McLaren Unleashes 72 Photos and Full Specs of New MP4-12C Spider

Following the posh reveal of the MP4-12C Spider at the Pebble Beach weekend in California at the end of August, McLaren has now come out with a fresh gallery of images and detailed specifications of the open top model.

The big difference over the tweaked 2013 model year fixed-roof coupé version of the MP4-12C series is, of course, the Spider's Retractable Hard Top (RHT) with a fully automatic two-piece design that can be raised or lowered in under 17 seconds at speeds of up to 30 km/h (19 mph).

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MINI to Pull Out of the WRC at the End of 2012 Pointing Towards the Financial Crisis as the Reason

Just as suddenly as it entered the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) after a decades-long hiatus in 2011, the BMW Group's MINI brand is abandoning the sport.

On Friday afternoon, the British carmaker announced that it will terminate its works involvement in the WRC at the end of the 2012 season by withdrawing its financial support for "WRC Team Mini Portugal".

The bad news came from Kay Segler, Senior Vice President MINI Business Coordination and Brand Management.

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Acura Sends Off ZDX with a Facelift for its Final Year, Should we Say Good Riddance?

The Acura ZDX is a mid-size, luxury crossover that was launched in 2009 with the goal of rivaling the successful BMW X6. And we all know how that turned out; the ZDX failed miserably in its mission, shifting only 1,564 units in 2011 and a mere 416 in the first half of 2012.

If Acura's head honchos gave it the boot, everyone would understand the reasoning behind such a decision. In much the same way, it would make sense to revamp it in order to generate customer interest and higher sales, as it had previously said.

Doing both at the same time, though, is something rather unusual…

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Mazda Releases Huge Image Gallery for New Mazda6 Sedan and Wagon

At the Paris Auto Show, Mazda launched its new contender in the European D-segment that accounts for a little over 6.2 percent of the total passenger car market in the guise of the Mazda6 sedan and wagon models.

The Japanese carmaker says that both versions embody “the purest adaption yet” of its corporate “KODO – Soul of Motion” design philosophy, with the signature “wing” grille, flowing lines and a coupe-like roofline that has been moved back by 100mm giving the mid-size model a more dynamic character.

The 2,830 mm long wheelbase of the sedan promises ample space in the cabin, but surprisingly, the Wagon has a smaller wheelbase at 2,750mm and is also shorter at 4,800mm (the saloon is 4,865mm long, always according to Mazda).

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Spied: Volkswagen Filmed Trying Out XL1 Diesel-Electric Hybrid

The XL1 is Volkswagen's vision of a plug-in hybrid car that returns an amazingly low combined fuel consumption of 0.9lt/100km, equal to 261 mpg US and 313 mpg UK, or to be precise, MPGe (Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent) since this figure includes the use of both the internal combustion engine and the battery.

The two-seater model was presented as a concept last year and is now heading for very limited run production starting from next year - if all goes according to plan. VW's engineers were filmed in Spain completing new tests with the car as they prepare for its introduction.

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New 2013 Dodge Dart Aero is the Most Fuel Efficient in the Range at 41MPG HWY, Starts at $19,925*

Dodge has released pricing on the newest and the most fuel efficient model in the Dart sedan's range. Named the Aero, it is powered by Fiat’s 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged inline-four delivering 160-horses and 184 lb.-ft. of torque.

The new Dart Aero has a starting MSRP of $19,295 excluding a $795 destination (*) destination fee, and returns 41 mpg (5.7 lt/100km) on the highway with the six-speed manual and 40 mpg (5.9 lt/100km) with the six-speed Dual Dry Clutch Transmission (DDCT).

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Mega Gallery with 107 Photos of the All-New 2013 Volkswagen Golf Mk7

Having completed the media and motor show presentations of the new 2013 Golf, Volkswagen is now gearing up for the market launch of its bread-and-butter model, with the first country to get the car being, of course, Germany.

The first examples of the seventh generation Golf in both 3- and 5-door body styles will arrive at VW's German showrooms on November 10, with more European markets to follow in the coming weeks.

Volkswagen continues to keep us in the dark about when the new Golf will make its North American motor show debut and sales launch as well as with what engines it will be offered.

In Europe, VW's C-segment competitor will offer customers a wide choice of new turbocharged diesel and petrol engines, all of which are fitted with a stop/start system and battery regeneration as standard, with outputs ranging from 84hp (85PS) to 148hp (150PS).

