It's Good to be Alive: Incredibly Lucky Pedestrians

Not that life is easier for pedestrians residing in Russia and its neighboring countries during warmer seasons, but understandably, it's far more dangerous to try to walk across any road in the harsh winter weather conditions.

Here were have two separate incidents involving pedestrians and cars, with a fortunate outcome, at least for the former.

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The Latest Super Bowl Ads from Audi, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, Subaru, Toyota and VW

Some carmakers released a whole new string of ads that will run prior to kickoff and during this Sunday's Super Bowl game between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans.

There's a little something for everyone, from Mercedes-Benz's new CLA spot with Kate Upton and Kia's Space Babies, to the re-appearance of Big Bang star Kaley Cuoco in Toyota's 2014 RAV4 spot and Subaru's dog friendly commercial for the 2014 Forester crossover.

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Scoop: New Range Rover Sport Filmed in the Mojave Desert

Vast as it may be, the Mojave Desert is a good place to begin your search for automotive engineers trialing camouflaged prototypes of future models. The scoopsters at KGP Photography know this all too well and were on hand to record a number of 2014 Range Rover Sport test cars.

The second generation of Land Rover's sleeker sibling of the full-size Range Rover will move further away from its non-Sport namesake in terms of styling (see CarScoop's rendering here), while making use of its Premium Lightweight Architecture (PLA) that should shave as much as 300kg (about 660 pounds) over the current model.

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Container Truck Fall Right in Front of One Very Lucky Motorcycle Rider

Rest assured, if the scooter rider featured in this clip had not been able to back up a couple of feet before the container truck tipped over, we wouldn't be showing you this video footage shot from a nearby security camera.

Then again, if he wasn't in such a hurry to sprint through the traffic light in front of the cars waiting on the zebra crossing, he wouldn't have found himself in this life-threatening position, would he…

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Consumer Reports Takes the New 2014 Mazda6 and 2013 Lexus LS for a Spin

The two latest arrivals in the garage of Consumer Reports is an early production version of the all-new 2014 Mazda6 sedan and Lexus' revised 2013 LS flagship, both of which were taken out for a first drive by the magazine's auto engineer, Tom Mutchler.

Beginning with the new generation of the Mazda6, Mutchler gives it praise for its "sleek" design calling it one of the sexiest models together with Ford's latest Fusion in the (mainstream) mid-size sedan segment, its modern amenities and tech gadgets, while his first driving impression of the early production model is that it's "quite agile and light on its feet".

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Hyundai shows us two more Super Bowl commercials

Hyundai is gearing up to show five commercials during this year's Super Bowl, and you've probably already seen one of them called Don't Tell that's been airing on television for weeks now. The Korean automaker has released two of the other four ads, though it looks like it might keep the headlining ad for the three-row Santa Fe, called Epic PlayDate, under wraps until the big game.

Of the two ads published on YouTube, we like Stuck the most, which features the Sonata Turbo. It presents all of the horrid things you could be stuck behind on the highway as reason enough for buying a boosted Sonata with its ample passing power.

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Toyota, Kaley Cuoco grant wishes in Super Bowl XLVII Ad

For viewers who plan on watching the Super Bowl only for the commercials, here's one for you to enjoy ahead of time. As we saw in the teaser video that Toyota released last week, will be making the transition from Big Bang to The Big Game as a wish-granting genie in a commercial for the 2013 Toyota RAV4.

Though not as entertaining as the actual teaser for this commercial, it still garnered a couple chuckles from the Autoblog crew. We won't spoil it for you, but a word of advice: if Cuoco ever shows up in your driveway granting you wishes, we'd suggest you be very clear what you want... and enunciate.

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Spy Shots: Ferrari's F150 Hypercar Shows a Little Bit More Skin

Unlike McLaren, which has all but revealed the shape of the P1 and even released videos of its development, but is keeping mum on the powertrain specs, Ferrari has been very open about its own hypercar, currently code-named the F150 (rumor has it that it may be named F70). However, aside from a couple of teaser photos, Maranello won't fully show us the Enzo's replacement.

