Our photographers have just caught up with the soon-to-be-revealed Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake.

Spy photos of the unique wagon-styled-coupe that’s actually a sedan (or is it a wagon now?) show a nearly-completed vehicle, suggesting it could make its world premiere as early as the Geneva Motor Show in March. Mercedes has already announced plans for the CLS Shooting Brake to go on sale by the end of this year.

When it does arrive look for power to come from the brand’s new twin-turbo 4.6-liter V8 with a choice of either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and if we’re really lucky, a CLS63 Shooting Brake may also be in the pipe with a twin-turbo 5.5-liter engine and well over 500 hp.

GALLERY: Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake Spy Photos

Infiniti has announced that its upcoming plug-in hybrid sports car concept will be called the Emerge-E.

Using a gasoline range-extended to add power and range to an electric powertrain, this will be the first such system used in an Infiniti product. The “advanced sports car concept” will also be the first Infiniti to use a mid-engine powertrain configuration.

Few details are yet known about the brand’s new flagship performance vehicle but Infiniti is promising a zero emissions mode as well as “vivid performance.”

Watch the latest video teaser for the Emerge-E below:

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Acura has confirmed that the next-generation RL flagship luxury sedan will make its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show in April. The car will continue to use a V6 engine, but will gain a hybrid component and use direct-injection as well as an innovative new all-wheel drive system referred to as Sport Hybrid SH-AWD – similar to that showcased on the NSX Concept.

Using a V6 hybrid engine up front to power the front wheels, the system will also make use of two electric motors in the rear, individually powering each wheel. The new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system takes the RL’s current all-wheel setup and transforms it into an electronic system, removing the mechanical components and replacing them with an electronic version. Mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission the result will be an engine that delivers V8 power with the fuel economy of a 4-cylinder we are told by Acura Canada senior product planner Emile Korkor.

We were treated to a few renderings of the RL at Honda Canada headquarters and while we can’t share any images with you we can say it certainly has some similarity to the current car, but with a more rear-drive design and large rear fenders – similar to styling cues shown in the new ILX. As for the size of the vehicle, Acura says it will be essentially share dimensions with the current RL, but will gain substantially on the interior. “Think of it as the interior of a 7 Series with the outside space of a 5 Series” said Korkor, stating that the RL will add roominess but not remove the soul of Acura. In addition Acura feels that the size of the RL, not to mention the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system, will help deliver mid-size agility.

No details on engine power or output were provided, but Acura did confirm the RL’s Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system will not be standard.

For more on the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system, see here, and our driving impressions of an early prototype here.

Numerous new cars will be unveiled at this year’s New York Auto Show, but we can already reveal the venue’s main attraction: the all-new Dodge Viper. Except it won’t be a Dodge at all.

When it debuts, the Viper will be the flagship model for the new SRT (Street and Racing Technology) brand, which has evolved from being an in-house tuning division to its own entity, headed by Chrysler design boss Ralph Gilles. Other models in the brand include SRT performance versions of the Challenger, Charger, Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Demand for the new American sports car will be significant and so as to reward loyalty Chrysler has decided to limit the few thousand first year units to only Viper owners and members of the Viper owner’s club.

[Source: MSNBC]

Racing a Prius might sound like the start of a joke, until you see this. Unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan, this Toyota Prius is fully prepped and sporting its race livery. Significantly wider and lower than a factor model, this Prius is designed to compete in Japan’s Super GT racing series starting this year.

Regulations in the series are loose, so there’s little left of the original Prius here, although the original’s sleek aerodynamic shape is still obvious. Also of note is that the car appears to retain a hybrid drivetrain with the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive logo on the back. Another hint is the massive sponsorship by Panasonic, which supplies the batteries for the road car.

Exactly how this hybrid racer will do remains to be seen and we’ll have to wait for the first round of the Super GT series in March to find out.

GALLERY: Toyota Prius Race Car

See AutoGuide’s complete Tokyo Auto Salon Coverage Here

The GT 86 will spawn a new legion of fanboys for the Toyota brand – a result it was purpose-built to achieve. And if there’s one thing die-hard automotive enthusiasts love more than spouting off engine and chassis codes, it’s factory performance parts. In this case: Toyota Racing Development… or TRD for short.