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New Range Rover and the Defender from 007’s New Skyfall Flick Debut in Paris [w/Video]

While the F-Type was Jaguar's most anticipated new car launch at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, its sister company Land Rover had its own special premieres.

The first was the world debut of the all-new, fourth-generation Range Rover, which was displayed in its entire range at Land Rover's stand.

The all-aluminum Range Rover has been designed from scratch and will be available in Europe with three powertrains: the 3.0-liter TDV6 and the 4.4-liter SDV8 diesels, as well as the top-of the-Range (pun intended) supercharged 5.0-liter V8 that packs 503HP and accelerates the luxury model from 0-60 mph in just 5.1 seconds.

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New 2013 Nissan Sentra Starts at $15,990*, $440 Less than Outgoing Model

Nissan today released detailed pricing for the brand-new Sentra compact saloon before it hits U.S. showrooms on October 16.

Prices for the 2013 Sentra start at $15,990, not including a destination and handling fee (*) of $780, which is $440 less than the starting MSRP of the previous generation model (2012MY).

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Jaguar F-Type Priced from $69,000* in the U.S., New Configurator Plus Fresh Photos from Paris

Only days after the brand new F-Type's big reveal at the Paris Auto Salon, and Jaguar has released U.S. pricing and even launched an online configurator for those who like playing around with colors and extras, regardless of whether you intend to buy the roadster.

When it goes on sale in the United States next year, the rear-wheel drive sports car will start at $69,000, excluding an $875 destination and handling fee (*) for the base model that is powered by a 335HP (340PS) 3.0-liter supercharged V6.

If it makes you feel better, even if you include taxes, the entry-level model's price tag in the States is considerably less than what UK buyers will pay for the car, which at £58,500 (€73,200, US$94,400 at today's rates), is actually higher than that of the V8 model in the U.S…

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McLaren P1 Design: Love It, Hate It, or Somewhere In Between? [Poll, Plus New Videos and Photos]

Sure the new Volkswagen Golf Mk7 and its kin, the Audi A3 and Seat Leon, along with the likes of the Renault Clio, Dacia Logan and Ford Mondeo, just to mention a few of the mainstream debuts at the Paris Motor Show, are the ones that matter in real-life terms, but it's cars like the McLaren P1 that keep us dreaming and…alive.

Although billed as a concept, in reality, the P1 is a pre-production teaser of the road car that will hit McLaren's glitzy showroom floors just before the end of 2013.

Deemed by many as the spiritual successor to the great F1 of the 1990s, McLaren says the P1 was designed with one simple goal: "to be the best driver’s car in the world on road and track".

We will have to wait for the production model to find out whether the McLaren P1 can live up to its promise, but in the meantime, we can ask your opinion about the hypercar's design and if it hits the right notes.

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New Fiat Panda 4x4 and 'Giusy' Miss Italia 2012 Hit the Paris Auto Show Catwalk [w/Videos]

The big news for Fiat at the 2012 Mondial de l'Automobile was the world premiere of three new additions to the Panda range, namely the 4x4, Trekking and Natural Power models.

And they weren't along as the cars were joined at the presentation by Miss Italia 2012, 19-year old Giusy Buscemi from Sicily. In case you wondering why, Fiat happens to be one of the official sponsors of the Miss Italia pageant with the latest generation of the Panda being the official car of the event.

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2012 Paris Motor Show: Cherchez La Femme! [Updated]

To explain, "Cherchez la Femme" is a popular French phrase that loosely translates to "look for a woman", and which is often used to suggest that the root of a man's wrongdoing is - you guessed it, a woman.

The root of our personal "wrongdoing" can be traced to an extensive, high-resolution photo gallery of the femme fatales of the 2012 Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris, which awaits your curiosity just below the jump…

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Ford Fusion Presents Itself as the New Mondeo in Paris, Available in Sedan, Liftback and Wagon Trims

The family car that Ford launched in North America as the Fusion made its way over to Europe as the all-new Mondeo, with its world premiere taking place at the 2012 Paris Auto Show.

Whereas the Fusion is offered exclusively as a four-door sedan, the Mondeo will also be available as a five-door liftback and a station wagon that was developed especially for European consumers.

Even though the concept of a small 1.0-liter engine under the bonnet of a D-segment car may sound absurd to some, the new Mondeo comes equipped with the Blue Oval's 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder petrol unit, which is a first for its class. Despite being small in size, it produces a zippy 123bhp, which is more than what you will find in many regular 1.6-liter naturally aspirated units.

