The Auto Insider . . .

Second Hawtai SUV scooped

Early design sketch of Hawtai's upcoming C25

Chinese car maker Hawtai, which has made a name for itself assembling various Hyundai models out of its manufacturing base in Beijing, is set to add a new mid-sized SUV to its growing line-up of passenger cars, as revealed by this sketch of the new model secretly photographed during a recent styling clinic.
Known as the C25, the early design sketch reveals the upcoming SUV is set to receive more cohesive styling than Hawtai’s highly controversial C35, a larger and more luxurious SUV wheeled out in concept car guise at this year’s Beijing auto show which unashamedly borrows it styling cues from the first generation Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Continental GT and Audi Q7.

Controversial Hawtai C35

Secrecy surrounds the C25’s mechanical specification, but like the larger C35 it is expected to be based on a Hyundai based platform and come with the choice of a turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine developed by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and two diesel engines: a 1.8- and 2.0-litre manufactured by Hawtai but originally developed by Italian-based diesel engine specialist, VM.

Lotus resurrects classic livery with new F1 team

The iconic black and gold JPS (John Player Special) livery that graced the Team Lotus F1 cars of such legendary drivers as Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Ronnie Peterson among others throughout the 1970s and early 1980s is set to make a return to grand prix racing in 2011 on cars run by the former Renault team.
Having already sold a majority stake of its F1 operations to Russian-based Genii Capital earlier this year, Renault has now off-loaded its last remaining shares to Group Lotus – the British based car maker which recently stunned the automotive world with the unveiling of no less than five new concept cars at the Paris auto show back in September.
Spelling an end to the Renault’s most recent F1 participation, Genii Capital and Group Lotus have entered into what an official statement describes as a “comprehensive strategic alliance”.
Renault’s place in F1 is secured though, as it will remain an engine supplier to the new team, which has been renamed Lotus Renault GP, as well as this year’s Constructors Championship, Red Bull Racing, and the team that operated under the Lotus name in 2010, setting up the chance that there will be two Lotus teams on the grid in 2011.

Mercedes-Benz lights up. New spotlight function to “flash” pedestrians

No, not the cops! It's the 2012 model year S-class

You can run but, according to the safety boffins at Mercedes-Benz, you can’t hide. Not from a distance of up to 262 feet (80 metres) in any case. That’s how far a new spotlight function in a re-worked version of the German car maker’s hi-tech Active Night View Assist headlamps scans the immediate forward surroundings and picks out pedestrians at night and/or in poor light conditions by illuminating the area where an infra-red camera detects their presence.
Sounds a bit like big brother. But there is an upside to the new technology, which will become available as a high priced option on the 2012 model year S-class and CL Coupe, says Mercedes-Benz. By providing the headlamp with an additional control unit that allows it to act as a spotlight at speeds above 28mph (45km/h), both the driver and pedestrian are altered to one another’s presence and the potential safety hazard that exists.

Up until now Active Night View Assist, a $1780 option in the US and, for whatever reason, an even pricier €2046 in Europe, has only been able to alert the driver to the presence of a pedestrian by way of a grainy video projected into a monitor within the instrument cluster. The pedestrian, on the other hand, was literally left in the dark.

Not any more, though! The new spotlight is clever enough to function beyond the area of a dipped beam and in Mercedes-Benz’s own words can “decide whether a detected pedestrian is to be flashed”. Depending on the speed the car is travelling, it has been designed to illuminate the pedestrian up to four times. Mercedes-Benz is saying nothing about the tangle it could find itself in with various privacy laws, not least of all in North America, suggesting a pedestrian’s right to a quiet walk at night is outweighed by the potential for improved safety.
Studies tend to back up this argument. According to research by the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt), five times as many pedestrians are killed on country roads at night than during the day. Another statistic from the BASt points out that only 20 percent of all car journeys take place at night – however this is the time when some 40 percent of fatal accidents occur.
Mercedes-Benz isn’t saying what sort of premium the new ~~discolight~~ spotlight function will command. But for those living in areas with a high percentage of S-class and CL sales and an urge to go walking along a lonely road at night, you’ve been warned . . .

Further images and diagrams after the jump . . .

Grainy images of the new Volkswagen NMS (New Mid-sized Sedan) have found their way on to the internet a month before the new four door is due to make its world debut at the Detroit auto show.

Suggestions are one of the German car maker's Chinese partners, Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive, issued the long shot images to selected Chinese based motoring publications in a bid to quell intensive speculation surrounding the NMS.

Holding true to earlier renderings released by the German car maker, the NMS boasts a decidedly conservative appearance that leans heavily on the recently introduced seventh-generation Passat.
Volkswagen plans to produce the new car in both North American and China.
Further details as they become available . . .

