U Spy: Mercedes-Benz's Slinky CLA Sports Sedan Nabbed in Hungary

We mean it when we say it’s always a pleasure to host scoop pictures from you, our readers, and we feel especially honored when CarScoopers like Andor I. from the picturesque city of Budapest in Hungary select our site to send in their very first spy shots.
The prototype spotted by Andor is the upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA compact sports sedan, or if you prefer, Stuttgart's "baby" CLS with a smaller footprint, but also a much smaller price tag than the brand's original four-door coupe.
Read more »

U Spy: Reader Spots a Bunch of Ford Prototypes Including New Ranger and Strange Mustang

Recently, CarScoop reader Anrev stumbled upon an unusually large gathering of Ford prototype models in Denver, Colorado, some of which were in full camouflage while others sported strange features that caught his, and ultimately, our attention as well.
Anrev explains what he saw and snapped with his camera:
"The Ford Test mule fleet is in Denver. Mustangs, Fusion, Fiesta, Ecosport with Japanese emblems, F150, Mondeo, Ranger and 2 other cars that are heavily padded and were covered. One was the size of the ecosport but more boxy. The other was the size of the Mustang but had a sharper nose and longer back roof line.
He continued: "The engineer that asked me to stop taking pics said they were in town for a few days. He started the Mustang while I was there and gave it a little gas. It may have SAID 5.0 on the side. But there's no way it was. Sounded like a V6."


Read more »

U Spy: Can You Tell Which Range Rover Models were Spotted in France?

The wait for the regular 2013 Range Rover Mk4 might be over, but Land Rover is far from done with the series as the British firm has more models heading our way in the next year or so.
The ones we know are coming for sure are the more athletic looking and smaller in size Range Rover Sport, and on the other end of the spectrum, a more luxuriously equipped version of the Range Rover with a longer wheelbase (LWB).
In a recent trip to France, CarScoop reader and owner of the LandRoverHell website, Glenn B., spotted a group of camouflaged Land Rover prototypes and was able to rattle off some quick spy shots for us with his mobile phone.

Read more »

U Spy: Facelifted 2014 Hyundai Equus Luxury Sedan Spotted in California

When CarScoop reader Hunter L. emailed these scoop shots he took of a camouflaged prototype sedan parked in a garage in California, he told us it's likely a 2014 model Hyundai, something we agreed with him, with our first thought going to the new Genesis saloon that we caught off guard testing in Europe earlier this month.

While the two prototypes may look similar, upon a more careful examination of the photos and specific details such as the lights, the dashboard and the window line, we determined that this is not the new generation of the Genesis but the North American market 2014 Equus facelift, which has been announced in South Korea.

Read more »

U Spy: Reader Nabs 2014 BMW X5 in Munich

BMW is hard at work developing the next generation of its X5 SUV that was captured here in prototype form by CarScoop reader Peter S. from Hungary while he was visiting the Bavarian capital city of Munich in Germany. Read more »

U Spy: New BMW M3 F30 Sedan Nearing Closer to Production

CarScoop reader Michael G. from Germany dropped these spy pictures of a prototype BMW model that he captured earlier this week in our mailbox.

"I think this might be the new BMW M3 Saloon," he tells us. "These photos were shot in Munich." Well done Michael, and thank you for sharing these shots with our readers.

Read more »

U Spy: BMW i3 Coupe Concept Parked on the Streets of LA

As we were reminded earlier this week, BMW has been working on electric cars for four decades now beginning with the 1602 Electric in 1972, and next year, it will introduce its first series production EV in the form of the all-new i3 five-door supermini.

At the recent LA Auto Show, BMW displayed a three-door concept version of the sub-compact model named the i3 Coupe, and it is this car that CarScoop reader Alfred H. spotted on the road this week.

Read more »

U Spy: CarScoop Reader Meets Camouflaged Trailblazer at Stelvio Pass in Italy

While enjoying a ride on a twisty Italian road in his Porsche Boxster 981, CarScoop reader Michael, who you may remember from his previous video when he filmed a Mercedes prototype in the Italian Dolomites (see here), stumbled upon a convoy of Chevrolet trucks and crossovers. Read more »

U Spy: New Skoda Octavia Combi Also Snagged in Chile

For some…inexplicable reason, Skoda is having a hard time hiding its new Octavia from snooping eyes while filming the car on…public roads in Santiago, Chile.

About a week ago, it was CarScoop reader Nicholas W. who captured the saloon or to be precise, the liftback model on the streets of the South American country, and now, it is Juan J., a member of the Conducechile forums, who was able nab the station wagon variant of the third generation Octavia.

Read more »

U Spy: Porsche's New 2013 Cayman Coupe and Macan SUV Filmed in Stuttgart

While you can occasionally stumble on a 2013 Cayman at an airport warehouse in the U.S., there's no question that the best locations to spot a future Porsche model are the Nürburgring race track and the automaker's home city of Stuttgart in Germany.

CarScoop reader Toldi has made an art of capturing upcoming Porsche models on film and this time, he was able to scoop two prototypes, the 2013 Cayman coupe and the all-new Macan mid-size luxury crossover.

Read more »

U Spy: Reader Wants to Know What Prototype he Filmed on the Dolomites

Unless you're an employee of an automaker's engineering department, there's no (legal) way of knowing when and where you're going to stumble upon a prototype model testing on the road.

However, you can always be prepared for the opportunity by fitting a camera on your car, which is the case of CarScoop reader Michael R. who was recording his ride up Passo di Falzarego in the Italian Dolomites in an open-top Porsche model when a camouflaged model crossed his path.

