As we can see, his take on the big M retains the new 5's attractive snout while gaining the M division's dumbfounded-expression front bumper and more aggressive skirts.
The mirrors also get a little tweak, and it wouldn't be a stretch to believe the F10 M5 would be coming with that carbon fiber roof.
Due to arrive in 2011, the Bavarian automaker's new high-performance super saloon will be powered by a downsized, 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that was first used on the X5M and X6M.
The new four-door saloon that will make use of the same Delta II platform as the Chevrolet Cruze, will take the place of the Opel Insignia-based 2011 Regal sedan as Buick's entry-level offering in North America while it is also expected to replace the current Excelle in China.
The VW Jetta sedan should be considered one of the most closest rivals to the as of yet unnamed "baby" Buick model.
Though details still remain scarce, it is believed that the engine range will include the same 140HP 1.4-liter turbo four found in the Cruze while it's also possible that GM may add the Opel Astra's more potent 1.6-liter turbo with 180HP in the mix.
Chances are that we'll get to see the new Buick model arriving in the States sometime next year.
Renderings: GMInsidenews
We're pretty much used to seeing sketches and computer generated images of future models in magazines, but a decked out version of a car that has yet to be revealed in production form is a rarity, to say the least. The customized Toyota FT-86 coupe is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Japan's Option car magazine . Aside from the two-tone paint scheme, the artist's proposal also includes a bodykit and deep-dish alloy wheels.Via: Noriyaro , Source: Option
We still don't know if Jaguar's future plans include the introduction of a high-performance 'R' model for its new XJ limousine, but the folks over at Autogespot took the liberty to create a speculative rendering that shows us what the XJR might look like. Evidently inspired from the 510HP Jaguar XFR, the artist gave the XJ a more aggressive look by redesigning the hood and front bumper, adding chunky alloy wheels and side air vents, reshaping the rear bumper and well, that's about it.If Jaguar decides to add an XJR model to its range, we assume that it will most likely be fitted with an even more powerful version of the 2011 XJ Supersport's 5.0-liter supercharged V8 (same as in the XFR) that makes 510 ponies.
Photos: Autogespot
Our next story comes from the magical world of concept studies -courtesy of AutoBlog.com.es- where harsh reality takes a hike and imaginations steps in to take its place. We've always been fans of the great Delta HF Integrale and we'd like nothing more than for Lancia to revive the legendary nameplate instead of wasting time and resources on cars such as the Thesis but chances are, especially after the Fiat Group's tie-up with Chrysler, that this artist's impression is the closest we'll get to a new HF for now.The Fiesta RS that's also pictured here, however, is another story. While Ford hasn't confirmed any plans for a high-performance Fiesta, it also has not ruled out such an option. If the company were to develop a Fiesta RS, the firm's recently announced 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter turbocharged engines with direct-injection would be prime candidates to power the vehicle.
But until we hear something official, both the Lancia Delta HF Integrale and the Ford Fiesta RS will remain in the realm of imagination.
Photo Source: Autoblog.com.es , Via: Autoblog.nl
Most automakers use specific styling cues to make their vehicles look and feel like they are a part of an extended family - even when they belong to different segments. That's even more true in the case of premium carmakers like Mercedes. And while it's too early to make any final assumptions regarding the appearance of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLK, speculating that the styling of the next-generation compact hardtop-roadster will be heavily inspired from the new SLS AMG Gullwing may not be far from reality.With this in mind, photoshop expert Theophilus Chin created what is best described as a "mini SLS AMG Roadster" proposal. Click on the photos below to check them out in high-res quality and tell us what you think.
Photos: Thelophilus Chin , Via: Autoblog.nl
If you believe that a coupe version of the Prius sounds like a good idea, then you'll be happy to know that reports coming in from Japan say that Toyota is actually working on a dedicated sporty hybrid model. Best Car magazine went one step further by publishing an artist's impression of the Prius-based coupe in its latest issue.Needless to say that the illustration is nothing more than a speculative take on the Prius coupe and shouldn't be taken very seriously. For what it matters, the Japanese magazine claims in its report that Toyota is considering to employ a famous Italian design house like Pininfarina or Guigiaro's Italdesign for the coupe's styling.
