Spied: 2012 Porsche Boxster S

The new Porshce Boxster was recently spied while being taken for a test drive, undisguised and in broad daylight. The picture provides a clear view of the model’s lines and detail with its sharp side strakes, side air inlets and prominent wheel arches. The rear of the vehicle sees a new integrated lip spoiler that spans right across the car’s rump, bisecting the taillamps.

Provided by some forced induction and a few tweaks, the 2.5-litre flat-4-cylinder engine could generate as much as 360hp under the hood.

The model is expected to make its official debut around the beginning of 2012.

Tesla Confirms Model S Details

Tesla has reassured all of its potential buyers that it will not be following the lead of its competition by increasing its initial price ahead of its release. Tesla has since confirmed that a base Model S, with an estimated 160 miles of range, will retail for about $57,400 with a tax credit of $7,500. The 230 mile range version will carry a $10,000 premium with an additional $10, 000 if you want a chance at making 300 miles on a charge. $77,400 will get you the top of the line Model S 300, a limited edition of 1000 vehicles, which will initially be named the “Model S Signature Series”.

Deliveries are expected to begin around the summer of 2012 in the US, with the 230 and 160 versions coming later in the year. Tesla hopes to produce a total of 5,000 cars in 2012 followed by 20,000 in 2013. There is a two year delivery wait ahead for markets that require a right-hand drive model.

The Footman James Classic Motor Show was enormous but enjoyable

CLASSIC cars in industrial quantities. That's what you would have got if you'd joined me and thousands of others at the NEC last weekend.

Anyone familiar with the Footman James Classic Motor Show will know it's a big deal - it is, arguably, the only show that caters for fans of all things a bit old and oily on a national scale - but this year the organisers, freed from the constraints of having to share a gig with Top Gear Live, really pulled out the stops to make it bigger and bolder than ever before. It was massive.

Simply getting in is quite unlike any other show I've been to. You park up and get on a bus, which takes you to an elevator, followed by a Heathrow Airport-style moving walkway that seems to go on forever, which leads on to a labyrinth of corridors which in turn brings you to the back of the queue for tickets. This, I think, is deliberate; it's to prepare you for the sheer amount of walking the show itself involves.

Last weekend was a giddying array of just about every vaguely old vehicle ever made - yes, there were Hillman Imps and Ford Anglias at one end and Astons and Ferraris at the other, but if you're the sort of person who lies awake at night dreaming of owning a Vauxhall Nova then you were well catered for too. But our party must have walked miles checking out the seemingly endless sea of classic cars. If anything, it was slightly overwhelming. I stopped taking photos after the 175th click out of sympathy for my camera, but one classic car buff I spoke to had taken hundreds of shots.

I emerged seven hours later with cream-crackered feet and weighed down with bags of freebies, and with the prospect of the long drive back from Birmingham to look forward to. If I'd known just how big it was going to be I would've made a weekend of it - one day for the cars, another for the autojumble - because just the one day is nowhere near enough to take it all in.

It's great to think that even in an age when Britain's turned its back on national motorshows, with the motor makers favouring Frankfurt and Geneva instead, we can still put on an automotive extravaganza on this sort of scale. I'll just make sure I bring comfier shoes next time.

Fire up the... Peugeot 208

PEUGEOT'S back on the ball, if the new 208 is anything to go by.

The French firm's built up a fine reputation for building feisty hatchbacks with a sense of fun - as anyone familiar with the 205, 306 and 106 will surely testify - but to my mind at least the more recent models, particularly the 207, never really caught the imagination in the same way. Deep down, I reckon that's why Peugeot's pulled out all the stops to get it right with its latest supermini contender.

For starters, it looks good, with a sharply-sculpted shape and carefully chosen proportions which at a stroke render the old 207 a bit blobby and comparision. It's the same story on the inside too, with interior fabrics and plastics which owe plenty to its big brother, the 508 saloon. The main thing which strikes you is the unusual way the controls are laid out - you look over the steering wheel to see the dials, rather than through it - but it's as intuitive as it is innovative. Same story goes for the tablet-style computer sitting atop the centre console, although I suspect having an actual iPad dock there instead might have been a smarter move.

But the best thing about the 208 by far is the way it drives. You'd expect that the 1.6 Feline version I tried wouldn't be lacking in pace - at £16,895, it's holding the warm hatch fort until the eagerly-anticipated GTi version arrives - but where it really shines is in the fluidity of its handling and in its natural agility in the sort of low-speed urban darting in and around town.

