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With new small sport utilities freshly minted by rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz (the Q5 and GLK); BMW seems to be accelerating its development of the next generation X3. These latest spy images of the new SUV reveal production headlights and taillights for the first time, as well as showing off the longer and wider dimensions of the vehicle.
 
Sources say that the new X3 will look even more like its X5 older brother, with a raft of new tech items on the spec sheet to entice customers who now appear to be spoiled for choice. Look for the additions of such features as HUD, night vision, bi-xenon curving headlamps, and massaging vented seats. Engines are expected to include four diesels and two gasoline options in Europe.

Check out the freshest next generation BMW X3 images anywhere in our gallery above, or scroll down to read the shooter’s comments.

According to the folks over at CAR, BMW has nixed plans to offer  a CSL variant of its M3. The car, which was slated to be at once lighter (-220 pounds) and more powerful (between 450 and 470 brake horsepower), was expected to roll out next summer on stickier footwear. The car would have been the first M3 to earn a CSL variant since 2004.

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Opel’s performance division, the Opel Performance Center or OPC, seems to have gotten its hands on the brand new Insignia sedan. Recent spy photographs reveal a new version of the box-fresh Insignia being tested, one that appears to be sleeker, edgier, and more sporting. The triple black car seen here has a revised front end with a more aggressive bumper design and larger air intakes supposedly hiding beneath the camouflage. Not a lot is know about the fast Opel, including whether or not Saturn dealerships may ever get a similar Redline version of the sedan, but there are plenty of images in our gallery above. Read the spy shooter’s brief report below.
 

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Unless you’re reading this from the cozy confines of an Asian nation, you’ll be miffed to find out that this tight and tidy Honda subcompact isn’t going to be available any time soon at your local dealership.

The spied images above depict the newest version of Honda’s City, a thrifty new ride that won’t be offered for sale in the U.S. (shocking, we know). The City takes a page from Honda’s newest vehicles like the FCX Clarity, with a sleek and sloping hood leading into a cool three-bar grille. Power for the City comes courtesy of the same 120 horsepower 1.5-liter four that powers the Fit and the Jazz, and should make at least equally good economy numbers in the trim coupe. Click through the gallery above for some more City images.

+ Pakwheels (via Autoblog )

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The sales brochure for Kia’s Spectra-replacing Forte sedan has found its way onto the internet today, revealing a few new tidbits of information, and loads of new images of the fetching compact.

Korean pricing is set to range from 11.9 to 19.6 million won (approximately $11,200 to $18,500), but look for the car to start somewhere near the $13,000 range when it goes on sale in the U.S. 1.6-liter gasoline and diesel options are said to be on tap for Korean sale as well, though look for the car to come with a 2.0-liter gas engine at the top of the range in American dealerships when it goes on sale as a 2010 model.

+ Carscoop: New Kia Forte: 28 High-Res Photos and Official Brochure

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Though this test mule is clearly wearing the well known bodywork from the current Jaguar XJ sedan, our spy photographer sources seem to believe that this work-in-progress represents the first steps towards an all-new Jag.

Insiders believe that there will be a strong family resemblance between the next generation XJ and Aston Martin’s upcoming Rapide, with the two cars allegedly sporting very similar greenhouses. Look for the XJ to wear a shorter nose than the sleek Rapide though, with a front end something akin to the current XF. The upcoming Jag should also have a traditional truck in place of the Aston’s hatchback configuration.

This next generation XJ could also be the first Jaguar car ever to be offered with a hybrid engine option to go along with an entry-level V-6 mill, several V-8s, as well as diesel choices. Take a look at the early test mule images in our gallery above, or scroll down below to read the shooter’s own words.

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Could this be the long-rumoured Boxster RS, or is it just an appearance package? That’s the question our spy photographer posed to us after following this black beauty track its way around the Nurburgring this week. If his lens does not deceive us, we’re leaning toward RS status.

In these photos you can see a large, fixed rear wing as opposed to the Boxster’s standard retractable unit. To keep weight down, polycarbonate windows are used in place of glass. Visually, there’s evidence of revised lights in front and rear as well as new bumpers.

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We’ve seen plenty of images of the upcoming Lotus Evora rounding the ring with its test mule camo on, so it was a bit shocking to see the car back in its natural habitat sans disguise. Lotus debuted the car last month at the British Motor Show in London, but apparently has some more fine tuning to take care of before it offers the Evora up for sale to the public early next year.

