Spy Shots: Next Volkswagen GTI mule snapped

Volkswagen has apparently commenced road tests for the company's next-generation Golf GTI and Golf R. Our legion of crafty spy photographers managed to nab a few photos of a pair of test mules spotted out and about in public. From the looks of things, the upcoming Golf GTI will rely on a set of dual-exhaust pipes in the future while the more menacing Golf R will go for quad pipes.Volkswagen hasn't released any final details on either vehicle, but from the whispers kicking around the web, it sounds like both hatches will need their new easy-breathing exhausts. In GTI trim, the Golf is expected to kick out around 230 horsepower – 30 more ponies than the current model. Step up the Golf R and you'll likely be treated to closer to 300 ponies.

Report: 1963 Volkswagen Bus hammers at record-setting $217,800

At Barrett-Jackson's recent Orange County, California auctions, a 1964 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III James Young sedan went for $159,500, a 2005 Ford GT sold for $165,000 and a 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger cleared $215,600. Topping them all, and every other car for the weekend: a 1963 Volkswagen Samba Microbus, sold for $217,800 inclusive of bidder's fee.

2012 BMW M5 unveiled at Nürburgring 24

We have seen it hinted and teased and glossily presented all over the internet, so we flew ourselves to the Nürburgring 24-hour affair and got all over her. Of course, we're talking about the long-awaited F10, or fifth-generation, M5 from BMW. The big news is that it will likely be priced at just eight percent above the starting sticker of the last-generation V10-powered E60 M5. Make that a cool $92,000. Then add M bells and whistles.We know most of the details in the general sense. (The assembled BMW development bosses were all bragging about how much they had driven it already around the Nürburgring and Hockenheimring, and all those other 'Rings we don't get daily access to. Dirty dogs.) A 553-horsepower, 4.4-liter Twin-Power Turbo V8 shared with the X5 M and X6 M behemoths, plus the small matter of 500 pound-feet of torque between 1,500 and 5,750 rpm. Redline is now right around 7,200 rpm instead of the discontinued E60 M5's V10 that smacked us around at 8,250.Versus the predecessor, which ceased production way back in December 2009, power is up by roughly 10 percent, torque by 30 percent, and fuel efficiency also by a whalloping 30 percent. "Drive it on the autobahn at full unrestricted speed around 180 miles per hour," says the F10 M5's project leader, Albert Biermann, "and certainly those efficiency numbers suffer. But our engineers drove the F10 every day to and from home some weeks, and have realized all of these better numbers."

2011 Saab 9-5 and Volkswagen CC earn IIHS Top Safety Pick awards

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded two vehicles Top Safety Pick awards. After testing eight mid-size to large sedans, the IIHS has called out the 2011-12 Volkswagen CC and 2011 Saab 9-5 for its highest award. Both vehicles earned "good" ratings for front, side, rear and rollover protection during testing. It should be noted, however, that only the front-wheel-drive VW CC gets the Top Safety nod, as the all-wheel-drive version only received an "acceptable" rating in rollover testing.The IIHS also tested Lexus IS, Lexus ES, Infiniti G, Chevrolet Impala, BMW 3 Series and Saab 9-3. The rest of the vehicles had score ratings ranging from good to acceptable, but it was the Saab 9-5 and Volkswagen CC (FWD) that walked away with a clean sweep in all tests.

First Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan

At first blush, Munich seems like an awfully long way to travel for the chance to drive a mid-cycle refresh. But Volkswagen has good reason to ask us to schlep across the Atlantic to drive its updated-for-2012 Tiguan: Momentum.The compact crossover had a bit of a knock-kneed start out of the gates when it arrived in the U.S. in May of 2008 as a 2009 model. While demand was spectacular at home in Europe, the VW failed to find early favor with North American shoppers, despite entering a white-hot segment. But that's rapidly changing. Last year, Tiguan sales increased from fewer than 14,000 units to nearly 21,000, and this year, it's on its way to a new record, selling almost 3,100 units in May alone. And thanks to a series of meaningful updates for 2012, there's every reason to believe that the kid brother of the pricey Touareg will continue to find increasing favor among consumers.

Report: BMW to rename 1 and 3 Series coupes as 2 and 4 Series

While Mercedes-Benz has been steadily re-integrating its four-seat coupes and cabrios into their corresponding sedan ranges, BMW is reportedly preparing to go the other way. Word from Car Magazine has it that the Bavarian automaker is preparing to launch the next-generation versions of its 1 Series and 3 Series coupes and convertibles as the 2 Series and 4 Series, respectively.The move would correspond well to the 6 Series, the coupe and convertible that sits between the 5 Series and 7 Series sedans. It's not the first time BMW has considered such a move, having come close to spinning the two-door 3 Series into a 4 Series about a decade ago.

First official 2012 BMW M5 shots hit the web

Official 2012 BMW M5 images have leaked onto the Internet as the latest iteration of the legendary M model prepares to charge toward showrooms. The F10 M5 is flared and aero-ed up with bodywork that maintains a buttoned-up demeanor even as it radiates aggression. Onlookers can tell the M5 is a special car with its enlarged air intakes in the front fascia, quartet of tailpipes and 20-inch wheels with Z-rated tires, but it doesn't need to be festooned with wings and bling to make its point.The 2012 M5 is about more than mere surface beauty, after all. The sonorous V10 of the last M5 has been traded out for a twin-turbocharged V8 fist. Power is up, with 552 horsepower (the V10 produced 507 hp) coming on at 6,000 rpm – 1,750 rpm lower than the V10. Torque is hugely boosted from 383 pound-feet to 501 lb-ft, which will be great for shoving this car to 60 miles per hour in a reported 4.4 seconds. That'll route to the rear wheels via a standard dual-clutch transmission, though a proper six-speed stick will reportedly be available here in the United States. - Autoblog