Autoblog

As Alfa Romeo prepares to launch its next all-new model, dubbed the 149, test mules have been spotted, details have come into focus and speculations have been rendered.

The five-door hatchback will join the MiTo in replacing the aging 147. Sources suggest that the 149 moniker could be dropped before the car is unveiled next year, only a few telling months after the Volkswagen Golf VI is due for its debut. Borrowing styling cues from the 8C Competizione and MiTo, the Alfa 149 is expected it to include a new three-arm rear suspension and Alfa's trick Q2 differential, with the eventual availability of Q4 all-wheel-drive remaining a question mark. Diesel and gasoline engines are anticipated to range between 120 and 250 horsepower, and the 149 is tipped to be complying with the upcoming six-star EuroNCAP safety rating, and more tellingly, new U.S. crash requirements as well.

Some still maintain that the Alfa hatch will be based on the same platform that underpins the Fiat Bravo and Lancia Delta, although Alfa representatives have asserted that the 149 will spearhead its own unique platform. Either way, the platform could underpin the replacement for the 159 sedan and wagon, as well as the replacements for the Brera and Spider, while Alfa executives continue to deliberate over the possibility of a crossover model as well.

[Sources: Autocar and Projetto 940]

Click above for high-res gallery of 2010 Mercury Milan spy shots

It seems like the Mercury Milan's lot in life is to follow the Ford Fusion, go wherever the Fusion goes and do whatever the Fusion does. Thus it's no surprise that when spy photographers happened upon prototypes of the 2010 Ford Fusion out being tested, the 2010 Mercury Milan was not far behind. Comparing the two sets of spy shots, the Milan appears to be making a bigger departure from its previous look than the Fusion. Its grille retains vertical slats, but the grille itself is much wider pushing the new headlights farther out towards the corners. Just like the Fusion, the Milan also gets a new front bumper, but its lower air intake and fog lamps have been incorporated into the same space rather than being separated into three distinct elements. In these spy shots we also get a clearer view of the Milan's new taillights, which, while retaining the same shape as those found on the current model, appear to have new covers with new elements inside. All the new Mercury Milan spy shots can be found in the gallery below, so get to browsing.


[Source: KGP Photography]

Click above for high-res gallery of 2010 Ford Fusion spy shots

Our spy photographers have caught the 2010 Ford Fusion wearing nothing but an ugly paint job, which means we get a crystal clear view at what Ford has in store for its midsize sedan. While things between the wheel wells appear to carryover, the front end is getting big a big makeover. The Fusion's new face features a larger three-bar chrome grille and a complete re-sculpting of its lower air intake. Gone are the two chrome bars in the lower grille and the fog lights that flanked them. In their place is a more traditional central lower air intake and new, larger foglamps the mimic the shape of the new headlights. The Fusion's new mug definitely appears more aggressive than the non-threatening visage worn by the current model, and we like it. The sedan's rear taillights are also being changed, though they're covered too well in these spy shots to see what those changes are.

The Fusion is a solid seller for Ford, which no doubt hopes the sedan will grow in popularity even more with a new front clip. We can't wait to see this thing badged as the Fusion GT with a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 under its new hood. Check out all the new spy shots in our gallery below and let us know what you think of the partial redesign in the comments.


[Source: KGP Photography]

Click above for high-res gallery of 2010 Cadillac SRX spy shots

Our inside sources tell us Cadillac is very close to officially debuting its 2010 SRX crossover, but they can take their sweet time now that we have these new spy shots of the Wreath and Crest CUV in nothing but some checkered tape. With all the baggy covering gone from this prototype, we can clearly see its styling closely mimics that of the Provoq Concept, which Rick Wagoner introduced at CES last January. There are a couple of areas where the realities of production have toned down the concept's flair, but the vehicle's overall shape and detail remains. Built on GM's Theta Premium platform, the new SRX replaces the old model that was larger and a surprisingly poor seller. It was surprising because the old SRX was an athletic CUV that seemed to offer on paper what buyers wanted. This new model appears to be a smidge smaller and will likely offer more fuel efficient engines and a smoother ride. Look for its official debut in the coming days and weeks, but for now glance at our gallery below.


[Source: KGP Photography]

They have got to be kidding. Another SLR derivative? Before the Mercedes-McLaren supercar speeds off into the horizon, it will have spawned no less than six different versions - including the original coupe, the Roadster, 722, 722 GT, the upcoming "Speedster", and this latest variant - if the latest reports are to be believed. We would have thought that the spied Speedster version would have been the last, but then spy shots surface of what appears to be a 722 Roadster.

