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OFFICIAL: BMW M4 Concept

The BMW M4 Concept (pictured) has been revealed The BMW M4 heading towards Pebble Beach this weekend (and pictured above) is billed by BMW as the M4 Concept, but it’s almost exactly what you’ll get when the M4 goes on sale in 2014. As this is a ‘Concept’ BMW don’t feel the need to fill in all the details, but there’s some stuff we can see and some stuff we pretty much know. The stuff we can see includes the same CFRP roof the old M3 Coupe got (in this case titivated with BMW M colours) and CFRP for the splitter and diffuser.

Concept Car of the Week: Renault Racoon (1992)

As far as wacky concepts go, the Racoon surely has to be up there with the best of them. Designed and engineered like no other car before, the off-road and amphibious capabilities of the Racoon stretched automobile versatility to new levels. With its big eyes and smiley face, it has the same happy expression as its sister, the Twingo.

Cadillac Elmiraj concept (2013)

Cadillac has revealed its Elmiraj grand coupé concept, which showcases its plans for its next-generation flagship sports models. The four-seater concept – which measures in at 5,207mm long, 1,930mm wide and 1,397mm high – was designed at General Motors' advanced design studio in North Hollywood, California, under the direction of Frank Saucedo and is an evolution of last year's Cien concept. Mark Adams, Cadillac design director, says, "Elmiraj advances Cadillac's provocative modern design and performance, contrasted with bespoke craftsmanship and luxury.

One lap of the Web: NSX Concept GT, car thieves and Hooniverse goes to Germany

-- Honda was testing out the new NSX Concept GT this week in Japan. The car will compete this weekend at Suzuka. The car conforms to Japan's GT500 Series rules, including the 2.0-liter, mid-mounted turbo-four working with a hybrid setup.

Ford offers C-Max Hybrid owners rebates for overstated mpg

In the wake of Ford's decision yesterday to lower its fuel mileage estimates on the C-Max hybrid, the company says it will also offer a payment to C-Max hybrid owners and lease holders for the estimated average fuel cost between the new and former mpg figures. Owners will get a check for $550 while lessees will get $325. The window sticker on the C-Max hybrid will now read 43 mpg, instead of the originally promised 47 mpg.

Honda NSX GT to go racing – before the NSX even hits showrooms

The Honda NSX Concept-GT (pictured) is going racing The new Honda NSX is finally getting close to a production reality, but it won’t actually arrive until 2015, even though order books are now open. But in a somewhat odd move, Honda has revealed another NSX today – the NSX Concept-GT – with which it plans to go racing. And it plans to go racing now, not in 2015 or 2016 when the new NSX is in Honda showrooms.

BMW M4 Concept (2013) first official pictures

This is the new BMW M4 – don’t believe the ‘Concept’ tag. BMW’s M concepts always look identical when they reach production, and this new 424bhp coupe will be no exception. The M Division 4-series employs forced induction, signalling the death of the outgoing E92 M3’s sonorous 4.0-litre V8.

BMW Concept M4 Coupe revealed in Pebble Beach 2013

BMW has finally confirmed the M3 Coupe is no more – and that the M4 Coupe is on the way to soon replace it. Debuting this weekend at the Pebble Beach auto gathering, the M4 may have a new name but the concept is the same; BMW’s racing car ideals wrapped up in a pumped-up two-door bodyshell. The stuff of envy, alright.

Skoda Yeti facelift for 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

Skoda will debut a facelifted Yeti compact SUV at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. This doesn’t exactly sound like major news, but it does represent potentially dangerous ground for the Czech brand: the Yeti is one the best-loved cars on sale in the UK –　so the task of refreshing it can’t have been an easy one. Nonetheless, Skoda has not only chosen to give the Yeti a makeover, it will also offer the car in two distinct variants for the first time – one aimed at urban drivers and the other at more adventurous types.

How motoring convictions affect your car insurance

Newspress How motoring convictions affect your car insurance How everything from speeding to dangerous driving affects your car insurance costs 　 Motoring convictions affect your car insurance. Fact. Poor driving means points on your driving licence and generally a healthy increase in your yearly premiums.