With McLaren having denounced V12s (which is ironic given that the F1 was powered by one), we hear that the P1 will feature a tweaked version of McLaren’s first in-house production engine, the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 that debuted in the MP4-12C, probably with an F1-style KERS system.

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Future Cars: CarScoop's Vision of the 2017 Nissan GT-R

Ever since its Japanese launch in 2007 (USA 2008), the Nissan GT-R has gained a huge following and respect with its supercar-bashing performance. Subtle upgrades have been applied over its current lifespan with the aim of keeping Italians, Germans and Americans at bay with its AWD drivetrain coupled to a potent 3.8L twin-turbo V6.

However, the competition will not surrender; cue GM and Porsche with their new Corvette Stingray and 911 models respectively, as prime examples - hence why Nissan is expected to respond again.

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This Is Just A Tank Crossing The Street In Russia, No Big Deal

You know how it is: You're driving along, listening to your music or chatting with your passenger, just minding your own business without a care in the world, and then a tank crosses the street in front of you. Happens all the time.

Oh wait, you're saying it doesn't? Hmm. Maybe it's because you don't live in Russia. Everything I have seen on the subject — this YouTube clip and the movie Goldeneye, to be exact — leads me to believe this sort of thing is common over there.

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Audi R8 Catches Fire at Supercar Rally 2013 in Mumbai

This one involves an Audi R8 that was apparently immolated on its way to the Parx Supercar Show in Mumbai, India on Saturday. It happened on the city's Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge in the middle of the day, backing up traffic for hours, according to news reports.

The R8 — a car known to be slightly less fire-prone than other supercars, although it has its moments — had two occupants at the time, according to this account on Demotix. Both escaped in time and were unharmed.

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Opel management shuffle; new Kia special editions

Duncan Aldred, managing director and chairman at Vauxhall Motors, has been named acting Opel/Vauxhall vice president of sales, marketing and aftersales, following the resignation of Alfred Rieck. He will also continue in his day-to-day role at Vauxhall Motors.

Kia has added a new colour and a special edition to the Picanto range. The five-door model is now available in Fuchsia Blush for an extra £445. A special edition three-door model called Picanto White has also been launched. It’s fitted with alloy wheels, Bluetooth and automatic air conditioning, and starts at £11,745 for the 1.25-litre manual and £12,345 for the automatic.

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Spy Shots: New Skoda Octavia Combi Caught on Public Roads

There's really no point in trying to hide the styling elements of the new generation of the Skoda Octavia Combi since the liftback version has already been formally introduced and we've even seen the station wagon without camouflage (albeit from a distance), however, the Czech carmaker continues to circulate lightly masked prototypes like this one, nabbed earlier in the week.

Not that the Octavia saloon is revolutionary in its design, but you'll probably have a more difficult time telling the Combi apart from the current model as Skoda kept the same roofline and window design, sans the small kink on the luggage compartment area.

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First Scoop Shots of the New Audi A3 Sedan, will Compete Against the Mercedes-Benz CLA

After setting foot on the compact hatchback segment, Germany's premium car brands are now eyeing the sedan category, with Mercedes-Benz being the first to present its proposal in the form of the CLA sports saloon.

Even though Audi told us it would launch an A3-based sedan at the end of 2012, that never happened. Instead, we're now waiting for the premiere of the A3 Sedan to take place at a major international auto show in the coming months before it begins to arrive in showrooms at the end of the year or for some markets, in the first quarter of 2014.

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BMW M4 Coupe and M3 Sedan Concepts Realistically Imagined

The word on the street is that BMW is making plans to unwrap a thinly disguised concept version of the M3 sedan at the Frankfurt motor show in September, with the final production model to appear in dealerships around the world in 2014.

Like many other publications, Britain's Car Magazine has come up with an illustration to give us an idea of what to expect about the M3 sedan's looks in its latest issue.

