AUTHENTIC CARS

America's most...muscular pony car has fabricated its actualization on Ford's official website with prices starting from $54,200 for the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 auto and $59,200 for its open-top sibling, not including a $795  destination fee that bumps the absolute to $54,995 and $59,995 respectively. In both cases, that's a $5,390 access over the antecedent 2012 models. Intriguingly, the Mustang Shelby GT500 coupe's amount is identical to that of Chevrolet's 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1 Auto ($54,995 with destination and handling). Ford additionally offers an alternative $3,495 SVT Performance Package that adds a Torsen differential, 19-inch advanced and 20-inch rear artificial admixture wheels, Bilstein adjustable dampers, uprated rear springs and a different apparatus array and accessory about-face knob. The GT500 packs a lot added ability than ZL1 as its 5.8-liter supercharged V8 pushes out a whopping 650 ponies and a alley shredding 600 lb-ft (814Nm) of a...

The updated Mercedes G-Class image has been prematurely leaked on the web.  The 33-year-old G-class will receive its planned public premiere at next month’s Beijing motor show. The reworked version of the German car maker’s iconic SUV, scheduled for a June launch, can be seen here pictured in the background of an official photograph of the facelifted Mercedes GLK posted on the carmaker's media website. Among the subtle changes made to the G-class’s classic square rigged exterior is restyled grille, new headlamp inserts featuring LED daytime running lights and redesigned mirror housings. The tail lamps will also be re-profiled and there will be a new line of alloy wheels too. The G55 AMG’s 12-year-old 500bhp supercharged 5.4-litre V8 will makes way for a 536bhp version of AMG’s contemporary twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 in a new G63 AMG. The big news surrounds the addition of a rapid new G65 AMG. It features the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 recently conf...

Audi has re-launched the TT in India. The TT joins Audi’s India-lineup of sports-cars like the RS5, R8 and R8 V10.   Prices for the TT start at Rs 48.36 lakh (ex-showroom, Maharashtra) for the base 208bhp 2.0 TFSI variant. The Audi TT competes with the BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster and the Mercedes SLK for a slice of the small sports car market.  The new Audi TT features lightweight body panels made primarily of aluminum and the interiors have been revised with great attention to detail, while new technologies lower the fuel consumption of the compact sports car. The most obvious feature at the front of the car is the muscular bumper, which frames the larger air inlets with three-dimensional, sharply drawn out edges. Also sporting a new look are the lattice of the single-frame grille in high-gloss black and the optional xenon plus headlights. A key factor for the groundbreaking efficiency and excellent driving dynamics of the Audi TT is the body, that features hybrid Audi Space...

Chevrolet will unveil the Trailblazer at the Bangkok motor show next week. Thailand is one of the largest light truck markets in the world so it isn’t surprising that Chevy has chosen the Thai city for its global unveiling. Since the company is seriously evaluating getting this all new SUV to India, watch this space closely. The Trailblazer is slated to compete with the likes of the Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner in markets like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, this body-on-frame SUV could soon come to India if numbers and strategies align themselves. GM is hoping to assemble the Trailblazer at its Halol facility, where it currently carries out all its CKD operations. Looking at the first pictures of the production version, it clearly looks attractive. Part of a US$ 2-billion global program, Chevrolet says this is the most clean-sheet truck it has designed in its 100-year history – and it shows. The stance is just right and it blends muscle and sophistication almost perfectly....

Not content with merely grabbing the attention of India’s luxury car buyers, Audi is continuing its relentless charge for market share with the launch of several new models in the coming months. First up, and most important, will be the Q3, Audi’s compact SUV that is confirmed for a June 2012 launch. Audi may have lost the first-mover advantage to the BMW X1, but the company is confident that it can claw back lost ground. In fact, the Q3 has quite a few strengths that the X1 lacks. The most notable being its superior packaging. In contrast to the X1’s rear-wheel-drive layout and longitudinally-mounted engine, the Q3 with its transverse motor offers better space utilisation and is more spacious in the back. While the X1 is rear-wheel-drive, Audi will sell the Q3 at launch only in four-wheel-drive. Company officials say that they want to deliver the full Audi experience, and that means kitting it with a full-fledged MMI system and luxury pack, similar to the A4. Expect the Quattro-equi...

Here is the first official image of the third-generation Santa Fe, which features Hyundai’s ‘Storm Edge’ design concept that hints at its future SUV designs. Based on Hyundai’s Fluidic Sculpture design language, the third-generation Santa Fe sports a more aggressive and classic look than its predecessor. The design adopts the hexagonal grille – a key design cue of the Hyundai family look – a two-tone voluminous-bottom car body and wider front and rear bumpers, larger front fog-lamps and LED-driving lights incorporated in the fog-light housing. The aggressive styling continues on to the sides with flared wheel arches, huge ORVMs, a prominent beltline and an upward-swooping window line. At the rear, the SUV gets reworked LED tail-lamps and redesigned tail-gate and bumper. Hyundai claims the details expressed on the new Santa Fe’s exterior suggest a new design direction for Hyundai’s next-generation SUVs. There are no details on the engine as yet. According to the Korean major, the al...

