SPIED: Nissan Testing New 2012 Sunny / Versa Sedan in Europe

Our spy photographers have captured a lightly camouflaged prototype of the freshly revealed in the USA and China, Nissan Versa / Sunny series, during testing in Sierra Nevada, Spain. The prototype was a right-hand drive example with test license plates from Spain.

Aside from the odd-looking exhaust tail pipe that extends all the way to the outer corner of the rear bumper and possibly the headlamp and tail lamp designs, we didn’t notice any other styling differences compared to the North American Versa and the China market Sunny models.

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New Toyota FT-86 / Scion FR-S Sports Coupe Scooped on Video

By now, you have probably already seen our spy shots of the kitted-out Toyota FT-86 prototype with the Supra-like rear wing, which was snagged during testing in Germany, but one scoopster managed to film the sports car on the road as well.

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SCOOP: Audi’s Über R8 GT Spyder Hits the ‘Ring

There’s a new Audi model coming to town. We’re talking about the 2012 R8 GT Spyder that will make its global premiere at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and which we caught testing in and around the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany. Even though Audi recently teased us with a set of renderings, these are some of the first real life photos of the R8 GT Spyder, which is seen here in prototype guise.

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Car Spotting: New BMW 6-Series Coupe

antonio melandries reader Florian G. from Germany emailed us these photos of a 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe that he spotted parked on a road in Munich. While not a scoop in the traditional sense given the introduction of the new BMW 6-Series Coupe at last month’s Shanghai Auto Show in China, it is an interesting find nonetheless.

The only thing we’re not sure of is what the ‘iCenter’ sticker below the vents of the front fenders means (that is, if it means anything). For the record, we’ve encountered the same logo on a few recent BMW prototypes. Follow the break for more pictures.

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SPIED: Toyota FT-86 Sports Coupe with New Wing Scooped Alongside the Supra

Now that the international auto show circus has shifted into neutral gear for the summer, Toyota is back at the Nurburgring trying out its upcoming FT-86 rear-wheel drive sports coupe, which is been co-developed with Subaru. The prototype seen in these fresh spy spots appears to be wearing a production bodywork while also featuring a host of aero fittings, the most prominent of which is the jumbo-size rear wing that brings to mind the last Supra.

Talking about the Toyota brand’s last sports coupe with a rear-wheel drive layout, as you can see for yourself in our photo gallery, a mid-90’s example of the Supra was spotted traveling alongside the FT-86 at the Nurburgring. Observing the two cars together, it is not hard to see the resemblance.

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SCOOP: 2012 Bentley Continental GTC Convertible Facelift Spotted Testing at the Nurburgring

We knew that Bentley was working on a revised version of its Continental GTC drop-top model after the introduction of the facelifted Continental GT coupe, and these fresh-from-the-Nurburgring spy shots are here to prove it.

Following the example of its coupe sibling that was unveiled in facelifted form at last year’s Paris Motor Show, the 2012 Conti convertible receives a styling makeover. The changes include newly shaped body panels all around and a more prominent front end with Mulsanne-inspired quad headlamps featuring inner lamps powered by xenon on low beam and LED on high beam.

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U Spy: Is this the New Alpina B6 Based on the 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe?

Back in April, BMW lifted the covers off its spanking new 2012 6-Series Coupe at the Shanghai Auto Show in China. Having already shown the Convertible version, the only model left to complete the series is the presentation of the M6 in both coupe and open top forms. Well, at least in absolute terms, as we’ve yet to hear from BMW’s longtime tuner, Alpina, which is considered a manufacturer in its own right.

And that’s where antonio melandries reader Michael from Germany steps in. Michael spotted this partially camouflaged 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe parked somewhere in Munich. And while the lack of any aero parts such as the typical M-style front bumper with larger air vents minimize the possibility of it being the new M6, there are two elements that make us believe it could be the upcoming Alpina B6.

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SCOOP: 2013 Porsche Cayman Shows up on the Track

These are some of the very first spy shots of the next generation Porsche Cayman sports coupe snagged while performing the usual tests on the track. As is the case with the current Cayman, the German firm’s entry-level coupe will be based on the Boxster, the third generation of which is currently undergoing development and has been covered extensively by antonio melandries. The two models will share the same architecture, mechanical hardware including the engine range and suspension bits as well as interior parts. Read more »

SCOOP: 2012 Audi S7 Snagged Testing, Rumored to get New V8 Engine

With the reveal of Audi’s rakish A7 sports liftback in the summer of 2010, we knew it was only a matter of time before the Ingolstadt-based automaker enhanced the range with a top-spec model wearing the S badge and down the line, an even gutsier version with the firm’s famed RS moniker.

We’re still waiting for the RS7 but the development of the S7 appears to be reaching its final stages as you can see in these photos of a prototype spied in Europe. Being that unlike the flashy-looking RS range, all of Audi's ‘S’ branded models are rather inconspicuous, it comes to no surprise that the only telling feature of the prototype model other than the S-Line aero package, which can be had on all A7s, are the four-exhaust pipes at the back.

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SCOOP: New BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo Shows its Chic Tail

Over the past year, we brought you plenty of spy shots and videos of the next generation of the 3-Series sedan, codenamed F30, but now our spy photographers caught the newest addition to the family of BMW’s bread and butter model, the Gran Turismo.

