The British brand Aston Martin is not immune to this as it recently revealed during the auto show in Beijing three limited editions especially hand crafted for the Year of the Dragon.

Aston Martin unwrapped the limited edition Dragon 88 concept vehicles that will take form as the V8 Vantage S, Virage, and the DBS. The number says a lot about the batch of special rides as there will only be 88 of its kind to be produced.

Each of the Dragon 88 Aston Martin features custom styling like the wing badges of the brand made of 24 carat gold, dragon logo embroidered on the headrests of the front seats, gold stitching for the leather seats, and three different options for the paint finish for the exterior.

Side by side the Dragon 88 limited edition Aston Martin, the carmaker also unveiled the One-77 supercar and the 4-door Rapide by Q by Aston Martin, and a cutaway model based on the DBS.

Aston Martin is pouring a ton of investments in China as it plans to put up around 11 new showrooms this year.

The sales director of Aston Martin said during an interview that they will be investing heavily in China this year and well beyond. At present, Aston Martin has 9 dealerships in this part of Asia and plans to open 11 more in China alone this 2012.

With the release of the limited editions, works of the Q by Aston Martin, and the expansion of their sales network, China will become the 3rd biggest market for Aston Martin.

Today, Mopar has around 280,000 items in its catalog for the Chrysler Group alone. Add to that the supplies for Fiat and you will have more than half a million parts that is being shipped to more than 120 countries around the globe.

Recently, Mopar topman Pietro Gorlier, unwrapped four customized rides that will be on their way to the auto show in Chicago later this year. All these new creations in celebration of their 75th year in the business.

First on the lineup is the 2012 Jeep Compass called True North by Mopar. It gets a black out finish for the grille, door panels, lower portion of the front fascia, fender flares, and roof. The grille of the Compass also gets a lift kit, 16-inch rims, brush bars, and rock rails. Inside, The Jeep has a nice stack of gauges, neoprene covers for the seats, audio system from Kicker, custom shifter knob, cargo tray for the rear, and a pedal kit made of aluminum.

Mopar also played with the new Fiat 500 to come up with a Stinger which you can get with appearance only upgrades and a next stage upgrade which includes looks and performance enhancements. The Stage 1 Fiat 500 Stinger gets 17 inch rims by Abarth, black chrome finish, checkered graphics, and a dose of Alcantara and leather. The Stage 2 Stinger adds some tweaking on the exhaust, air intake, and braking system.

Third on the ineup is the 2013 Dart by Dodge. Mopar also gives this ride a Stage 1 treatment and Stage 2 upgrades.. The Stage 1 version gets a matte black trim, hood made of carbon fiber, 18 inch rims, and interior dominated by black and red. The Stage 2 upgrades includes works on the ECU, exhaust, and intake.

Last but not the least is the Mopar 2012 Chrysler 300. This Mopar 300 gets a gloss black finish with Mopar blue pinstripe, 20 inch rims, and trim of black chrome. Inside u get leather seats with blue stitching and matte carbon accents all over. The Mopar 300′s engine was tweaked to have a better final drive ratio with 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in a matter of five seconds.

The 2013 Nissan GT-R will be getting a power boost. The final number is still unconfirmed but we can expect to get something around 550 horsepower. The current version of the speed monster is 520 hp. There will also be an asymmetric suspension configuration to counterbalance the extra weight of the steering assemblies. So for those driving on the right hand, you can expect everything on the right to be stiffer.

According to the research of the Nissan team, the 2012 version of the GT-R is faster by 5 to 8 kmh than the 2011 GT-R while dealing with corners at the Nurburgring. It is also about 5 kmh faster reaching 296 kilometers an hour on the final straight of the track.

The father of the GT-R estimates that there should be a minimum difference of 7 to 8 seconds on the lap time of the Nissan GT-R at the Nurburgring. Its current best was recorded at 7 minutes and 24 seconds. The numbers are a bit conservative because at first Mizuno mentioned that it can be around 10 seconds faster.

The new Nissan GT-R will be officially unwrapped next week and the car loving public should also expect the option for a Track Pack that will add to the picture racing seats, upgraded brakes, and sports exhaust.