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Audi A5 Sportback Receives the Tuning Treatment from ABT

Audi came out with the refreshed A5 Sportback back in the summer of 2011, making it available for sale in most countries before the end of the same year. It's been a while in car-months, but ABT Sportsline has released a comprehensive package for Ingolstadt's sleek liftback model.

The German tuner offers performance upgrades to the handling and engine departments along with cosmetic upgrades for the A5 Sportback's exterior.

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Exec Says Nissan Considered Killing Infiniti, has Plans for an "Emotional" (GT-R-Based?) Flagship

It may come as a surprise but the Infiniti Q50 sports sedan may have not made the waves it did at this year’s Detroit Auto Show – in fact, the whole Infiniti brand may have ceased to exist by now, according to Nissan vice president Andy Palmer.

In an interview at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Palmer told Wards Auto that, when he expressed his doubt about whether the group would be better off without Infiniti and its ho-hum performance, CEO Carlos Ghosn “challenged me and said ‘We don’t have to do Infiniti, you can cancel it if you want”.

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Moose on the Loose Hits Moscow Ring Road

Adding to the many strange things one can see on Russian highways these days, a driver captured a moose on film attempting to cross the Moscow Automobile Ring Road, which circles around the country's capital city.

We can't see if the large animal was hurt (it doesn't look like it), but while crossing the road, it stumbled and slipped before it got up by itself and headed towards the…fast lane on the left side of the highway.

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BMW and Toyota Deepen Collaboration, will Co-Develop a Mid-Size Sports Car

After last June’s MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), the Toyota Motor Corporation and the BMW Group announced today the signing of binding agreements for the joint development of new technologies and a new sports car.

BMW Chairman Norbert Reithofer and Toyota President Akio Toyoda both expressed their satisfaction in signing the binding agreements and their shared belief that this partnership will be beneficial for their groups and help them to produce better vehicles.

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Jaguar XF Saloon Now Made in India as Well

For the first time in its history, the Jaguar-Land Rover group has commenced production of the Jaguar XF outside the United Kingdom at its facility in Pune, India.

The premium saloon is assembled from components sourced from the company’s Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham, UK, alongside the alongside Land Rover Freelander 2 vehicles which have been in production at the Pune factory since May 2011.

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One Mistake Leads to Multiple Crashes on Icy Highway

When you're on the highway and it's snowing, it's always a sensible idea to slow down and increase the distance from the cars in front of you, as you never know what lies ahead. As they say, better to be prepared than sorry.

If you don't adhere to this very simple rule, your chances of getting into an accident are exponentially greater.

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Kate Upton and the Wolf: Watch the Two New Mercedes-Benz CLA Ads

One of Mercedes-Benz's most important new models of the year is without doubt the CLA. Not only because it is the brand's first front-wheel drive saloon, but also because it lowers the entry price to the three-pointed star to around $30k in the U.S.

Short of actually driving the car, we know everything about the new CLA. Based on the MFA platform, it boasts a world-leading aerodynamic coefficient of 0.23 (0.22 in the BlueEFFICIENCY C180) and will launch with a 207HP turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the U.S. and a broader engine range in other markets.

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Toyota Wants to Make a Big Bang at the Super Bowl with New TV Ad Starring Kaley Cuoco

The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco is the face of Toyota's new commercial named "I Wish" for Super Bowl XLVII.

Today, Toyota released a 36-second long teaser of the ad in advance of its television premiere during the big game scheduled to be played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 3, 2013.

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Koenigsegg Boss Walks us Through the Agera R Supercar's Painting Process

One of the good things about small-volume supercar manufacturers like Pagani or Koenigsegg is that, unlike bigger companies, you can get their bosses themselves to walk you through their cars.

Understandably, Luca di Montezemolo is too busy running the business to explain himself the details of the clear coat on the F12berlinetta. Horacio Pagani or Christian von Koenigsegg, on the other hand, can spare the time since their production is just a small fraction of that of Ferrari or Lamborghini.

