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LA Motor Show: Mercedes previews fast GLA compact SUV model

MERCEDES has unveiled an almost production-ready AMG compact SUV concept with a banzai 355bhp engine. The Concept GLA 45 AMG is the German company’s vision for a rapid car to rival the upcoming Porsche Macan, which like the Mercedes was also unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Using an extremely highly-tuned four-cylinder turbocharged engine similar to that first seen in the A 45 AMG hatchback, the GLA 45 AMG produces enough muscle to fire itself to 62mph in ‘less than five seconds’, according to Mercedes.

BMW Concept Coupe

BMW unveiled their latest concept in the run up to the contemporary Mille Miglia, a road race for cars that competed during the original event held between 1933 and 1957. The BMW 328 that set the fastest time in 1940, averaging over 100mph, has also provided inspiration for the Coupe Concept, which mixes the older car's silhouette with surfaces closer to the Z4 on which it is based. Powered by BMW's seminal 343PS engine, the car is wrapped with carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), whose form is defined by designers using plaster rather than clay "for a closer emotional experience".

2012 Mini roadster revealed

Mini has revealed the definitive production version of its 2012 roadster. Sister car to the recently introduced coupe, alongside which it will be built at Mini's Oxford plant in England, the compact two-seater arrives a little more than two years after it was first shown in lightly veiled concept car guise at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show. Rival to the enduring Mazda Miata, the Mini roadster is planned to make its public debut at the Detroit auto show in January prior to going on sale in North America in mid-2012.