If the reports turns out to be true (now don't go making plans yet...), the Prius based sports car would compete head-on with Honda's dedicated hybrid coupe, the CR-Z (pictured below) that is set to be introduced in final production form at this fall's Tokyo Motor Salon with sales expected to begin the following year.
Via: Best Car
Forum member "Robo Squirrel" over from Bimmerpost created this speculative sketch of BMW's Frankfurt Show-bound sports car concept using a set of snapshots of the prototype model covered in a semi-transparent plastic wrap that were posted on the same site on Wednesday. Just so you know before you start criticizing his work, "Robo Squirrel" himself admits that the sketch was the result of "a 5-minute attempt".We'd say that the artist pretty much captured the essence of the concept which appears to be some sort of four-door coupe sports car. We're still unaware of the details surrounding the concept car, but it shouldn't be long before BMW releases some official information. In the meantime, click here to check out the photos of the sporty bimmer in our previous post.
Sketch: Robo Squirrel at Bimmerpost
What you see pictured above is an artist's impression of the Alfa Romeo 159 replacement that is reported to revive the Giulia nameplate as the Italians are swapping their current system of numeric names for more personal ones (e.g. the 147's successor will be named Milano). The CGI, courtesy of Motorionline, is apparently more of a wild guess on the Guilia's styling than anything else, but in any case, we'll let you decide if you like it or not. The Giulia, which isn't expected to surface on the market before the second half of 2011, will make use of Fiat Group's new versatile C-Evo platform that will also underpins the forthcoming Milano hatchback.
And yes, unfortunately this means that the Giulia will not make the transition to rear-wheel drive. Instead, Alfa's 3-Series challenger will be offered with front-wheel drive with the option of the Italian firm's Q4 four-wheel drive system.
It's too early for any official information on the engine range, but we suspect that the Giulia will most likely be offered with Alfa's 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol as well as with a V6 petrol and numerous turbo diesels.
And how about a GTA variant? Well, that's a tough one especially since Alfa abandoned its plans for a 'hot' 159, but hopefully the Italian automaker will make it up with the presentation of the Giulia GTA.
Photo: Motorionline - Thanks Maurizio!
On Sunday, 2nd August, Nissan will reveal its new global electric vehicle to the media at the company's new headquarters in Yokahama, Japan. We've already shown you a couple of teaser shots released by Nissan, but today we found a new rendering of the dedicated EV that was created by the crew over at Japan's Best Car magazine. Judging by the teaser photos, the CGI shouldn't be too off from the actual production model. For more detailed information on Nissan's upcoming EV, click here. Photo: Best Car
A pair of allegedly official computer generated renderings showing the 2010 Saab 9-5 in both sedan and SportCombi (station-wagon) forms have found their way into the net through a dedicated Saab site. The author of the article on Saabsunited, Swade, supports that both CGIs are "original Saab stock" and that the Swedish automaker requested their removal, which he did, but uploaded them again since they had been copied on other sites. There's no way of confirming their authenticity, they may or may not be official, heck maybe even Saab let the photos slip out for all we know. If you're up to it, you can compare these illustrations with our spy shots of camouflaged and partially unmasked 2010 Saab 9-5 prototypes by clicking here.
Via: Saabsunited
While here in the States we're still trying to find out whether or not Honda will reveal a mildly refreshed CR-V in 2010, in Japan Mag-X has already started speculating on the next-generation model. In the July issue of the magazine, there's a detailed report accompanied by an artist's impression of the 2012 Honda CR-V that is said to be introduced for the first time in October 2011 at the Tokyo Motor Show, with worldwide sales expected to begin shortly after. According to a translation of the article provided by TOV member 'Dan', the report claims that Honda will have finalized the exterior design of the new CR-V by the end of the year. It is also stated that the 2012 CR-V will be built upon the current model's platform featuring modest increases in length, width and height (4,535mm x 1,820mm x 1,685mm respectively).
As for the powertrain options, the Japanese magazine states that the initial engine range will be carried over from today's model and include, depending on the market, 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline units as well as a 2.2-liter turbo diesel that is already on offer in Europe.