UK fans might be all smiles since Nissan is also considering the release of the Club Track Edition of Nissan GT-R which will have a roll cage, shocks from Billstein, driver training conducted by Toshio Suzuki, five days on the track plus maintenance while on the circuit. You might also rub elbows with Mizuno. A similar offer is already running in Japan for a price of around £25k

And the creator of the GT-R might have even hinted about a convertible version. Nice. Vroom vroom.

Now, what are they planning to accomplish exactly is this: they want to come up with a European version of the Corvette that reeks of retro goodness.

The standard coupe will get a 6.20-litr V8 376 ci Aluminum engine with 437 horsepower and torque of 424 lb-ft. The retuned model will get the power of another 7.0-liter 437 ci V8 engine with 512 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. The top notch model will get a supercharged 6.2 Liter/376 ci V8 with 647 horsepower and an impressive torque of 604 lb-ft . Each of these engines is attached to a 6-speed manual transmission. An automatic six-speed gearbox is comes as tasteful option for the smallest V8 engine unit.

The retuned Corvette SC-1 comes with an electronic traction control system. There’s also the Active Handling system and a handsome set of 19-inch alloy front wheels and 20-inch alloy wheels for the rear.

The back of the Corvette SC-1 features a set of optically heightened LED taillights. A black painted diffuser can be found on the car’s belt line where the fog lamps are located. The Corvette SC-1 carries a special design motif that reeks of nostalgia for the classic sports cars that were a hit in the 1950s.

The car looks like a Lamborghini and was developed by Arrinera in collaboration with Lee Noble It has a mid mounted supercharged 6.2L LS9 V8 powerplant that is capable of giving out 638 horsepower with a maximum torque of 819 Nm.

The design and styling of the Arrinera supercars will be revolving around a very powerful engine, ultra light frame, and a body that is well designed to have great aerodynamics.

The De Veno rolls on light alloy rims fitted with low profile tires. To make sure the car can stop when you want it to stop, Arrinera Automotive equipped this supercar with race tested ceramic brakes that are very light and has excellent thermodynamic properties.

The design of the the chassis and body was centered on making it very light but really strong. The frame makes use of high strength steel in combination with aluminum elements and carbon fiber. The body makes use of carbon fiber elements and Kevlar.

The Polish supercar also comes with a thermal imaging camera that allows the driver to see animals or humans a few hundred meters on the road. It makes use of the latest technology in infrared imaging and enhances driving safety as the driver sees images on a panel on the central console of the De Veno.

The Arrinera De Veno will hit the production line by next year and will roll out the European, United States, Middle East, and Chinese markets before the end of 2012.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The flashy hot model boasts is molded from the same success formula of its predecessors that carry the infamous Black Series name. Under the hood is a 6.2-liter V8 engine, which now has an enlarged oil cooler (by almost 50%) and a brand new engine control unit. This hot engine has 517 horsepower (an additional 60horsepower compared to the normal C63 Coupe engine) and 457 lb-ft of powerful torque.

This brand new, powerful engine is attached to a 7-speed, double-cluth AMG Speedshift gearbox that comes with four driving modes and the most powerful, faster gear shift time. The new model comes with 19-inch rear wheels and can accelerate in 62mph in the astonishing time of just 4.2 seconds.

The front and rear tracks of the C63 AMG Coupe Black Series has been extended, 40mm and 70mm to be exact. Several modifications come in adjustable sports suspension, firmer anti-roll bars, a redesigned front and rear bumper with enlarged air intakes, and bigger side sills.

The C63 AMG Coupe Black Series will be offered in two types: the Track Package comes with a differential cooler and modified Dunlop tires. The other is the Aerodynamic Package that comes with a rear spoiler and aerodynamic aids made with carbonfiber.

The C63 AMG Coupe Black Series is expected to go on sale anytime in January 2012 with price tags starting at €115,430 ($165,722).

