A couple of weeks ago, Chrysler announced details on the Dodge Mopar 10′ Challenger special, but kept the pictures under wraps simply teasing us with a single illustration of the muscle car.

Today, the company published a full set of images on the Mopar ‘10 Challenger, which is available for pre-order now in a limited production of 500 units with pricing set at $38,000 for an automatic transmission and $39,000 for a manual gearbox.

The limited edition model is based on the 2010 Challenger R/T with the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine. Mopar, the parts and accessories arm of Chrysler, has spruced up the car with a raft of cosmetic and performance enhancements.

“Mopar ‘10 has a wicked, sinister appearance that will turn heads.” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of Dodge, Chrysler Group LLC. “The Mopar brand resonates with hard-core enthusiasts, and this car will too.”

The car comes equipped with a hood-venting system, a cold-air intake, a front strut-tower brace with shock caps, and a unique engine cover plus a rear strut-tower brace that stiffens the chassis to improve handling.

The Mopar ‘10 Challenger is available exclusively in black with blue, red or silver strips on the outside and matching accents inside. Exterior features include 20-inch forged heritage gloss-black wheels, black-chromed grille surround and a functional, vented T/A-style hood with vintage hood pins. And let’s not forget the Mopar logos that can be found just about everywhere, inside and out – we get it, it’s a Mopar special…

As for the interior, there’s Katzkin leather seating and a custom leather-wrapped steering wheel with baseball-style stitching, while nostalgia fans will surely dig the Mopar shifters (T-handle for automatics and Pistol Grip for manuals).

As a bonus, all owners will receive a unique cover and a special kit that includes a certificate with the vehicle identification number (VIN), date of build completion, and build number, and a limited-edition sketch of the car signed by Chrysler Group design boss Mark Trostle.

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This here conceptual proposal for a mid-engined supercar is the AMV-R (an acronym for Automotive Visual Racing) and it’s the brainchild of Alexei Mikhailov, a third year design student at the Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning in Toronto, Canada. The renderings were not accompanied by any details on the car, but we could easily see the AMV-R wearing the Pagani logo. More photos after the jump.

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Following on from its world premiere at a special event at New York’s Times Square in June, Volkswagen has released more details and photos of the new 2011 Jetta sedan. Designed in Germany but built at VW’s plant in Mexico, the sixth generation Jetta goes on sale in the U.S. in October with prices starting at US$15,995 (€12,450 at today’s exchange rates). VW said European prices will be announced when ordering begins in individual countries.

The new four-door saloon has grown in dimensions measuring 182.7 inches (4.64 meters) long, 57.1 inches (1.45 meters) tall and 70.1 inches (1.78 meters) wide, making it 3.54 inches (90mm) longer than the previous Jetta, while the styling is sharper adopting VW’s new design language.

Buyers in the U.S. and Canada will have a choice of three petrol engines, a 115HP 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a 170HP 2.5-liter inline-five (if it makes you feel better, VW notes in the press release that this powerplant is derived from the Gallardo’s V10…) and a 200HP 2.0-liter turbo four, plus a 140HP 2.0-liter turbo diesel.

In Europe, the Jetta will be offered with four petrol engines, all featuring turbocharging and direct-injection technology, producing between 105HP and 200HP, as well as two direct-injection turbo diesels with 105HP and 140HP. More details on performance and fuel economy figures in the press release after the jump.

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Hyundai’s successful Genesis Coupe is entering the 2011 model year in the U.S. with some minor interior refinements, but most importantly, a new hotter model called the “3.8 R-Spec”.

Previously available only in conjunction with the 210HP 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the R-Spec trim level can now be ordered with the 3.8-liter V6 engine that delivers 306-horsepower and 266 lb.-ft. of torque on regular unleaded, hooked up exclusively to a six-speed manual gearbox.

