As the motoring calendar reaches fever-pitch over the summer and plenty of manufacturers begin to sanction face-lifts for their leading vehicles, there's plenty to get excited about. And it's only going to get more interesting, with the motorshows in Los Angeles and Frankfurt now firmly on the horizon.
The week started in typically blustering fashion with mouth-watering news that tuning manufacturer Kahn is set to build an all-new supercar. Named ‘WB12 Vengeance’ the vehicle was unleashed in extremely secretive fashion with only a faint body shape of the Vengeance visible. A few days later - with red-hot interest on the vehicle - Kahn went about releasing a few basic vehicle shots. It’s clear the Vengeance has been loosely based on the Aston Martin DB9, although it’s rear has similarly been likened to the Alfa Romeo 4C. There will be bold 20” inch alloys and a number of design themes that have reportedly been gleaned from Aston models of days-gone-by. Kahn’s designs have previously been tuned to perfection and it’s hard to imagine this will be any different; expect a lot more on this vehicle to be released in the near-future.
Porsche have announced plans to release a 5-Series Saloon rivalling vehicle and it will be ALL electric, set for the next few years. This comes after news that the manufacturer will favour vehicle weight and emissions in their next supercar vehicles – though we hope this won’t compromise the stellar performance that Porsche have always demonstrated. Anyway, there’s not much in the way of actual facts and figures but initial estimations suggest about 420bhp and a range of 265 miles. Phwoar.
Speaking of 5 Series, BMW won the award for the most surprising announcement of the week with an all-new model revealed as the manufacturer looks to provide a rival to the swish new XF. The vehicle is planned for before 2017 and is likely to be atleast 1000kg lighter than the original model. The new face-lifted 5 Series was snapped taking a ride on the sloping grooves of the Nurburgring circuit.
The 5 Series isn’t the only Beamer getting some fancy new kit. The 3-Series will also undergo a face-lift with the engines, chassis and lower CO2 emissions all set for improvements. Two new models are joining the range, a turbo-charged 340i and plug-in hybrid 330e. Minor design tweaks have also been undertaken, though you'd be forgiven for questioning this on the basis of the images offered. However, we expect BMW's new additions to be flaunted quite strongly over the next few months and we should get a better-look at what modifications have been made.
The cumbersome Mercedes G-Class has enjoyed a bolstering of its already frightening arsenal with the SUV getting an all-new powertrain and a few stylistic modifications. It would be fair to say Merc have gone all out with the engine range – a 4.0-litre biturbo V8 petrol, the exact same as employed in new hair-raiser AMG GT is a steely addition. At 416bhp and 610Nm of torque it’s fair to say the revamped G-Class will be packing a fair punch. The G-Class has been transformed into an absolute monster of the road and this could well be the most significant set of additions in its 35-year lifespan. Design tweaks for the vehicle include shock absorbers which will help when this power-hungry vehicle get’s cooking as well someall-new bumpers and forged alloy wheels.
The Aston Martin DBX is being put into production. Yes, that’s right; the awesome electric SUV showcased at Geneva stole our hearts and has been at the forefront of many motoring discussions ever-since. Aston Martin revealed the vehicle purely in concept form, so it comes as refreshing news to discover there are formal plans in place to get it on the production line. We don’t know much about it other than what we see in front of us and Aston’s fledgling venture into this market should be welcomed. We wait with bated breath for more news.
While we’re talking about Aston Martin, we don’t want to pass up on an opportunity to show you this video of the all-new DB10 and Jag’s CX-75 strutting their stuff on the set of all-new James Bond flick Spectre. It's pretty incredible but please note; this must be watched with the volume up.