Volkswagen NMS (New Mid-sized Sedan)

Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG: New engine details

Mercedes-Benz is not prepared to officially confirm it just yet. But normally reliable sources at its AMG performance car division suggest the all-new SLK, the R172 as Mercedes-Benz insiders call the upcoming two seater, will receive a new V8 engine in top-of-the-line SLK55 AMG form.
The naturally aspirated 5.5-litre unit is essentially the same powerplant used in the S63, CL63 and CLS63 sans turbochargers and associated plumbing.
Power is said to be raised by 62bhp on the 5.4-litre V8 used in the outgoing SLK55 AMG at 422bhp. That’s 82bhp more than the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine in the BMW Z4sDrive35iS and turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder in the Audi TT RS - both of which kick out 340bhp.
Combined with the latest incarnation of Mercedes-Benz’s seven-speed 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox featuring a reworked torque converter for faster shifts and reduced power losses, it should easily eclipse the 4.9second 0-62mph time of the existing model launched in 2004.
The new SLK55 AMG is planned to make its world debut at next year’s Frankfurt auto show, six months after standard versions are due to bow to the public.

Pictures and video of the 2012 model year Mercedes-Benz SLK can be seen here:
http://theautoinsider.blogspot.com/2010/12/all-new-2012-model-year-merc-slk-leaks.html

New Kia Picanto sketched ahead of Geneva reveal

Kia has flagged up the 2011 launch of its second generation Picanto with these official sketches of the new supermini.
Set to be unveiled in production guise at the Geneva auto show in March, the new Picanto was styled at Kia's German based design studio under the guise of Peter Schreyer - the former Audi design boss widely credited with lifting the appearance and appeal of the Korean car maker's latest models, including the Koup, Sportage and Optima - the latter two of which this week picked up the prestigious iF product design award.
The new Picanto will share the same front-wheel drive platform as parent company Hyundai's new critically acclaimed i10. Engines are set to include 1.2 and 1.4-litre four-cylinder gasoline units along with a 1.4-litre four-cylinder diesel.

Further sketch, including rear view, after the jump . . .

Mini Countryman by Germany's X-Raid

Mini will be represented in the Paris Dakar rally (or Dakar Argentina-Chile as it is now known) in January with a new Countryman bodied prototype run by the German based X-Raid team.

The new, specially built four-wheel drive, which will be crewed by the French team of Guerlain Chicherit and co-driver Michel Périn, has been developed with the blessing of Mini parent company BMW at production and component specialist Magna, the same company responsible for building production versions of the Countryman at its factory in Graz, Austria.
The design of the new desert storming Countryman has been influenced by the Mini design team, now headed by Anders Warmer following the departure of the British car maker’s former design boss, Gerd Hildebrandt, earlier this month. The basis for the new car is X-Raid's existing BMW X3 CC, in service for the past four seasons.

X-Raid's BMW X3 CC

Powering the Mini All4 Racing is a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder diesel engine originally developed for the X3 CC. It is claimed to deliver 315bhp and some 523lb ft (710Nm) of torque.
No longer run through Africa owing to political upheaval in many countries, the Dakar Argentina-Chile starts in Buenos Aires on New Year’s Day and is due to finish in the Argentine capital on January 16, 2011.

New Chrysler 300 breaks cover ahead of Detroit reveal

Images of the new Chrysler 300 have hit the internet prior to a planned unveiling at the Detroit auto show in January. Hit the "read more" link below for further images . . .

All new 2012 model year Merc SLK leaks out in official video

The new Mercedes-Benz SLK has been revealed in an official marketing video posted on YouTube four months before the third generation roadster, codenamed R172, is planned be shown at the 2011 Geneva auto show.

Proton: Tuah to replace Persona

Proton has revealed the contemporary appearance of its upcoming Persona replacement with a full sized model shown at the Kuala Lumpur auto show wearing the name Tuah - a name taken from Malaccan warrior Hang Tuah.
The four-door/five-seat Tuah, with a distinctive front end but strong hints of the superseded Seat Toledo in its rear end styling, is planned to sit on Proton’s new front-wheel drive C-segment platform, known internally as the P321A, and will be powered by the Malaysian car maker’s new 1.6-litre four-cylinder Campro engine in a number of different guises, including a turbocharged unit with up to 150bhp. More information as it becomes available . . .

Further images after the jump . . .

Proton has dropped the biggest hint yet that it intends re-badging the Lotus Europa for sale in the domestic Malaysian market with this so-called concept car called the Lekir.
Revealed at the Kuala Lumpur auto show, the low slung two door coupe receives a series of exterior styling changed aimed at differentiating the Proton from its two year old Lotus sibling.
According to information released by Proton, the Lekir is powered by a turbocharged version of the 1.6-litre four-cylinder Campro engine developed in a co-operation between Proton and Lotus. In 110bhp naturally aspirated form it is used in the Proton Gen2, Waja, Satira Neo and Persona. No official power figures have been released for the new turbocharged version but Proton’s Managing Director, Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin, hints at 150bhp.
By contrast, the Europa’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four pot engine puts out a more energetic 272bhp, giving it 0-62mph (100km/h) acceleration in 6.1sec and a 143mph (230km/h) top speed.

