.5 kids. Shelby sees that as a problem. The majority of its customers are the people who craved a GT500...

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Chevrolet shares a bit of its tunnel vision for Camaro ZL1

The engineers behind the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 are our kind of people. They were the ones who stepped up to the immeasurable task of transmuting the Camaro from its current state as a straight-line princess into a a hairpin street fighter. While America has typically fallen back on the old "no replacement for displacement" adage when it came time to win races, the engineers responsible for the ZL1 left no stone unturned. Suspension, brake performance and weight balance all played a huge role...

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Six-cylinder BMW M3 caught on and around Nürburgring

That Roundel-obsessed crew over at F30post.com has laid its paws on a quick clip of the next-generation BMW M3 turning a few hot laps at the Nürburgring. The video gives us the best look and listen yet to the performance 3 Series under duress, and it certainly sounds as if the vehicle has finally shed its high-winding V8 for six-cylinder power. That feeling? It's just the universe re-aligning itself. Don't worry about it. BMW hasn't said exactly what sort of power the next-generation M3 will...

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American racer Michael Lewis earns Ferrari test on back of F3 victory

When this year's Formula 1 young driver test kicks off in Abu Dhabi, Alexander Rossi may be the only American there, but he's not the only young Yank with his eyes on grand prix racing. And he's not the only one set for an F1 test, either. Rossi is joined in his aspirations by fellow Californian driver Michael Lewis, who is scheduled to test for no less prestigious a team than Scuderia Ferrari. The opportunity is Lewis' reward – arranged between Ferrari and the Italian racing body CSAI – for...

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2012 Nissan Altima Iconic VQ35

2012 Nissan Altima Sedan Pairs Power and Efficiency, Quality and Value to Maintain Strong Sales Momentum With a choice of two powerful, efficient engines, the Nissan Altima Sedan is perfectly positioned for today’s driving environment – maintaining its position as the best selling individual model in the Nissan lineup. Yet as Altima enters the sixth year of its refined fourth generation design, it may be its reputation for quality and value that has cemented its place among the leaders in mid-size...

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2012 Ferrari FF Silver Extremely Sporty

A revolutionary four-seater, four-wheel drive V12 Ferrari: exceptional performance and versatility Maranello, 21st January 2011 – The official Prancing Horse web site, Ferrari.com, has revealed the first photographs of the new FF, the company’s most powerful, versatile four-seater ever, as well as its first ever four-wheel drive car. The FF – an acronym for Ferrari Four (four seats and four-wheel drive) – ushers in an entirely new GT sports car concept. A decisive break with the past, the new...

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2011 Mitsubishi ASX New

From Concept-cX to ASX reality Sharing the same evocative “Kawasemi Blue” introduction color (1), the new Mitsubishi ASX represents a marketable interpretation of the Concept-cX show car, unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, whose success convinced MMC’s management to turn it into a full-fledged production car. Longer by nearly 20 cm (4.295 m vs the concept’s 4.11 m), slightly higher (+ 6.5cm) and wider (+ 2cm), and featuring a more upright tailgate all for the sake of optimum packaging,...

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2012 Lexus IS 350 Features AWD & RWD Models 3.5 L V6 Engine 306 hp at 6,400 RPM & 277 lb.-ft. of Torque at 4,800 rpm

Lexus IS Sport Sedan Line Features AWD and RWD Models * Standard Leather-Trimmed 10-Way Power Front Seats * Available 3.5L V6 Offers 306 Horsepower * Available F Sport Package Offers Exclusive Upgrades for IS 250/350 Rear-Wheel Drive Models Complete with AWD and RWD models, two powerful engine choices, and a stylish package with 17-inch standard wheels, the Lexus IS sport sedan continues to be a favorite among customers. The IS moves into the 2012 model year virtually unchanged after receiving...

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2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV New-Generation Electric Vehicle (EV)

Mitsubishi Motors Commences Production of the North American i-MiEV Tokyo, October 28, 2011 – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) today announced the start of production of the North American* version of its i-MiEV new-generation electric vehicle (EV) at its Mizushima Plant. The North American version of the i-MiEV will first be available in Hawaii as well as the United States’ western coastal states of California, Washington, and Oregon from the end of November this year. From then on, MMC...

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F1 may be coming to New York, but not NASCAR

NASCAR and New York may strike you as diametrically opposite pillars of modern America. But if Formula One can race in Texas, surely NASCAR can race in New York, right? F1 has recently announced two new races in the United States: the U.S. Grand Prix slated to race in Austin, Texas, for the first time next year, and the Grand Prix of America that will follow a year later in West New York and Weehawken, New Jersey. In other words, F1 racing is coming to two very different parts of the country....

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Mercedes SL prototype says you'll never catch me, copper

It's not every day that Mercedes-Benz comes out with a new SL. The roadster that anchors the top of the company's non-AMG production range tends to enjoy an unusually long lifecycle. The iconic first-generation Gullwing was on the market for ten years. The second-gen model lasted just eight years, but the third iteration was around for a whopping eighteen. The boxy fourth version was around for fourteen years, and the current model that replaced it has been on the market since 2003, with a...

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Standard Toyota FT-86 / Scion FR-S

Is this the standard production version of the Toyota FT-86 / Scion FR-S? Sure looks like it. Another set of brochure shots acquired by the FT-86 forum shows a plainer version of the new rear-drive sports car in red, in contrast to the white Modellista brochure shots from a few days ago. The interior images are the same as before, but the exteriors diverge in a few areas: the production version doesn't appear to have LED accents by the headlights, the skirting is softer around the car, a conventional...

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Icon Derelict '52 Chevy Business Coupe is unassuming masterpiece

Ladies and gentleman, this is what SEMA should be about. Behold the latest from Icon, the Derelict – a 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe Business Coupe hiding a full arsenal of modern engineering beneath over half a century of patina. The vehicle uses a complete powder-coated Art Morrison chassis with a front independent suspension and a four-link rear. An all-aluminum, fuel-injected 6.2-liter General Motors LS3 V8 sits between the frame rails and cranks out 430 horsepower. The engine is mated to a 4L65E...

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Porsche Design has made its own Blackberry

While its styling has refined over successive generations, you don't buy a Porsche for how it looks. You buy one for how it works. And the same could be said of a BlackBerry. The favorite communications tool of businesspeople worldwide and a number of private consumers as well, the BlackBerry is – like a Porsche – more about function than form. Leave it to Porsche Design, then, to up its style factor. Having already produced phones on its own, Porsche Design has long been rumored to be working...

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Chevrolet COPO Camaro Concept

What's a COPO, you ask? Back in the heyday of American muscle cars, COPO was an acronym for Central Office Production Order, which was, for all intents and purposes, a way for Chevrolet and its enterprising dealer network to sneak high-performance option packages and oversize engines past the bigwigs at General Motors and into the waiting hands of automotive enthusiasts. With ancient history out of the way, what's COPO mean in 2011? Well, it still means performance, but there's certainly no...

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