More images of the 2012 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Mule testing in cold weather conditions closer to the Arctic Circle have thronged the web. The latest set of images reveals three test mules of the next generation 612 Scaglietti which is expected to arrive in 2012. The images highlight a longer wheelbase along with a new exhaust system, a budging hood and a redesigned front bumper. Engine options for the upcoming model will include a V12 beast capable of churning 533hp with 588Nm of torque and this will be mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The combination will enable the 2012 model to dash from 0 to 62mph in less than 4 seconds while the top speed will be 200+ mph. Rumors are ripe about the 2012 Ferrari 612 hosting an AWD powertrain and a hybrid unit as well.

Toyota is expanding its small car domain globally and the UK market is a priority for the Japanese moniker. Toyota will start selling a new edition of the Aygo, the Aygo Black Edition in the UK as early as April this year. The Aygo Black edition will be available in both three and five door options and the highlight will be its Tempest Black paint job on the exterior.

Aygo Black will also feature 14-inch alloy wheels while on the inside it will support leather and Alcantara interior along with sports styling features. The standard Aygo Black will cost £9,460 while the AC integration will make it £500 costlier. The five-door option will be £350 more expensive while the automatic transmission will add another £500 to the pricing.

After Japan and the US, it will be the UK which will see a full-scale production of the Nissan LEAF EV in the company’s Sunderland plant. While the Japanese production commences this year, US will see the LEAF being produced in 2012 and the UK plant will follow a year later.

Nissan also intends to build an advanced lithium-ion battery plant in Sunderland and the construction should begin next month. While the automobile facility will render 50,000 LEAF units annually, the battery plant will have a capacity of 60,000 batteries per year .Collectively, the investment for both these projects will be somewhere close to an astounding £420 million. Nissan LEAF is touted as the first mass-produced and affordable family EV in the world and it will throng many streets across the world in a couple of years from now.

Smart has gone ahead and released a set of cosmetic accessories for the Smart and Brabus ForTwo and the kitty includes some stickers and LEDs. Mind you, it is a purely a decorative package and the engine gets no tweaking if you thought so. The package includes six types of foil stickers; each designed by artist Timo Wuerz who is working directly with Mercedes-Benz.

The six color options reflect the ‘six colorful motifs’ and each of these stickers cost €250. These stickers remain good for five years and they can be removed in a matter of minutes if the need be. The package also includes a set of Brabus LED daytime running lights and third LED brake lights where the daytime LEDs cost €549 while the brake lights cost €129. For the interior, there is a Brabus carbon-look eight-piece interior trim set which demands €299.

Until date, we’ve known the bimmers to be all-wheel driven commuters but all that is soon slated to change as revealed by BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer. BMW is keen to target the small and city car segment and therefore BMW is planning to develop an Audi A1 competitor that will come laden with a FWD set-up. BMW is currently developing a joint architecture and the A1competitor could be assembled on that architecture. Joint architecture implies that this platform will be suitable both for FWD and AWD systems and even MINI could share it in the future. The decision will not only foster growth for BMW in all segments, the platform sharing will also help bring down production costs.

Porsche has certainly made its presence felt in the automotive world and for the moniker, the journey of success has spanned over a period of 60 years. To mark the completion of 6 decades, brand Porsche is hosting a special exhibition in the Porsche museum.

The extravaganza will showcase a series of early production photographs along with the first 356 Coupe built in Zuffenhausen. For brand Porsche, it all began in 1938 when the Design and Construction office was moved from Stuttgart to a number of buildings in the District of Zuffenhausen. The World War II dented Porsche’s early ambitions but things got back on track in 1950 when the first Stuttgart-built 356 rolled off the assembly line. The special event marking 60 years of success will run from March 20 to May 9.

Check out the press release after the break

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Subaru has always taken great pride in its AWD system installed cars but that is soon going to change as Subaru is not too keen to use the AWD powertrain for its upcoming halo car-216A (codename). 216A is a derivative of another concept sports car, Toyota FT-86 and as per reports; the AWD is being pulled out as that will make the 216A unreasonably expensive.

All these imply that the 216A will be a replica of the FT-86 with a redesigned front end and the spacing in front of the A pillar. Toyota may go ahead with a performance version of the FT-86 (G Sports) in the future and that will mean a 216A STI model can also be on the cards. All STI models feature an AWD set-up so this leaves us in a state of confusion, more than anything.

It is hard to remember when was the last time the auto freaks got a glimpse of the 2012 Chevy Camaro after its latest set of images have surfaced with the top down. These images have been shared by the blog forum Camaro5.com and as per the forum; it was back in 2008 that a 2012 Camaro was spotted in a GM revealed teaser.

It was last year that GM announced the delay of the 2012 model arrival but later it was mentioned that the Camarao will be released in 2010 as a 2012 model. These latest images were clicked by an enthusiast who spotted the Camaro when it was being tested in Madison Heights, Michigan which is about 13 miles north of the GM headquarters in Detroit. The car’s test driver also mentioned that the 2012 model must be available in the market by April 2011. (images via Camaro5.com)