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Brabus tunes Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG to 394 hp

It was only a matter of time before German tuning house Brabus looked at the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG and said: nahh, it's just not powerful enough. Recall that the base CLA 45 AMG already produces 355-hp and 332 lb-ft of torque courtesy of its modestly sized 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four (an impressive feat by itself, yielding the highest output of any production four-cylinder engine), which gives it the ability to get to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. Given its $48,375 price tag for stateside 4Matic all-wheel drive version, many would call that a bargain for the performance stats provided.

Chevrolet Cruze lands in the UK

GM is having its problems, as we’ve chronicled almost endlessly, but they are pushing ahead with the launch of their Focus-sized offering, the Chevrolet Cruse, around the world. So far it has been launched in the Far East and Australia, and now we’re getting it in the UK from the summer. But oddly, it’s not going to arrive in the US until next year.

New Jaguar XJR UK debut next week

The New Jaguar XJR (pictured) gets its UK debut at Moto Expo 2013 Lovers of powerful XJs were delighted discover that a new Jaguar XJR, which debuted at the New York Auto Show in April, will finally give them a properly sporty XJ, rather than the somewhat compromised SuperSport version of the current XJ with the 5.0 litre Supercharged engine. Jaguar has kept faith with the history of the XJR by giving the new model a subtle ‘Sporty’ makeover with only gentle go-faster bits – like ‘R’ badges, new alloys, quad tailpipes, small boot spoiler, front splitter and a subtle body kit – so the new XJR looks purposeful, rather than looking like its been dipped in a Halfords bargain bucket. The real changes come under the skin, with the new XJR getting the 542bhp version of the 5.0 litre supercharged engine, tweaked dampers and spring rates, refined active diff and DSC and new shift patterns for the 8-speed auto box.