In addition to working out the new car’s kinks, Lotus is said to be using data from the Nurburgring as a jumping off point for two new planned varients of the Evora. A convertible version of the sexy 2+2 is likely a must after the initial model goes on sale, and expect that a high performance – perhaps supercharged – version to be available at some point as well. Adding forced induction to the Toyota 3.5-liter V-6 unit that powers the Evora could easily net as many as 400 horsepower, and an absolutely smoking performance machine.

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Making good on the geographic predilection implied by its sobriquet, the new Ferrari California has been spied in its full glory on the streets of San Francisco.

Ever since the car was revealed by Ferrari, there has been a general consensus that it would make its grand debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show in October. The California’s appearance in San Fran less than a week away from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has some speculating that the Italian company may be altering the plan a little. In either case, the handlers seen in these photos couldn’t have been too worried about keeping secret, as the car is wide open to the fortunately placed lenses of one Thomas Pix. ‘Till Paris then Ferrari?

+ Flickr (via Autoblog )

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NextAutos readers who were excited to read about the TDI Le Mans concept and the upcoming V-10-engined versions of the super bad Audi R8 supercar , will likely be more than pleased to see that our tireless spy photographers have captured very clear images of the R8 Spider.

The biggest change for the new R8 – aside from the lack of a solid roof of course – is the missing side blades that have become such a signature of the top-dog Audi. The convertible roof seems to be roughly the same as the item found on Lamborghini’s Gallardo Spider. Though some might argue that the change leaves the new R8 looking a bit busy around the rear three-quarters view, we think that, by and large, this is one handsome transformation.

The spy report tells us to expect the same powerplants for the Spider as for the standard R8, including the upcoming 5.0-liter V-10 version. Click through the gallery above to see the new Audi for yourself, or scroll down to read the shooter’s own words.

We tend to get pretty excited when any set of spy photographs cross our desk, but decidedly more so for certain packages. Today’s Beat shots lit our fires, as did last week’s hugely hot Prius spies, but what car are you aching to see? What future vehicle are you hoping to catch a glimpse of in the near future? Give us you pick, in comments.

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We were disappointed to learn recently that the first generation of the Chevrolet Beat minicar wouldn’t be making it to the U.S., but that won’t stop us from getting excited to see the world’s first ever spy shots of the prototype car.

Seen here in full mule regalia, the Beat appears to hold quite closely to the size and shape of the cheeky concept car. The product planners have added a second set of doors to the car, which will certainly add a measure of utility, even if they do detract from the attractive concept silhouette somewhat. The car still keeps the high, boxy shape though, and should look immediately at home on the city streets and lanes of its future European home.
Details about the entire engine range remain shrouded for now, but we’re told that we can expect the new 1.2-liter, 16v DOHC S-TEC II engine to be involved. There’ll be an optional automatic gearbox as well, and we’d expect fuel economy numbers to be fantastic for the tiny vehicle.

The car should be ready to officially launch in 2010, making showroom debuts in early 2011. Scroll down to read the spy shooter’s own words. More photos on the way soon as well!

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We recently spied what is believed to be a new foray by Chevrolet into the small-MPV market, the Tacuma.

The Chevy hauler will be pitched against sensible people movers like Mazda’s quirky 5, though the Tacuma mule here seems to lack the useful sliding rear doors of the Mazda MPV, using conventional apertures instead. The five-seater seen here is also likely to offer a third row option.

This small MPV is based on General Motors’ Delta platform and marks the first in a new series of vehicles underpinned by that superstructure. Look for the next generation Opel Zafira with a possible Saturn version to ride on Delta as well. Meanwhile, the Tacuma will be built in Hamtramck, Michigan and should go on sale in 2010.

Read on below for the shooter’s own words.  

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Ferrari has recently expressed a willingness to work with customers in creating one-off cars, as long as expense isn’t too much of a concern. The car seen in these photos would appear to be one of the fruits of these efforts, a beautifully rebodied version of Ferrari’s F430 from Italian coachbuilder Fioravanti.

The bespoke exotic, caught testing at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track, belies its one of a kind nature in part by testing completely devoid of camouflage. While no technical details are yet known about the car, we’d call it a decent bet that some performance upgrades will go along with the no doubt expensive F430 facelift.

