The successor to the Mercedes Benz SL Gullwing (and replacement for the SLR) has been spotted in prototype form in and around Germany’s Nurburgring test circuit for several months now, but what only a select few knew is that the car is being developed completely in-house by Mercedes’ official tuner, AMG. Thus, the brand new model will be called the SLS AMG when it hits showrooms in the first half of next year.

In the lead up to its final unveiling, planned for later this year, Mercedes has released a ton of info on the car, including several images of actual prototypes and technical drawings.

2010 Mercedes SLC Gullwing rendering

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The latest entry to Acura’s range is a curious one, taking cues from the BMW X6 and 5-series GT school of design thought, seeking a way to combine the sport of a four-door coupe with the utility of a slightly taller vehicle. Whether it’s a success or not rests entirely in the eyes of the beholder, but it’s sure to spark debate amongst the dedicated.

Already spied in testing on the Nurburgring wearing heavy camouflage, the new ZDX was unveiled on the floor of the New York Auto Show today. The ‘concept’ version of the vehicle was teased ahead of its debut, and the ZDX name was also let out early, leaving just the full photography and technical details for today’s reveal.

Though it’s technically a ‘prototype’ vehicle, the ZDX is slated to arrive as a production model this fall.

2010 Acura SUV crossover spy shots

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The current generation Mercedes Benz S-Class and its associated AMG performance models have been on the market since the middle of the decade and are due to receive a minor update later this year to keep them fresh for their rivalry with the recently revealed BMW 7-series and next-generation Audi A8 arriving in 2010. On the eve of the New York Auto Show, Mercedes Benz has revealed full details and images for the new range but is not planning on actually presenting the cars at the event.

In the 2010 S-Class, Mercedes-Benz has improved the renowned safety level even further with a host of new features.

Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHYBRID

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General Motors confirmed the sale of its Hummer brand last August and followed up the announcement with the release of an official document for potential buyers just one month later. Poor sales, growing public concern for the environment and the recession have all added up to weaken Hummer’s sales chances, but there is hope that a company based in emerging markets like China, India or Russia could still be interested.

According to an inside source, GM has three bids left for Hummer, ranging between $100 million and $200 million, as well as extra commitments.

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BMW will be using next month’s Nurburgring 24 hour endurance challenge to continue testing its GT4-class M3 race car, which will take place over the weekend starting on the 23rd of May. Behind the wheel will be BMW works drivers Augusto Farfus, Jörg Müller, and Andy Priaulx, all of whom are normally involved in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). As a change, two journalists from German magazine ‘sport auto’ will also be spending some time behind the wheel on race weekend.

Importantly, it is not BMW Motorsport that will fielding car but rather its Customer Racing program, together with Schubert Motorsport.

BMW M3 GT4 race car

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Not to be outdone by the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards from the Detroit Auto Show, the organizers of the New York Auto Show are heavily promoting their own ‘World’ and ‘Performance’ titles and today revealed the winners for this year’s awards.

We already saw the Nissan GT-R and Honda FCX Clarity take out the respective Performance and Green car titles, and now we can confirme that Volkswagen’s Mark VI Golf, which will be coming Stateside in just a matter of months, has been declared the 2009 World Car of the Year.

VW Golf Mark VI official photos

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Mazda has been very busy in the past couple of months, with updated versions of the MX-5 and CX-7, as well as the all-new 2010 Mazda3, all making their respective debuts recently. Mazda’s new model roll-out shows no sign of slowing as the company has just unveil an updated version of its CX-9 SUV at the New York Auto Show.

Highlighting the list of changes for the 2010 Mazda CX-9 is a new front-end, which picks up the company’s smiling fascia, as well as new headlights, fog-lamps and dual chrome exhaust pipes.

2010 Mazda3 Mazdaspeed (MPS)

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The 2009 season of the FIA GT Championship got underway with the official media launch and test days, which took place at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit earlier this week. Cars from the FIA GT Championship, the FIA GT3 European Championship and the GT4 European Cup were entered for the test days, with a total of 49 cars taking part over the two day event. Two special cars, built according to the 2010 GT1 technical regulations, were also included in the event. They were the Nissan GT-R and the Ford GT1.

A number of changes to the motorsport series will be taking place for 2009, including a calendar reduced to eight events, the removal of development tires, and less team assistance.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV

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Hyundai has developed a new large luxury saloon called the Equus, which it sells in its home market of South Korea as well as a few select markets around the world. Latest reports indicate that the car could eventually be sold in the U.S. as a rival to luxury flagships such as the Mercedes Benz S-Class and Lexus LS, but the Hyundai will likely be priced around the $50,000.

The information comes from a Hyundai insider, who revealed to Edmunds that the Equus will almost certainly arrive in U.S. showrooms within the next “two or three years”.

Hyundai VI Equus replacement

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Already angling for sales in excess of 20,000 units annually, Mitsubishi took the opportunity of the New York Auto Show to announce it will be selling the i-MiEV electric car in the U.S. and other global markets.

The car is already in testing in California, Oregon, Tucson and elsewhere, but the subject of U.S. sales had until now been shied away from. Now, the company is eager to talk about its plans for the i-MiEV and other electric vehicles as well.

“Electric vehicles are one branch of the automotive landscape and we are dedicated to providing these technology-sourced solutions as an important path for the world’s clean-air options,” explained Mitsubishi Motors North America president and CEO Shinichi Kurihara.

2009 Mitsubishi Prototype i MiEV concept

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