Amateur spy shots briefly posted on Facebook have given us a decent look at the facelifted 2017 Subaru BRZ.

Relatively minor, the updates include new headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights, a sharper-looking front bumper, and a revised grille. Out back, the BRZ receives new tail lamps, and it might get a re-styled trunk lid.

The cabin benefits from a new instrument cluster that trades an analog gauge for a high-resolution screen that can be configured to show vital information about the car and its surroundings. The BRZ seemingly receives a new infotainment system, too, though we can’t say whether or not we’ll get it on our shores because could be looking at a model designed for overseas markets.

It’s reasonable to assume the 2017 BRZ will get the same mechanical upgrades as the newly-renamed Toyota 86. That means power will be provided by a 2.0-liter flat-four engine rated at 205 horsepower and 156 lb-ft. of torque, increases of five ponies and five lb-ft. of twist over the outgoing model. A six-speed manual transmission with revised gear ratios will come standard, and buyers who want to go clutch-less will be able to order a six-speed automatic at an extra cost.

Subaru is keeping tight-lipped about the 2017 BRZ. We don’t know precisely when it will be shown to the public, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it in the metal tomorrow alongside the all-new 2017 Impreza at the New York Auto Show. Regardless, it will go on sale in the coming months.

Mercedes-AMG has announced plans to unveil the 2017 C63 Cabriolet during the New York Show that will open its doors in a couple of days.

Power for the topless C63 will be provided by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine tuned to pump out 469 horsepower and 479 lb-ft. of torque in its most basic state of tune. For buyers who want more grunt, Mercedes-AMG will offer a C63 S equipped with an evolution of the twin-turbo eight rated at 503 ponies and 516 lb-ft. of twist. Both engines will shift through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The C63 Cabriolet will be heavier than its coupe counterpart (pictured), but it should nonetheless be capable of hitting 60 mph from a stop in less than four seconds.

It’s reasonable to assume that the bigger engine will be complemented by a full body kit with large air dams, side skirts, and a rear diffuser, as well as sport seats for the front passengers and a flat-bottomed three-spoke steering wheel. Stay tuned, official details will emerge in the next few days.

Mercedes-AMG enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to this week. In addition to the C63 Cabriolet, the company will show the new E43, the updated CLA45, the first-ever GLC43, and the brand new GLC Coupe in the Big Apple. We’ll be on location to bring you live images of all the action.

Photos by Ronan Glon.

Leaked images have revealed the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit ahead of its scheduled debut at this week’s New York Auto Show.

Positioned at the top of the Grand Cherokee lineup, the Summit features a model-specific grille, elegant-looking chrome accents on the lower front bumper, and LED fog lights. It rides on 20-inch alloy wheels, while a Summit emblem glued to the tailgate adds a finishing touch to the premium look.

The cabin receives wood trim on the steering wheel, on the center console, and on the dashboard, as well as quilted beige leather upholstery, black piping, a panoramic sunroof, and blue LED ambient lighting. We’ll have to wait until the New York show opens its doors to find out what else the Grand Cherokee has gained, but the Summit is already shaping up to be the most luxurious SUV Jeep has ever built.

Technical specifications weren’t leaked. However, it’s safe to assume the range-topping Summit is powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine rated at 360 horsepower and 390 lb-ft. of torque and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Grand Cherokee Summit won’t be the only new Jeep in New York. The company will also reveal an off-road-focused Grand Cherokee called Trailhawk, and a brand new crossover designed to replace both the Patriot and the Compass.

Revived German marque Borgward has established a China-based sales subsidiary as its Beijing plant readies for production. Sales of its first model, the BX7 SUV, are expected to commence next month.

“We have successfully established partnerships with nearly 100 dealers to date,” CEO Ulrich Walker is reported to have said according to Paul Tan. “Moreover, this dealer network is expected to grow to 120 dealers by the end of 2016, and 200 in 2017, covering key cities of the Chinese market.”

Power has been revealed to be a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine capable of 221 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. A 7-speed dual-clutch transmission will be the shifter of choice and all-wheel-drive will be available as well.

The new plant in China’s capital will have an initial capacity of 160,000 units. A second phase of plant expansion will increase that to 360,000. By 2020, Borgward believes it can build 800,000 cars a year, and by 2025 that number will double to 1.6 million. Walker says the company will adhere strictly to “German Industry 4.0″ manufacturing standards to assure the highest quality.

The BX7 will go on sale next month, launching at the Beijing Motor Show.

Live images by Ronan Glon.

Honda’s new supercar already has many superlatives associated with it, but there’s one that’s unlikely to be at the top of anyone’s list. The 2017 Acura NSX is the most expensive car built in America.

When it begins production this April at Honda’s new Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, the NSX will surpass the current titleholder of most expensive car built in the US, the Dodge Viper. This metric was discovered by Kelly Blue Book’s managing director Matt DeLorenzo and reported by Biz Journals.