This is the Lamborghini Aventador J, a one-off, road-legal roadster that company boss Stephan Winkelmann says is a testament to his firm’s commitment to pushing the limits of design, despite increasingly rigid road car regulations. As such, it takes its name from the world motorsport governing body’s ‘Appendix J’ regulations, which define racing car class specifications. The J also invokes Lamborghini’s history, referencing the one-off 1970 Lamborghini Jota, which was a high-performance version of the legendary Miura. The roofless roadster has taken centre stage on the firm’s Geneva motor show stand before being sold off at an undisclosed price as “the most extreme expression of Lamborghini DNA in existence”. Lamborghini has pledged that no other prototypes or museum pieces will be made in the same vein — although insiders have confirmed that a more widely available but less extreme Aventador roadster will be launched later this year. Modifications are restricted to the J’s extre...

The top three finalists for the World Car of the Year, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year were announced at a press conference hosted by the Bridgestone Corporation and the New York International Auto Show at the Geneva International Motor Show. The top three contenders for the World Car of the Year title, shortlisted from an initial list of 34 vehicles, are the BMW 3-series, the Porsche 911 and the Volkswagen Up. To be eligible for the overall World Car award, the candidates must be available for sale on at least two continents during the period beginning January 1, 2011 and ending  May 30, 2012. The contenders for the World Performance Car award are the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, the McLaren MP4-12C and the Porsche 911. The top three cars that made the cut for the World Green Car award are the Ford Focus Electric, the Mercedes-Benz 250 CDI BlueEfficiency and the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid. And the nominees for the World Car Design of the Yea...

Audi is attempting to redefine the premium hatchback segment with the all-new Audi A3, which has been revealed in three-door guise at the Geneva motor show. The third-generation Audi A3 features a high-class premium interior packed with ‘big car’ technology, a significant weight reduction thanks to its new lightweight modular platform and a highly-efficient new range of petrol and diesel engines. As before, Audi is planning to launch a full range of bodystyles, including a five-door Sportback and soft-top Cabriolet. For the first time, there will be a new four-door saloon targeted at North America and the Asian markets. The new Audi A3 gets a more aggressive look, slimmer headlights and a deep front bumper that feature large air vents - the car’s overall looks now resemble the A6. The sides feature a pronounced swage lines and an acute C-pillar kink. The shots of the interior also reveal that the dashboard closely resembles that of the Audi A1 supermini. It has already been confir...

The Bentley EXP 9 F concept, unveiled at the Geneva motor show shows how a 290kph Bentley SUV would look in production. The concept, powered by a re-engineered version of the current 6.0-litre petrol W12 engine, will be as long and slightly lower than a Range Rover, but much more powerful. The W12 petrol version will be the flagship, but Bentley will also offer buyers the choice of a V8 diesel engine or a V6-based plug-in hybrid powertrain. “We are aiming for the very top of the pinnacle with this model,” says Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer. “We want it to be the most prestigious, fastest and the most expensive SUV money can buy. We will position it well above the Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne Turbo S and Audi Q7, the most expensive European SUVs at present.” Duerheimer sees great potential for the Bentley EXP 9 F in emerging markets like China and Russia, but points out that Bentley’s biggest market continues to be the USA, home of the full-size SUV. The EXP 9 F, which will have ...

The Rolls-Royce Phantom has undergone its most extensive overhaul since launch in 2003. Revealed at Geneva, the Phantom Series II is only distinguishable from before by a series of subtle styling tweaks. The biggest changes are the addition of a new eight-speed automatic gearbox, a new rear differential and overhauled electronic systems in the cabin. The new eight-speed automatic replaces the existing six-speed transmission. It is mated to the otherwise unchanged 453bhp 6.7-litre V12 engine. Rolls-Royce design chief Ian Cameron describes the styling changes as “a familiar theme, lit in a different way”. The Phantom Series II is the first production car to adopt full LED headlamps as standard. The adaptive lights change in intensity according to speed and feature a cornering capability. Other styling changes on the Series II include restyled bumpers and rectangular light apertures. The changes are adopted across all four models in the Phantom range: saloon, extended-wheelbase saloon...

Nissan will hope to repeat the success of the Nissan Qashqai crossover SUVwith the new X-Trail, which will be revealed at Geneva motor show. Seen here as the Nissan Hi-Cross concept, the new X-Trail takes a dramatic change in design, with smoother, cross-over styling replacing today’s boxy, utilitarian-look. The road manners are understood to be very different too, with a stronger on-road bias to the ride and handling. Both two and four-wheel drive transmissions are expected to be engineered and we expect Nissan to offer a two-wheel drive version of the X-Trail for the first time in markets not offered earlier. Details of the engines have yet to be revealed, although the core engine is expected to be a 2.0-litre diesel, backed-up by smaller capacity oil-burners and some petrols. The new Nissan X-Trail will be launched in the European markets by end of 2013.

This is the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, the fastest and most powerful road car in the prancing horse’s illustrious history. Set for a world debut at next week’s Geneva motor show, the 730bhp 6.3-litre V12-powered 599 successor ushers in a new generation of V12 Ferraris that will include an all-new Enzo by the end of the year. The F12 Berlinetta, a name that references classic Ferrari’s including the 250 GT Berlinetta, can crack 0-100kph in just 3.1sec and 0-200kph in just 8.5sec. Its total torque output is 509lb ft, 80 per cent of which is available from 2500rpm. The normally aspirated V12 revs all the way 8700rpm. Ferrari also claims the new car has lapped its Fiarano test track in 1m23s, which makes it the fastest Ferrari road car ever to have lapped the circuit. Its maximum speed is claimed to be “over 340kph”. The engine, which has a specific output of 116bhp/litre in the F12, is based on the same 6262cc 65 degree V12 found in the FF. But the F12 produces 80bhp and 5lb ft more ...