With Toyota unveiling its new GT 86 sports car at the Tokyo Motor Show in early December, the automaker has now rolled out the TRD version at the Tokyo Auto Salon – Japan’s largest aftermarket event. Available TRD accessories for the GT 86 (sold in North America as the Scion FR-S – read our review here), include a new front lip and rear trunk-lid spoiler.

Also available are larger 18-inch TRD wheels, which can fit wider 225 tires, plus a TRD brake upgrade. Adding a slight dose of extra power is a TRD exhaust system, while a suite of suspension components will also be offered.

Toyota has yet to confirm as much, but it will offer a long list of TRD goodies for the Scion FR-S in North America.

GALLERY: Toyota GT 86 TRD

See AutoGuide’s complete 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon Coverage here and discuss this story at FR-SForum.com

10. Chevy Tru 140S Concept

For some of the more minor auto shows, a Top 10 list of the most important cars often covers most of the new debuts, but not so at the North American International Auto Show. Held each January in Detroit it’s the obvious launch site for major products by the Big Three domestic automakers and over the years has also become the venue for important new models by the rest of the auto industry.

Domestics made their mark at this year’s Detroit show, starting with one very different concept car revealed by Chevrolet. Called the Tru 140S it may look like some outrageously fast and expensive exotic machine, but it’s neither. Based on the same front-drive platform as the Chevy Cruze, it is powered by the same 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, which makes just 138 hp in that car. Designed, along with the Code 130R concept, as part of an initiative to attract youth buyers back to the brand, Chevy seems serious about the concept, even announcing that if it made production, the target price would be around the $20,000 mark.

The star of the Detroit Auto Show, Acura has put itself back on the map by unveiling a concept car that will inspire the next NSX. Looking undeniably like an exotic, it’s actually quite a small machine – an indication of just how serious Acura is about keeping it light weight. For more details on the car, see here, or watch the video below:

GALLERY: Acura NSX Concept

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It’s quite possibly the most exciting debut of this year’s Detroit Auto Show and after a few teaser images, followed by the release of two photos yesterday, we can now share the Lexus LF-LC concept from its many stunning angles.

The 2+2 luxury coupe will be powered by a hybrid drivetrain, though it’s not clear what sort of power it will make. In a brief statement released yesterday, however, Lexus hinted that this most certainly will not be a Prius, stating that the car, ““is envisioned as offering Advanced Lexus Hybrid Drive to deliver both driving performance and fuel efficiency.”

GALLERY: Lexus LF-LC

See AutoGuide’s complete North American International Auto Show Preview Here

[Source: Groen7.nl]

Discuss this story at LF-LCForum.com

10. Fiat Returns to America

As another calendar year draws to a close it’s time to take a look back at the top 10 biggest stories of the year in the auto industry. It’s been a busy 12 months, starting all the way back in March when the Fiat 500 officially went on sale, marking the return of the brand to America. The last time an Italian car was sold here that didn’t cost six figures (or close to it) was 27 years ago. Since then, Fiat has introduced the 500C convertible model and most recently the Fiat 500 Abarth, aimed at enthusiasts.

The jury is still out on the Fiat brand’s success in North America, although the first year has failed to live up to expectations, with Fiat predicting sales of 50,000 units, while according to automotive data firm GoodCarBadCar only 17,444 have been sold in the first 11 months of the year (add 5,000 more if you include Canada). Some of this may be the result of Fiat’s marketing initiative with several ads featuring Jenifer Lopez, which the Fiat faithful rejected and many believe cost the brand boss Laura Souve her job. Getting the Fiat dealer network up and running also proved a challenge.

With more models coming, and Alfa Romeo set to return in 2013, Fiat is here to say. More importantly, perhaps, is the Fiat connection to Chrysler – a company it saved from bankruptcy and which it is now slowly rebuilding back into a profitable automaker.