U Spy: One More Reader Spots the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M Class SUV

Even though the official presentation of the new M Class isn’t due until later this year - most likely at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in early September, an increasing number of lightly camouflaged prototypes have been caught roaming around the roads of Germany.

During the past few months, we’ve covered the 2012 M Class pretty extensively with both professional and reader shots. This new photo of a pair of M Class SUVs sitting side by side at a parking lot with other Mercedes models comes courtesy of Carscoop reader Patrick Favoreel.

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U Spy: BMW’s New X1 ‘baby’ Crossover Caught Strolling in Long Beach, California

While BMW is still keeping mum on when it will bring its smallest crossover model over to the States, Carscoop reader, Nick K., who is always alert for new models on the road, snapped this picture of the X1 dressed in an M Sport outfit during his daily maneuvers in Long Beach, California. “I saw this BMW X1 driving in Long Beach today followed by 3 5-Series BMW's. It had specially marked plates and it was beautiful,” Nick told Carscoop. Read more »

2012 Volkswagen Beetle Filmed out in the Open in Texas

In what could be one of the first public sightings of the brand new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle outside of a motor show, Youtube user JWalters84 passed by and filmed his short encounter with the car on a road in Laredo, Texas. What was it doing there? Well, who knows, but it's safe to assume that it’s probably a pre-production model used either by dealers or by VW Group employees since sales of the third generation of the Beetle in the USA will not start until September. Read more »

U Spy: 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV Spotted in Germany

Mercedes-Benz has plenty of new models in store for us this year, with the German automaker having already revealed the refreshed C-Class, the new C-Class Coupe along with its AMG brethren, as well as the all-new SLK hardtop roadster. And there’s more to come with the Stuttgart-based company planning to unleash several more new model throughout the year including the next–generation M-Class SUV that was snagged by Carscoop reader Gal Leibovici during a recent trip to Germany. Gal spotted two different M-Class prototypes on separate occasions. Read more »

U Spy: New Kia Cadenza Sedan Spotted Again in California

An undisguised example of the new Kia Cadenza sedan has been spotted by a Cascoop reader rolling around in California for the second time since the beginning of the year. This one was caught by Sanjay Patel. "Saw this Kia Cadenza with Michigan plates going 55 North in Orange County, California," Sanjay told Carscoop.

The sleek looking sedan which is already on sale in South Korea as the K-7, is longer and wider than the Amanti it will replace. It is expected to be revealed this year in U.S.-spec with sales to follow before the end of 2011. In its home market, the K7/Cadenza is offered with three gasoline engines ranging in output from 165HP for the four-cylinder unit to 295HP for the 3.5 liter V6.

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U SPY...from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show

We're less than 48 hours away from the automotive extravaganza known as the 81st Geneva Motor Show and automakers are scrambling to get their booths ready for the grand opening on Tuesday. We'll be covering all the news from the press days of course, but thanks to a Carscoop reader, we can now give you an exclusive look at the cars being loaded off the trucks in front of the Palexpo Center in Geneva as well as a sneak peak at some of the automakers stands inside. Check out the gallery right after the break.

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U Spy: Italdesign Giugiaro's Geneva-Bound Volkswagen Concept Cars

Carscoop reader Torben tipped us off this morning about the addition of two Volkswagen concept cars penned by the Italdesign Giugiaro studio at the European patent office. Given the recent reports on the world premiere of two new design studies from Italdesign Giugiaro to mark its integration to the VW Group at the Geneva Salon next week, we'd say it's almost certain that these are the cars being readied for the Swiss motor show.

The first concept is a tall and narrow five-door hatchback model with seating for four passengers, while the second model appears to be a sportier looking three-door variant with a lower roofline and more aggressive lines, in the likes of the Scirocco. We can't tell for sure, but it is possible that these two cars are roughly the same size as the Polo.

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U Spy: Reader Scoops Mystery Sedan in California, What is it?

We're pretty proud of the fact that over the years, many of our readers here on Carscoop have seized the moment to become the ones who create the news with their spy shots, like Nick K. who snagged the first ever photos of the Toyota Prius minivan last September.

The latest reader to join our list of car-scoopers is Jay Davis who photographed a heavily camouflaged four-door sedan prototype in California. "I saw this test mule in Agoura Hills, CA today. It had Michigan manufacturers plates. Not sure what it is," Jay told us.

A lot of names including Nissan, Buick and Lincoln were thrown around during our chat with Jay, but ultimately, we're still in the dark about the brand and model hiding beneath the camo. Can anyone help us solve the mystery? Leave your thoughts in the comment section after the break.

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U Spy: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster Convoy Scooped in Spain

Carscoop reader Frank Jonas hit the Mercedes-Benz jackpot when travelling in Spain last week, he stumbled upon a convoy of camo'ed SL prototypes, which were accompanied by several other vehicles with the star on their bonnet including an example of the current generation of the German firm's hardtop roadster model.

"On my trip to the south of Spain last week I had the opportunity to take some pictures of a heavily camouflaged Mercedes-Benz Coupe/Cabriolet, most probably the next SL," Frank told Carscoop.

Although Mercedes has done its best to disguise the SL by covering it in heavy cladding, we can see that the new generation model keeps its predecessor's two-piece folding hard top, while the styling is expected to adopt the German firm's more "artsy" design philosophy as seen on the latest CLS and recent concept models such as the F800 Style, along with a more in-your-face front grille.

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