The R-Spec treatment does away with some non-essential comfort features such as automatic headlights, cruise control and certain trim bits adding a track-tuned, stiffer suspension, 19-inch alloys shod in Bridgestone Potenza tires, limited slip differential and Brembo brakes with 13.4-inch front discs and 13.0-inch rear discs. Sportier seats and special badging are also part of the package.

New 3.8 R-Spec model aside, all 2011 Genesis Coupe models benefit from interior improvements including new soft-touch materials on the door panels, center speaker grille, glove box, and lower instrument panel as well as on the steering wheel, cloth-wrapped A-pillars, different finishes on the shift bezel, dashboard knobs and instrument gauge cluster rings.

Hyundai has not yet announced pricing for the 2011 Genesis Coupe.

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Two new special editions named Domino and Echo that both play on black and white color schemes are joining Kia’s UK-market lineup. The Domino special edition is available on the Picanto and Rio superminis, while the Echo is offered on the Soul crossover.

Starting with Kia’s supermini models, the Picanto Domino is motivated by a 1.1-litre petrol engine hooked up to either a manual or automatic transmission, while the Rio Domino is available with a 1.4-litre petrol or 1.5-litre CRDi diesel engine. Both the Rio and Picanto Domino editions are available in white or optional black metallic paint. Buyers can also opt for a contrasting black or white stripe covering the bumpers, mirrors and door handles.

Standard features include front fog lights, air-conditioning, iPod connectivity, remote central locking, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear-knob and Electronic Stability Control, as well as rear electric windows on the Rio.

Prices start from £7,995 OTR for the Picanto Domino and from £9,295 OTR for the Rio Domino.

Following on from the Burner, Shaker and Samba, the Soul Echo is the latest special edition version of Kia’s small crossover. It is offered in a choice of two colors – Clear White or Quartz Black metallic – with contrasting features.

In particular, the white Echo gets black 18-inch alloy wheels, black high-gloss door mirrors and a corresponding black sports stripe, while the black Echo features white 18-inch alloys, white high-gloss door mirrors and a sports stripe in white.

Interior upgrades include a full black leather interior and high-gloss black dashboard fascia and uprated audio system with and iPod connectivity, as well as standard parking sensors, air conditioning and privacy glass.

The Soul Echo is offered with a choice of 1.6-litre petrol or 1.6-litre CRDi diesel engines, with prices starting from £13,995 OTR.

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The Vorsteiner GTRS3 is what happens when you put a lot of carbon fiber, an M3 and some Porsche tail badges in a blender with a dollop of Venom’s symbiote as your solvent. Result: a stealthy post-apocalyptic performance milkshake on wheels.

Now point your finger at the picture. Just about everything other than the doors and roof has been replaced with a wide-body version of itself in carbon fiber (front fenders, skirts, rear fender extensions, etc.).

A hood is also available, along with a stainless steel exhaust. Wheel choices from Vorsteiner include forged V-308s (18/20 inches).

Only 100 wide-body GTRS3 kits are being sold worldwide, so this time when I say “Get them while they’re around,” I mean it. This looks like pure, de-glossed evil and I want one.

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With Alfa Romeo midway through its centenary year, Italian coachbuilder Zagato is adding to the automaker’s centenary celebrations with the world premiere of a new concept sports car at this month’s 2010 Villa D’Este Concorso d’Eleganza.

Dubbed the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa, the concept model is said to pay homage to special Alfa TZ models of the past. No other details were released on the car, but with the show just around the corner (April 23-25), we won’t have to wait long to find out what it’s all about.

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Marking the return of the famous GTO badge, which stands for “Gran Turismo Omologata”, Ferrari today unveiled the 599 GTO, a limited edition supercar that’s inspired by the track-only 599XX prototype.

Set to make its public debut at the Beijing Auto Show in China at the end of April, only 599 examples of the GTO will be built.

Billed as the company’s fastest ever road car, the 599 GTO makes use of the 599XX’s (Enzo-derived) tweaked 6.0-liter V12 engine that punches out 670-horsepower at 8,250 rpm with maximum torque of 620Nm (457 lb-ft) at 6,500 rpm. For comparison, the V12 delivers 700HP in the 599XX and 620HP in the standard 599 GTB.