At $156,000, it surpasses the approximately $90,000 Viper by at least 50 percent. The FCA halo car is built at the Conner Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan. Though Ford has a new, even more expensive supercar on the horizon in the form of the $400,000-plus GT, the NSX will still hold the title. That’s because the Ford GT will be built by Multimatic Inc., a Ford supplier in Canada, which takes over production from previous generations of the Ford GT built in Detroit.

At top trim levels and loaded with optional equipment, the NSX will break the $200,000 mark. Other versions have been hinted at as well. Honda says that 800 units will be built in 2016, the first of which will be delivered shortly after production kicks off.

State-owned Chinese car maker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding (BAIC) will unveil a sleek coupe powered by an all-electric drivetrain at next month’s Beijing Auto Show.

On paper, the yet-unnamed model is downright impressive. It can hit 62 mph from a stop in three seconds flat, it can reach a top speed of over 160 mph, and it can drive for nearly 190 miles on a single charge. Technical specifications haven’t been published yet.

The two teaser sketches published by BAIC suggest that the coupe boasts a muscular design characterized by a pronounced wheel arches, a low roof line, and a spoiler integrated into the rear deck lid. Its front end gets sharp LED headlights underlined by blue strips of trim and a sizable splitter.

BAIC will release more information about its upcoming EV in the next few weeks, and Leftlane will bring you live images of it straight from the Chinese capital starting on April 25th. What the future holds for the coupe largely depends on whether it’s merely a concept or a production model. If it’s approved for production, there’s a small chance we’ll see it on our shores one day because BAIC joined forces with California-based EV startup Atieva late last year in order to build premium electric cars for markets all around the globe.

Honda has begun restoration of its first US-market passenger car, a 1967 Honda N600. The car was discovered by a long-time restorer of the model, who had it in his possession for years before he discovered it was serial number 000001.

The N600 was a front-wheel-drive hatchback based on Japan’s supercompact class called kei cars in its home country. While Japanese versions were powered by a 360cc motor in line with kei requirements at the time, US-bound markets did not have such displacement limitations, allowing Honda to install a 600cc air-cooled two-cylinder, four-stroke engine good for about 31 horsepower and a top-speed of 77 mph. The car itself weighed less than 1,120 pounds. The N-Series also served as styling inspiration for the N-One.

This particular car, which Honda is calling Serial One, was discovered by N600 expert Tim Mings of southern California. Mings discovered it at a swap meet nearly 10 years ago and bought it without knowing its significance. It wasn’t until years later when he scraped off the grime covering the serial number that he realized it was the first N600.

The car is one of 50 from the first batch imported to the US as a pilot program for Honda Automobiles. It’s one of three known to have survived. Mings has been restoring N600s for over 20 years, and calls this the most important project he’ll ever undertake. When it is complete, it will reside at the American Honda collection.

In order to spur hydrogen vehicle and infrastructure development, Toyota is turning to a fleet of fuel cell forklifts.

Though Toyota has been advocating hydrogen-powered vehicles, the technology is still moving too slowly for the company’s tastes. It’s a classic chicken or egg scenario, in which the vehicles can’t proliferate because of the lack of infrastructure, but the infrastructure is too expensive to build because there’s not enough vehicle using them.

Toyota will attempt to give the alternative energy source another jumpstart by installing small communities of fuel cell workhorses at key locations. Later this year, hydrogen fuel cell forklifts will begin rolling out at the Tokyo Bay waterfront, where they’ll be used to haul bulk food and beverage loads around the wholesale market.

The hydrogen fuel would be generated by wind to keep carbon emissions at a minimum. Fuel cell forklifts can also be filled up in three minutes, rather than the hours needed for a batter-powered equivalent.

Toyota sees airports and other industrial areas as venues where small communities of fuel cell vehicles could be beneficial. As reported by Automotive News, Toyota senior manager in charge of the company’s Business Development Group Shigeki Tomoyama estimates that there could be as many as 100,000 fuel cell-powered industrial vehicles in use by 2030, which will lower the cost of fuel cell components. “Fuel cell [passenger] vehicles alone can’t stimulate the market,” Tomoyama said at the forklift program’s launch, “That’s why we need to expand to industrial use.”

As it happens, Toyota Group is also the world’s largest manufacturer of forklifts.

The Geneva Auto Show closed its doors a few days ago, and the New York show hasn’t even kicked off yet, but automakers are already beginning to talk about this fall’s Paris Auto Show. Renault will introduce a new concept in the French capital that will usher in its next design language.

The yet-unnamed concept will take the form of a stylish sports car, according to design boss Laurens van den Acker, but it won’t share any components with the long-awaited Alpine A120 that will also debut in Paris. Instead, it will be billed as a follow-up to the DeZir (pictured), which means it will be the first in a series of about five concepts built to show how the company’s next design language will look on a variety of body styles.

The changes made to Renault’s current design language will be evolutionary, not revolutionary.

“It took us so long to find a face. I’m not sure we could go through the agony again,” explained the Dutch designer in an interview with trade journal Automotive News.

The concept most likely won’t spawn a production model because a Renault-badged sports car would compete against the storied Alpine brand that executives are on the verge of re-launching after a 20-year hiatus.