With the fifth-generation of the BMW 7-Series limousine codenamed F01 entering its third year in production, it’s time for the Bavarian company to begin readying a mid-life facelift for its flagship model. 
Our spies snagged a lightly camouflaged prototype of the 7-Series bearing the ActiveHybrid 7 badges while testing in Germany. Judging by the parts of the car hidden under masking tape, there should be some minor styling changes to the front and rear bumpers as well as to the headlamps and tail light graphics.
Photos of the mildly refreshed Kia Pro_cee'd are making the internet rounds before the car's scheduled world premiere at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in early March. The most obvious visual changes concern the restyled front end that brings the three-door version of the European market Cee'd more in line with Kia's latest offerings. Along with the new H-shaped front grille finished in black, the 2011 Pro_cee'd also gains restyled headlamps and a reworked bumper. It is also possible that Kia may have upgraded the three-door model's interior as well as its engine line-up, but we won't know for sure until we get the official press release in our hands. Until then, follow the break to check out the rest of the pictures.
The last time we had news about the upcoming Fiesta ST was back in September 2010 when our spies snagged a three-door prototype in Germany. Now, we have some fresh pictures of the five-door version of the hottest Fiesta undergoing tests at the Nurburgring racetrack without much camouflage.
What you see here is a prototype version of the all-new Opel Astra GTC OPC, or as Vauxhall buyers in Britain will come to know it, the upcoming Astra GTC VXR, and it was spotted doing test rounds at the Nurburgring race track. Having already revealed the mainstream models of the new and rather sporty looking in a VW Scirocco kind of way GTC, the Astra’s engineers turned their focus on the fastest and most powerful version of the series, which will look a lot like the original concept seen at last year’s Paris Motor Show.
If anything else, spy photographers have their work cut out with the new Toyota FT-86 sports coupe. As we are nearing closer to the launch of the production model, the Japanese automaker has increased its presence at the Nordschleife circuit in Germany to fine tune the chassis and mechanical hardware, with this latest scoop video showing a camouflaged prototype in action.
Our spies have photographed and filmed the new Opel (Vauxhall in Britain) Astra Convertible on test in Germany. The vehicles caught testing here are early prototype models as the front doors appear to be carried over complete with their frames from the hatchback model. 
Nevertheless, we are offered out first look at the open-top version of the new Astra series, which is planned to go on sale by early 2013. The most important change over the previous Astra TwinTop is the replacement of the more complicated, heavier and costly retractable metal roof with a traditional fabric hood.
Last April, from the sidelines of the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, BMW displayed a thinly disguised concept model of a sporty-looking sedan model named the Gran Coupé. Now, it looks like that the Bavarian automaker is preparing for the presentation of the final production model as the company has just filed a patent for the designs of its so-called four-door sports coupe. 
The images outline the shape and details of the production version that will most likely go on sale in early 2012. By comparing the drawings of the production car with the photos of the concept model, we see that BMW has made some subtle styling changes to the front with the redesigned bumper featuring a center grille on the lower part as well as to the rear, which sports re-positioned and re-sized reflectors and different tail pipes.
During a presentation at Renault’s facilities in France, a foreign journalist attending the event managed to slip away from the crowd and snap a single photo of a small car testing on the company’s proving grounds before falling into the unloving arms of the security team. The journalist-turned-into-spy photographer said the bagged prototype looked similar in size to the current Twingo city car. He added that the small hatchback model featured several sporty elements such as the bumper designs, wide tires and tall alloy wheels, which lead him to believe that it’s a prototype for the new Twingo RenaultSport (RS) or the Gordini RS, with the differences between the versions being purely aesthetic.
Although roughly less than two years away from launch, Land Rover continues to use engineering mules to test the next generation of its Range Rover model. And by mules, we mean that the British firm is utilizing a modified body of the current luxury SUV with a different front end and beefier wheel arches hiding the wider tracks of the new platform architecture. 
And while the 2013 Range Rover’s looks remain a mystery for now, we do know that it will adopt a new lightweight aluminium chassis using know-how from the group’s Jaguar brand. Furthermore, the new model will feature an alloy body shell while certain components will be made of composite materials.
With the new 1-Series out in the open, it is time for us now to take a look at the next car in line for replacement in BMW’s range, the 3-Series sedan with these freshly shot spy photos. As we’re nearing closer to the launch, BMW continues to peel away the disguise with the latest F30 prototype having shed not only plenty of swirly decals but also the fake front and rear end additions giving us a better look of the car’s styling. 
BMW hasn’t really messed around with the design of the 3-Series since the introduction of the E36 in 1990, and the new F30 isn’t an exception to the rule. The styling of the F30 is a clear evolution of the current E90 3-Series borrowing certain elements from the 5-Series such as the stronger belt-line combined with a lower and more aggressive front end with larger double kidneys. Previous spy shots reveal that BMW will follow a similar formula with the 3-Series’ interior.
Roman Jagatić is the latest addition to our ever-growing list of readers-turned-into spy photographers. Roman stumbled upon this strange looking Volkswagen-Skoda hybrid prototype parked at a gas station in Munich, Germany. The test car appears to combine a modified body of a Skoda Octavia with a Volkswagen front end. 
