Bentley‘s flagship, the Mulsanne, is getting a new sport focused package known as the Mulliner Driving Specification which will debut on the car at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

The Mulliner Driving Specification package will add some performance features to the Mulsanne that will give the 6.75-litre V8 luxury touring sedan a new sports car tinge. The key feature for performance will be the new ‘sport’ setting available on the cars adjustable airbag suspension setup. The sport setting will provide advanced handling, body control and road grip thanks to the airbags stiffening up a bit.

The Mulliner Driving Specification will receive new 21-inch, light aluminium alloy wheels fitted with titanium fasteners that can come painted or polished and with Bentley’s self-leveling logo in the middle.

Also outfitted with the Mulliner Driving Specification are sweeping wing vents made from cast polished stainless steel. The vents are meant to boost the upscale look of the Bentley as well as differentiate the Mulliner Driving Specification from the stock Mulsanne.

To top it all off the Bentley flagship will recive a large range of beskpoke options so that each customer will get a customized version of the same car. Some of the custom features are color choice on just about everything, gas and brake pedals, over 22 leather choices and bespoke leather perforation.

Watch for more during our coverage live at the Geneva Motor Show.

The redesigned Audi Q7 will drop in 2013, and has been out testing its internal systems, as can be seen in our spy photos.

The second generation Q7 will exhibit some serious weight loss, about 880 lbs., a byproduct of new lightweight aluminum construction. The supercharged 3.0L V6 would be the obvious choice for the base engine in the new Q7, with diesel and plug-in hybrid setups both strong possibilities.

This second generation Audi SUV will share its new platform with the Porsche Cayenne and the Volkswagen Touareg, both of which also benefit from a large weight loss thanks to the new aluminum structure.

The Q7 mule you see in the photos is merely a test vehicle for Audi’s internal re-workings done on the newest generation SUV, but the organs of the car undergoing tests suggest that the skin of the new Q7 will be revealed soon. The Audi has always been bulkier than its Cayenne and Touareg counterparts, so expect the size and general shape of the vehicle to stay the same.

GALLERY: 2013 Audi Q7

The latest generation of the classic Volkswagen Beetle has been well received in its newest form, and will continue to get attention from VW to expand its customer base. Coming next for the new Beetle will be a soft top convertible option, which our photographers recently grabbed some spy photos of.

The Beetle convertible will likely be available with both of the powertrain options offered on standard Beetle, a 2.5L five-cylinder with a six-speed automatic, or a 2.0L TSI turbocharged four-cylinder with a DSG six-speed dual-clutch automatic. The larger 2.5L motor makes 170-hp and 177 lb-ft of torque, while the smaller displacement turbo variant puts out 200-hp and 207 lb-ft of torque.

The Beetle TDI debuted at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, and we are hopeful that the 2.0L diesel engine will find its way into the convertible, but it doesn’t seem likely.

Look for the drop-top Bug to bow at the New York Auto Show in April.

GALLERY: Volkswagen Beetle Convertible

The BMW i8 is a highly anticipated release and this new set of spy photos shows off the door design we can expect on the German automaker’s hybrid sports car once it makes it to production.

Hinge placement seems to be the key difference between the i8′s doors and similar examples we’ve seen before. It looks as though the doors open upwards and twist, to make sure they are fully out of the way entering and exiting the vehicle.

The i8 will be powered by a 170 hp electric motor sourced from the entry-level i3, mated to a 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine producing 223 hp.

The i8 is supposed to be available come 2013. After seeing the doors already fully functioning, it seems likely that this hybrid sports car will be here soon. We’ll be sure to bring you details as they emerge.

GALLERY: BMW i8

The Chevrolet Silverado super bowl ad caused quite a controversy, as Ford didn’t see the lighthearted fun in the spot which suggests that Chevys are the only trucks which could survive the apocalypse, and that anyone driving a Ford wouldn’t make it.

It seems that Ram trucks also wants to join in the Ford bashing, recently releasing a commercial of its own that speaks quite negatively of Ford trucks. The question posed in the spot is, what if you were to take away horsepower, torque and warranty coverage from a Ram? “Well,” says the rough and manly voice-over, “you’d end up with a Ford F-150.”

Whether Ram and Chevy were in cahoots when producing these ads, we don’t know. And why Ford is the butt of all these jokes, we can only assume because the F-150 is such a successful seller and its competition is a little jealous.

Originally, Ford had said that it was going to take Chevy to court over the ad, saying that the reliability claims in the commercial were inaccurate. It seems the lawsuit was not followed through however, which begs the question, how will Ford answer its rivals?

Watch the ad after the jump.

