Thursday, March 19, 2009

AutoSpies.com Newsletter: Latest Spy News 03/19/2009

Latest Auto Show Gallery
2009 Geneva Auto Show Photo Gallery
Top AutoSpies.com News
Strange things happen when you are out on the road. Agent001 was in Spain this week testing the new BMW Z4. While touring the beautiful countryside in new Z4, he looked out of the side mirror and caught a caravan of next generation E-Class convertibles rapidly approaching. Quick to act, our agent whipped out his camera and gave us several shots of this soon to be released model. Was this a ploy to steal some attention from the new Z4, or simply a coincidence? I guess you should never underestimate the competition.

As you may recall, Agent00J through no fault of his own, had the recent bad luck of having his new M3 crashed for him. With the likely prospect of having to write off the vehicle, he started surveying the landscape to see what might now tickle his fancy. Having recently purchased an Acura MDX for his spouse, he decided to “slum it a bit” so to speak and check out the Acura options. But after having the ultimate driving machine could you ever be happy? If you ever thought of jumping from one brand to another, you need to read his revelations on what you might find in the most unlikely of places.

Revelations were in store for all of the Lexus fans out there who touted the fact they were the king of reliability. Though Lexus never has dropped in terms of reliability we had two unlikely brands move past them to take the top two spots in the 2009 JD Power Vehicle Dependability Survey. Now these VDS scores are like gold to any manufacturer and Buick has tied Lexus in the past. But this time insult may have been added to injury when out of the blue both Jaguar and Buick scored higher in overall reliability. I now think I can safely say I have seen everything!

Remember the Genesis Coupe and G37 battle a few weeks ago? As you know the Genesis actually came out on top in that comparison due to a cost advantage. Well, Hyundai wasn’t quite too happy with the reported performance of the coupe and took on the challenge of finding out why. After correcting an errant ECU problem, and giving the car a new alignment it was submitted for testing. The end result actually helped the Genesis widen the lead over Infiniti’s bread and butter performance sedan. So who will they challenge next?


Spy Shots
WSJ: More uncertainty from BMW - 2009 is "Transitional Year"
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:28:55 PM
( 3 ) Votes   ( 2 ) Comments

Fiat And Mini Team Up To Produce Their Own Prius Killer
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:03:24 AM
( 13 ) Votes   ( 21 ) Comments

What Financial Crisis? Audi Keeps Ambitious Rollout!
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 6:57:18 PM
( 12 ) Votes   ( 22 ) Comments

BMW Z10 sketch surfaces, transformer approved?
Submitted: 3/14/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 1:10:14 AM
( 8 ) Votes   ( 9 ) Comments

BMW going retro for next 1-Series. Is this a good idea?
Submitted: 3/13/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 6:24:29 PM
( 18 ) Votes   ( 28 ) Comments

Audi Going Massively Lighter, is BMW in Trouble?
Submitted: 3/12/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 6:56:03 PM
( 34 ) Votes   ( 49 ) Comments

GM says it doesn't need $2B from gov't in March
Submitted: 3/12/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:51:22 PM
( 14 ) Votes   ( 19 ) Comments

Spy News
Hybrid Car Sales Go From 60 To 0 At Breakneck Speed
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:53:03 PM
( 9 ) Votes   ( 19 ) Comments

New Cars
Lexus Focuses On Stealing 3 Series Cabrio Sales With New IS 250c
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 11:55:55 AM
( 29 ) Votes   ( 36 ) Comments

Acura's crossover concept to be called 2011 Acura MSX
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 10:15:21 AM
( 28 ) Votes   ( 26 ) Comments

Nissan preparing GT-R Spec-M model
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 4:22:34 PM
( 18 ) Votes   ( 24 ) Comments

New Vw Golf VI gets 6 stars at the EuroNCAP safety tests
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 2:10:11 PM
( 12 ) Votes   ( 13 ) Comments

Young Classics Store opens at the Mercedes-Benz Museum
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 2:03:34 PM
( 8 ) Votes   ( 6 ) Comments

Renault Samsung eMX Concept images emerge on the web
Submitted: 3/15/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:38:07 AM
( 4 ) Votes   ( 2 ) Comments

Mugen NSX RR Concept. The Ultimate Gallery
Submitted: 3/14/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:15:38 PM
( 13 ) Votes   ( 19 ) Comments

Hybrid Citroen DS confirmed for 2011
Submitted: 3/14/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 6:33:07 AM
( 1 ) Votes   ( 0 ) Comments

Can A BMW Lover Slum It In An Acura And Be Happy?
Submitted: 3/13/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 6:09:09 PM
( 41 ) Votes   ( 86 ) Comments

Volkswagen woll add more sporty models to BlueSport range
Submitted: 3/13/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:24:09 AM
( 7 ) Votes   ( 6 ) Comments

New Aston Marton Lagonda Concept coming in May
Submitted: 3/13/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:23:01 AM
( 5 ) Votes   ( 4 ) Comments

Volkswagen Prepping 266hp AWD GTI-R Pocket Rocket For 2010
Submitted: 3/12/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 4:29:44 PM
( 10 ) Votes   ( 8 ) Comments

Official: Next Audi A8 coming in 2010
Submitted: 3/12/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 3:30:09 PM
( 18 ) Votes   ( 26 ) Comments

Would Opel's Insignia Work As A Mid-Level Cadillac?
Submitted: 3/12/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:06:59 PM
( 19 ) Votes   ( 26 ) Comments

First tuning kit for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class available
Submitted: 3/12/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:04:55 PM
( 5 ) Votes   ( 4 ) Comments

