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Aston Martin is teasing a new concept celebrating its 100th year of operation, and this is the back of it.

Fellow car website Motorpasion has managed to grab a few shots of the Aston Martin CC100 Speedster in what appears to be Germany, and it already looks stunning.

Set to debut tomorrow at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, it harkens back to the Aston DBR1 racers of the 1950s. So far, the most Aston has let out is limited to a teaser image and this video, but I'm sure it will be wonderful.

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First collaboration between BMW and Pininfarina results in V12-engined coupé concept; set to be revealed at Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'este 2013

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The BMW Gran Lusso Coupé Pininfarina, previewed here in a series of teaser shots, will be revealed in full at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'este 2013 show.

Co-designed with Italian car design firm Pininfarina, the coupé is claimed to be "the embodiment of sheer elegance". It continues a design theme that was seen on last year's distinctive Zagato Coupé.

Power comes from a front-mounted V12 engine, most likely the twin-turbo 6.0-litre unit found in current iterations of the 7-series. This unit is rated at 544bhp and 550lb ft, which would give the coupé suitably rapid and smooth performance.

The new coupé features typical BMW proportions, including short front and rear overhangs, a long bonnet and a sizeable wheelbase.

Little else has been revealed about the concept's features or specifications, and the interior is yet to be seen. BMW says, however, that the cabin of the coupé demonstrates the "successful combination of modern elegance and luxury".

BMW's Gran Lusso Coupé Pininfarina concept could potentially be the basis for a new generation of BMW 8-series, the last of which rolled off the production line in 1999.

The 8-series was also a front-engined, rear-drive coupé - and it was similarly offered with a V12 engine. Rivals of the time included GTs like the Porsche 928.

The new BMW Grand Lusso Coupé Pininfarina concept will be revealed in full on 24 May.

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Petrol price 'rigged for a decade'

MPs and energy experts tonight raised fears motorists have been “taken for a very expensive ride”, after officials searched the offices of BP and Shell for evidence of price-rigging.

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BP and Shell raided after allegations they colluded to rig oil prices

European commission carries out 'unannounced inspections' to investigate claims prices were rigged for more than a decadeBP and Shell raided after allegations they colluded to rig oil prices

European commission carries out 'unannounced inspections' to investigate claims prices were rigged for more than a decade

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Oil company offices raided in EU pricing probe

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The Lamborghini Egoista has been unveiled in Italy, taking the brand’s reputation for extreme models one step further.

Revealed at a ceremony in Sant’Agata marking the end of the Lamborghini 50th anniversary grand tour, the Lamborghini Egoista is designed as “a gift from Lamborghini to Lamborghini”.

Penned by Volkswagen Group’s head of design Walter De Silva, the Egoista pays homage to Lamborghini’s trait of being made with passion and heart more than with the head.

“This is a car made for one person only, to allow them to have fun and express their personality to the maximum.

“It is designed purely for hyper-sophisticated people who want only the most extreme and special things in the world.

“It represents hedonism taken to the extreme, it is a car without compromises, in a word: egoista (selfish).”

Made from aluminium and carbonfibre, and powered by a 441kW 5.2-litre V10 engine borrowed from the Gallardo, the Lamborghini Egoista is a single-seat supercar inspired by the world of aviation, specifically the Apache attack helicopter.

Featuring a special antiradar material, removable cockpit section that can be ejected in an emergency, automatically operated aerodynamic flaps rather than fixed spoilers, two roof-mounted lights (red and green), orange anti-glare glass, and a head-up display unit, the Egoista takes the theme very seriously.

This is culminated with the exit procedure that requires ‘pilots’ to “remove the steering wheel and rest it on the dashboard, open the dome with an electronic command, stand up in their seat, sit down on a precise point of the left-hand bodywork, then swivel their legs 180 degrees from the inside of the cockpit to the outside of the vehicle”. Only at this point can drivers touch the ground and stand up.

While the exterior is aimed at mirroring the profile of a bull with its horns lowered preparing to charge, the interior is focused on functionality with a racing seat, four-point harness, and stylised open-wheel-type steering wheel.

“It is a fanatical vehicle”, De Silva said. “Egoista fits it well.”

The Lamborghini 50th anniversary grand tour saw 350 cars and 700 people from 29 countries drive 1200km from Milan to Bologna to celebrate 50 years of the Raging Bull.

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Audi TT ultra quattro concept gets more power and sheds 300kg - and it could lead to a small production run

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Wow.
Chalk up another huge accolade for the Tesla Model S electric car: Consumer Reports has awarded it 99 out of 100 points, and said it's the best car the magazine has tested since 2007.
In fact, the magazine's descriptions of the luxury sport sedan brim with adjectives.
The Tesla Model S "is brimming with innovation, delivers world-class performance, and is interwoven throughout with impressive attention to detail," writes the normally sober consumer publication.
Driving the Model S electric car is "like crossing into a promising zero-emissions future," and the version tested, with its 85-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, is "easily the most practical electric car we’ve tested."
CR reports that it gets a real-world 200 miles from that capacity, which is rated by the EPA at 265 miles of range. (The 60-kWh version is rated at 208 miles.)
The Model S was lauded for its quiet operation, its acceleration and roadholding, and its efficiency.

