The United States will be getting a wider range of the Audi’s RS offerings first with the 2012 Audi TT RS and then later the RS5. With 360 horsepower squeezed from an award winning turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine at just 3,300 pounds, the coupe is probably the best TT ever made. The vehicle can reach a top speed of 174 mph and get to 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds. Audi magnetic ride on the TT RS allows the suspension characteristic to be actively altered benefiting the driver as the system constantly adapts to the driving situation at the time.

There have also been a few design changes to the exterior that compares to the TT S with a high gloss black diamond-patterned Singleframe grille and large front air inlets, fixed rear wing spoiler that provides increased down force, oval exhaust pipes and 19″ rotor wheels. Side mirrors are also coated with a matte aluminum finish.

In the interior, features include a contoured 3-spoke sport multifunction steering wheel, aluminum door sills with the RS logo and RS-specific interior door handles. Other interior features include 10-way power sport front seats with three-step heating, leather seat coverings and LED ambient lighting.

In the US the new Audi TT RS has a price tag of $56,850 including a destination fee of $875.

source: autoblog

Lexus is entering into the exclusive sports car market with its new 2012 LFA. The production of the new car will be limited to only 500 worldwide and at a price of about $375,000 (approximately R2,9 million) Lexus are being very selective about who they sell their new model to. This won’t be an easy car to add to your collection.

Lexus manufacturer, Toyota where concerned about the LFA’s weight savings and so the engineers chose specified aluminum alloy construction over traditional steel but when it was discovered that the aluminium would not enable them to achieve the desired lightweight objectives, they decided on carbon fibre as the material of choice. Expensive and difficult to work with, the automaker relied on its 150-year-old textile manufacturing experience to cast and mold the material to specifications.

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General Motors is set to unveil the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The vehicle, mechanically similar to that of the hard-top muscle-car version, is arguably one of the most powerful topless cars in the world. Like the coupe, the convertible will pack 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque from its supercharged 6.2-litre LSA V8. The Camaro will also offer Performance Traction Management as part of the Magnetic Selective Ride Control, which is exclusive to General Motors. Finalized performance figures have yet to be announced, but GM says to expect almost identical performance metrics to the ZL1 Coupe.

General Motors has made some changes to the body structure with additional reinforcements that include a front X brace and rear V brace, underbody tunnel brace and tower-to-tower brace under the hood and  a transmission support reinforcement brace.

Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer said that: “The Camaro ZL1 convertible will be one of the most powerful and most capable, convertibles available at any price. “This is a car that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face every time you drop the top – or hit the gas.”

The Chevrolet Camaro Coupe is scheduled to go on sale in early 2012 with the ZL1 Convertible expected to follow soon after.

After leading the way in bringing iPod integration and iPhone connectivity to its vehicles, BMW has now brought the same functionality to Android with the soon to be released remote app for Google’s open-source OS.

As with Apple’s OS, the app will allow drivers to remotely lock, unlock and locate their vehicles. In addition, the driver will be able to access the Climate Control function to activate the vehicle’s auxiliary ventilation or heating and a Flash Light or Horn Blow function can be used to gain a visible or audible reminder of the car’s location. If the car is out of sight or earshot, the Vehicle Finder function can locate it within a radius of up to 1,500 metres.

BMW will be releasing the app later this year and will also include real-time traffic information.

Ginetta has finally revealed their new G60 sports car, a rival for Porsche’s 911 and Cayman as well as Jaguar’s forthcoming XE sports car. The Ginetta may look familiar as it is essentially a revised version of the Farbio GTS. Ginetta has quite a history  - Ginetta was acquired by businessman Lawrence Tomlinson in 2005 when he and his team began expanding the racing side of the business over the next few years.  In 2010 Ginetta announced plans for the G40R and also acquired Farbio Supercars. The GTS was then renamed the F400 but production was halted so the company could give the car a complete make-over. Now in 2011 the F400 is launched as the new G60.

The original F400 shape now has a carbon fiber body, a revised splitter that adds downforce, anti-lock brakes, traction control, LED-infused headlights and a sporty rear fascia. Power comes from a Ford Mustang-sourced 3.7-liter V6 engine with 310 hp (231 kW / 314 PS).  The double wishbone suspension has been changed to incorporate unassisted steering.

With just 50 being built each year at a price starting at £68,000, Ginetta says the G60 “is rare by any standards.” First deliveries are expected to begin in February 2012.

The new Porshce Boxster was recently spied while being taken for a test drive, undisguised and in broad daylight. The picture provides a clear view of the model’s lines and detail with its sharp side strakes, side air inlets and prominent wheel arches. The rear of the vehicle sees a new integrated lip spoiler that spans right across the car’s rump, bisecting the taillamps.

Provided by some forced induction and a few tweaks, the 2.5-litre flat-4-cylinder engine could generate as much as 360hp under the hood.

The model is expected to make its official debut around the beginning of 2012.

Image source: Autoblog

Nissan has revealed pictures of the latest in a long line of go-faster models with the Juke-R, a variant of the Juke small crossover car creating the first ever Super crossover. The vehicle is a mashup of the Juke and the GT-R. Although Nissan is building two road-going versions of the Juke-R (one left and one right-hand drive) to be finished in November,  it will be “a one-off, road-legal concept car”. So far, there is no production plan and no plans to sell it to the public. Rather, it is being built purely for promotional purposes.

Under the hood, the Juke-R will be powered by a version of the GT-R’s 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 that sends 480 horsepower through the GT-R’s six-speed gearbox as well as its four-wheel drive train and six speed transaxle. Although no official figures have been released, the GT-R manages 196mph and 0-62mph in about three seconds. The bodywork of the Juke-R is blistered and extended in different directions to accommodate its new powertrain.

If the car is never actually going to be sold then why are they building it? A Nissan representative simply answered: “Because we can.”

The Seat Mii is Volkswagen’s third and final variant of the car manufacturer’s city car project with the Spanish Up. The new Mii will showcase the Spanish offering alongside the German and Czech versions of the Volkswagen Up. This particular city car is expected to launch Seat back into the small car segment since it abandoned the production of the Arosa back in 2005.

The Mii measures just 3550mm long with a boot volume of 251 litres and will be initially sold as a three door until the availability of a five door model later in 2012.

There is a choice of a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with either 59bhp or 74bhp. Weighing just 854kg, the addition of the Ecomotive pack, which includes stop-start and energy recuperation, brings the CO2 output down to 97g/km. In standard form however, the two motors are understood to produce 105 and 108g/km of CO2.

Additional features include a City Safety Assist system, which uses a laser to detect vehicles in front of the car and at speeds under 20mph will warn the driver of a possible collision and apply the brakes automatically.

The Seat Mii differentiates itself from the VW and Skoda with shallower glass, a conventional body-colour lower half and a new set of distinctive triangular rear lights.

The Mii is expected to cost just under £8000 in entry-level form.