Leaked! 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS peeks out before official debut

Filed under: Sedan, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS leaked shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

Whoops! The men and women in Stuttgart weren’t planning to unveil the new Mercedes-Benz CLS just yet, but the crew from eMercedesBenz snagged these leaked images showing the new four-door coupe in all its production-ready glory.

As expected, the new CLS takes a lot of its styling cues from Benz’s Shooting Break concept (they’re name, not ours) notably the upright grille and more aggressive front fascia. The sectioned-off headlamp design has also remained intact, and from these photo-realistic renderings, it looks like someone shot the CLS in the eyes with lemon juice. Still, we’re eager to see how this mix of LEDs looks out on the road at dusk. The CLS also uses the more shapely rear hips of the Shooting Break concept, rounding out the revised rear end. It’s certainly more stylish than the outgoing CLS, which says a lot.

Inside, the CLS continues to use its four-seat arrangement with a center console that extends the full length of the cabin, and we fully expect the overall refinement to fall somewhere between the E-Class and S-Class sedans. Plush stuff, we’re sure.

When the CLS launches, eMercedesBenz reports that a new 3.5-liter direct-injected V6 will be offered, as well as a twin-turbocharged 4.6-liter V8 good for around 430 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Of course, an AMG version won’t be far behind with the all-new 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 underhood.

Now that these leaked shots have hit the web, don’t be surprised if the official images and details are published in the very near future. Stay tuned for the full smattering, and in the meantime, scroll through the attached gallery to see the high-res leaked images.

Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS Leaked Shots

[Source: eMercedesBenz]

Leaked! 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS peeks out before official debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked documents out upcoming Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200

Filed under: Performance, Motorcycle

Aprilia Dorsoduro 750 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Rumors have swirled since the introduction of Aprilia’s in-house developed 750cc V-twin engine back in 2007 (in the company’s naked Shiver and supermoto-inspired Dorsoduro models) that a larger 1200cc version of the potent mill was in the offing. Well, it’s been nearly four years since its introduction, and we still don’t see a big-bore bike to go up against the likes of the Ducati Monster and Hypermotard.

However, it seems such a machine may finally be headed to a dealership near you. And interestingly enough, the news kinda sorta comes from Aprilia itself in the form of (what we assume to be) a mistakenly posted service manual for the upcoming bike. It appears that the new engine will sport higher compression in addition to the increased displacement, so we’re expecting plenty of power from the ride-by-wire platform.

We should also see a suitably beefed-up chassis with slightly more relaxed steering geometry, longer wheelbase and fully adjustable Sachs suspension. Anti-lock brakes will be optional and can be fully turned off. All signs point to a November debut at the upcoming EICMA Show in Milan, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see 1200cc versions of both the Dorsoduro and Shiver.

Gallery: Review: Aprilia Dorsoduro 750

Source: Aprilia via Hell For Leather]

Leaked documents out upcoming Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi A7 Sportback images leaked ahead of Monday reveal

Filed under: Sedan, Hatchback, Audi, Luxury

udi A7 Sportback
2011 Audi A7 Sportback – Click above for image gallery

Tomorrow afternoon, Audi will formally unveil the new A7 Sportback at a museum in Munich. While that fanfare will go on as scheduled, as is so often the case nowadays, the big reveal has been undercut somewhat as leaked official images have made their way onto the web a day early. Carscoop.com has posted four shots of the A7 Sportback, giving us the first solid looks at the production car’s bodywork and interior. As you can see, the five-door A7 remains true to the concept car that made its debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

Carscoop further reports that the Audi A7 Sportback is a four-seater only, and will be offered with a selection of gas and diesel V6 engines (in European guise, we assume). We’ll have full details and more images tomorrow once the car gets unveiled at 2:30 PM Eastern. In the meantime, have a gander at the leaked shots below to whet your appetite. Top tip, Rally!

Gallery: Audi A7 Sportback leaked photos

Gallery: Detroit 2009: Audi Sportback Concept

[Source: Carscoop]

Audi A7 Sportback images leaked ahead of Monday reveal originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked sketch shows upcoming power cruiser from Ducati

Ducati Power Cruiser sketch – Click above to enlarge

Close your eyes and think of a Ducati motorcycle. Got it? Good. What’s in your head? We’d guess something fast, beautiful and… red. That about right? Despite having roots firmly in the sportbike minefield, clearly the Italian motorcycle maker has its sights set on expanding its market share by entering into new and previously untapped markets. Evidence? We’ll call the Multistrada Exhibit A.

And this sketch is about as strong an Exhibit B as you’ll ever lay your eyes upon. Sometimes dubbed the Mega Monster by the motoring press, this sketch gives us an indication of what Ducati has up its corporate sleeves for the upcoming EICMA motorcycle show in Milan.

As you can see, a liquid-cooled Testastretta V-twin engine with the Multistrada 1200’s 11-degree valve overlap angle, which smooths out power and improves fuel efficiency. We’re expecting something over 150 horsepower in this application, and ride-by-wire and traction control will also be present. There’s also a single-sided swingarm holding an absolutely massive rear tire (spy shots indicate it’ll be a 240, but we’ll see), USD front forks and monobloc calipers up front.

Naturally, Ducati’s trademark trellis chassis is in full effect, in this case used for style and not really for substance. Ducati does indicate that the power cruiser will sport a reasonable 40-degree lean angle, but we have to wonder about the potential handling characteristics of a bike with a raked-out front end and wide-for-the-sake-of-style rear tire.

For what it’s worth, assuming this bike is what we think it is, this is not the first time a European motorcycle maker has decided to dip a toe in the cruiser market. Way back in 1998, BMW released its R 1200 C range, and while the bike was much more technologically advanced than anything else on the market at the time (fuel injection, ABS brakes, telelever front suspension, single-sided shaft drive, etc.), it failed to reach the kind of sales figures hoped for by the German marque. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out for Ducati in November.

[Source: Ducati.ms via Asphalt & Rubber]

Leaked sketch shows upcoming power cruiser from Ducati originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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