Despite the increase in power over the 599 GTB Fiorano, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are both improve slightly to 17.5 km/l and 411 g/km respectively.

Power is sent to the rear-wheels through the same six-speed sequential gearbox with lower 60 ms shift times and the possibility to make multiple downshifts found on the 599XX.

Ferrari announces a 0-100km/h (62mph) acceleration time of just 3.35 seconds and a top speed over 335 km/h or 208mph.

More importantly, Maranello says that the 599 GTO lapped the Fiorano circuit in just 1min 24sec, or a second faster than the previous record set by the Enzo, making it the company’s fastest ever road-car.

The 599 GTO inherits much of the weigh-saving measures employed in the 599XX track-racer including widespread use of composite materials, resulting in a dry weight of 1495 kg (3,295 lbs) or 84kg (185 lbs) less than the 599 GTB, and a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.23 kg/hp.

Ferrari sharpened the supercar’s handling with the use of new springs and a stiffer rear antiroll bar as well as a second generation magnetorheological suspension control system (SCM2).

There’s also a lighter , carbon ceramic braking system, again derived from the 599XX, that helps the GTO come to a halt from 100km/h (62mph) in just 32.5 meters.

Other changes include the improved aerodynamics with the addition of a new front spoiler that incorporates a separate lower wing, a new sill design with a more pronounced leading edge, a new double-curve rear diffuser and the tweaked underbody panels.

The 599 GTO also gets a new hood design with air-vents and a matte gray rooftop finish while it rides on new 20-inch alloy wheels shod in beefier tires size 285/30 up front and 315/35 at the rear.

As for the interior, Ferrari fitted the car with bespoke, longer carbon-fibre F1 paddles for easier use in high-speed driving, a pair of bucket sport sears and the so-called “Virtual Race Engineer”, which is a system that monitors the status of the car and gives the driver immediate visibility of vehicle performance.

The Italian company did not release pricing on the 599 GTO, but a leaked document suggest that those interested will be looking at €267,136 (~$355,000) before taxes and options.

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During last week’s press days of the 2010 New York International Auto Show, Kia took the veils off the all-new 2011 Optima mid-size sedan (click here for details) that will carry the same name in all markets outside Korea.

While the new Optima will arrive in Kia’s U.S. showrooms this fall, European buyers will have to wait until Spring of 2011 to get their hands on the Korean firm’s D-segment sedan that will compete with the likes of the Ford Mondeo and Citroen C5.

For Western Europe, the new front-wheel drive Optima will be available with a choice of 2.0-litre CVVL gasoline and 1.7-litre VGT turbo-diesel engines, with output and performance numbers to be released at a later date.

In Russia and some Eastern European markets, Kia will also offer the new Optima with a 2.4-litre MPI gasoline engine producing 178-horsepower.

Oddly enough, Kia’s initial plans for Europe do not include the firm’s new 2.0-liter turbocharged unit with 278-horsepower that will be offered in the U.S. along with a 203HP 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection.

Depending on the model, European customers will have the choice of a six speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission featuring Kia’s “Sport-matic” clutchless manual shifting or fully automatic operation.

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While Audi execs are whistling dixie about the possibility of the new RS5 Coupe making its way on this side of the Atlantic, Automobile magazine is reporting that the 450-horsepower strong stallion from Ingolstadt is likely to arrive in the U.S. by summer of 2011.

Unfortunately, the magazine didn’t reveal a source for the rumor, so we’re a bit hesitant to call this one a done deal.

The all-wheel drive RS5 coupe was unveiled for the first time to the public at this year’s edition of the Geneva Motor Show in March.

It is powered by a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine pumping out 450 ponies propelling the coupe from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.6 seconds and on to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h or 155mph.

Sales of the Audi RS 5 will begin in Europe within the next few months with pricing set at around €77,700 or about US$104,000.

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