For the past three years I've always argued the Fiesta is the best of the superminis but the 208 is now a better looking, more entertaining and technologically superior package to Ford's finest. After a couple of years in the hatchback wilderness, Peugeot's got its mojo back and produced one of the best cars I've driven all year.

Talented Alex has designs on your next new car

A MERSEYSIDE dad has spoken of his pride this week after his son landed a dream job designing a Chinese car company's latest models.

Jeff O'Brien, from Thornton, told Life On Cars that after impressing car industry executives with his design flair his son Alex has now jetted off to Shanghai to help design vehicles for Qoros, a joint Israeli-Chinese firm which will be launching its first cars in the UK next year.

Mr O'Brien said yesterday: "Alex's designing and sketching skills are out of this world, and after completing the car design course at the University of Coventry he impressed a lot of design executives for different companies, who all saw what he'd come up with and wanted to take a look. One of them was a manager at Qoros, who spoke to Alex and was absolutely delighted with him.

"Alex wanted to work with Qoros because it's a new company, and they're really keen to use some of his design skills in their models."

The model which former Manor High School pupil Alex created to conclude his design course, a sports car design aimed at supercar builders Bugatti (pictured above), attracted attention from car industry executives at an exhibition, used to showcase the UK's latest car design talent, held in Coventry last year. Father and son worked together on the car, with Jeff, a retired Craft, Design and Technology tutor, helping to fashion the wheels for the model of Alex's sports car design.

Although work commitments in Shanghai meant Alex was unavailable to speak to Life On Cars, a Qoros spokesperson said of its new range of cars: "Qoros is a fresh, new brand without legacy. It is driven by a passionate international team of expert designers, engineers and marketers who are united in their desire to develop sophisticated and highly individual products.

"The company is dedicated to meeting an ever-increasing demand for cars that are highly differentiated from other products within a crowded automotive marketplace. In addition to design that is both elegant and functional, Qoros products will be distinguished by a strong focus on state-of-the-art technology, with high levels of user-friendly in-car connectivity and vehicle safety standards which compare to the best in Europe."

The first Qoros car to be sold in the UK, an as-yet-unnamed four door saloon, will make its European debut at the Geneva Motorshow next March.

Pebble Beach: Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe presents Aviator Collection

Rolls-Royce announced today vorgsestellt at Pebble Beach in the U.S., the first meeting of 35 Phantom Series II Coupe Aviator Collection. The exclusive items are inspired by Inspired by Charles Stewart Rolls and the victory of the Supermarine S6B in the Schneider Trophy. The sea plane was powered by a Rolls-Royce engine and helped that Rolls-Royce simultaneously held three world speed records: on land, sea and air.

2012 Ford Explorer Review

The 2012 Ford Explorer.

One of the maddening things about car buying these days is the wide price range for the same vehicle. It's caused by multiple trim levels. Case in point: The Ford Explorer. You can get it in four different levels...Explorer, Explorer XLT, Explorer Limited and Explorer Sport. And from the Explorer to the Explorer Sport, there's an $11,585 price spread. 

That's a chunk considering the base price of the base model is $29,135 (we're comparing 2-wheel drive models here. 4X4 costs extra). 

13 months ago, we reviewed the Explorer and said "The price is right."

For that one, it was. It was a four-wheel drive XLT, which started at $33,190 and with options rang in at $37,505...a fortuitous price point for Ford, since it was $580 below the Jeep Grand Cherokee that charmed its way into the TireKicker Top Ten Cars (So Far) the month before and still is on the list.

Car Accessories

Anywhere in the world!
Generally, there are two major categories of car accessories namely Interior Auto accessories and Exterior car accessories.Among various safety car accessories...

Interior Auto Accessories:
Air freshener, carpets, floor mats, seat covers, television, stereo system and DVD system, air bags, rear view mirror etc are all Interior Auto accessories.

Exterior Car Accessories:
License plate, side bars, body panels, light covers, exterior lights, wheel covers, windshield wiper blades etc are all Exterior Car Accessories.

How to Pimp Your Ride?
No matter what auto accessories you choose for your car, you must make sure that you buy the ones that you needs most, and furthermore, should always buy the best possible quality product as well.You should make a list of all the car accessories that you like to have in your car. After that you can prioritize the car accessories which you need to install first in case you have a limited budget.You can find a design that suits your personality and tastes perfectly.To make your car appear classy you should think about something budget friendly, easy to place yourself and available at many shops, the decorative pillar posts.