New ‘flash-for-cash’ insurance scam warning

Newspress Motorists are being warned about the rise of a new type of ‘crash-for-cash’ insurance scam dubbed ‘flash-for-cash’, which involves criminals flashing their headlights to let innocent victims out of side roads, then driving straight into them. Flash-for-cash incidents are said to be costing the UK car insurance industry £392 million a year – which means the scam is adding as much as £50-£100 to every ordinary driver’s insurance policy. Car insurance – scams and mythsMassive car insurance fraudsCompare car insurance As with better-known cash-for-crash schemes, where a criminal deliberately brakes their car for no reason so the person behind crashes into them, the major problem with tackling this kind of crime is that it’s difficult to prove.

Pebble Beach Automotive Week and Monterey Classics Week 2013 preview

Newspress If you love cars, one little corner of the globe will be irresistibly calling out to you this week. The air around Pebble Beach and the Monterey Peninsula in California is throbbing with the engine notes of world’s greatest, fastest, newest and most valuable cars. It’s Pebble Beach Automotive Week and Monterey Classics Week 2013, a loose collection of glittering world-class car events bringing together an incredible collection of jaw-dropping exotica from across the entire automotive spectrum.

Honda unveils 2014 NSX Concept-GT racer

Honda has taken the covers off its NSX Concept-GT racer, a bespoke competition car set to race in the 2014 Japanese ‘Super GT’ series. And boy, does it look good. The unveiling of the new prototype challenger follows an on-track debut for the Honda NSX concept at Mid-Ohio Raceway in America earlier this month – and once again, it’s piqued our interest in the new Japanese hybrid supercar set for launch in 2015.

Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance 2013: in pictures

If you think of Pebble Beach as just a static car show, think again. The Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance is an annual event in the run up to the Concours d'Elegance that gets the amazing cars of the Pebble Beach show out on the roads. And they’re not just any roads.

Cadillac Elmiraj (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

This imposing coupe is the Cadillac Elmiraj concept. Designed as an American take on the Mercedes S-class coupe format, the Elmiraj stands 5.2m long and seats four passengers in an opulent cabin.The car also sports Cadillac’s new ‘V Sport’ moniker, which will feature across the Cadillac range soon, copying the success of BMW’s M Sport models, and Audi S-line cars. Tell me more about the Cadillac Elmiraj Beneath that long bonnet is a 4.5-litre V8 boosted by twin turbochargers, developing 493bhp and 500lb ft.

Monterey in a Mulsanne – a Bentley mission to Pebble Beach

After a ten-and-a-half-hour flight from London, the idea of steering headlong – and solo – into the early Los Angeles rush-hour traffic in a five-and-a-half-metre-long, left-hand drive Bentley Mulsanne (worth some £230,000 with extras) and on the other side of the road to which I am familiar, might seem a little daunting. But as soon as I sink into the super saloon’s big leather seats, Bluetooth my iPhone to stream some music via the Naim premium audio, turn up the air-conditioning and press the accelerator gently, all becomes well. LAX Airport may be my starting point but the final destination is the Monterey Peninsula towards San Francisco, some 400 miles northward, for the world-famous annual classic car show Pebble Beach.

The Little Car Show in Monterey, California

They say that big is beautiful, and in the US it’s true that XXL tends to win every time. But in the run up to the Pebble Beach Concours there’s an event which is under the radar for many Monterey showgoers – the little car show. Held in the backstreets of Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula and free to enter, The Little Car Show sees around 100 cars gathered to celebrate being small.

Trailer full of 2014 Corvette Stingrays spotted on the road

If you're a Corvette fanatic dying to take delivery of that C7 you've placed an order on, take heart: There's a vehicle transporter laden with 10 (or is it 11?) 2014 Stingray coupes roaming the American southwest. Submitted by Autoweek reader Dan Becker, the photo doesn't tell us much about the car, but at this point we're all fairly well-versed in the details. Two different five-spoke wheels are visible -- most are black but we see at least one shiny set -- but beyond that, nothing is visible; the cars' tight wrappings don't even betray a sliver of the colors underneath.

Ford to lower fuel economy rating on C-Max hybrid

Ford Motor Co. will reduce the stated fuel-economy rating of its C-Max Hybrid car -- a rare and potentially costly move that Ford spent months feverishly working to avoid. A Ford source with knowledge of the plan confirmed the company will announce the move on Friday.

Audi celebrates 500,000th TT with special edition

Audi is celebrating its 500,000th TT sport compact with a new special edition, based on the upgraded Audi TTS. Only 500 examples of the TTS competition will be built, and will begin rolling off the assembly line in October. Unfortunately Audi will only sell the exclusive cars across the pond.

