Porsche 998 (911) caught testing

The current version of the 911 has not long been refreshed, and still has more to deliver. Only the Carrera and Targa have had the facelift so far, and still to come is the Turbo, not to mention the GT3. But Porsche is already a long way down the road with the next generation 911 (998), which is not expected to launch until 2011, as you can see from this spy shot taken in rather chilly Arctic climes.

Good news for British car factories

NEW FIGURES have revealed that UK-based car production raced ahead in April, resulting in the biggest monthly rise since July 2012. A total of 133,437 cars were made in the UK last month – a 21.3% increase on the April 2013 figure, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. The excellent April figures took the year-so-far total to 538,240 – a 6.9% rise on the figure for January-April 2013.

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL previewed by leaked brochure

Here's the image that has the Web abuzz today--an apparent brochure scan of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL distributed by a European automotive site. Design cues reminiscent of the SLS AMG are unmistakable, and the new SL also takes on a fairly prominent iteration of the corporate front fascia. Underneath, Mercedes is promising a new aluminum architecture that will save weight while boosting rigidity.