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The BMW 3-Series is a very popular car worldwide and is pushing into the station wagon market here in the U.S. Our photographers caught the new 3-series wagon out testing and snapped some spy photos.

The BMW wagon is known as the 3-Series touring in Europe and is slated to come to North America, although dates haven’t been announced. The last generation 5-Series touring sold poorly here, so the 3-Series wagon is BMWs latest attempt to make a German station wagon popular on American soil.

The spy photos show the wagon almost completely without camouflage, the only part of the car remaining covered being the back end. The nose sports the new 3-series styling with the classic circular headlights getting stretched out a bit giving the car a little more aggression in the looks department.

The new 3-series debuted at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show with three engine options, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder which delivers 240 hp, a 3.0L six cylinder engine which puts out 300 hp and also a hybrid option which is mated with the six cylinder for a combined 340 hp. We can’t be sure what engines the wagon will get, but odds are it will offer all three and possibly a diesel in the future.

GALLERY: 2013 BMW 3-Series Wagon Spy Photos

The Chevrolet Cruze Diesel made a nice dent in the European, Asian, African, and South American markets last year selling 33,000 units. Now, the popular diesel option will make its way into the U.S., trying to ride on the success wave it is already experiencing worldwide.

The diesel engine that will power the Cruze is being developed at GM’s design center in Torino, Italy, with input coming daily from the GM engineers in Pontiac, Michigan. A truly global design team, GM engineers in Russelsheim, Germany are also working on building some specialized components for the engine like the accessory drive and acoustic cover.

The U.S. market has a different way of looking at diesels, with the notion that diesel motors are only meant for big rigs and tractors. The global design approach will help the new diesel powertrain excel in the American market says GM, as the Europeans know how to build a great diesel engine, and the Americans know how it needs to look, sound and smell to appeal to the U.S. consumer.

“The market for diesel cars in the U.S. is small at present, but is expected to grow due to Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements and expected increases in gas prices,” said Mike Omotoso, a powertrain analyst at LMC Automotive. “So far, the German automakers haven’t had any diesel car competition in North America. GM could do well with it, particularly with younger buyers who don’t have the old prejudices against diesel.”

The diesel Cruze will be available in 2013, and will be an interesting venture for GM, being the first of the big three to offer a diesel option in the USA in a family sedan. “In terms of outward appearances, the difference between the diesel and gasoline engine is going to be difficult to discern,” says Mike Siegrist, 2.0L diesel assistant chief engineer.

The American variant of the Cruze diesel is targeting the 50 mpg mark, and will likely by named the Chevy Cruze Eco-D.

Discuss this story at CruzeTalk.com

The SRT Viper continues its slow reveal to the public eye, and this newest teaser is even more frustratingly secretive than the last.

In the picture, what appears to be a carbon fiber hood scoop is shown, although the shot is so close-up and indistinct it could almost be anything off of the newest generation American supercar.

The teaser was released on the DriveSRT facebook page, and is getting a lot of attention. The detailed shot has ignited a guessing game as to what the picture is showing, with some fans saying its a hood scoop, a rear differential cooling vent, a carbon fiber cupholder, and even a carbon fiber exhaust tip.

Think you know what it is? Let us know in the comments section below.

At the upcoming 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari will debut what the company claims to be the “most powerful Ferrari ever.” A statement which will be hard to backup, considering the Ferrari Enzo FXX makes 790 hp.

This newest offering will be the successor to the Ferrari 599 and is believed to be called the 620 GT, although a different name may be revealed at the official unveil in Geneva.

To speed up our hearts before the car is released, Ferrari is teasing us with about 20 seconds of footage of the new beast making its rounds on the track. Dressed in camouflage, the new supercar is still yet to be seen, but this video isn’t about looks, its all about sound. The exhaust note is enough to send a shiver up any Ferrari enthusiasts spine.

Watch the video after the jump, but more importantly listen to the fine tuned engine of the apparent, “most powerful Ferrari ever.”

GALLERY: Ferrari F620 Spy Photos

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Nevada is first state in the U.S. to approve the legal road use of autonomous vehicles, perhaps due to the long stretches of straight desert roads that can be found in the Silver State.

Such approval isn’t without provisos: any self driving vehicle on the road must be indicated with a red license plate. Red, usually the marker for danger, is meant to alert all other drivers on the road that the car is without a driver.

Autonomous cars sold at mass quantities are still in the somewhat distant future, but this legislation shows that it’s more than a fad. These new regulations are helping to usher in a new age of cars that drive themselves. Despite not needing hands at the “ten and two” position we were all taught, road rules still apply to Nevada drivers. The pilot of an autonomous vehicle is still prohibited from texting or talking on a cell phone while in the drivers seats.

We are still behind the times, but they are swiftly changing.

[Source: RGJ]