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Lexus Chief Engineer Says New IS' Goal is to Overtake the BMW 3-Series

For close to three decades now, the BMW 3-Series has been the benchmark for premium sport sedans. Over the years, many luxury carmakers tried but none has really succeeded in knocking down the 3-Series from its throne.

After GM and the new Cadillac ATS, it's the Toyota group's turn to take another swipe at BMW's best-seller with the completely redesigned 2014 Lexus IS.

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Spied: 2014 Volvo S60 Facelift to Sport Updated Fascia and Interior

After the recent sightings of the refreshed S80 sedan and XC60 crossover in China, our scoop photographers landed these images of a prototype of the facelifted S60 saloon testing in northern Europe.

On the outside, the only part of the car that appears to change is the front end. While heavily camouflaged, we're guessing that Volvo will follow in the path of the 2014 S80 and XC60 discarding the inner set of lights positioned between the headlamps and the grille, which itself, will also obtain a different shape and new details, as will the front bumper.

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Nissan Lowers Price of 2013 Leaf EV by €3,000 in Europe

Less than 10 days after it dropped the price of the U.S.-made Leaf by more than US$6,000, Nissan announced that it is making its all-electric five-door compact hatchback more affordable in Europe, too, reducing its price by €3,000 (US$4,000).

As of today, the Leaf starts from €25,990 (US$34,644) in France and £23,490 (€28,490, US$37,979) in the United Kingdom.

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New Ford Fiesta ST Priced from £16,995 in the UK

Ford has released UK pricing for the new Fiesta ST three-door hot hatch ahead of its market launch in March. It will be offered in two trims, with the base ST model starting at £16,995, which Ford says is "up to £2,000 less than the segment competitors", and the better-equipped ST2 grade, priced at £17,995.

The performance-orientated version of the updated Fiesta series features a 1.6-liter turbocharged EcoBoost petrol engine producing 180hp (182PS) and peak torque of 214 lb-ft (290Nm).

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Honda Recalls Over 748,000 Pilot and Odyssey Because Airbag May Be Missing Rivets

Honda's American division is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Pilot and 2011-2013 Odyssey passenger vehicles manufactured from March 13, 2008, through December 21, 2012, after it was discovered that one or more rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing.

The Japanese carmaker informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the recall affects 748,481 vehicles sold in the United States.

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Spy Shots: 2014 Porsche Panamera Reveals Cayman-Like Lights

While it's been over a year since we first spotted a prototype of the refreshed 2014 Panamera testing out in the open, Porsche isn't ready to release the car to the public just yet, but fear not as our sources tell us that it will make its appearance sometime this year, possibly at the Frankfurt auto show in September.

What these latest spy pictures provide us is with a better look at the facelifted Panamera's rear end that sports new LED tail lamp clusters that look similar in styling to those used on the new Cayman coupe and Boxster roadster models, as well as the newly styled bumper.

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U Design: New BMW M2 Convertible Rendered

As BMW begins to circulate craftily camouflaged prototypes of its second generation 1-Series Coupe and Convertible models, which will form the new 2-Series range, out in the open, the question arises if the Bavarian carmaker has plans for an M2 high-performance version.

From what we have heard, BMW M seems open to creating an M2 model, possibly powered by a four-cylinder turbocharged engine instead of the M135i hatchback's 3.0-liter force-fed straight-six, which would mark a first for the brand since the demise of the original M3 E30 back in the early 1990s.

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Driver Plays Pinball on Cement Barriers and Flips Over

We all know that it only takes one split second of distraction or misjudgment to cause an accident on the road.

The driver featured in this dash-cam footage took an exit off the highway, seemingly a little too fast for his own good.

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VW Launches New Touareg R-Line, Drops Prices of CC in the UK

The Volkswagen brand is expanding the range of its Touareg SUV in Britain with the addition of a new R-Line trim that is based on the Altitude. According to VW, the R-Line adds a host of extra equipment features and unique styling cues, worth over £4,000, for a premium of £750.