While we do not have a definite answer to what it may be, possible scenarios include a test car for a new Skoda Octavia and a prototype for a Volkswagen-badged model for select markets outside Europe.
The new Mini Roadster isn’t expected to reach showrooms before late next year, but Carscoop reader Klaus M. has spotted a prototype model in a swirly camouflage at a roundabout near Oxford in South East England. Caught by surprise, Klaus managed to shoot a single photo of the 2012 Mini Roadster but promised to keep an eye open and send us more photos in the future. Mini has already revealed plans to debut the Coupe version of the series at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show this September, with sales to follow towards the end of the year. The ragtop Roadster model will follow at a later date.
We’re not quite sure what to make of this new Chevrolet prototype that was caught by our scoop photographers on European roads. The test vehicle appears to be a small or compact MPV in a taller, SUV-esque design with short overhangs and an upright fascia reminiscent of the latest Chevy models. Our man with the long-lens told us that the camouflaged prototype was clearly smaller than the Orlando people mover that’s offered in Europe. 
It could be that Chevrolet is working on a new small crossover model based on an extended version of General Motors’ Gamma II platform. The same architecture underpins the new Chevy Spark and Aveo / Sonic and will also form the base for the future Opel Corsa and its SUV sibling that is currently under development.
A peek through the European patent office files revealed images of Honda’s freshly launched in North America, 2012 Civic in both four-door sedan and two-door coupe guise. Given that the European market will get its own, bespoke version of the Civic, chances are that Honda simply wanted to cover its back like most of the competition just in case another automaker (we are looking towards you China) got any crazy ideas. However, it is possible that Honda will offer the four-door saloon model in certain European countries to compete against the Volkswagen Jetta. With the exception of one version of the Civic sedan seen in this set of images and which features slightly modified taillights with additional strips that extend towards the license plate holder, there are no other differences compared to the North American Civic.
Not too long ago, we brought you official design images of the brand new 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class sporting a five-door hatchback body styled after the impressive A-Class concept seen at the New York and Shanghai Auto Shows in April. Now we have some revealing spy shots of the upcoming 2012 B-Class minivan. Being that the next A-Class and its larger B-Class sibling belong to the same family, you would expect a similar design philosophy between the two models. 
However, as these latest scoops demonstrate, that is not the case with the new 2012 B-Class. We had a very hard time telling the differences between the current B-Class and its successor, as the overall shape and styling of the small MPV have been kept intact. Nevertheless, the new B-Class is slightly taller and longer than the current model, with the front and rear ends influenced by the latest crop of Mercedes-Benz cars and SUVs.
With the new sporty looking three-door Astra GTC on its way and the Astra Sedan outlined by its sister models from Buick’s US (2012 Verano) and China (Excelle) divisions, the only body style left to complete the range of Opel’s C-segment model series is the convertible version. Recently, our spies in Germany caught a glimpse of an Astra-based model, which appears to be the cabriolet variant of the series. While we can’t be 100 percent sure, it is clear that this Astra has a boot while the close ups reveal a more raked rear windshield line than you’d normally expect to see on a four-door family sedan. 
To get an idea of what the Astra Convertible might look like, here's our artist’s impression based on the upcoming GTC model. Even though our image of Opel’s VW Golf Cabriolet contender was styled with a soft-top, it has not yet been revealed if the German company will adopt this solution or if it will continue to use the current Astra TwinTop’s retractable metal roof.
Our spy photographers have captured a lightly camouflaged prototype of the freshly revealed in the USA and China, Nissan Versa / Sunny series, during testing in Sierra Nevada, Spain. The prototype was a right-hand drive example with test license plates from Spain. 
Aside from the odd-looking exhaust tail pipe that extends all the way to the outer corner of the rear bumper and possibly the headlamp and tail lamp designs, we didn’t notice any other styling differences compared to the North American Versa and the China market Sunny models.
By now, you have probably already seen our spy shots of the kitted-out Toyota FT-86 prototype with the Supra-like rear wing, which was snagged during testing in Germany, but one scoopster managed to film the sports car on the road as well.
There’s a new Audi model coming to town. We’re talking about the 2012 R8 GT Spyder that will make its global premiere at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and which we caught testing in and around the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany. Even though Audi recently teased us with a set of renderings, these are some of the first real life photos of the R8 GT Spyder, which is seen here in prototype guise.
Carscoop reader Florian G. from Germany emailed us these photos of a 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe that he spotted parked on a road in Munich. While not a scoop in the traditional sense given the introduction of the new BMW 6-Series Coupe at last month’s Shanghai Auto Show in China, it is an interesting find nonetheless. The only thing we’re not sure of is what the ‘iCenter’ sticker below the vents of the front fenders means (that is, if it means anything). For the record, we’ve encountered the same logo on a few recent BMW prototypes. Follow the break for more pictures.
Our spies snagged a lightly camouflaged prototype of the 7-Series bearing the ActiveHybrid 7 badges while testing in Germany. Judging by the parts of the car hidden under masking tape, there should be some minor styling changes to the front and rear bumpers as well as to the headlamps and tail light graphics.
