2013 Mercedes E Class

(Image courtesy of Automedia)

The current generation has been criticized for being way to boxy both inside and out. It is understandable that they waited after the  brand new 5 series to speed up development as seen in this spy image. People might feel cheated if it ends up looking like a small S class and like the C class if flipped back and forth from round lights, which BMW has always used to squarer shaped ones. BMW must feel confident to keep it's cars generally looking the same,  Mercedes not.  Interesting.

2013 Hyundai Sante Fe

Still not sure if the Vera Cruz will be Hyundai's top dog SUV, but more attention these days seems to be on the more popular Sante Fe, spyshots and all.   Without the camouflage, it looks like some styles were borrowed from other brands namely Ford and Audi. The A7 taillights seem to express a more upscale look, whereas the front fascia seems to borrow the Ford vertical bar grille.  I'm not sure if both do it just or not. It seems the less expensive models have more appeal.

Small RWD Caddy Roadster planned

GM hasn't offered a small roadster since the days of the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Now that the highly anticipated ATS will likely become a hit, it makes sense to spawn a small two seater off that platform.

Cadillac feels 100% confident that their small baby can challenge the German bigs like the BMW Z4 and Benz SLK.

The last time Caddy offered a roadster was with the XLR (based on the Corvette) which didn't sell as expected. Maybe staying small and less expensive with the ATS roadster is the smart thing to do for now.

No production date has been confirmed, my guess within 2 years.

VW UP GT = Green Light for production

The firm  OK'd production on a GT version.  This means more hp (98 from a turbo) along with more aggressive looks.  No word on selling this model here, but with VW's eye on the purchase of Porsche, speed might be part what VW wants to advertise throughout its line up.

VW 5 Door UP! (Official)

Dimensions are still the same as the two door but the extra doors give it a finished look and the convenience for rear passengers. Although it is not as high as its concept version, the Cross Up!, it is still one of my favorites and VW is probably saving "the taller version" for the new Bulli (VW Bus) when that comes out hopefully next year.

More Ceed pictures

This isn't one of those cars that you have to say, "oh, I have to wait to see it in person" when having mixed feelings seeing it on line. The design speaks very nicely for itself: simple, clean and modern. But does looking "too European" hurt the car's true Korean heritage? Their designs went from looking like Mitsubishi knock-offs to German flavored contenders so suddenly. Am I wrong here?

2015 BMW 4 Series Coupe (Sedan)

If a wagon, sedan, coupe, SUV and cabriolet weren't enough, you might see a Passat CC fashioned BMW around the corner. Not sure if this is the right choice for them, sales of the more expensive 5 Series GT have been very slow. People seem to like the more traditional body styles when it comes to BMW. It seems Audi manages to get by with the A5 and more expensive A7.

2013 Ford Fusion with Moray Callum

We met the Executive Director of Design, Moray Callum who goes into detail about the development and design of the all new Fusion. He swears its a midsize car, but the overall execution mets cars well above its range by just the right size and shape of its design. The same is true with the interior, it looks similar to the Volvo S60 in its own way. What will this model due to the more expensive Taurus? Will Ford end up like Infiniti and ax its top of the line car, similar to what they did with the Q and now just have an M. Stiff competition seems to be changing all the rules...

2013 Mini Cargo

Think of this as a fun way to transport large items while on the job.  This is Mini's version of a panel van that is purely meant for commercial use. It won't have real passenger seats, just a flat surface.

It won't go on sale here, but I can picture some of the fancy dog grooming services in Hollywood utilizing  one of these.

More Kia Forte/K3 pics

From these images it seems that this model doesn't exactly follow the style of the larger Optima as seen on previous renderings, but this could just be a domestic model.  I was hoping for a more rounder and appealing shape,  I guess we'll have to see it without the camo.

At least the dash photo isn't hiding that much detail.  More to come...