Official: Mitsubishi iMiev EV goes into production
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 4:07:35 PM
( 5 ) Votes   ( 2 ) Comments

Facelifted Audi Q7 coming in April at the Shanghai Auto Show
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 4:01:55 PM
( 22 ) Votes   ( 23 ) Comments

Acura teases crossover concept ahead of New York Auto Show
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 3:13:50 PM
( 19 ) Votes   ( 22 ) Comments

2010 Nissan GT-R pricing details officially announced
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 3:16:36 PM
( 21 ) Votes   ( 33 ) Comments

Upcoming Audi RS3 powered by the turbo engine found on TT-RS
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 11:31:44 AM
( 8 ) Votes   ( 9 ) Comments

Chevy Camaro SS Official 0-60 Time:4.7 Seconds
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 10:47:06 AM
( 21 ) Votes   ( 25 ) Comments

G37 Beating Genesis Coupe Gets A Retest And Widens The Gap
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:14:10 AM
( 23 ) Votes   ( 56 ) Comments

Misc News
Breaking News: 2010 British Motor Show canceled
Submitted: 3/19/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:35:31 PM
( 3 ) Votes   ( 1 ) Comments

Toyota launching a three-year Prius trial
Submitted: 3/19/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:46:20 AM
( 3 ) Votes   ( 2 ) Comments

Hot Car, Hot Spot: Cadillac CTS Adds Autonet WiFi Internet
Submitted: 3/19/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:54:11 AM
( 3 ) Votes   ( 2 ) Comments

Infiniti - 'We're hitting sales targets in Europe.'
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 5:27:16 PM
( 11 ) Votes   ( 15 ) Comments

Chrysler asks for more funds from the US Federal government
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 4:00:24 PM
( 2 ) Votes   ( 1 ) Comments

Panasonic saves Toyota from an early F1 exit
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 3:58:48 PM
( 10 ) Votes   ( 8 ) Comments

Official: Bmw not aiming to make a profit in 2009
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 2:25:44 PM
( 23 ) Votes   ( 26 ) Comments

Congressional Proposal Makes Cash For Clunkers A Possibility
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 1:30:49 PM
( 10 ) Votes   ( 9 ) Comments

Saturn's Spin-Off Attracting GM's Foreign Rivals
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:53:57 PM
( 9 ) Votes   ( 12 ) Comments

Audi Marketing Chief Rules Out Mini Competitor For US Market
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:46:23 PM
( 4 ) Votes   ( 3 ) Comments

Jay Leno Thinks Chevy Volt Superior to Toyota Prius
Submitted: 3/18/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:32:08 AM
( 18 ) Votes   ( 20 ) Comments

A Look At The Mercedes AMG Driving Academy 2009/2010
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 4:20:21 PM
( 12 ) Votes   ( 12 ) Comments

Chevrolet planning to extend its warranties
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 4:07:00 PM
( 7 ) Votes   ( 10 ) Comments

Hyundai's Genesis Coupe 2.0T Dyno Tests With Ponies To Spare
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 3:15:39 PM
( 16 ) Votes   ( 13 ) Comments

Wiesmann GT test vehicle crashed on the Autobahn
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 2:08:22 PM
( 7 ) Votes   ( 6 ) Comments

Toyota Losing Critical Edge As Residual Values Plummet
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 2:00:16 PM
( 17 ) Votes   ( 26 ) Comments

Audi's R15 TDI Decimates The Field In Shakedown Laps At Sebring
Submitted: 3/17/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 1:48:40 PM
( 15 ) Votes   ( 27 ) Comments

Audi planning four-cylinder A8
Submitted: 3/15/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 8:18:24 PM
( 13 ) Votes   ( 40 ) Comments

Audi Shark Concept
Submitted: 3/15/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 2:34:13 PM
( 13 ) Votes   ( 9 ) Comments

Bmw's profits go down with almost 90 percent
Submitted: 3/14/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 6:34:43 AM
( 17 ) Votes   ( 27 ) Comments

BMW Reaches Hydrogen Breakthrough
Submitted: 3/13/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:36:44 PM
( 11 ) Votes   ( 11 ) Comments

BMW 7 Series Designer, Karim Habib joining Mercedes-Benz team
Submitted: 3/13/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:25:27 PM
( 12 ) Votes   ( 14 ) Comments

Retrospective: When Toyota Actually Made Interesting Cars
Submitted: 3/13/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 1:36:07 PM
( 34 ) Votes   ( 42 ) Comments

VW reveals race to overtake GM, Toyota
Submitted: 3/13/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 9:01:37 AM
( 19 ) Votes   ( 25 ) Comments

Lexus vehicles to receive collision-detecting radar system
Submitted: 3/12/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 11:18:57 AM
( 18 ) Votes   ( 27 ) Comments

Opel Insignia Wins Prestigious "Red Dot" Design Award
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 10:15:08 AM
( 3 ) Votes   ( 1 ) Comments

BMW 7-Series Designer Karim Habib Lured to Mercedes
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 10:17:39 AM
( 7 ) Votes   ( 6 ) Comments

Volkswagen Details Record 2008 Performance Figures
Submitted: 3/16/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 10:09:38 AM
( 5 ) Votes   ( 3 ) Comments

Report Cards
Reviews
Audi wants blood, does the new S4 trounce BMW's 335i?
Submitted: 3/14/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:00:53 PM
( 38 ) Votes   ( 77 ) Comments

Does the Mustang GT make the new Genesis Coupe look like a chump?
Submitted: 3/13/2009 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 12:07:57 PM
( 26 ) Votes   ( 34 ) Comments




Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)