Volkswagen Golf MkVII could come by end of 2012

The MkVI (sixth-generation) Volkswagen Golf has been around since 2009, and according to a report fromReuters, the next all-new Golf may be approaching sooner than we thought. According to a spokesperson forVolkswagen, the automaker will have the MkVII Golf ready for public consumption by either the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013.

Golf generational changes typically occur in much larger intervals, but this rapid introduction for the MkVII is a result of the Volkswagen Group’s new cost-savings model architecture called MQB. Different makes and models that share the same underpinnings will be built in a similar manner to save large percentages of money.

Red Hot Audi R8 Spyder with 600 Ponies will Burn your Pockets

 

If the factory ready Audi R8 Spyder isn’t quite to your liking, perhaps the tuning folks over at Sport Wheels can help you build the roadster of your dreams, albeit at a very, very steep price. If our calculations are correct, the full treatment will cost you around €62,000 (US$85,000 at the current exchange rates) or about half the price of an all-new R8 Spyder in Germany.

The tuning house begins from the outside with numerous carbon fiber parts including the front bumper (€7,799), brake cooling ducts (€1,259), front spoiler (€1,799), rear bumper (€4,799), rear diffuser (€3,799) and fixed wing (€1,999).

Next up are the engine and exhaust system upgrades (€6,048), which help boost output to 600HP and 580Nm of peak torque. Stopping power can be further improved with MOV´IT-CER ceramics brake calipers, but at a ludicrous cost of €21,990.

Those sexy looking alloy wheels sized 20-inch up front and 21-inch at the back with Dunlop Sport Maxx tires are priced at €4,599, while the tune is completed with an aluminum coil-over suspension for €7,349.

 

 

BMW announces 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo for U.S.

BMW has been teasing us with little factoids here and there about its new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and we finally have official confirmation that it will, in fact, be coming to the United States later this year.

This new four-cylinder engine uses the same twin-scroll turbo technology found in the larger N55 3.0-liter engine. Maximum power is rated at 240 horsepower at 5,000 rpm, and peak torque – all 260 pound-feet of it – is delivered at 1,250 rpm. By switching to a smaller-displacement, turbocharged, direct-injected engine, we can expect that cars with this new 2.0-liter four will get a healthy bump in fuel economy over the current six-cylinder models.

BMW has yet to point out which models will be getting the new 2.0-liter turbo, but since the automaker specifically mentions that it offers more power and torque than the current naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six, we wouldn’t be shocked to learn that all cars with a 28i or 30i at the end of the name will now be powered by this four-pot mill. Earlier reports have suggested that the Z4 sDrive30i will now use four-cylinder power, and we’re betting both the 1 and 3 Series, as well as X1, will get the turbo-four treatment. Follow the jump for the official press release.

 

Ferrari Four put through the paces at Bolocco in the dark

 

 

You can bet dollars to donuts that when Ferrari brings a new car to market, it’s undergone a ridiculously thorough testing regimen. That applies whether it’s developing a coupe, a convertible or even a station wagonshooting brake, as we saw with the release of the new FF.

Especially the FF, as it turns out, as the new four-seater from Maranello represented a number of firsts for Ferrari. It has an all-new engine, incorporating the HELE system for the first time, coupled with a completely new kind of all-wheel drive system, and mounted into a body-style that was previously the exclusive purview of custom coachbuilders.

In short, the Ferrari Four is nothing like they’ve ever made before, and so – as you can see from the video after the jump – thorough testing was required. Which is exactly what was carried out at a number of race tracks, test tracks and proving grounds. In this case, it’s the Centro Sperimentale Bolocco in Italy. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.

 

BMW considering M3 Sportswagon

 

 

It’s no secret that we love ourselves some wagons, and it goes without saying that we like our wagons with more than a little dose of performance baked inside. And so it’s with bated breath that we tell you the latest tantalizing tidbit swirling aorund the internet rumormill: BMW may be considering an M3 Sportswagon.

If the BMW-obsessive folks from Bimmerfile are to be believed, such a machine was considered at the outset of the E9X car’s development, and at least one test machine was built. So why wasn’t it offered from the beginning? Naturally, an M3 wagon would be a small-volume proposition, which means it would likely carry a fairly large sticker price and would be tough for the automaker to justify. Bimmerfile estimates a base price of around $65,000.

Then again, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and, more recently, Cadillac have all put performance-minded wagons on the market, so who knows?

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 leaks out

The facelifted 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG wasn’t supposed to see the light of day until the Geneva Motor Show this March, but a sizable batch of photos have leaked out giving us a clear look at what to expect in Switzerland.

On the outside, the C63 gets a set of SL-inspired headlamps with ornate light-piping and LED DRLs mounted in the revised fascia. LEDs make their way to the tail lamps, while redesigned 18-inch wheels fill the wheel wells and frame upgraded brakes.

AMG opted to retain the 6.2-liter V8 instead of fitting its new 5.5-liter biturbo mill, so output remains at 451 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. The Development Package will reportedly stick around for 2012, raising output to 481 hp and nixing the 155 mph limiter to allow the C63 to top out at 174 mph. The sports package also includes a few interior tweaks, a carbon fiber trunk spoiler and red calipers that clamp onto 14.2-inch front discs.

However, the biggest change comes in the form of a new transmission. The C63 now sends power to a seven-speed Speedshift MCT auto ‘box which swaps out the conventional torque converter for a high-performance clutch pack said to deliver smoother, more immediate shifts.

After the C63′s big day in Geneva, the revised C-Class will go on sale this fall, with the AMG-fettled version getting a very slight bump in price.