Autoblog

Hours upon hours of lying prone on the frozen tundra of the Arctic Circle have paid off for KGP's hardcore spy shooters. An upright test mule has been spotted running around at BMW's facility in the frozen hinterlands. There have been rumors of a smaller Roller swirling about, and these shots seem to support the conjecture. BMW's 7-series will reportedly serve as the basis for the new luxury whip, and the car in the photos appears identical to the surrounding 7's from the A-pillar back. The stiff upper lip has likely been grafted on to facilitate cooling and airflow for the engine room. Plus, you could do worse than an E65 with a better schnoz and an old-world interior. Check out all five spy shots in the gallery below.

three high-res pics available by clicking image above

Looks like Nissan is SHIFTing even more heavily into its truck development. With the popularity of crossovers, SUVs and pickups expected to stay strong, Nissan decided to add an off-road test facility to its Motegi proving grounds. Today they opened that extreme off-road track in the Tochigi Prefecture facility. At 2.3 hectares, it is said to be one of the largest tracks in Japan. Is that the same as a parsec?

The new track segments were "designed to replicate different real-world driving conditions from across the world." It includes a rocky section simulating rough mountain terrain, a desert road and a 30-degree incline slope. The obvious advantage of having such a facility is to test four-wheel drive systems, but also to do it in a safe and controllable environment. Being able to replicate tests with a great degree of accuracy and having control over the conditions makes this a nice addition to any test center.

[Source: Nissan]