BMW reveals Concept M4 coupe at Pebble Beach

BMW's M division has previewed its upcoming M4 coupe with the unveiling of a near-production-ready concept of the new performance coupe at the annual Pebble Beach Concours in Monterey, Calif. The BMW Concept M4 provides a lightly veiled look at the eagerly anticipated M3 coupe replacement that is expected to make its public premiere in production guise at the Detroit auto show in January. North American sales will start before the second half of 2014.

One lap of the Web: PT Cruiser Limo, Blackhawk Farms Raceway, and Swedish baby born in wrecked car

We love to cover the fastest race cars, strongest trucks and particularly the coolest vehicles in the world of automobiles. But we also cover the ridiculous -- like the PT Cruiser limo. Nothing says “I've made it” like a '50s-inspired crossover, and there is nothing like a night on the town in a PT Cruiser limo.

Lexus IS Design contest winner to be built for SEMA 2013

Somewhere in the shortlist of 25 semi-finalists from the Lexus IS Design contest lurks the design that will be built by tuner VIP Auto Salon and take pride of place on Lexus' stand at SEMA later this year. Hosted by online art community deviantART, the competition asked entrants to customize a Lexus IS saloon using any method they liked. The winner will also be given a one-year lease of the IS and other prizes.

New Mercedes GLA does off-road – a bit (video)

Mercedes want you to know the new GLA (pictured) can do off-road too. Mercedes are wasting little time in promoting the new GLA, with yesterday’s reveal of the A-Class Compact SUV coming with the first video trailer to whet potential buyers’ appetites. But it seems Mercedes are quite keen to show that the GLA might  just offer a bit more than soft-roader credentials if you opt for a 4MATIC 4WD version (initially available on the 2.0 litre petrol GLA 250 or turbodiesel GLA 220 CDI) in their latest promo video for the GLA.

Audi TTS Competition celebrates 500k TTs sold

The Audi TTS Competition (pictured) celebrates 500k TTs built It started off as something of a hairdressers car, but over the course of its 15 year history – and two iterations – the Audi TT has grown to be a credible sport car and a decent seller for Audi. That’s meant a total of 500,000 TTs have been solid since the TT first hit showrooms back in 1998, so Audi are celebrating with a new limited edition model – the Audi TTS Competition. The TTS Competition will be limited to just 500 units and will come in a choice of either Imola Yellow and Nimbus Grey, as a coupe or a roadster.

Who's Where: Simon Cox appointed design director, Infiniti Design London

Infiniti has recruited Simon Cox as design director at its Infiniti Design London studio, which is currently Nissan Design Europe. He will report directly to Infiniti executive design director Alfonso Albaisa. The new appointment comes as Infiniti attempts to evolve its design strategy by establishing new dedicated design studios, of which the London Paddington studio is the first.

Lincoln introduces Black Label trim at Pebble Beach

Lincoln introduced its hoity-toity Black Label Collection at Pebble Beach on Thursday. In the words of Jim Farley, “The new Lincoln Motor Company is built on three foundational elements -- design, quality and personal service; Black Label represents our highest expression of these elements.” Lincoln says its Black Label dealers will collaborate to create a personal, integrated client shopping and ownership experience, with respect for the luxury of time. We're not sure exactly what that means, but if the dealers can pick up the cars for gas, a wash and some fast food, that would be great.

Looking back: Denise McCluggage remembers Enzo Ferrari and the machines he made

When Enzo Ferrari died on Aug. 14, 1988, it was clear that road and racing cars bearing the Prancing Horse emblem would continue to be produced. What was less certain, however, is whether Ferrari would change as an organization following the loss of its founder.

New Audi Quattro supercar: could this be it?

Audi has released surprise pictures of one of the concept cars it will be bringing to the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, on its international media site. The new concept currently comes with no other information – not even a name. However, given the way it looks so similar to the RS5-based Quattro concept from 2010 and the presence of the Quattro text on so many of these illustrations, it seems fairly clear what this new supercar will be called.

Pebble Beach and Monterey car week 2013 preview: in pictures

Every August, car nuts from around the globe congregate on the Monterey Peninsula, on the west coast of America, to pay homage to the internal combustion engine. A series of events is run, culminating in the most prestigious concours in the world – Pebble Beach. Over the next few days we’ll be bringing you coverage of the key events and some of the smaller ones too, all leading up the grand finale.