On the outside, the R-Line models ride on new 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped around in tires size 275/45 R20, while also gaining new front and rear bumpers, plus side skirts. Bi-xenon headlights with dynamic curve lighting and LED daytime running lights, and LED tail lamps come as standard.

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Kia Prepares a "Racy New Urban Concept" for the 2013 Geneva Auto Salon

Kia will be heading to Europe's first major international auto show of the year, which takes place in Geneva from March 7 to 17, with a brand-new concept model that was teased today through a set of renderings.

For now, the Korean carmaker has chosen to keep most details under wraps, including the three-door study's name. Here's what Kia did say about the car, which it describes as a "racy new urban concept" vehicle:

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Vilner Presents the Stingray of Aprilia Motorcycles

For its next project, Bulgarian design house Vilner has once again ventured into the world of motorcycles with the full-customization of an Aprilia Tuono, which it has cleverly named (from a marketing standpoint) the Stingray.

The styling transformation encompasses a series of changes, including a brand new front fender, redesigned headlamps and turning signals with LED units, new side spoilers with two vents each, a re-sculptured tank and tinted rear lights.

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Rolls-Royce Officially Shows New Wraith's Profile, Plus a Fresh Batch of Spy Photos

Less than 24 hours after we composed a single image from Rolls Royce's teaser website, the English brand came out with a high-resolution version of the darkened photo that reveals the new Wraith coupe's profile, which we digitally enhanced to give you a better look at the car.

Meanwhile, our own spy photographers dropped a new set of images of a Wraith prototype undergoing winter tests in our email box as well.

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Warranty Direct Reveals UK’s Least Reliable Engines, 3 German Brands Among the Worst

Cars are complicated machines made out of thousands of parts that, even when their owners take great care of them and follow the user and service manuals religiously, sometimes go wrong. After all, that’s what warranties are for.

Of course, warranties at some point expire, and while a light bulb or something equally minor may be of little concern, the engine is a completely different, much more scary and costly issue.

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We're Pretty Sure That's Not Where Gasoline Goes…

Perhaps there's some sort of home remedy we're not aware of, but we’re pretty confident that, when it comes to cars, you should never, ever pour gasoline anywhere else than in the fuel tank.

That said, feel free to offer an explanation to as why this woman grabbed the gas hose after filling up her car and started to pour fuel all over her windshield.

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BMW Exec Confirms Two-Cylinder Motorcycle Engine for i3 REx

A BMW official has confirmed that the range-extender engine to be offered as an option on the battery-powered i3 supermini will be a two-cylinder gasoline unit sourced from the brand's motorcycle division and not the upcoming, larger displacement 1.5-liter three-cylinder petrol engine developed for the Bavarian group's automobiles.

Speaking to Autonews during last week's Detroit Motor Show, Herbert Diess, BMW's head of Research and Development, said that the range-extender engine option will be offered when the new i3 goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2013, but he avoided to say how much it will cost.

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Rapid Increase in U.S. New Car Launches May Cause Issues With Suppliers, Quality

There are 61 new or redesigned models due to be launched in the U.S. market this year – a 50 percent increase compared to any year since 2006, while 74 are scheduled for next year. Moreover, total annual sales are expected to reach, or even surpass, 15 million, which is a good thing both for buyers and the automotive industry, correct?

Apparently, things are a bit more complicated than that. After the low-point of 2008-2009, automotive suppliers have cut down on their workforce and facilities due to reduced demand. Now that numbers are climbing to 2007 levels, they may have trouble keeping up – and that may already be affecting quality.

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U Spy: Can You Crack the Brand and Model Behind this SUV Prototype?

Our first reader-sourced, photo scoop of the year comes to us from Daryl who crossed paths with this heavily disguised test car earlier on Monday.

Here's what Daryl told CarScoop:

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Turns Out the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Can't Fly After All…

If you're expecting to see some crazy mishap take place in the following video, we’re…glad to inform you that nobody was hurt after the driver and passenger of this Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 'Gullwing' came up with the bright idea of pushing out its 'upward-opening' doors at 70mph (approx. 113 km/h).