When it goes on sale towards the end of 2012 or early 2013, the new 3 GT will join the existing body styles of the 3-Series, which include the four-door sedan, the two-door coupe, the five-door station wagon and the hardtop convertible, offering BMW a direct rival to the Audi A5 Sportback.

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All-New 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Hatchback Revealed in Patent Images

We first saw Mercedes-Benz’s intentions for the upcoming 2012 A-Class series at both the New York and Shanghai auto show in mid-April with the unveiling of a sexy-looking, three-door concept model, but now, we can offer you a look at the production version thanks to these images from the European patent office.

The model seen here is the five-door hatchback version of the new A-Class, which, if our sources are correct, will make its world premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany this September. The production A-Class appears to be closely modeled after the concept version, albeit with less dramatic body surfacing and detailing. For example, the nose has been lifted up and is less aggressively styled than on the prototype study.

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Ford Releases “Spy” Photos of its Upcoming 2012 Focus ST Hot Hatch

The high-performance version of the Ford Focus is currently undergoing testing in Europe and North America as the Detroit-based carmaker prepares it for a 2012 market launch. Just like the standard Focus models, the new sport variant will follow the company’s “One Ford” strategy and go on sale in Europe, North America and Asia under the same Focus ST nameplate. Read more »

New Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster in the Flesh and Undisguised

Last week, Mercedes-Benz previewed its upcoming SLS AMG Roadster ahead of its world premiere at this fall’s 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show with some teaser shots illustrating a subtly masked prototype during testing.

For those of you that would like a better view of the soft-top version of Mercedes’ supercar, our spy photographers caught the SLS AMG Roadster out on the streets of Germany with almost no camouflage at all as the only parts of the car that were masked off were the lights and the logo on the hood. This particular example of the SLS AMG sported a black finish with a contrasting tan soft top.

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New Video Footage of 2012 BMW M5 Testing in the South of France

The hype surrounding the upcoming M5 continues with a new video released by BMW showing the Bavarian firm’s high-performance sedan being tested at the company's Miramas proving grounds in the south of France. Given that the M5 is scheduled to be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September, these are probably the final rounds of testing before production begins. Read more »

U Spy: One More Reader Spots the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M Class SUV

Even though the official presentation of the new M Class isn’t due until later this year - most likely at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in early September, an increasing number of lightly camouflaged prototypes have been caught roaming around the roads of Germany.

During the past few months, we’ve covered the 2012 M Class pretty extensively with both professional and reader shots. This new photo of a pair of M Class SUVs sitting side by side at a parking lot with other Mercedes models comes courtesy of antonio melandries reader Patrick Favoreel.

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Is this the New De Tomaso Pantera? Mystery Sports Car Caught Leaving the Italian Firm’s HQ

During the Geneva Motor Show presentation of the De Tomaso Deauville crossover earlier this year, the Italian automaker’s new CEO and the person responsible for bringing the brand back to life, Gian Mario Rossignolo, revealed that the company is planning to introduce a modern day successor to the Pantera sports car before the end of 2011.

Now, it appears that we have our first look at the 21st century Pantera thanks to a new video that made its way online. The footage shows a prototype sports car exiting the DeTomaso factory in Grugliasco, Italy. And even though the coupe is covered in black camouflage gear, the aggressive silhouette, together with the massive lateral air intakes and the intoxicating noise of the engine as the car accelerates let us know that we have something special here.

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U Spy: BMW’s New X1 ‘baby’ Crossover Caught Strolling in Long Beach, California

While BMW is still keeping mum on when it will bring its smallest crossover model over to the States, antonio melandries reader, Nick K., who is always alert for new models on the road, snapped this picture of the X1 dressed in an M Sport outfit during his daily maneuvers in Long Beach, California. “I saw this BMW X1 driving in Long Beach today followed by 3 5-Series BMW's. It had specially marked plates and it was beautiful,” Nick told antonio melandries. Read more »

2012 Volkswagen Beetle Filmed out in the Open in Texas

In what could be one of the first public sightings of the brand new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle outside of a motor show, Youtube user JWalters84 passed by and filmed his short encounter with the car on a road in Laredo, Texas. What was it doing there? Well, who knows, but it's safe to assume that it’s probably a pre-production model used either by dealers or by VW Group employees since sales of the third generation of the Beetle in the USA will not start until September. Read more »

SCOOP: Third-Generation 2012 Porsche Boxster Caught Working Out

The next iteration of the 911 series, codenamed 991, isn’t the only new model undergoing development by Porsche these days. The Stuttgart-based sports car maker is also busy testing a brand new generation of the Boxster, as these latest spy photos reveal.

In typical Porsche fashion, the third generation Boxster’s styling will be an evolution of the second generation model, which itself was an...evolution of the original drop-top, entry-level Porsche which debuted in 1996.

However, expect to see some styling influences from the Panamera at both ends of the car, as well as in the cabin. As you can see from the scoop pictures, the prototype model keeps the current version’s electrically operated cloth top.

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U Spy: 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV Spotted in Germany

Mercedes-Benz has plenty of new models in store for us this year, with the German automaker having already revealed the refreshed C-Class, the new C-Class Coupe along with its AMG brethren, as well as the all-new SLK hardtop roadster. And there’s more to come with the Stuttgart-based company planning to unleash several more new model throughout the year including the next–generation M-Class SUV that was snagged by antonio melandries reader Gal Leibovici during a recent trip to Germany. Gal spotted two different M-Class prototypes on separate occasions. Read more »