New Porsche 911 Videos Focus on 7-Speed Manual Gearbox and Tech Features

The most evolved sports car in history, the Porsche 911 series, has welcomed a new member in the family codenamed 991. The new model's world premiere is scheduled to take place at next week's Frankfurt auto show, but the Germans are already building up anticipation with the constant flow of fresh information and media material.

Following the release of the official photos, details and TV spots, Porsche has now dropped three new videos that highlight some of the new 911's technological advancements.

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New Alpina B6 Bi-Turbo with 507HP to Bow in Frankfurt

For more than four decades now, German tuning house Alpina has been modifying BMWs cars. The Bavarian luxury carmaker has a tight relationship with the tuner going as far distributing the high-performance models through its official network.

Alpina's newest creation is the B6 Bi-Turbo Cabrio based on the latest 6-Series Convertible, which will make its world premiere at the rapidly approaching Frankfurt auto show on September 13.

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2012 Toyota Tacoma Facelift Uncovered [Photos + Video]

After an early, unwanted reveal through a leaked video, Toyota has officially released the updated Tacoma pickup truck, which enters the 2012 model year with a fresh face, a subtly refined interior and equipment improvements.

Toyota's designers started on the outside by adding a new front grille on all grades that led to restyling of the headlamps, while the hood and the front bumper are also new.

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Mercedes Drops a Barrage of 2012 M-Class Photos ahead of Frankfurt

Mercedes-Benz is getting ready to wow the crowds that will storm the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show with a bunch of world premieres. Visitors will see, among others, the brand-new B-Class, the supercar-munching C63 AMG Black Series, and of course the third generation of Merc’s luxury SUV.

So less than two weeks before the IAA’s opening Mercedes decided to released a fresh batch of pictures of the new M-Class. We’ve already covered the model extensively since its launch, but for those of you who may have missed of forgotten about it, we’ll just lay down the basics once more time.

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VW Introduces Cylinder Shut-off System on 1.4-liter 4-Cylinder TSI Engine

Volkswagen is already at the forefront of fuel-saving technology, as evidenced by both its production models and frugal concepts that we will see at the Frankfurt Motor Show. But now the German are taking another step forward by introducing a new technology: the first ever application of a cylinder-deactivation feature on a four-cylinder engine.

The system, which is usually reserved for larger engines but will now be offered on the 1.4-liter TSI, works by shutting off cylinders 2 and 3 when the engine operates in low to mid loads, and as a result, reduces average consumption by 0.4 lt/100 km.

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2012 Nissan Versa Sedan Outsells Competition in Sub-Compact Segment

While it may not be the car most dream to own, the low $10,990 ($11,750 including destination) entry level price tag of the 2012 Nissan Versa sedan seems to have piqued the interest of U.S. buyers looking for a cheap new ride.

According to data released by Nissan today, in August, the first full month of availability of the new Versa sedan, the subcompact model sold of 8,566 units beating all of its theoretical competitors, including the Chevrolet Aveo, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Mazda 2 and the soon to be replaced, Toyota Yaris.

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Jeep Launches Special Edition 2012 Wrangler "Call of Duty:MW3"

The Chrysler Group has once again collaborated with the makers of the popular Call of Duty gaming franchise for the development of a special edition version of its Jeep Wrangler.

The new model is based on the 2012 Jeep Wrangler powered by the 285HP 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and is dedicated to the upcoming game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (abbreviated as MW3), which will be the third chapter in the Modern Warfare series, and the eighth Call of Duty installment.

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Honda Refreshes Insight Hybrid for 2012, CO2 Emissions Drops Below 100g/km

The upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show will see Honda revealing the 2012MY Insight hybrid alongside the European market 2012 Civic 5d hatchback. But for now, we get the first official photograph and initial information on the Japanese carmaker's Prius rival. Read more »

VW's Anniversary Golf GTI Edition 35 with 235HP Arrives in the UK

For those looking for a bit more muscle in their GTI, Volkswagen has launched the special anniversary edition of its hot hatch in Britain. Created to celebrate the Golf GTI's 35th birthday and first shown at the at the Worthersee Festival in Austria this past June, the Golf GTI Edition comes with a tuned 2.0 TFSI delivering 235HP.

The 25HP increase over the standard model allows the Golf Edition 35 to complete the 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint in 6.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 153mph (246km/h).

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Nissan Replaces 150HP 2.0L Diesel with New 130HP 1.6L Diesel in Qashqai

A new and more fuel-efficient but also less powerful 1.6-liter turbo diesel engine is taking the place of the 2.0-liter diesel in the European lineup of the Qashqai and its longer, seven-seat sibling, the Qashqai+2.

The new 1.6-liter diesel delivers 130-horsepower and 320Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque from 2,000rpm to only 1,750rpm, compared to 150HP and 320Nm at 2,000 rpm of the outgoing 2.0 dCi engine.