Before we let you read the author's account of the "fun to watch" incident and view the clip for yourself, allow us to note that the sticker on the SLS AMG's rear bumper suggests that the car is a rental, though, it could also be a sponsor, or the person who owns the company may be driving it.

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Taxi Driver Shows us How to Impress Your Passengers with a U-Turn

Luc Besson, we just might have a new candidate for your Taxi franchise, if you ever consider making a fifth movie, that is.

While we're not entirely convinced that the yellow sign on the roof of the white sedan does indeed indicate that it's a taxi (we also see a grey-colored BMW 3-Series E30 Touring with the same sign crossing by), the intrepid driver should consider himself lucky for not ending up in the face of the Toyota Highlander.

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Premium Brands Move into Mass-Market Territory with US$30k Offerings

There are 75 million 30- to 40-year old consumers in the U.S. right now and, according to Mercedes-Benz USA head of marketing Bernie Glaser, “they have big expectations for products and brands”.

The problem for automakers like Mercedes, Audi and BMW is that these buyers are not able and/or willing to pay the US$40,000 sticker price attached to premium vehicles. Yet they want to have their cake and eat it, too – or, as Glaser puts it, demand “attractive styled cars and the right technology”.

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Scoop: Facelifted Porsche Panamera Shows its LED Tailamps in the Dark

If Porsche sticks to its original plan, we'll see a new generation of the Panamera heavily inspired by the lines and shapes of last year's Sport Turismo Concept and expanded with new body styles in 2016.

In the meantime, Porsche will update the current Panamera saloon with a mid-life facelift, which is expected to make its first appearance this year, but we still don't know where – the Frankfurt show in September is a prime candidate.

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Car Dealers, Rental Companies want to be Exempt of New Bill About Recall Repairs

The U.S. Congress wants to introduce new legislation that will prohibit any rental-car company or car dealer to loan or sell any recalled vehicle before the necessary repairs have been made.

The new bill, knows as the Rachel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act, is named after two sisters from Santa Cruz, California, who were killed when the car they had rented caught fire and crashed into a tree. Said rental vehicle was affected by a recall but had not been repaired.

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We Piece Together the First Official Look at the New Rolls Royce Wraith Coupe

Just last week, Rolls-Royce released the name of its all-new Ghost-based coupe model, the Wraith, adding that it will make its global premiere at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show in early March.

Britain's most famous carmaker also told us that in the weeks leading up to the show, it plans to "reveal additional information and a series of teaser images", which it did, beginning today with a smoke screen-style teaser on its public website where users can move their mouse to divulge bits and pieces of the car.

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You Won't Believe How Lucky this Pedestrian was, but Neither will he…

Every man has his day in luck. For this old chap, Lady Luck paid a visit and hovered over, or shall we say, around him, as he was crossing the road.

A driver of an old sedan that looks like its from Russia, who had just passed the pedestrian crossing sign, was forced to slam and block his brakes, inadvertently turning the car around to avoid hitting the man.

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Hennessey Venom GT World’s Fastest Production Car from 0 to 300km/h – 186MPH

The 1,244-horsepower Hennessey Venom GT has been established as the world's fastest production car from zero to 300km/h (186.45 mph) by the Guinness World Records (GWR).

Under the supervision of a Guinness representative as well as VBox officials, the street legal Venom GT performed two runs made in opposite directions within one hour, which were validated by a VBox 3i GPS-based data logging system, at the Ellington Airport (also used by NASA) southeast of Houston, Texas.

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McLaren MP4-12 Falls Into the Tuning Hands of DMC

For its next project, German sports car tuner DMC has selected the McLaren MP4-12C coupe, which it is teasing through a single photograph and preliminary details.

The package being prepared by DMC is named the "Velocita" and it will include an assortment of aerodynamic and styling components such as a redesigned front grille and lower lip spoiler made from carbon fiber, along with side skirts, rear diffuser and an "aggressive" wing.

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