BMW has announced the launch of a vehicle even greener than its current World Green Car of the Year. The BMW 116d, which is capable of 53.4 miles per gallon and has a CO2 emissions figure of 118g/kg, will be available in the UK beginning in March, 2009. Its 2.0-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine produces 116 horsepower and an admirable 192 pound-feet of torque. The 116d is also capable of a top speed of 125 miles per hour.

The 116d, which replaces the 118d as BMW’s most fuel efficient and least polluting vehicle, is available in a three-door model from £17,605 (about $26,467) and a five-door from £18,135 (about $27,264). Low British tax rates on the 116d make it more affordable, especially for business users. Unfortunately, it will not be available in the US.

Scroll down to read the entire press release.

BMW’s most fuel efficient car announced

BMW is pleased to announce the launch of the new 116d – the marque’s most fuel efficient and least polluting vehicle. With a combined consumption figure of 64.2mpg and a CO2 emissions figure of 118g/km, the BMW 116d even trumps the current World Green Car of the Year, the BMW 118d.

Available in both three- and five-door guises, the BMW 116d is powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine producing 116hp. The 1,995cc powerplant with its 260Nm of torque from 1,750rpm ensures it is capable of a zero to 62mph time of 10.2 seconds (10.3 seconds for the five-door) before going on to a top speed of 125mph.

The BMW 116d costs just £35 a year to tax courtesy of a Band B Vehicle Excise Duty rank, while its 13 per cent Benefit-in-Kind rating also ensures it makes economical sense for the business user. The new three-door BMW 116d costs from £17,605 OTR, while the five-door 116d is priced from £18,135 OTR. Both models go on sale in March 2009.

This is the stuff dreams are made of. After months of speculation and prototype testing, Nissan has finally pulled the wraps off of the new GT-R Spec V, which is set to go on sale in Japan in the very near future. This street-legal race-ready GT-R features boosted engine dynamics, lightweight materials, and a stealth/bold appearance, sure to knock the socks off of many 911 owners.

Outside, a carbon fiber rear spoiler, brake ducts, and grille have been added, as well as carbon ceramic brakes set behind twenty-inch Nismo wheels. The carbon fiber carries over to the interior, as well, on the instrument panel, center storage compartment, and most of the interior trim, including the standard Recaro buckets. The GT-R's rear seats have been removed in order to conserve weight, as well.

As for power, no substantial upgrades have been done to the GT-R's twin-turbo V-6, but a new high gear boost controller delivers more torque in mid- and high-range revs. A reworked suspension is put in place to improve handling dynamics, and a titanium-coated exhaust rounds out the whole package.

There's still no word if the top-shelf GT-R will make its way across the pond to America, but consider us on the edge of our seats. Click through the post to read Nissan's full press release.

Nissan and Renault have teamed up to create a 235-horsepower clean diesel V-6 engine which has gone into production in Europe. The two allied automakers split the cost of development, but Nissan will use seventy-five percent of the engines made. The V-6 will go into some of the European Infinitis, as well as the Nissan Navara and Pathfinder, and the mid-size Renault Laguna and the Renault Vel Satis replacement.

Although Nissan announced in 2007 that it would put a clean diesel V-6 into the US version of the 2010 Maxima, the halting of US diesel engine plans by Ford, Toyota, and Honda has created many skeptics of this plan.

View a video tour of the Nissan-Renault diesel engine above.

+ AutoblogGreen: Nissan and Renault officially launch new diesel V6

Hyundai has released sketches of what it calls Project VI, a next-generation flagship sedan meant to replace the current Korean flagship known as the Equus.

The vehicle, which could hit the Korean market as early as next month, will be updated with rear-wheel drive, probably to be billed as competition to the premium European sedans of such automakers as Mercedes. Project VI, often referred to as the 2010 Equus, is expected to be equipped with the same 4.6-liter V-8 as the Hyundai Genesis, as well as stability management and lane-departure warning systems.

View both teaser sketches in the gallery above.

+ Edmunds Inside Line: Teased: Hyundai Equus VI

Yesterday, we reported that Suzuki's Kizashi might never see dealer lots, but a new report suggests otherwise. After the automotive press went up in arms about the possible cancellation of Suzuki's entry into the mid-size sedan segment, the folks at Automotive News made a few phone calls, and now Suzuki spokesperson Jeff Holland says that, "The production version will debut at this year's New York Auto Show in April."

This comes as a relief to us at NextAutos, since we've long been anticipating the Kizashi and hope it really boosts Suzuki's sales in America. Stay tuned for the live reveal from New York this April.