“The Mondeo has always been at the forefront of Ford’s European passenger car range, but the all-new model is a watershed moment for large car customers and a new benchmark for features in this competitive sector”, said Ford’s vice president of product development Barb Samardzich.

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Nissan Brings Revised 370Z Coupe and Roadster to Paris Motor Show

Making their first public appearance in Europe at the Paris Motor Show, are Nissan's 2013 model year 370Z Coupe and Roadster, both of which are scheduled to go on sale this October.

Already shown in North America, the faintly updated 370Z features a number of small improvements highlighted by the re-sculptured front bumper incorporating vertical LED daytime running lights ahead of the front wheel arches and a different lower grille.

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Dacia Renews its Core Lineup, Reveals New Logan, Sandero and Sandero Stepway in Paris

Renault acquired Dacia in September 1999, and at the time, the Romanian brand, which was founded in 1966, has an outdated model lineup.

This changed in 2004 with the introduction of the Logan, which became one of the best-selling cars in Eastern Europe and Russia, and the Sandero hatchback that followed in 2008.

Dacia decided to revamp its core line-up at the same time and picked the 2012 Paris Auto Show for the debut of the new Logan, Sandero and Sandero Stepway.

All three models share the same newly-styled front end and new dark-carbon or two-tone (according to model and trim) dashboard that sports chrome accents on the air-vents, steering-wheel logo and gear lever and, according to Dacia, better fit and finish.

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Smart Forstars [get it?] at the Paris Motor Show, Comes with its Own Movie Projector

The car hiding behind that face with a human-like expression and eyebrow accents is Smart's newest concept model, which made its world premiere at the 2012 Paris Salon.

Smart tells us that it named the concept study Forstars as a reference to the glass dome above the passengers that "gives a clear view of the starry sky". The oddities continue with a video projector located in the front bonnet scoop that allows users to turn any wall into their own private drive-in theater.

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Seat Shows New Leon Compact Hatch, Confirms Three-Door and Estate Variants [64 Photos & Videos]

Seat is welcoming visitors at the 2012 Paris Motor Show with its all-new Leon compact hatchback, as well as the company’s redesigned logo.

Speaking about the introduction of the logo and the Leon during the company's press conference in Paris, Seat President James Muir also confirmed the addition of two more body styles to the compact model's range.

“The new Leon will be the first SEAT to wear the new logo. And, the new Leon will be a key pillar in our future success – especially when the Leon family expands to include a striking three-door version and a versatile, stylish wagon," said Muir.

The third generation of the Leon is the third vehicle in the Volkswagen Group family to adopt the firm's flexible and lightweight MQB after the VW Golf Mk7 and the new Audi A3 hatchbacks, all of which compete in the C-segment.

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Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive Shines in Paris, is the Most Powerful AMG Model Ever [43 Photos]

Touted as the most powerful car ever to be developed by Mercedes-Benz's AMG sub-division, the new SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive made its world premiere in final production specification at this week's Paris Auto Show.

The all-electric version of Mercedes’ supercar features four electric motors positioned close to each wheel, for a total combined output of 740HP (750PS, 552kW) and a stunning maximum torque of 1,000 Nm (737.5 lb-ft).

With that kind of power under the hood or shall we say, near the wheels, it’s no wonder that the SLS AMG Electric Drive accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.9 seconds and tops out at an electronically limited 250 km/h (155 mph).

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New Opel / Vauxhall Adam Debuts at Paris, Priced in Germany and the UK [86 Photos]

The stylish, highly customizable city car niche has just welcomed a new member. It’s the Opel or Vauxhall in the UK, Adam, a three-door, four-seater hatchback that will fight the Fiat 500 and the Mini.

Featuring a distinctive styling and what Opel calls a “floating roof” that can be ordered in two different shades that contrast the bodywork, the 3.7 m long Adam is counting a lot on the “more than a million” possible customization options and its lengthy equipment list to make a name for itself in the premium subcompact market.

Opel’s president of design Mark Adams claims, “no other car in this segment can be individualized as much as the Adam… It’s very unlikely that you’ll find two identical Adams out there”. Now, this certainly brings a sense of déjà vu – but let’s not name names…

At launch, the Adam will be available with three four-cylinder petrol engines: a 1.2-liter with 69HP (70PS) and two 1.4-liter units producing 86 or 98HP (87 and 100 PS respectively). Later on, a new generation of small petrol engines with forced induction and direct injection, as well as a new six-speed transmission, will join the range.

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