Parent company to Lotus, Proton has regularly looked at re-badging the famed British car maker’s models to spice up its own image. But up until now has resisted the urge to turn the Elise, Exige, Europa or Evora into one of its own. That may change with the Lekir.

Further images after the jump . . .

Geely, parent company to Volvo, has announced ambitious plans to boost annual Chinese market sales to two million cars by 2015 in a move that would see it double its current Chinese market share to 5.8 per cent.
The Hangzhou based car maker has reworked its model line-up, dividing it into three main brands: Emgrand, Gleagle and Englon. Plans call for 40 new models based on 15 different platforms under three brands, according to Geely’s vice president for sales and marketing, Liu Jinliang.
As part of an internal reorganization, Geely has begun refurbishing its Chinese dealer network, which is said to consist of 210 Emgrand, 300 Gleagle and 100 Englon sites.
Geely's newest model is the Englon SC5-RV. The 3919mm long hatchback, pictured below, is powered by a 93bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder and price at $8300 in its most basic specification.

Englon SC5-RV

Porsche to show new concept car in Detroit

918 Spyder to spawn new range topping model

Porsche is set to reveal what one insider describes as a “spectacular new concept car” at next month’s Detroit auto show.

Secrecy surrounds the new concept a month out from its public unveiling but whispers out of the company's Zuffenhausen headquarters in Germany suggest Porsche will signal an intention to produce a new range topping supercar based on the same carbon fibre monocoque and aluminum intensive chassis as the 918 Spyder, which was recently confirmed for production and is set to go on sale in 2013. More info as it becomes available . . .

China's Hong Qi (Red Flag) brand to mount luxury car offensive

Hong Qi HQ3

China’s first ever car maker, the appropriately named First Automobile Works (FAW), which operates joint ventures with Audi, General Motors, Mazda and Volkswagen, is planning to revive its 52-year-old Hong Qi (Chinese for Red Flag) brand to full strength with no less than five new models.
The Changchun-based company, whose CA72 limousine was famously used by Chairman Mao Tse-tung, recently received approval from China’s Ministry of Industry and Technology for a series of new models which Chinese media reports suggest includes three new alternative drive sedans and two luxury limousines – the latter of which is set to include a production version of Hong Qi’s Rolls-Royce inspired HQE sedan first shown as a concept at the 2005 Beijing auto show and a Range Rover challenging SUV revealed in concept car form at the 2009 Shanghai auto show.
FAW first rolled out the Hong Qi brand in 1958 at the behest of Chairman Mao Tse-tung. Its most contemporary model to date is the HQ3 based on the underpinnings and driveline of the Toyota Majesta.

Hong Qi (Chinese for Red Flag) brand logos

Lamborghini: we won't do an SUV. Four door Estoque sedan preferred third model

Production version of Lamborghini Estoque concept set to share
underpinnings with new Audi A9

Following our story last week outlining plans at Audi for a new range topping A9 model which is set to share underpinnings with a production version of the four-door Lamborghini Estoque, comes a story from English publication Autocar quoting Lamborghini boss, Stefan Winkelmann, in which he backs up the news we’ve been hearing out of Ingolstadt and Sant’Agata in recent weeks.
Autocar asked Winkelmann about recent speculation suggesting Lamborghini was pursuing plans for a spiritual successor to the LM002 – the high priced SUV produced in small numbers by the Italian car maker between 1986 and 1993.
His reply: “We have opportunities outside the supercar business, and we showed that with Estoque. It had a more enthusiastic response than we had expected. It was the right time to see if the brand could go outside of supercars. Even now, people are still e-mailing me about us making the Estoque.
In line with information uncovered by TheAutoInsider at the recent Los Angeles auto show, plans for a modern day LM002 are still current but the clear priority to become Lamborghini’s third model line is a production version of the Estoque concept first revealed at the 2008 Paris auto show.
“We really have a choice when it comes to an additional model: an SUV or a four-seat four-door. And for me the SUV is a no-go. It doesn’t exist in our price segment,” Winkelmann told Autocar.
According to our Ïngolstadt and Sant'Agata sources, the Estoque is one of two new upper end four door coupes being planned for Lamborghini parent company Audi. The other is a new range topping Audi model to be known at the A9. Both cars are planned to share the same basic aluminium space frame construction and underpinnings – most of which will come from the fourth generation A8 on sale since earlier this year, as part of plans to significantly improve its costings by ramping up the economies of scale through three models. The A9 and Estoque would be the second such collaboration between the two companies, reflecting the steps taken with the R8 and Gallardo.