Autoblog

As more and more artists' impressions of the anticipated Mazda RX-9 surface online, images have leaked showing us what the interim facelifted version of the current RX-8 will look like. The image, as you can see, comes from a scanned Japanese magazine.

The changes appear to be exclusively cosmetic. Up front, the grille has been revised to feature higher-mounted fog lamps under new, wider headlights. Around back the taillamps have been updated with four round LED rings. That's pretty much the extent of it, although the car pictured is a new RS version featuring 19" wheels, Recaro racing buckets and Bilstein shocks.

The facelift is reportedly targeted mainly towards American customers, and may not even make it to other markets. We'll bring you more from the updated RX-8's anticipated launch at the fast-approaching Detroit auto show.

[Source: Mazda-Madness.nl via World Car Fans]

It's been a regular smorgasbord for fans of Mercedes roadsters over here, with this teaser shot of the upcoming facelifted flagship SL hitting the web just a few days after Benz revealed the updated version of the smaller SLK. But while the SLK was revealed first in "ordinary" guise, the image above shows the full-fat, fire-breathing SL 65 AMG version.

We already know that the facelift will feature a heavily revised front end with new headlight treatment, but from the rear three-quarter view Mercedes is enticing us with, all can also see the revised taillights, new diffuser with quad exhausts, and a subtle lip spoiler. The new SL 65 also appears to be riding on AMG's latest 19-inch five-spoke rims, similar in style to those found on Stuttgart's other earth-pounding range-topper, the Porsche 911 Turbo.

With the teaser shot also comes information on the two AMG models in the new SL range: the SL 65 AMG we see here, and the SL 63 AMG. The former packs AMG's twin-turbo V12 pumping out a whopping 612 horsepower, while the latter is driven by Affalterbach's 6.3-liter V8 with 525 horsepower, replacing the outgoing 55 version and in the process distancing it from the smaller SLK 55 AMG revealed previously.

We'll have to wait to see more images of the new AMG roadsters, including those that celebrities will be wrapping around trees.

[Sources: Mercedes-Benz via World Car Fans and Motor Authority]

click above image to view high-res gallery

Mercedes recently rolled out a facelift for the SLK-Class roadster, along with a few mechanical changes to the line-up's supercharged four-cylinder and 3.5-liter V6. But while the spec sheet for top-of-the-line SLK 55 AMG carries on largely unchanged, the 2008 model has also been treated to a few cosmetic changes.

The first thing to go when AMG gets its hands on a Mercedes is the front bumper, so while the more pedestrian four- and six-cylinder SLK models get a new, more F1-esque front end treatment, the V8 version throws that out the window. In its place is a wider mouth with a blacked-out lower lip, flanked by side vents and capped by smoked headlamps. The SLK's new taillights carry over onto the AMG model, but again the clear section is smoked, underneath which is found a different rear bumper than the standard version's integrating quad round tailpipes in place of the standard square twins. Otherwise, the same sweet AMG-tuned 5.5-liter V8 carries over unchanged, which we think is a good thing.

As with the first images of the 2008 SLK, pictures of the AMG model have surfaced online before Mercedes has made them available, so we'll have to get back to you when the official pics are released, along with the AMG aero kits for the standard SLK range. In the meantime, enjoy these courtesy of our friends at CarScoop.

[Source: CarScoop]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, but it'd take something really spectacular to make a car like the Maserati Quattroporte look anything but elegant. The company's new GranTurismo, itself based on the sedan, managed to do a good job of making its four-door stable-mate pale by comparison, so it should come as no big surprise that the Trident marque is preparing a mid-cycle facelift.

According to these spy shots, the bulk of the visual updates will be on the front, where the grille, (all but non-existent) bumper and headlights are tipped to be reshaped. Also expect a few minor changes to the rear bumper, but that should about do it.

Don't mess too much with a beautiful thing, Maser.

[Source: EVO]

Click on the image above to view our high-resolution image gallery.

It's had a lot of challengers, and to stay at the top, Land Rover has been rolling out consistent updates to its flagship Range Rover model. Last year it was the upgraded engines: the 305-hp 4.4-liter V8 and the supercharged 400-hp 4.2-liter V8. For this year, the Range Rover gets upgrades to the interior and to its traction systems.

Inside, the Range Rover's luxurious cabin has been updated with a new instrument panel, air-con unit, new airbags and new trim, switchgear and storage compartments. The front seats have been outfitted with new head restraints designed to minimize whiplash, as well as an in-seat air-cooling system (optional on HSE and standard on Supercharged models). Underneath, the Land Rover's Terrain Response system has been fitted as standard equipment, as well as an electronic rear differential (which, like the seat cooling system, is optional on HSE and standard on Supercharged models) to supplement the center e-diff. There's also a new electronic parking brake that automatically disengages when you start driving.

The new changes might not amount to much, as Land Rover draws up plans for the Range Rover's all-aluminum replacement, but with heavy competition from Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, Land Rover can't afford to rest on its name alone.

Press release after the jump, and high-res images in the gallery below.

Please, let it be so. The current chromed snout on VWs offerings is not only beastly to look at, it doesn't help Audi's cars stand apart, either. We suppose that cuts both ways -- VW probably benefits by a familial resemblance to their cousins. However, the front end on the upcoming Sharan/Touran twins looks to hint at the future face of Volkswagen, we hope.

