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Recent rumors have suggested that Volkswagen may introduce a high-riding, faux-crossover Variant of its latest generation of the European market Passat, as early as at the forthcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. And while we can’t confirm the rumormill, what we can do is show you a very well executed rendering of the VW Cross Passat made by a talented reader of Autoblog.nl.
Get excited DTM fans because there’s a new kid coming to town. We’re talking about Audi’s freshly revealed A5 Coupe racecar, internally named “R17,” that will replace the four-door A4 with which Audi has conquered the DTM title four times since 2004. Ingolstadt’s new touring model is based on the facelifted A5 Coupe that was presented earlier this week and it complies with the new technical and safety regulations that will come in effect in the German touring model championship next year.
We have already seen and reported on the brand-new 2012 BMW 1-Series, which was revealed a couple of months ahead of its world premiere, which is scheduled for the rapidly approaching Frankfurt Motor Show this September. Nevertheless, if the first batch of photos didn’t do the trick for you, you’ll be happy to know that today, BMW released a massive gallery with some 250 pictures of its compact sized hatchback, which may very well be the last version to feature a rear-wheel drive layout as the Bavarians are rumored to be planning a switch to a front-wheel drive platform for the next generation model. But enough with the talking. Hop over the jump to check out all the high-res gallery.
Meet the new Opel Combo, GM Europe’s latest offer in the light commercial vehicle segment that will also be available in a passenger car version. In case you didn’t notice, Opel’s newcomer is based on the Fiat Doblo van with the exterior styling changes over the Italian model limited to the design of the front bumper that somewhat awkwardly incorporates the German firm’s family grille.
Toyota has blessed its European market HiLux pickup truck with a mid-life facelift for the 2012 model year. The cosmetic surgery starts with the exterior that gains a redesigned front end sporting a different grille dressed in chrome, new bonnet, headlamps and front bumper. The changes continue with the redesigned front and rear wings, a new crop of 15- and 17-inch steel and alloy wheels, plus new door mirrors.
Along with the introduction of the regular versions of its refreshed A5 series, Audi also presented the updated S5 range. The most important change concerns the S5 Coupe in which the outgoing model’s naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 engine with 354-horses and 440Nm (324.5 lb-ft) is replaced with the same 3.0-liter supercharged V6 found in the Sportback and Convertible S5s.
Toyota today announced prices for its next generation Yaris hatchback in Europe including the UK where the supermini is available for order now with first customer deliveries to take place in September. The new Yaris is available in three- and five-door body styles with British buyers offered a choice of four grades (T2, TR, SR and T Spirit) and three engines including 1.0 and 1.33-litre petrol units and a 1.4-litre D-4D turbodiesel. On-the-road prices start from £11,700.
Audi today unveiled the facelifted versions of its A5 range which includes the Coupe, the Sportback and Cabriolet models. The company’s goal was to freshen up the A5’s exterior looks and to improve both their driving dynamics and fuel economy. 
The 2012 Audi A5 range is available exclusively with direct injection engines featuring forced induction and stop-start and energy regeneration system as standard. As a result, Audi says fuel consumption has been decreased across the range by 11% on average and CO2 emissions by as much as 22%.
The next Porsche 911 will make its world premiere in base trim at the forthcoming Frankfurt motor show this September, but this will only be the first chapter of the 991 saga as the Stuttgart-based firm plans to create an entire range of sub models. 
The 911’s lineup will eventually grow to include numerous body styles such as coupe, convertible, Targa and speedster models as well as a variety of standard and limited production versions ranging from the entry level Carreras in two- and four-wheel drive layouts to the GT-spec track racers and the almighty Turbo, which our spies caught testing in Germany.