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Buick Launces eAssist Version of LaCrosse in China

The LaCrosse, Buick’s mid-size sedan offering, is doing quite well in China with 215,000 deliveries in the first seven months of the year alone. Now General Motors is adding the eAssist mild-hybrid version to the LaCrosse's Chinese line-up and is taking orders in 25 pilot cities, with the first cars scheduled for delivery in September. Read more »

Ford Begins Countdown for the Launch of 2012 Focus ST Hot Hatch with New Video

Unless Ford is preparing an even bigger surpRiSe for us, the company's recent announcement on the unveiling of the "next performance Focus" at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show strongly suggests that we will see the final production version of the Focus ST in Germany.

But until then, Ford has unleashed yet another media campaign on the internet that marks the final (or at least we hope it’s the final…) countdown for the release of the new Focus ST, which we saw in showcar form in Paris last year.

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Mazda Drops New Photos and Videos of CX-5 Compact Crossover

You've already had a quick sneak peek at the brand-new Mazda CX-5, but the Japanese automaker has published a new set of photos and videos of the small SUV while testing in Europe. While most images show the CX-5 in camouflage, we do get two new press pictures including a rear shot of the vehicle.

The new CX-5 replaces the Tribute, which itself was a rebadged Ford Escape, as Mazda tries to go against the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and the VW Tiguan in the small/compact SUV market with a more appropriate and modern proposal.

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Refreshed 2012 Honda Pilot Revealed in Detail

After a bit of a tease in late July, it's time for Honda to detail the changes on its 2012 Pilot SUV that has received a mild facelift as well as some mechanical and equipment upgrades.

So what’s new? Let’s start with the exterior. Up front, the most evident change is a new and more "politically correct" grille with a three-bar horizontal design that replaces the letter-box style six-sided grille insert.

The reconfigured headlights and turn signals, a new front air dam and optimized strakes in front of the wheels that improve aerodynamics, along with the fresh alloy wheel designs in sizes 17- or 18-inches round off the tweaks on the outside.

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Abarth to Unleash Punto SuperSport and two Special Editions of the 500 in Franfkurt

The Fiat Group’s Abarth division will display three “specialties” based on the firm's Punto supermini, the 500 and 500C softop models at September's Frankfurt Motor Show.

First up is the Abarth Punto SuperSport featuring a “Grigio Campovolo” two-tone color scheme with silver bodywork and a matte black bonnet and roof, along with “SuperSport” decals on the side, the tailgate and the mirrors, plus a set of 18-inch alloy wheels with red brake calipers.

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Lancia Rolls Out New Thema at 68th Venice International Film Festival [Video + Photos]

The Fiat Group may have forced Lancia to give up on the art of…making cars, but the Italian company is trying to compensate by mastering the art of…promotion.

The Italian firm's new flagship model, the Chrysler 300-sourced Thema, is making a special appearance at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, of which Lancia is the main sponsor for the seventh year running.

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Lotus to Unveil 3 New Models in Frankfurt in Addition to the Production Evora GTE Special

Lotus is gearing up for the largest and most important automotive event of the year that takes place in Frankfurt next month with the presentation of three brand-new models, one special edition version and two new options for its current lineup.

The British company announced that one of the new models is the Elise S that replaces the Elise SC with a more capable 1.8-liter supercharged engine delivering 220-horsepower, while also returning lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

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Diesel-Powered Porsche Panamera Heads to Frankfurt for its Public Debut

Understandably, all eyes at Porsche's Frankfurt auto show stand will be turned towards the spanking new 911 Carrera and Carrera S Coupes, but the Germans will also celebrate the first public outing of their diesel-powered Panamera, details of which were announced earlier this year.

The most fuel-efficient variant of the Panamera sports sedan to date is fitted with an Audi-sourced 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 common-rail diesel pumping out 250-horsepowerand a brawny maximum torque of 550Nm (406 lb-ft). Power is channeled to the rear wheels through an eight-speed auto.

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Mazda Exec Says New CX-5 will Reach U.S. Shores in Early 2012 with Prices Starting from Around $20k,

It won't be long before we get our first intimate taste of the all-new Mazda CX-5 compact SUV at its world premiere in Frankfurt, but we now have some interesting news about the North American variant, courtesy of Hideaki Tanaka, manager of the CX-5 program.

During the first press test drive event of a pre-production model, Tanaka told Autonews that the CX-5 will arrive in the States early next year, adding that while Mazda has not finalized pricing and packaging, it will likely carry a base MSRP of around $20,000, close to $3,000 less than the larger CX-7 ($22,785 with delivery).

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McLaren Announces New Special Operations Customizing Division [with Video]

If you are one of the few lucky people in this world to be able afford an MP4-12C, but you want the supercar to differ from the one parked in the garage of your obviously wealthy neighbor, the new Special Operations division of McLaren Automotive has a solution.

The new division, which was announced at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance show, aims to create bespoke versions in order to satisfy customer needs for differentiation.

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