There's a bumper crop of spiffy van-lets over on the Continent right now, and the Touran/Sharan are latecomers to the party. The vans won't drop until 2010, due to styling tweaks that Martin Winterkorn has reportedly requested.

The Sharan will likely be available with sliding doors, while the Touran will make do with conventional front-hinged points of entry. A healthy selection of powertrain options is expected to be available, from the turbocharged FSI 2.0 liter four cylinder to a 3.2 liter FSI VR6, along with the requesite TDI powerplants. 4Motion will be available, which we'd love to sample hooked up to the gruntiest of the diesels (which will surpass the VR6 in torque output). Being based on the Passat's underpinnings yields a van that's easy to wield while offering great space-efficiency. We like the look of these boxy family haulers, with their crisp edges and large glass areas, but alas, we'll have to take up intercontinental jet-setting if we wish to drive them.

[Source: Autobild via German Car Blog]

"Don't mess with success" seems to be the motto over at Bentley, as the premium automaker prepares some mild revisions to the Continental range, the GT version of which has been on the market unchanged for three years running.

As we reported earlier, the revisions to the Continental GT, GTC and Flying Spur will be minimal. Updated bumpers front and rear will join new wheels as the chief exterior tweaks, and although no spy shots have surfaced as of yet, the interior is reported to be refreshed, too.

Dealers can't seem to keep the Continental in the showrooms long enough, and Crewe hopes to hit the magic 10,000 figure for annual sales, growing from 9200 last year. In any other segment, we couldn't picture owners trading in for a new model differentiated by so little, but when you're selling to big spenders, anything is possible.

Related posts:

• Spy Shots: updated Bentley Continentals
• Bentley planning Continental updates

[Source: Car magazine]

Mercedes has some hot-selling models in the SL, SLK and CLS, but the German automaker isn't about to sit around twiddling its thumbs. Instead they're working on facelifts for all three, poised to hit the market around this time next year.

The changes to the three models are expected to be mostly cosmetic, with little mechanical differences over the versions currently available. But of the three, the SL is tipped to get the most substantial face-lift, with insiders deriving from the spy shots that the new SL will do away with the circular headlamps in favor of the boomerang-shaped lights borrowed from the CLS.

Its little brother, meanwhile, is also getting a minor update, details of which we brought you just last week.

In advance of an anticipated onslaught from competitors entering the segment, the CLS four-door coupe is getting what appears to be a little butt-lift and a new grille borrowed from the CL coupe.

If the sources are correct and the SL adopts the headlights from the CLS, it could become a new corporate styling element across Mercedes' coupe and convertible range.

[Source: Car magazine]

I remember as a young child visiting the local British car dealership while my dad inked the deal on a new Jag (which I dearly miss to this day). I was busy checking out a big red Land Rover Defender 90. Sitting there next to the polished Bentleys, Rollers, Jags and Range Rovers, the Defender stood out in its primitive, bare-bones essence, the inside of its doors exposed so you could see the latch cable and its fenders covered in industrial diamond-plating. That's the same basic experience people have been enjoying for nearly sixty years, that's how long the Defender has been in production. Every so often, Land Rover gives it some new features, but the outer extremity of the utility off-road market is the one place left in the industry where you don't mess with success: nearly two million Defenders have been sold to date, despite the tiny market of off-road enthusiasts that would even consider buying one.

The 2007 model is about to hit the market in the UK, and comes with a new list of equipment. There's a new 2.4-liter common-rail diesel driving all four wheels through a revised six-speed with taller ratios. The new engine is rounded out by an integrated front fascia, new seating setup and an improved A/C system.

Even before specially-built versions like ambulances and airport fire trucks are taken into account, the Defender is offered in no less than 14 distinct body-styles, including various configurations of the Defender 90, 110 and 130, all produced on the same assembly line. Among its varied customer base, NGOs love the Defender, despite the atrocious carbon emissions levels, for which a unique tax is applied in the UK. The Defender starts at £18,645 and ranges all the way up to £26,605, and that's before any special equipment is added into the mix.

The "updated" Defender hits the road – and the road less traveled – as a reminder of a time when SUVs were mud-playing beasts, like when the Defender first hit the market, or like when I was a little boy. And, the occasional minor tweak notwithstanding, I (for one) hope it stays just as it is.

Follow the jump for the press release.

[Source: Land Rover UK]

The Bentley Boys aren't sitting around, resting on their plush leather laurels. Having just released the new Brooklands land-yacht coupe, it's on to the next project at Crewe, with the hot-selling Continental GT receiving a planned update..

The successful W12-powered coupe is scheduled for a complete overhaul in early 2010, but to hold sales strong until then, Bentley is planning to release a facelifted version of the current model by the end of this year. The updated Conti will get a few extra horses out of it's 6-liter W12 engine, bringing output up to 560hp, as well as some cosmetic changes to keep it looking fresh, including a revised front fascia and some new rims.

Although the surfacing reports say the facelift is due for the Continental GT coupe, we can expect the new features to carry over to its siblings, the already sold-out GTC cabrio and the Flying Spur sedan. Which, of course, means all those Fort Lauderdale yachtsmen, Hollywood movie stars and British footballers will have to be trading up.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via Motor Authority]