One additional car accessory you should install in your car is some sort of GPS navigation.The next cool and affordable car accessory we recommend are Bluetooth speakerphones,rearview cameras.There are many hidden dangers and spots that are hard to see behind you.Another upgrade you should consider are high performance headlights.The good news is that these add on features can make your driving experience safer.After you install various car accessories, you should also consider the following three things specifically scent,music,and upkeep.This will make your car is always convenient.Choose a scent you really enjoy to freshen up the atmosphere in your car,a good sound system can make a three hour drive seem like it's passed in moments.
Some examples of car accessories that you can apply in your vehicle: 

Car Accessories Wheel

Car Accessories Multimedia

Car Accessories Stereo System and DVD System

Car Accessories GPS

Car Accessories Seat Covers

Car Accessories Exterior Lights

Car Accessories

Car Accessories Droid-X

Car Accessories Full Manufacturers

Car Accessories Exterior Lights

Jeep Wrangler equipped with Haartz soft-top material

Early this year, Jeep launched the new 2013 models. All these models come with a new premium soft top which are made of Haartz’s Twillfast RPC. It is an acoustically enhanced three-ply composite made of acrylic twill weave outer fabric, a rubber inner layer and polyester lining fabric. 

The soft tops are definitely cheaper than the retractable hardtop designs. However, the problems with soft tops is that they were not really good at noise insulation and are quite difficult to clean. Haartz’s soft top overcomes these by including a rubber inner layer which provides enhanced acoustics. Furthermore, the Twillfast RPC is easier to clean than previous materials used for the soft top Jeep models.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado: A Bolder Visualization of GM's Next Generation Pickup Truck

Move over Ram and F150; this is the new artillery that GM is bringing to the pickup market. The all-new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado is soon to make its official appearance and CarScoop is giving you an early sneak-peak illustration, based on the manyprototype models caught on camera.

The current Silverado has been battling it out strongly since 2007, only finishing as bridesmaid to Ford's F-150 on the sales charts, which is one thing for certain that GM would love to change.

The outgoing model has arguably been wearing the bridesmaid's tag when it comes to styling too; sure, it's reasonably appealing with its modern and rugged clothes, but doesn't push any design envelopes. Being a fresh slate for the 2014 model year, Chevrolet is changing this and gunning Ford, Dodge and Toyota head on in the pickup design stakes.

2013 Toyota RAV4: Check it Out in Detail in These High-Resolution Images

We've been following the upcoming 2013 Toyota RAV4 closely over the past few months and now, after the spy pictures, our own speculative rendering, and several official, but low resolution, images, we can finally show you what you've been waiting for: high resolution imagery of the new model.

Toyota's designers have modernized the looks of the popular on both sides of the Atlantic RAV4, applying familiar styling cues from their more recent models like the Auris hatchback and estate giving the SUV a sharper appearance.

The new compact crossover looks like it also features a larger footprint, which if true, should improve passenger and possibly luggage space, while the interior boasts more upscale materials, such as the leather trim on the dashboard of the display vehicle.

Prior Design Launches New Aero Package for BMW 3-Series F30

If for whatever reason you brought a new BMW 3-Series F30 sedan without ticking the M Sport package box on the options list and at the same time, are not interested in the Bavarian carmaker's aftermarket M Performance parts, Prior Design has come out with an assortment of aero components that may interest you.

The custom body kit consists of a new and very M-like front bumper with a matte black lip spoiler, a pair of rocker panels, a new rear bumper with an integrated diffuser finished in matte black, and a trunk lid spoiler, again in black.

The parts can be ordered as a package at a price of €1,956 (about US$2,600) in Germany or separately.

As you can see in Prior Design's photo gallery, the F30 display model also sports a lowered KW suspension and a new set of alloy wheels in a dark titanium finish, pricing for which was not announced.

2013 Toyota Avalon is the First Vehicle in the World to Offer Qi Wireless In-Car Charging

After finding their way into our homes and offices, wireless charging systems for cell phones and other electronic devices are now beginning to make their appearance in automobiles.

General Motors has already introduced a wireless cell phone mat and so has Chrysler's Mopar division, but Toyota is laying claims to the "world’s first application of Qi wireless in-car charging" as part of a Technology Package for both the 2013 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid models.

We reached out to Chrysler to ask whether its already available wireless charging system adheres to the "Qi" interface standards and we will post an update once we receive a reply, but for now, we will take Toyota's word for it.