Autoesque

Ahead of its unveiling at January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Infiniti has offered a brief glimpse of the all-new Q50 saloon.

Doubtless inspired by the success of BMW’s Off Road Skills facility in South Wales, Honda has decided to launch its own off-road riding school.

Among Suzuki’s exhibits at the upcoming 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon will be a pair of concepts based on the diminutive Wagon R.

Most motor show concepts are bold visions of future products, with many unlikely ever to make the transition to showroom model. Honda however has done completely the opposite with its Modulo Climax concept, which is based on the S2000 roadster that was discontinued over three years ago.

Following the unveiling of its new third-generation Octavia earlier this month, Škoda has now confirmed an initial engine line-up.

Following the Fiesta passenger car’s facelift back in September, Ford has now applied a similar treatment to the van version.

Volkswagen has confirmed that the Beetle Fender limited edition, which was first unveiled at the Leipzig International Auto Show earlier this year, is coming to the UK.

BMW has given its Z4 roadster a minor facelift, taking the opportunity to introduce a new entry-level variant at the same time.

Royal Enfield has released a pair of accessory kits for its Bullet Classic range.

Some cars really suit a pair of full length over-body stripes: the Dodge Viper GTS, Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, for example. The jury’s still out on whether the Volkswagen Scirocco belongs in that category, though.

Lotus has launched the Evora Sports Racer, which has been designed to combine a plethora of equipment with an attractive price tag.

Carbon Motors - the company behind the E7, the world’s only purpose-built law enforcement patrol car - is expanding its range with the TX7 Multi Mission Vehicle.

Cadillac has confirmed that the ELR coupé is to debut at next month’s North American International Auto Show, exactly four years after the first appearance of the Converj concept that inspired it.

Perhaps we were spoilt by 2012’s decent group of contenders, but it doesn’t look like 2013 is going to be a vintage year for the European Car of the Year award.

GMC has unveiled its 2014 Sierra full-size pick-up, which features updated engines, refreshed styling and an enhanced specification.

Land Rover has launched the Freelander Black and White limited edition. No, it’s not a tribute the whisky brand; instead, the name rather unimaginatively denotes that the only paintwork options are Santorini Black metallic or solid Fuji White.

It was inevitable that Mini would launch a high-performance John Cooper Works version of its new Paceman crossover coupé… and here it is.

A jury consisting of 49 journalists from Canada and the United States has chosen the finalists for the 2013 North American Car of the Year and North American Truck / Utility of the Year awards.

Husqvarna has launched a range of Racing Kits for its motocross and enduro bikes. Designed to replicate the look of the firm’s factory racers, they incorporate both cosmetic and performance-enhancing features.

The new BMW M6 Gran Coupé mixes the four-door practicality of the M5 Saloon with the low-slung looks of the M6 Coupé, so it’s perfect for anybody who can’t decide between the two.

Radical Sportscars has revealed an all-new model that it describes as ‘the world’s most extreme road-legal coupé’.

Nissan is introducing the Visia, a more affordable entry-level version of its Navara double-cab pick-up.

Škoda has unveiled the all-new, third-generation Octavia hatchback. Compared to its predecessor, it’s both longer and wider, a move that significantly increases interior space. Conveniently, the upsizing also leaves a larger gap between the Fabia supermini and the Octavia in the Škoda range to better accommodate the recently-launched Rapid .

The return of the works MG racing team to the British Touring Car Championship this season saw lead driver Jason Plato end up third in the drivers’ standings, just 32 points behind eventual champion Gordon Shedden. Now, to celebrate that achievement on the track, a road-going MG6 BTCC Edition has been created.

Fiat has revealed the UK price list for its new five-door 500L , the model that has the tough task of trying to emulate the appeal of the 500 city car on a bigger scale.

Following its debut at September’s Paris Motor Show, Nissan has confirmed that the high performance Juke Nismo will cost from £19,995 when UK sales begin next month.

Hyundai has revealed an updated version of its Equus flagship saloon.

Suzuki has updated its Vitara compact SUV for 2013.

Volkswagen has launched the Eco Up!, which features a 1.0 litre, three-cylinder engine that can run on petrol, natural gas or biomethane.

BMW returned to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) this year and promptly won the manufacturers’ title. What’s more, BMW Team Schnitzer was victorious in the teams’ competition, plus its driver Bruno Spengler secured the drivers’ championship.

Until BMW starts building an M5 Touring or Jaguar decides to offer an XFR-S Sportbrake, the new Audi RS 6 Avant faces just two real rivals in the ultra-fast large estate car segment: the Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG and the Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon.

BMW has revealed the Concept 4 Series Coupé, which previews the model that will replace the 3 Series Coupé.

Specify the Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG with the optional Performance Package and the output from its 5.5 litre V8 engine is a substantial 550 bhp (410 kW / 557 PS), a figure that will be enough for most.

Kia is continuing its teaser campaign for the new Pro_cee’d GT and Cee’d GT, releasing some technical specs and another artist’s impression of what the high performance models might look like.

Back in April, Steve Saleen regained control of the automotive brand that bears his name. Now the first new product since that momentous change has been revealed - the Mustang-based Saleen S351.

Nissan has revealed ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, a one-off Batman-inspired special based on the upcoming Juke Nismo.

The FIA has published a preliminary entry list for next year’s Formula One World Championship.

Porsche has unveiled its all-new Cayman at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. Lower, longer and - most importantly - lighter than the previous model, the changes promise improvements in both performance and economy.