Mag-X also mentions that while Honda does not plan to introduce a V6 option to the range, the Japanese automaker will present an 'advanced engine' at a later stage but the report does not provide any further details on the matter.
And for those wondering about the credibility of the article, well, only time can tell if Max-X's report is based on pure speculation or on specific information provided by inside sources.
Source: Mag-X , Via: TOV
These are the latest speculative renderings of Peugeot's 407 mid-size sedan replacement that is due to arrive in European showrooms sometime during the fourth quarter of 2010. The crew over at French car magazine L'Auto Journal told us that the computer generated images of the Peugeot 408 are based on inside information. As is always the case with these kind of stories, only time will tell how close the renderings are to reality. 
What we do know for certain is that underneath the sheetmetal, the Peugeot 408 sedan will get the same platform and much of the mechanical hardware found in the well accepted Citroen C5.
Expect to see Peugeot's Ford Mondeo and Opel Insignia challenger to be offered with a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines, ranging from a 1.8-litre 127-horsepower petrol unit to the new 3.0-liter HDi V6 diesel that produces a healthy 240-horsepower.
Photos: Autojournal
The latest gossip from the Japanese front is that Mazda is working on a new two-seater roadster model based on the underpinnings of the current generation Mazda2 supermini (see gallery after the jump) which is sold in Japan as the Demio. If true, the roadster would fit right under the MX-5 / Miata in Mazda's sports car range competing in Europe against the likes of the forthcoming Renault Twingo CC, the Opel Tigra and the Peugeot 207 CC. 
No word on the roadster's top, but we gather that a retractable metal roof is the most obvious choice for a model of this sort.
The proposed two-seater is said to use the same front-wheel drive layout as the Ford Fiesta-sized Mazda2 with power coming from a similar engine line-up that in Europe includes 1.3-and 1.5-liter gasoline units as well as 1.4- and 1.6-liter turbo diesels.
Japan's Best Car magazine also came up with a preliminary computer generated rendering of the proposed roadster model which looks quite interesting sans the quirky headlight arrangement.
And while we have no way of confirming the report from Best Car, we believe that a roadster version of the Mazda2 is not only plausible but it also makes sense for Mazda to add such a version in its range.
Via: Best Car
If we are to believe the latest gossip coming in from the 'Land of the Rising Sun', Lexus is scheduling to reveal the production version of the long-anticipated LF-A supercar at the forthcoming 2009 Tokyo Motor Show that runs from October 23 to November 8. Citing inside sources close to the V10-powered supercar's development team, Japan's Best Car magazine said that the LF-A's production will be limited to a mere 500 units, with 120 of those being allocated to the domestic market with an estimated starting price of around 30 million Yen a piece or about $310,000 US - €220,000 at the current exchange rates. 
The price alone places Lexus' V10-powered supercar into an entirely different league than the GT-R as it costs twice as much as the recently launched GT-R V-Spec model (15,750,000 Yen in Japan).
The report goes on to say that aside from the standard model that will most likely bear the GT500 moniker, there's also talk about an even more exclusive version dubbed SS550 where SS stands for Super Sport - that is unless someone decides to make a fuss about the name...
More specifically, the GT500 will be powered by a high-revving 5.0-liter V10 producing an estimated 500HP, while the SS550 is said to get a tweaked version of the V10 with a displacement of 5.5-liters and an output of around 550HP. Both variants feature a front-mid engined layout with a transaxle housing the semi-automatic gearbox and rear-mounted radiators.
When Lexus first unveiled the LF-A Coupe concept at the 2005 Detroit motor show (followed by a Roadster study at 2008 Detroit show - see photo album below ), the Japanese automaker claimed that its Ferrari-challenging supercar would reach a top speed of around 200mph or 322km/h. But now the word is that thanks to the extensive work on the LF-A's aerodynamics, the supercar will top out closer to 220mph or 354km/h.
We remind you that Lexus entered two LF-A prototype models at the 24h of Nurburgring endurance race, with one of those cars ending up in flames - see the video here.
Via: Best Car
