Low-resolution leaked images have prematurely revealed the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible.
Erroneously published by Chevrolet on its own website, the leaked images confirm the Convertible is all but identical to the coupe from the rocker panels to the belt line. Above that, it gets a cloth soft top that retracts at the push of a button, even when the car is in motion. With the top closed, the Convertible’s roof line is nearly identical to the coupe’s.

Engine options will be carried over from the all-new sixth-generation Camaro coupe that was introduced last month. Entry-level models will get a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 275 horsepower and 295 lb-ft. of torque, mid-range models will benefit from a 335-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 and range-topping models will feature a direct-injected 6.2-liter V8 rated at 455 horsepower and 455 lb-ft. of torque.

All models will be available with a driving mode selector that will let the driver select from “Snow/Ice,” “Tour” and “Sport.” SS models will up the ante with a “Track” mode, and they will be offered with General Motors’ Magnetic Ride Control active suspension system.

Stay tuned, the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible will be officially unveiled online tomorrow. Following its debut, it is expected to go on sale across the nation by the end of the year.

General Motors is reportedly preparing to launch a hatchback version of its next-generation Cruze in the US market.
The company has not officially disclosed such plans, but a Cruze hatchback was presented to US auto dealers at a gathering in Las Vegas last week, unnamed sources told Automotive News.

Offering a Cruze hatchback at home would not require a new vehicle to be developed from the ground up, as the company already offers a five-door configuration in select global markets. Making the move with the next-generation model also does not come as much of a surprise, after product chief Mark Reuss labeled the decision to not bring the current hatchback to the US as a “pre-bankruptcy planning mistake.”

The company recently teased the next-generation Cruze, which will presumably appear first in sedan form. Reuss also has promised that the redesigned model will “blow you away.”

Hatchbacks have experienced limited sales in the US, but the popularity of small crossovers appears to have inspired some automakers to reconsider the omissions. Separate reports suggest Honda is also preparing to launch its European-market Civic in the US after years of absence.

McLaren is reportedly preparing to introduce a new model with a focus on daily-driver and long-haul comfort.
The first model in the company’s entry-level Sports Series, the 570S, is already toned down from the more hardcore 650S and flagship track-focused P1, but the company is said to be working a new coupe with an even more capacious interior than anything in the current lineup.

Referred to as the Gran Turismo, the car will be based upon the same carbon-fiber tub chassis as the 570S and 650S, according to Automobile. It is expected to be immediately recognizable thanks to a larger all-glass roof that brings a fastback profile.

Aside from improving rear visibility, the new roofline is expected to bring additional cargo area behind the headrests. The interior is said to be much more comfort-focused than that of the 570S or 650S.

Despite the cozy interior, the Gran Turismo will allegedly maintain the 570S’ same basic power and handling features. Drivers can expect around 562 horsepower from its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine.

A concept is said to be on track to debut sometime next year, however a production window remains unclear. Whenever it does arrive, the GT is expected to command a premium over the 570S’ $185,000 price tag.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into allegations of braking problems with the 2013 Dodge Dart.
The agency has received more than a dozen complaints of braking difficulties, sometimes after drivers hear a “pop noise or an air hissing noise when applying the brake pedal,” according to excerpts of the investigation documents published by The Detroit News.

After hearing the noise, some drivers have reported difficulty depressing the brake pedal. The behavior is also said to cause an increase in braking distances, and at least one complainant claims to have experienced a complete failure of the service brakes.

“I feared for my life. It is one of the scariest things I have ever dealt with,” one complaint said. “I am lucky I am able to write this letter to you.”

The investigation comes as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles faces increasing scrutiny for its handling of recalls. The NHTSA has called for a public hearing next month, finding potential improprieties with nearly two dozen recall campaigns. FCA brands also dominated the bottom positions in JD Power’s latest quality survey.

General Motors has announced plans to launch an “all-new vehicle program” at its Orion Assembly plant outside Detroit.
The company did not identify the mystery model, but the project is said to be “unlike any in the plant’s 32-year history.” It will require a $245 million investment and promises to add 300 jobs.

The plant has encountered a bit of trouble this year, with production cuts of its core models: the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano. Assembly lines have been slowed several times, as sales of both cars slid by 29 percent and 15 percent, respectively, during the first five months of the year.

