BMW revealed the 2019 M2 Competition; Lexus showed a picture of the 2019 ES before its debut in Beijing; we spied the 2020 Volkswagen Golf testing. It's the Week in Reverse, right here at 'Motor Authority.'
The BMW M2 is an enthusiast's dream and for 2019 it's getting better. It becomes the M2 Competition. Output increases to 405 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. The cooling system comes from the M4 with the Competition package, a strut brace is added to the engine compartment, the brakes grow larger, and new sport seats are added inside.
Lexus released a photo of the redesigned 2019 ES prior to its debut at the Beijing auto show. Sharper looks highlight the exterior and the car is based on Toyota's TNGA platform, which promises better handling. Watch for the full reveal next week and the car to hit showrooms in the second half of the year.
Buick revealed the Enspire battery-electric SUV concept ahead of Beijing. The attractive SUV signals an exciting future for GM EVs. Though it is conceptual, Buick says it boasts the brand's eMotion propulsion technology, which delivers 550 horsepower and has 370 miles of driving range.
Ultra-luxury SUVs are growing in popularity and Mercedes-Maybach is getting ready to join the fray. Mercedes high-end luxury brand will offer a version of the next Mercedes-Benz GLS, but for now it is showing the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury, which looks like a sedan on stilts. The four-seat cabin is lined in leather, accented in polished metal, and bathed in blue ambient lighting. A 738-horsepower electric powertrain is said to deliver more than 300 miles of range.
Our spy photographers spotted the eighth-generation of the Volkswagen Golf testing. Unfortunately, the new running gear is cloaked in the body of a seventh-generation Golf, but the next model is thought to look much like the Golf GTE Sport concept from 2015. Watch for the next Golf in June 2019.
The 5,007-hp Devel Sixteen is getting closer to a reality. A video emerged on Instagram of the the car taking off from a stop in the desert. That's appropriate because Devel is a Dubai-based automaker with a crazy vision. We don't know if it was the 3,000- or 5,007-hp version, but it looks like could happen.
The 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is very real and it recently hit the Nürburgring. Equipped with the Weissach package and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires, the 520-horsepower super sports car put up a time under 7 minutes, 6:56.4 to be exact. That's not too far off the 6:47.3 that the 911 GT2 posted to capture the production-car record.