+ Autoblog: Reports of Suzuki Kizashi's demise highly exaggerated, coming to NY

CAR SUMMARY
New for 2009, the Lancer Ralliart fills the wide gap between the Lancer GTS and Lancer Evolution. Mitsubishi wants this car to be their version of the Subaru Impreza WRX, and with all-wheel-drive capability and a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, the Ralliart indeed fits the bill. The Ralliart's aggressive styling, sporty handling, and twin-clutch transmission make it a worthy competitor not only for the WRX, but for the Mazdaspeed3 and Volkswagen GTI, as well.

PROS
- Turbo-four engine makes for a quick and powerful Lancer.
- Aggressive styling sets the Ralliart apart from the competition.
- All-wheel drive makes this sportster four-season friendly.

CONS
- Interior refinement is a bit lackluster.
- Price point may be higher than some would like to spend.
- Fuel economy is poor compared to competitor offerings.

Read more about the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart on the vehicle's Buyer's Guide page, where you'll find our driving evaluations, previous road tests, galleries, and more. You can find Buyer's Guides to other vehicles in the NextAutos Car Search database.

Spy photographers are a bit on the unpredictable side by their very natures, foregoing time clock and schedule in favor of waiting out the newest and freshest in unseen automobilia. Sometimes that mutable lifestyle can lead to interesting results, such as this recent submission of totally unexplained Mercedes-Benz E-Class images.

The three trim level seen here—labeled Classic, Elegance, and Avantgarde—would seem to be an early finished look at the next generation E-Class. The overall look is a more sculpted and edgy package than the current car, something that has certainly been hinted at in the camouflaged spy images we’ve seen to date. Have a closer look in our gallery above.

Update: We’ve gotten some interior shots to go along with the initial three images of the new E-Class this morning, with a few added details as well. As best we can make out, even the standard interior will come with the buyer’s choice of Nappa leathers, while a spat of chrome accents and eucalyptus trim come into play on the more premium trim levels. You’ll see this in more in the new photos above.

Now that General Motors is being forced to do some major downsizing across its range of manufacturers, this news doesn't come as a big shock to us. According to the boys at Jalopnik, Pontiac executives have told their dealer network that the automaker plans to kill the upcoming G8 ST, an American re-badge of the popular Australian Holden Ute.

Pontiac has long tried to badge themselves as GM's performance-oriented brand, and with the introduction of models like the G8 and G8 GXP, we were starting to take them seriously again. The G8 ST (Sport Truck) would have been in a segment of one if sold in America, making us remember the days of the old El Camino and other ute-like vehicles such as the Subaru Brat and Dodge Rampage.

+ Jalopnik: Pontiac G8 ST Officially Dead: GM Kills El Camino... Again

For a while now, Honda has been deliberating as to how it plans to restructure itself and its luxury marque, Acura, over the next few years. We already spread the word that a future NSX replacement was canned in the works, but now it seems that more casualties have come up across the two brands.

Honda will not be planning a successor to the S2000 roadster, nor will there be a drop-top version of the upcoming CR-Z coupe. Additionally, all plans for Acura's rumored V-8 engine have been shelved, as well as any future entries into the rear-wheel-drive segment. Honda was planning to potentially build these new RWD cars to compete with vehicles like BMW's 3- and 5-Series. The first of these examples was expected to roll out in 2015 as a 7-Series competitor. AutoCar also reports that the Honda Accord could move to one global model, as opposed to the two different versions which are sold around the world.

As we drive into the future, Honda will concentrate its efforts on building more hybrids and a new small city car. The automaker projects to build more than 500,000 hybrids by 2012, including the all-new Insight which will debut in Detroit next week.

+ AutoCar: Honda axes sports and luxury models (via AutoblogGreen)

Bentley announced today that it will debut its Continental GTC Speed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

This more powerful version of Bentley's top-selling convertible features a 600-horsepower, twin-turbocharged W-12, the manufacturer's most powerful engine to date. The GTC Speed also provides 553 pound-feet of torque, a top speed of 200 miles per hour (195 with the top down), and will do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.

Though still touted as a luxury vehicle, this performance-inspired Bentley sports a lower suspension, optional giant carbon-ceramic brakes, a discrete rear spoiler, and a highlighted lower air intake. According to Brian Gush of Bentley, the newest Speed model, inspired by its Speed Model of the 1920s, "is a driver's car which will redefine people's expectations of what a luxury convertible can achieve."

Check out the GTC Speed in our gallery above or scroll down below to read the official press release.