It is unclear if the upcoming model will be related to the Chevrolet Bolt, which has already been confirmed to be built at the Orion factory. The company is said to be targeting annual sales volume of 25,00 to 30,000 units.

Speculation suggests the Bolt could begin production as early as late 2016, however it is unclear if battery prices will drop far enough within a year to make a business case for a $37,500 (before government incentives) EV with a range of more than 200 miles.

While the buzz around the 2016 Honda Civic is centered around the 300hp Type R variant, new details have emerged on a less-intense performance version.

Slotting between the grocery-getter Civic and the mental Type R will be a medium-hot version. While Australian press is calling it the Type S, a name last seen in the US on the Acura RSX, CL and TL, it will probably be billed as a Civic Si in the US.

According to Motoring.com.au, power will come from the turbocharged 1.5L inline-four announced at the concept unveiling at the New York Auto Show earlier this year. However, it will be tuned to output somewhere in the neighborhood of 200hp, 25 percent more than the 148hp version of the same mill used in the Japan-market Honda StepWGN. Torque, too, would be similarly bumped, from 150 lb-ft in the minivan application to 192 lb-ft.

Judging by past Civic Si models, the new one would likely come with a manual transmission only, perhaps the 6-speed stickshift offered as standard. With the cancellation of the Civic’s hybrid and CNG variants announced earlier this week, the model appears to be leaning heavily towards a performance-oriented direction, much like the Civics of the late 80s and early 90s, during with the Si trim was first introduced.

Live images by Brian Williams.

Toyota of Japan has released a heart-rending new ad just in time for Father’s Day.

The spot begins with a father welcoming his newborn daughter into his life, by affixing a “Baby on Board” sticker to his red Supra (or Celica XX, as it was called in Japan). What follows is the daughter’s life unfolding before the father’s eyes, a montage of childhood and adolescence depicted in a series of fast cuts both clever and touching.

The kicker comes halfway through the commercial when perspective shifts and suddenly all the events that took place in the first half are replayed, but this time from the daughter’s point of view. Scene for scene, every moment is matched in a series of shots that would make any movie director’s head spin.

Beautifully filmed, each shot takes no more than a second or two. However, a volume of emotions is conveyed in each one, especially during the surly teenage years when the daughter is embarrassed to see her harried dad shaving while driving, or when the audience gets a bonus reveal of what happened to the mittens the dad gifts to her.

We also see the progression of time in the dad’s choice of car, from Supra to Mark II (sold in the US as the Cressida) to Estima (aka Previa) to Prius to Corolla Fielder, the last of which arrives just in time for dad to stick another “Baby on Board” decal onto when the family’s next generation arrives.

Of course, the entire spot is an ad for the Toyota Safety Sense suite of electronic minders, which includes automatic brake activation when a rear-end collision is imminent. The tagline at the end reads, roughly translated, Love works invisibly, Toyota watches over you.” Watch the video below, and bring a bowl of chopped onions with you in case someone walks in on you.

Mercedes-Benz has announced the G500 4x4² concept that was presented earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show has been given the green light for production. On sale now in select markets, the extreme off-roader carries a base price of €226,100 (nearly $257,000) in its home country of Germany.
Based on the G500, the 4x4² stands much higher than a regular-production G-Class thanks to Unimog-like portal axles all around. The raised ground clearance gives the 4x4² impressive approach and departure angles of 52 and 54 degrees, respectively, and it is capable of driving through up to 39 inches of water.

The additional ground clearance is complemented by huge 22-inch beadlock wheels, skid plates on both ends, a sprinkling of carbon fiber trim and a deeper front bumper with three air dams. Buyers who don’t need beadlocks can replace them with a set of model-specific alloys.

Power comes from a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that sends 422 horsepower and 450 lb-ft. of torque to all four wheels via an automatic transmission. Also found in the standard G500, the eight-cylinder is essentially a de-tuned version of the mill that powers the Mercedes-AMG GT and the C63.

The Mercedes-Benz G500 4x4² will be available in a few European countries and in a couple of Middle Eastern nations. At the time of writing it doesn’t look like Mercedes’ monstrous off-roader will be sold in the United States.

Live images by Ronan Glon.