+ Jalopnik: Fioravanti Coachbuilt Ferrari F430 Spotted Lapping Fiorano

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According to the folks over at Car Fanatic, you’re looking at an undisguised spy shot of Chevrolet Cruze’s interior. Or, more exactly, judging by the Daewoo logo on the steering wheel boss, you’re looking at the Korean version of the same car, the Nubira.

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While we’ve seen images of a Toyota test mule for the next generation Prius hybrid already, that earlier test vehicle was little more than a powertrain mule built from the current model with a new front fascia attached. These new images reveal much more; the very first look at the all new, next generation Prius.

The images confirm the rumors that the Prius would be growing in exterior dimensions – the car seen here is both longer and wider than today’s version – meaning more usable space for backseat passengers and trunk storage. Toyota is said to be giving the Prius a power hike as well, supplying the car with better performance in addition to its beefier body. While one might expect that a larger more powerful car would indicate an attendant drop in fuel efficiency, we’re told that the new Prius will be even more fuel efficient than the old one. That’s a viable claim considering the pressure Toyota must be under to improve the vaunted mpg numbers for its green halo car.

One of the ways in which Toyota will pull off this trick new packaging is by replacing the current car’s nickel-metal hydride batteries with smaller lithium-ion units. Reported solar panels on the roof also seem to be for real.

Look for the Prius to start a family in this generation as well, with possible station wagon and convertible variants reportedly on the table.

Scroll down for the spy shooter’s own words on the next gen Prius and be sure to browse through our gallery of exclusive images above.

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Hyundai is getting ever nearer the launch of its new i20 compact car for the European market, planning an October reveal for the Getz replacement at the Paris Motor Show.

Spied here doing some work on the brakes in five-door trim, the i20 will also be made available as a three-door, six-months after the initial launch. The pert new Hyundai will come packaged with one of three engines; there will be a turbodiesel rated at about 110 horsepower, and two gasoline-powered options putting out 80 or 109 horsepower. Interior space, fuel efficiency, and overall quality of build are all expected to make significant jumps in the new i20 as well.

Scroll down to read the shooter’s own words.

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Retired Formula One champion and racing legend Michael Schumacher just can’t seem to slow down. The Ferrari-master was spotted last Tuesday circling the Nordschliefe circuit at Germany's Nürburgring in a Ferrari 430 Scuderia with his young son, Mick, in the passenger seat. Later during that same session, the partially damp track was closed after the same Ferrari--a model Schumi himself helped develop--was involved in a wreck.

There are conflicting reports as to whether the car was a prototype or a production Scuderia test car. Judging by these new on-the-scene photographs from our friends at CarPix, early reports that the Ferrari was a write-off appear to be incorrect, even though German newspaper Bild reports that the car went off at more than 250 kilometers-per-hour (155 miles-per-hour).

It is unclear if his son Mick—a new kart driver himself—was in the car when the accident took place, but Schumacher’s spokeswoman Sabine Kemp has apparently gone on record acknowledging the shunt. Worryingly, our man in the trees' photographs clearly show the F1 champ and his son driving on the circuit without helmets, though it isn’t clear at what speed...

+ F1 Live: Schu crashes Ferrari road car prototype

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Spy photos of a Mercedes SLK equipped with a panoramic glass roof and a rather peculiar bulge over its rear wheels have recently surfaced. It seems however, that this car may be only a test mule as the bulge itself is rumored to only be testing equipment as opposed to any sort of design change.  Also, the glass roof, while fitted on this current generation SLK in the photos, is speculated to only make its way onto the next generation of SLKs in 2011.

While this doesn't indicate any changes to the current SLK models, it does give an idea of what's to come. The glass roof option is expected to be priced at around $2823 (according to European figures).

+ eMercedesBenz: New Spy Photos Of The Mercedes-Benz SLK With Panoramic Glass Roof Emerge

An official video was recently discovered by the fellows at the Nasioc forums, with raw footage of what may very well be the upcoming 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX sedan and WRX STI hatchback. The video appears to have been shot in April and features both Subaru race drivers Travis Pastrana and Ken Block turning their tires into smoke by four-wheel powersliding around the Willow Springs raceway.

According to a leaked memo from Subaru, the new WRX models are said to have a 265 horsepower version of the turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer engine— 41 horses more than the 2008 Impreza WRX's 224. Addtionally, the 2009 WRX model will only be available with a manual transmission and feature upgraded suspension, gray alloy wheels, an STI front grill, and special red stitching throughout the interior.

+ YouTUbe: Willow Springs Test Session