U Spot: Can You Tell What Kind of Car is Hiding Behind the Black Wraps?

A couple of weeks ago, Carscoop reader Sean McKeon sent us a picture of a mystery car being transferred on a truck full of 2012 Volkswagen Beetles in Los Angeles. As you might imagine, we were a bit tied up at the time with our Geneva Motor Show coverage and put the story on hold until today.

To get to the point, Sean asked us if we knew what type of car was hiding behind the black plastic covers:

"I saw this chrome (not silver, but blinged out chrome) thingy under wraps on this truck hauling new beetles through Baton Rouge, LA. At first I thought it was an R8, but the lights don't seem to match. Any ideas on what it might be?"

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Quick, to the Batmobile, but which One, the 1966 or the 1989 Model?

Ah, the never-ending battle of which is the best Batmobile of all time. A new webshow called 'Super Power Beat Down' has brought together two of the most famous Batmobiles from the whacky 1966-1968 Batman television series and from Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film.

Before you get overly excited and if you haven't figured it out already, these aren't the original cars but replicas – just like the 1966 Batmobile we took a ride in back in 2010.

The builder gave some initial specs on the two cars. The '66 is built on a C4 Corvette platform and is powered by an L98 V8 allegedly pushing out somewhere between 300 to 325-horses. It is claimed that it tops out at around 150-160mph (241-257km/h) and can complete the quarter mile in "high 9's or low 10's".

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Leaked Dealer Document Reveals 2013 Scion FR-S Prices, Starts from $24,200

The Toyota-loving crew over at FT-86 Club has got its hands on a leaked dealer document that reveals U.S. pricing for the new 2013 Scion FR-S sports coupe. If all that's said in the document is true, then Scion will come out with official pricing tomorrow, March 22.

According to the paper, Scion will offer a single trim level of the FR-S with prices, excluding a processing and handling fee, starting from US$24,200 for the model equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox and from US$25,300 for the version fitted with the 6-speed automatic transmission.

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Audi A5 DTM Shows its True Colors During First Official Test at Valencia Track

Earlier this month, Audi announced that it had completed the design of its brand-new DTM racer for the 2012 season after its homologation.

The A5 DTM, which externally at least, is based on Ingolstdat’s premium coupe, had some differences compared to the initial concept, mainly in its aerodynamic appendages – though the homologated car shown was covered in swirly “camouflage” paint.

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EPA Releases Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S Fuel Economy Numbers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has beat both Subaru and Scion in releasing the official fuel-economy ratings for the new BRZ and FR-S sports coupes.

Being that the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S are in essence identical twins, the fuel efficiency and greenhouse emission numbers are the same for both models.

According to the EPA, when the rear-wheel drive coupes' 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is matched to the standard 6-speed manual gearbox, they return 22mpg city, 30mpg highway and 25mpg combined.

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Jaguar-Land Rover Forms New Joint Venture with China's Chery Automobile

Tata Motor's Jaguar-Land Rover premium division has signed a joint venture deal with Chery Automobile to sell cars in its home market of China. The agreement, however, is not final, as it has to be approved by China's regulators.

Just last December, China's National Reform and Development Commission (NRDC) and the Ministry of Commerce said that they would stop encouraging foreign investment in the car manufacturing industry to allow for “healthy development” of a market.

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Chevrolet to Debut All-New 2014 Impala Sedan and Facelifted Traverse CUV at New York Auto Show

Chevrolet will continue to revamp its passenger car lineup with the presentation of the all-new 2014 Impala full-size sedan and the facelifted 2013 Traverse crossover, both of which will make their world premiere at the at the New York International Auto Show next month.

Along with the announcement, GM released one teaser photo for each model, including a cropped image of the new Impala's C-pillar design and a peak at the 2013 Traverse's interior.

The new Impala has been designed from the ground up, sharing its lengthened Epsilon II platform and mechanical hardware with the 2013 Cadillac XTS.

GM has not offered us any official details yet, but it is believed that like the XTS, the Impala will also be available with both front- and all-wheel-drive, and possibly, a choice of two engines, including a 2.0-liter turbocharged four and a 3.6-liter V6.

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Lada Riva Sedan Highway Spin Deserves a Chuck Norris Approved Stamp

Continuing our series of epic videos on Lada's Riva family car, here's another abnormal incident that took place on a highway in Russia.

While it doesn’t take a genius to see that the conditions of the road are unsafe and therefore one should be extra careful, especially when driving an archaic rear-wheel drive vehicle like the Riva (also known as the Nova, 2105 etc.), the person behind the wheel of the Lada doesn’t seem to care.

And of course, the inevitable happens; he (or she) loses control of the car. But the ending is not what you may think it will be. See how it plays out in the short clip that follows after the break.

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Holden to Stay in Australia After $200 Million Deal, New Commodore Coming to the U.S. as a Chevy?

The United States and Canada aren't alone in supporting General Motors and its companies.

The Australian government is also doing its part to keep GM's local subsidiary Holden in the country by promising a subsidy package worth more than AU$200 million (US$210 million) after the automaker threatened to shut down its operations if it did not get financial aid beyond 2015.

While Holden has yet to issue an official statement, Australian news daily, The Age, reported that the country's Prime Minister Julia Gillard, along with South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, Holden chairman Mike Devereux and vehicle union boss Ian Jones will be in Canberra today for the official announcement.

After securing the financial assistance, Holden is said to continue producing cars in the country until for at least another 10 years. According to sources, Holden has promised to invest some AU$750 million in its Australian operations during this period.

Interestingly, the newspaper said that Holden will "soon confirm an export deal to sell Commodores in the US, where the car will carry a Chevrolet badge."

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MINI Roadster Goes Top Less in Cheeky Peep Show Ad

Here's proof that you don't necessarily need to employ a bunch of Hollywood stars and break the bank to make a successful commercial that has the potential to become a viral hit on the web.

Mini's new "Peep Show" ad for its recently launched two-seater Roadster model is short, sweet and to the point. And you can watch it for yourself in the video that follows after the break.

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