It wasn't perfect, CR noted, suffering a broken windshield that had to be replaced and a problem with the radio (fixed by a software update that was downloaded through the car's mobile-network connection).
The missing point was docked because the Model S takes roughly six hours to recharge its battery pack.
Jake Fisher, CR's head of auto testing, put even that drawback in context when he enthused: "If it could recharge in any gas station in three minutes, this car would score about 110."
Clearly the CR staff pretty much fell in love with the electric sport sedan.
That stands in harsh contrast to its experience with the Fisker Karma range-extended electric car, which died during a track test and was raked over the coals in a scathing test report.
The Tesla Model S doesn't yet receive a "Recommended" rating from Consumer Reports, because the magazine doesn't yet have reliability data on the car, which has only been delivered since last summer.

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Like the retro-cute Fiat 500 and boxy Panda? They’ve won over enough buyers to convince Fiat to completely re-launch its model range themed around its two city cars by 2015.

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Are Volvos too Swedish? They are, according to Li Shufu, head of the Chinese firm that bought the car manufacturer in 2010. He told a TV interview that the interiors “feel too Scandinavian”, and the management’s a bit Swedish

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Nissan Friend-ME Concept (2013)

Nissan Friend-ME Concept is a four-passenger sedan designed for a generation with a very different automotive outlook. With an assertive, imposing exterior featuring boldly flowing sculpted lines, Friend-ME is a confident creature of the night, meant to be seen in bright city lights.The concept is applicable globally, but the genesis of Friend-ME was Nissan's research into the aspirations of customers destined to emerge as the world's largest single market segment: the "Bālínghòu", which is how around 240 million Chinese born in the 1980s are known. Specifically, Friend-ME addresses the social dynamics of Chinese men in their mid-20s.

"Bālínghòu males are a huge cohort in the world's largest market, and they're now reaching their prime," said François Bancon, Division General Manager of product strategy and advanced planning at Nissan. "Clearly, their tastes will shape automotive trends worldwide for decades to come. So we believe it's important to listen with respect, and respond by putting dreams within their reach. That's why Friend-ME is our first proposition in an ongoing dialogue."For a generation that grew up without siblings, leisure time shared with peers is treasured.

Edgy, but mannered enough to go with the flowThis car asserts an imposing presence - solidity and flowing lines give it an edgy muscularity.With its exterior design, Nissan Friend-ME addresses a fine balance that middle-class Bālínghòu youth must heed. "We call our solution Distilled Da Qi," said Taiji Toyota, Vice President of Nissan Design China.

"Da Qi is about casting an aura, about standing out, but at the same time going with the flow, fitting in. It's a question of balance, and we've worked to refine it right down to the essence. The result adds an entirely new and youthful dimension to the sedan category."

Nissan Friend-ME features a low and wide stance with short front and rear overhangs giving a chunky, aggressive and sporty impression. The design's energy flows from the 'V-motion' shaped grille and streams through the bonnet and shoulder lines while the headlamps and rear combination lamps are accentuated by its unique boomerang-shaped lighting signature.

The profile of the vehicle completely describes the progressive translation of 'Distilled Da Qi'. The thin and light floating roof and kick-up shape around the C-pillar resonates well and produces sophisticated harmony. Likewise, the Neon Grey exterior colour - specially developed to appeal to tech-savvy youthful tastes - shows its lines to full effect at night.

'Oracle stone' empowers shared adventureInside, front and back, driver and passenger, all four seats are separate with the same high-tech style and status, because in this cabin all aboard are peers - equals. And all share the same information as the driver: speed, navigation, fuel remaining - everything.Empowering all four adventurers is a unique centre console stretching from the dash to between the rear seats - an iconic monolith in an onyx-black finish. Screens visible from each seat blend seamlessly with the surface, only becoming apparent as they display whatever contents the buzz of the moment demands. Whoever finds cool content can transfer it from his mobile to the on-board screens so all can share in the fun.

A dream within reachNissan Friend-ME has been carefully designed as a dream within reach of young customers in China. Based on an existing Nissan sedan architecture, it requires a minimum of unique components. The ecologically efficient PureDrive hybrid powertrain envisioned for Friend-ME would deliver more than enough zip for city driving.

That's the dream Nissan Friend-ME delivers, thanks to the collaboration between design teams from Nissan Design China (NDC) - the Beijing studio established in 2011 - and Nissan Global Design Center (NGDC) under the leadership and direction of Shiro Nakamura, Nissan's Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer. One of NDC's most ambitious designs so far, Friend-ME is one of many in-depth explorations of China's customer needs and aspirations now underway."If there's one thing we want Nissan to be known for, it's uniquely powerful insight into what excites and delights customers across China," said Bancon. "Friend-ME is just the beginning."

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