This undisguised vehicle carries all the visual cues of the 722 edition coupe: the dark grey 19" forged alloys hiding red brake calipers over oversized discs, plus the carbon fiber lip spoiler and darkened taillight clusters. The convertible can be expected to carry the same 650-hp supercharged V8 as the 722 coupe, only with the nifty hard-soft top from the roadster. By the state of readiness evident from these spy shots, we'd venture that the 722 Roadster will appear before the Speedster. And we trust that will be the end of the SLR... until someone says otherwise, of course.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Click above for new high-res gallery of Cadillac CTS Coupe spy shots

Past spy shots of the upcoming Cadillac CTS Coupe have shown the prototype wearing baggy pants on its butt that obscured exactly how much of the CTS Coupe Concept's rotund rear end would make it to production. These new shots from KGP Photography, however, show a prototype that's wearing only a form fitting body suit of checkered tape. They reveal that the overall shape of the CTS Coupe's hindquarters will neatly mimic the concept car, though small details have been changed for production purposes. The mesh vents that flanked the center exhaust tips on the concept have been replaced with red reflectors, for instance, and the license plate housing has been reshaped to accept plates from the U.S. or Europe and is now topped by a bigger strip of chrome. Another notable difference is the addition of a true B-pillar where the concept had nothing but glass. Still, the car is largely the same as the one we saw rotating on a stand in Detroit last January and will serve to fill out the CTS lineup along with a sport wagon that should be arriving shortly. Check out all the new spy shots in our gallery below, and pardon the bluriness in some shots as the photographers tell us they were taken through light fog from over a half mile away.


[Source: KGP Photography]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Chevy Equinox.

The stealthy lensmen at KGP have caught the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox making the rounds at General Motors' internal testing facility, and they've provided us with a better glimpse of Chevy's new crossover, beyond the low-res image that appeared last month.

The revised fascia predictably apes the new Malibu's front end, with a horizontal bar bisecting the enlarged grille. The headlamps and taillights have a new shape that sweeps down and back, following into fenders fitted with seriously blistered wheel arches. The rear hatch features a steeper rake, and the C- and D-pillars cleanly integrate into the more modern exterior.

General Motors has already announced that the new Equinox will be available with either a direct-injected 2.3-liter inline-four or a V6, and sales should begin next summer, after production begins in May.

Though the newish Buick Enclave has received plenty of accolades, it's the right vehicle at the wrong time for GM's smallest brand. The other two vehicles in Buick's lineup – the LaCrosse mid-size sedan and Lucerne large sedan – might better appeal to gas-conscious buyers than a large CUV, but they're far from leaders in their segment. A new LaCrosse, however, will reportedly be arriving as a 2010 model. Car and Driver just published these spy shots of a pre-production model caught with its camouflage pants down, and they reveal its design will borrow heavily from the Invicta Concept that was revealed at this year's Beijing Motor Show. That's not a bad thing, as the Invicta is a fetching sedan that went over well with the Chinese crowds. And while we could be mislead by the grainy quality of these spy shots, we swear there are two rows of portholes on the hood.

The '10 LaCrosse will likely arrive atop GM's Epsilon II platform that also underpins the upcoming Insignia and will next find its way to the '11 Saturn Aura and '12 Chevy Malibu. Engine choices are anyone's guess, but don't expect another V8 Super model. We guess the next-gen LaCrosse will get a smattering of four- and six-cylinder engines, the smaller of which could employ turbocharging and direct injection. Also check out C&D's pics of the new LaCrosse interior, which looks like a smaller version of a Cadillac CTS interior. Since we know have pictorial evidence of preproduction prototypes this far along, it's safe to assume that Buick will debut the 2010 LaCrosse during the upcoming auto show season. Our bet's on January debut at the Detroit Auto Show.


[Source: Caranddriver.com via Jalopnik]

Ja, Bjorn, tink dat's de new Astra? Shoor looks like it, Jan. Lutz will be asking you to kiss this thing when it comes out from under that checkerboard camo. The current Astra is good, and the new one promises to be better, with looks that aren't revolutionary, but nicely done nonetheless. We'll see this world car version of the Astra sometime around 2011 with a variety of drivetrains, including hybrid power. The C-Pillar remains obscured, leaving our curiosity about the hatch's ultimate form unfulfilled. From what we can see, though, the new Astra will be like the current Astra - competitively styled and priced.

[Source: autoblog.nl]

Click above for high-res gallery of spy shots

Our spy photographers from KGP caught another vehicle out testing in the desert recently, though this time it comes to us all the way from Korea instead of Japan. Kia is supposedly developing a new near-luxury sedan using the best bits of the Hyundai Azera. These spy shots reveal some of the car's design cues, including a nice set of complex element headlights that reach far up the fender wall, LED taillights and exhaust tips integrated into the rear apron. Clearly this is going to be more upscale than any Kia with which we've crossed paths before, as the brand's current big sedan, the Optima, can barely compete in the midsize family sedan segment. This larger sedan, reportedly codenamed VG, appears to at least have a smooth and sophisticated design beneath all that covering. We expect to learn more about this car in the coming year when it debuts at either the Chicago or New York Auto Show. Check out more pics from every angle in the gallery below.

[Source: KGP Photography]