2013 Fisker Atlantic

One of the auto industry’s highly anticipated secrets is finally ready to break cover at the 2012New York Auto Show.

For the fine folks of Fisker, the debut of the Fisker Atlantic - ’twas once codenamed "Project Nina" - marks as a celebration in its own right, a culmination of years of hard work and dedication.

And now that it’s ready for its world premier, Fisker has come out with the first official details of the car, as well as photos that finally gives us a good look at what they’ve been working on all this time.

Judging by its looks, the Atlantic looks like a bigger version of the Karma, albeit with a more pronounced stance that’s typical of its sedan form. The unmistakable Karma grille is also present, which we’ve never been fans of from the beginning.

All in all, though, the Atlantic looks pretty neat and when matched with a hybrid powertrain should make for a model that would draw the interest of a lot of people.

Find out more about the Fisker Atlantic after the jump.

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2013 BMW X1

Just like with the BMW X5 and X6, the smallest version in the X-Series - the X1 - will be also receiving an update version by the end of 2012. These will be the last changes for the X1 before BMW will be unveiled the new generation sometime in 2014-2015.

Also, just like with the recently announced X6, do not expect to see big changes. The facelift X1 will receive a midlife refresh that includes new designed bumpers at front and rear as well as new headlights. There will be no changes to the sheet metal and therefor the shape of the lights will not change, but only the graphics. There will some upgrades at the interior with improved materials and some of the latest technologies.

It is believed that some minor changes will also be made under the hood. Nothing big however, just the addition of a few extra HP and of course the improvement of the fuel economy.

UPDATE 03/18/2012: BMW will officially unveil the 2013 X1 next month at the 2012 New York Auto Show. The US market will only get the X1 xDrive28i, a version powered by the new N20 2.0 liter four-cylinder TwinPower turbocharged engine with 245 HP and 258 lb of torque. This engine can be mated to a 6-speed manual transmission or an 8-speed automatic transmission. The new X1 will go on sale on the U.S. market in September of 2012. (BMWBlog)

gallery:2013 BMW X1

 

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2013 Acura RLX

Much like the Accord has been for sister company, Honda, the Acura RL has been the flagship sedan for the luxury automaker for what seems like forever. Acura has just made it official that the RL’s 16-year run at the top of its lineup will end in 2013, but its replacement will bear a similar name, RLX. In a press release, Acura announced that the RLX will make its anticipated debut on April 4th at 1:50 p.m. at the 2012 New York Auto Show.

As with most Honda Motor Co. releases, Acura has remained very quiet on this upcoming release, so the facts and specifications are not yet known. We do know that it will bear Acura’s new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system, an electric four-wheel drive system similar to that of theNSX Concept. This new RLX will include an all-new V-6 engine, per Inside Line’s report. Acura claims that the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system and V-6 engine will give the RLX V-8-like acceleration with a four-cylinder’s fuel efficiency.

Also reported is that the 2013 RLX will include a seven-speed transmission, which replaces the six-speed transmission on the 2012 RL. None of the aforementioned reports have been corroborated by Acura, so it remains just speculation. Don’t be surprised if the new RLX actually ends up being a slightly larger and redesigned version of its predecessor.

Regardless of speculation, the RLX is arriving in a crowded market that is overflowing with redesigned and restyled vehicles. Its main competition will come from the 2013 Lexus ES and the new 2013 Toyota yet-to-be-revealed sedan, both of which we will learn more about at the N.Y. Auto Show.

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2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek

Subaru has always made good use of this market and has a nice following of customers. Lately, though, it seems like Subaru is really attempting to gain an edge in new markets. First, it releases the BRZ, the Japanese automaker’s first true sports car since the SVX thankfully vanished in 1997, and now it is prepared to unveil the 2013 XV Crosstek, a compact crossover SUV, at the 2012 New York Auto Show starting April 4th.

Subaru is not shy in releasing some details about this long overdue SUV, as it has released images and basic specifications prior to its debut. The 2013 XV Crosstrek, which also falls in the crossover market, will bear styling similar to the 2013 Ford Escape, 2012 Honda CR-V, and the 2012 Hyundai Tucson – all of which will be direct competitors with the XV Crosstrek.

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Kobe Bryant Scores A Ferrari 458 Italia For $329,000 wow!!

For "normal" folks like us, making a six-figure purchase is tantamount to being kicked out of the house and forced to sleep on the curb. But for people like professional basketball player, Kobe Bean Bryant, $329,000 is pretty much chump change.

Sure, his recent divorce cost him half his fortune, but Kobe’s still got plenty of Benjamins coming his way, which makes his recent purchase of a 2012 Ferrari 458 Italia not much of a big deal to the Mamba. He paid for it full, too, with a check, which pretty much tells you that this is like buying groceries for this guy.

The price Kobe paid for his 458 Italia is about $100,000 more than the MSRP price of the Italian supercar, which leads to speculation - at least from our end - that he probably tricked out his new toy with plenty of additional options.

Either that or Kobe just got hosed for 100 grand by the dude who sold him the car.

In deference to the man, we’d prefer to believe the former since Kobe has never been shy about his growing fleet of exotics, particularly those with Italian heritage to it.

After all, he did grow up in Italy.

gallery:2010 Ferrari 458 Italia

 

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