Spy Shots

Maserati was supposed to unveil its second SUV, the Grecale, on November 16th, 2021. However, because some supply problems the official launch date has been moved for sometime in the spring of 2022.

This doesn’t mean however that the company has stopped testing the next Grecale or that is not considering new versions of it. In fact our spy photographers caught the next Grecale Trofeo out for some first testing sessions. The car was even dressed in proper red Christmas camouflage.

Porsche brought back the "Sports Classic" name with the Porsche 911 997 generation as a successor for the iconic Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. Now, the name will be used once again, and an official launch for the new generation Porsche 911 992 Sport Classic is rumored for February 2022.

A few days ago our spy photographers caught the upcoming Maserati Grecale Trofeo out for a testing session dressed in red camouflage, just in time for Christmas. Now, the car dropped the red camouflage and continues its testing session in North Europe under extremely cold conditions.

When Lamborghini launched the special edition Aventador Ultimae LP 780-4, we knew the end of an era was coming. After a decade on the market, the Aventador is finally going to be retired. Previous rumors suggested that it will be the last Lamborghini model to feature a V-12 engine, but it looks that Lamborghini is not ready just yet to give up on the V-12.

A successor for the Aventador is right around the corner, and despite many rumors, it will continue offering a V-12 engine- it’s a hybridized engine, that’s true, but still a V-12.

Mercedes launched an assault at the 2021 IAA Mobility Show when it rolled out five EVs - the EQE family sedan, the EQB crossover, EQG Concept off-roader, and the Maybach EQS SUV. The fifth model was the AMG EQS, which was the first AMG model in the EQ lineup. Now, the automaker is following it up with the AMG EQE. The performance version of the EQE was spotted testing recently, proving that the company is taking the electric game to the next level.

The Porsche 911 is currently in its eighth generation, internally dubbed the 992. The current generation debuted in 2019, with the 911 Turbo debuting in March 2020, and as always, followed the philosophy “evolution, not revolution”. Fast-forward to the end of 2021 and we have spy footage, which shows an updated version of the 992 Turbo testing in the snow. Here’s what we see.

The Mercedes-AMG C43 – the entry-level AMG C-class – has been spotted yet again on public roads, but this time, it has shed almost all of its camo. This time around, only the front and rear fascia have been covered, but even with that, you can make out just about everything since all of the preliminary and concealing camo is gone. With so little camo, we can say with almost no doubt that Mercedes will be revealing it soon, maybe even before the end of 2021.

First off, let me point out that we know this is the AMG C43 based on the lower ride height and the larger yet fake air vents. That lower ride height comes courtesy of an even stiffer suspension, and there are true quad exhaust outlet sin the rear to go with the larger brakes and the lip spoiler on the rear decklid.

The real kicker here is that the C-Class lineup is ditching all large engines, with a turbocharged and hybridized four-cylinder being the only offering. In this case, the entry-level AMG will be losing the twin-turbo 3.0-liter engine and gaining a 2.0-liter. It’s the same M139 four-banger that’s found in the AMG A45 S, and in that model it’s good for 416 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque – an improvement of 31 horsepower over the outgoing model with a V-6 but a bit down on torque. This power output could change for the C43 (or perhaps C53 if a certain rumor is correct).

The good news is that we won’t have to wait for long as a debut could happen very soon with March of 2022 being the latest we’ll see it.

Following a previous spotting of a jacked-up A3, a new set of spy shots has essentially confirmed that Audi is, in fact, designing an A3 Allroad. Like the previously spotted model, this one was wearing a lot of camouflage on the lower body, meaty tires, and it clearly has elevated suspension – enough for at least 2-3 inches of extra ground clearance over that standard A3. Although the camo does a good job at concealing what’s underneath, if you look closely, you can make out cladding around the wheel arches, especially in the front. The side skirts don’t appear to be any beefier, but there’s a good chance that are plastic for added protection.

Beyond this, there will likely be more hard plastic all around to protect the car on mild off-road adventures. The rear doesn’t appear to be any different, though the front will likely take on a more rugged appearance. Little else is known about this specific car. It may not even be known as an Allroad as the Citycarver name – previously found on the jacked-up A1 – could also make a comeback. The A1 Citycarver actually had a taller suspension (about two inches), larger tires, some plastic cladding, and an overall more rugged appearance. This A3 could simply be a larger version of that, leaving the Allroad name for larger models.

The Mercedes EQ line of EVs isn’t very old, but the automaker is adding products to the lineup at a superficial rate. At the 2021 IAA Mobility Show, the automaker revealed a total of five EQ products, namely – the AMG EQS performance sedan, the EQE family sedan, the EQB crossover, EQG Concept off-roader, and the Maybach EQS SUV.

As if these weren’t enough, our spy photographers have now spotted the EQE SUV testing in the wild. It will slot in between the EQB crossover and the EQS SUV.

Update 12-14-2021: The EQE SUV has been spied yet again, this time doing winter testing. See it below!