Read more »

U Spy: 2013 Skoda Octavia Mk3 Caught Naked in Chile!

Just hours after we showed you our speculative take on the 2013 Skoda Octavia III through Josh Byrne's rendering, CarScoop reader Nicholas W. emailed us this picture he shot in Santiago, the capital city of Chile, earlier today.

From what we understand, Skoda was on site to photograph both the sedan, which is seen here with only the brand's logo on the bonnet being masked up, as well as the estate variant that can be viewed parked in the depth.

Read more »

U Spy: Is this the 2013 Mini Paceman John Cooper Works?

Living in Munich can have many perks, and we're not only talking about the quality of life where the German city is placed fourth best in the world in Mercer's "Quality of Living Survey" and fifth in "Monocle's Most Livable Cities Index", but for us car guys, there's also a lot to see on the roads.

Michael Gerhardinger joined our list of our spy readers today with these shots he took of an undisguised and unmarked Mini Paceman that he caught on Munich's roads.

At first, we thought it was probably a regular version of the new Paceman that was revealed at last month's Paris Motor Show, but upon a closer look, we noticed the "Werkstestwagen" decal on the rear bumper, which is German for "Factory test car".

Read more »

U Spy: Think You Can Help us Identify this Prototype Sedan?

Carmakers frequently test prototypes of future production models on public roads, but unless you are a professional stalker (i.e. a scoop photographer) and as cliché as this may sound, for the rest of us, it's all about being in the right place at the right time to capture one of them on camera.

CarScoop reader Gene not only happened to spot a prototype in California, but he was also swift enough to shoot a few photos of the four-door sedan model.

Genes writes: "Caught this mule in Cypress, CA over the past weekend. Looked like a next gen [Acura] TL from the front. The rear looks like a last gen Camry or Genesis sedan. Note the dual exhaust tips built into the bumper. I didn't get a good look at the badges."

Read more »

U Spy: New Rolls Royce Ghost Coupe Filmed Lapping the Nürburgring

Thanks to CarScoop reader and Nürburgring dweller Timo S., we now have the first ever action footage of Rolls Royce's upcoming Ghost-based coupe, the production name of which, remains a tightly guarded secret for now.

The spy video affords us a look at how Goodwood's new Flying Lady tackles the corners and straights of the Nürburgring Nordschleife track at speeds and angles you don't normally see a Rolls Royce model.

Read more »

U Spy: A 2014 Bentley Continental Flying Spur in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class Costume

When not trying out cars like the V10-powered Lexus LFA at Silverstone, CarScoop reader Jean-Luc C. is as observant as a hawk. While on his way to work, Jean-Luc spotted an odd-looking Bentley and was quick enough to snap some quick spy shots for us with his cell phone.

"I took these shots on my way into work on the M6 (About 15 miles away from the Bentley Factory in Crewe)," he told us.

"It looked like a Continental Flying Spur - but a lot of tape and a terrible S-Class grille taped to the front. It is obviously something under cover being tested - But what?"

Read more »

U Spy: New Porsche 991 Turbos Drop By Santa Barbara

CarScoop reader Ben F. has supplied us with a spy picture he shot earlier this summer of a 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo prototype parked at a gas station somewhere in Santa Barbara.

We will let Ben explain the 'hows and whens' of the encounter:

"I spotted the 991 Turbo in Santa Barbara this July. There were three of them: two coupes and one cab. All three were black. They were probably headed to the Mojave for some heat stress-testing. I attached a picture for you. The air inlets on the sides have plastic panels on them that look like those from the 996... I don't think they're part of the car, but the air intakes themselves are DEFINITELY real."

Read more »

U Spy: Barely Camouflaged 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo Recorded on the Road

The wait for one of the crown jewels of the new Porsche 911 series is almost over as it shouldn't be too long before the automaker removes the last remaining pieces of camouflage from the Turbo model in both Coupe and Convertible forms.

CarScoop reader and avid Porsche-hunter Toldi was able to capture a thinly disguised prototype of the new 991 Turbo Coupe on the streets of Porsche's hometown of Stuttgart in Germany with his camera.

Read more »

U Spy: What's Mercedes-Benz Doing with an A-Class Prototype in Prague?

Within the next couple of weeks - if not days, Mercedes-Benz will begin European deliveries of the spanking-new A-Class compact hatchback.

The premium model has already racked up more than 40,000 orders in Europe alone and as a result, Mercedes-Benz turned to Valmet Automotive, which it hired to build an additional 100,000 units or so from 2013 through 2016 to cover the demand.

Given that the regular A-Class has already been presented, we were somewhat surprised to see that CarScoop reader Radek V. spotted a heavily camouflaged prototype of the VW Golf-sized model earlier today on the picturesque streets of the Czech Republic's capital city of Prague.

Read more »

U Spy: Looks Like the 2014 Kia Cadenza will Receive a Facelift for North America

We are approaching the three-year mark since Kia released the K7 sedan in its home market of South Korea and in other regions as the Cadenza, and even though the mid-size saloon was slated for a North American launch at the end of 2011, it has yet to reach U.S. and Canadian showrooms.

Last year, two eagle-eyed CarScoop readers each spotted a completely undisguised version of the Cadenza on U.S. highways. While Kia officially remains silent about the car's North American debut, Autonews recently reported that the Cadenza will go on sale next summer as a 2014 model.

This brings us to these photos of a disguised Cadenza prototype nabbed on camera by CarScoop reader Sach M. in Colorado.

Read more »