Categories: Rumors

Limited size, frumpy styling and great gas mileage - it's a formula that's been defining hybrids and electric cars since they've launched. No car better exemplifies this than the original lean, green machine, the Toyota Prius. The hybrid's styling is enough to draw snickers from strangers and jokes from friends, but its 50 mpg makes drivers plenty content to ignore any negativity from the peanut gallery.

Prius drivers of the future may get the best of both worlds. According to a Toyota executive, the next-generation Prius may trade in the small-hatch shape for something with more visual appeal.

The Bugatti Veyron is already the fastest car in the world. It's also one of the most powerful and expensive. There's nary a bragging right left for the ultimate symbol of power and excess, but that isn't stopping Bugatti from developing an even more extreme version.

Automobile magazine reports that Bugatti is working on a 1,600-hp SuperVeyron. That's right - the car actually may be called the "SuperVeyron," not to be confused with the current Veyron Super Sport and its measly 1,200 ponies.

The Subaru BRZ has already enjoyed all kinds of camera time, headlines and strong sales. Things should only get better for the sports car, as a new turbo engine is rumored to be in the works.

Automotive News reports that Subaru is working on a turbocharged direct injected version of the 2.0-liter horizontally opposed boxer engine used in the BRZ and Toyota GT 86/Scion FR-S. One of the main destinations for that engine will be the BRZ.

When it first revealed the concept NSX at this year's Detroit auto show, Honda said that it planned to get the car to market within three years. So we weren't expecting to see the production NSX for another couple years. However, the latest reports say that Honda will have it ready in a few short months.

After years’ worth of sedan rumors, it's looking like Lamborghini's first four-door will come in a slightly different form. Instead of designing a new four-door model, like it did with the Estoque concept, Lamborghini will reportedly extend the wheelbase of its Aventador coupe and add a pair of clamshell doors.

CAR magazine reports that Lamborghini will unveil the Aventador GT at next year's Geneva Motor Show. It won't exactly be a proper sedan, but it will have two small jump seats in back, along with two small suicide doors. The GT will be planted on an extended wheelbase. To go along with its more road trip-friendly demeanor, the Aventador GT will also receive some softening in terms of styling - at least as much softening as you can get while still being a Lamborghini Aventador.

Nissan has a tendency of detailing next-generation GT-Rs in the fall. It did it with the 2012 version; it did it with the 2013 model; and it will do it again with the 2014 model. A new rumor indicates an early-November debut for the next year of Godzilla.

The rumor hails from the North American GT-R Owners Club and suggests that Nissan will reveal the new GT-R on November 2. The model will allegedly go on sale in Japan about two weeks after that debut.

Kia will soon offer an electric version of its venerable urban box, the Soul, according to new reports this week. The electric Soul will follow the launch of the next generation gas version within the next two years.

What the electric vehicle market needs is more cars with style and, dare we say, it...soul. The Kia Soul certainly isn't for everyone, but compare it to the Mitsubishi i-Miev or Nissan Leaf, and all of the sudden, it doesn't look so bad.

In a world where both Lamborghini and Bentley are working on SUVs, nothing should be surprising when it comes to automakers and SUVs. And yet, a Rolls Royce SUV is still a bit of a surprise. It may never come to pass, but the other ultra-luxury company is considering the option.

In a discussion with Rolls Royce board member Harald Kreuger, which also revealed some potential Mini models, Inside Line learned that Rolls Royce is considering developing an SUV. Thankfully, they're in the early stages of the process, so there's a possibility that the Rolls SUV is never heard from again.

A Mini sports car? That sounds about as likely as a Mini SUV - so they'll both probably happen. In fact, Mini and parent company BMW are considering both SUV and sports car models, according to a new report. The potential additions could help grow Mini's line to a total of 10 cars.

Inside Line reports that Mini is thinking about a small sports car in the vein of a Mazda MX-5 Miata. It's not clear if the car would be a roadster or hard-top, and it's not clear how you can make a Mini look sporty, but the automaker shouldn't have too much of a problem tuning its tiny packages for sporty handling.

One of the most anticipated cars of 2012 is finally here...for the most part. McLaren has confirmed and previewed its F1-succeeding flagship supercar. While McLaren is keeping the details mum until the Paris Motor Show, it has provided several pictures for us to ogle and analyze.

For months, rumors have ebbed and flowed about the supercar. We've heard several names such as the P12 and 799, but McLaren is calling it the P1...for now. The model is just a design study at this point, andreports suggest that it will receive a more proper model name in production, though we kind of like the simplicity of "P1" over the mish-mash of letters and numbers that create "MP4-12C."

The search is on. Reuters reports that a Kia executive dropped a Soul bomb during last Friday’s earnings conference. The Soul, Kia’s second-best selling model in the first half of 2012, will receive a model update sometime next year – most likely as a 2014 or 2015 entry.

And although a Kia spokesperson refused to comment on the possibility of a new Soul to Automobile, our chances are still good for a Soul update. Ever since the Soul came onto the US auto scene in 2009, sales have steadily increased each year. But the vehicle’s modernistic, box-shaped design aesthetic has nevertheless remained stagnant.

The timing is ripe for a Soul reboot.