The 2022 Mercedes GLE has been spotted a number of times in the past, and this time, we found it playing in the Scandinavian snow. Oddly enough, it was sporting more camo than before. Very little will change as part of this facelift, but the current model has only been on the market for a few years (since 2019, to be exact), so this is more about freshening up an already decent package.

What will change, however, are in the subtle areas of the GLE. Expect revised headlights and taillights, a new grille, and probably different mesh behind the corner vents. The decoy grille on this model represents what you’ll probably see on the higher trim levels, although, the production version will feature a considerable amount of chrome. The hood, body sheel, and rear hatch should remain largely the same.

The interior of the 2022 GLE will see an updated version of the MBUX infotainment system, a new steering wheel, and perhaps a slight change in trim design and offering. The powertrain will also remain largely untouched, but there could be some minor tweaks to increase either power, efficiency or – in a perfect world – both. This means a choice of the 2.0-liter inline-four in the GLE 350 or the 3.0-liter inline-six with EQ boost in the GLE 450. The former will deliver at least 255 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque while the latter comes with 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. 0-60 mph happens in between 5.5 and 7.0 seconds.

Expect the updated GLE to debut sometime in the first few months of 2022, with sales to commence right away as a 2022 model.

Mercedes launched the fourth generation A-Class back in 2018, in both hatchback and sedan versions. Well, hatchback for the rest of the world, and sedan for the States. Now, almost four years later, the A-Class is due for a small update and spy photographers caught both the hatchback and the sedan prototypes out for testing session. This time it was the sedan that was caught testing around the artic circle. Rumors suggest an official debut should happen in the first half of 2022.

It wasn’t long ago that Audi boss, Markus Duesmann, told Germany’s Manager Magazin that the midsize A4 will ditch the internal combustion engine by 2023. As such, the next-gen model that’s seen here (and due in 2023) represents that last fuel-powered generation of the A4 with an electric model due after that. So, will this generation get all the bells and whistles to give it a proper send-off, or will it be business as usual?

Following a fresh batch of Q6 E-Tron spy shots and the first spy shots of the Q8 E-Tron’s facelift, we now have a new set of the facelifted E-Tron doing some winter testing. Much like the last prototype we spotted, this one is wearing. A similar bottom-only camouflage, indicating changes to the front end, side skirts, and lower rear end.

As was the case with the last prototype, the front grille on this prototype features a honeycomb mesh, so we can say with little doubt that this is a production feature. It will be a very nice change from the vertical and horizontal slats of the pre-facelift model. We can’t say much else about it due to the extensive coverage, but it looks as if we will see further changes to the front fascia, and there’s a good chance there will be some minor changes to the front genders as well. The rear lights are still concealed, so you can expect some more change there, too. If you want to know more, be sure to check out the last round of Q8 E-Tron spy shots and learn what we know about the “next-gen” model.

Ferrari’s first SUV, which the company refers to as an FUV, is coming along nicely. We recently shared spy footage of the car and we saw its production body for the first time, even if it’s still heavily camouflaged. We now present new footage of the four-door Ferrari, which was spotted testing in its hometown, Maranello.

The Bentley Bentayga is one of the most luxurious and opulent SUVs that money can buy you today. While it is a sufficiently big vehicle with a decently long wheelbase, there is a demand for a more spacious Bentayga in certain markets. We can attest to this because a long-wheelbase version of the Bentayga has been spied winter testing in Sweden.

The Audi Q6 E-Tron is in its development stages, which means it will be caught testing often now. It was recently spied in Sweden for a winter testing session, blanketed in heavy camouflage. However, there were some elements we could decipher here.

Just two weeks after we saw the ID.5 GTX being tested in the wild, Volkswagen revealed the ID.5. Today, we’re looking at the production version of the ID. Buzz with nearly no camo yet still a bit different compared to the original 2017 ID. Buzz concept.

Mercedes just launched the facelifted E-Class for the 2021 model year, which brought it more in line with the current Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series. Oddly enough, the company is already working on prototypes for the next-gen E-Class that’s due around 2025, and our spy photographers managed to catch one of them out in the wild. Since this is a very early prototype, it’s under heavy camo and a fair amount of padding, but we can make out a few features that hint towards the next-gen general direction of styling.

The automotive world is a dynamic one and Ferrari embodies that quite well. Back in 2014, Ferrari said it will not bother with making an SUV. Fast-forward to nowadays and the Italian brand’s first “Ferrari Utility Vehicle” is nearing production state. Moreover, recent spy footage revealed the Ferrari Purosangue’s production body.

BMW is very serious about electrifying its future lineup. So far we’ve seen the iX and the i4, but the future will bring electric versions for pretty much every other car in the lineup. So far, the future i5 and the i7 are the ones that seem the most promising ones. A previous report suggested both cars will deliver in excess of 750 horsepower - making them the most powerful BMW road cars.