Aptly called Concept A, the Mercedes-Benz hatchback will take the spotlights at the auto show in Shanghai in China later this April where it will have its public debut. The new A class is expected to roll out in the showrooms of Europe by 2012. We doubt if this car will go state side.

Putting it side by side with the A Class today, the new model will have a two-box silhouette just like the Volkswagen Golf, 1 Series of the BMW, and the Audi A3.

The luxury carmaker aims to attract the younger buyers of their market segment so they incorporate more eye catching design lines for this entry level car. These elements are evident with the lower line of the roof, pronounced nose of the car, and other detailing features.

The new A class will also make use of sculptured surface treatment following the lead of other Mercedes concepts like the F800 Style that was unveiled last year.

Some additional design features include the oval shaped grille which resembles the front fascia of the SLS AMG. Add to it the oversized star emblem of the brand, LED headlamps, deep lines across the flanks, small side glass, and angled tail gate.

Some of the details of the Concept A might not be found on the production version but most of the design lines will be intact.

During the launch of Audi’s new 2012 Audi A6, Wolfgang Egger, who spearheads the Audi Design Group has made an effort to explain the difference between the family-models ranging from A4 to A8 and the more alcove models of the E-tron, A7, and R8. Egger claims that the latter alcove models help to hone the emotions set by the Audi brand.

According to Egger, the A2 model had gone a restyling process, however, the Volkswagen Group has gone short when it comes to coming up with the right angle where it can be launched. Ergo, the development of the A1 model wouldn’t cease to continue as it appeals best to urbanites. Another five-door hatchback model will join the existing three-door A1 model in its roster, despite the latter has yet to roll out into the US marketplace. A cabriolet and an S1 model that is powered with a 180-horsepower engine will also join the ranks. Moreover, an all-wheel drive version will make its first appearance this March at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show.

Egger has also statement the possibility of a “sport crossover” that will go head to head with its target rival, the BMW X6. He stated how the sport crossover has become a successful model in China. Moving on, he mentioned that the brand has closed a sale closed to 228,000 units in China alone and indeed, it was a big difference when you compare it to the 100,000 units that were sold in the US. This difference in sales make a powerful reminder when it comes to future designs.

Just like the 7-series and 5-series range, Chris Bangle’s design legacy reeks in the new 6-series but it veered away from the classic BMW look, and instead, went with a fresher style.  Moreover, BMW forego the option of a V12 engine in the 6-series top-of-the-line model and opted for an engine inspired by no less than Formula One—a 5.0L V10 engine that enabled them to create a brand new M6 that comes with an snazzy carbon fiber roofing and BMW’s SMG III gearbox.

The original Z9 Gran Turismo concept car was revealed at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1999 while the Z9 Convertible concept car was shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2000.  A lot of the original concept designs didn’t make the production but we could see that they kept the trademark double kidney grilles.  The E63/ E64 also received a nice roofline, a wheelbase, and an interior design that resembles that of the Z9 Convertible concept car.  The E63 and E64 models will soon hit the market.

A little trivia though.  Did you know that BMW’s Z9 Grand Turismo model was launched with “the world’s first V8 turbodiesel engine” which was first found in the BMW 740d?

The new dictum is set to exemplify responsibility, fascination, and perfection as the core values of the company. The slogan will be the main selling point as they launch a campaign in TV, print, and the internet and this will also feature a 3D revised logo.

The change of slogan is part of the car manufacturer’s new strategy to further emphasize that they are introducing sixteen new units by 2011. Aside from the line up of E-cell A Class, F-Cell B Class, and the Smart ForTwo, Mercedes-Benz will also introduce into their line up the start-stop system as standard feature. While being green is pretty interesting, everyone is interested with the BlueDirect powerplants.

The naturally aspirated V6 3.5L engine will give out 306 PS and a torque of about 272 lb-ft while the twin-turbo V8 will output 435 OS and a torque of about 516 lb-ft. These engines are more powerful than their older sibling but they will be a lot more economic in terms of fuel consumption with the V6 gaining 24% and V8 getting 22% more efficiency in fuel.

During the aggressive market push, Mercedes-Benz will involve all their employees as ambassadors of the brand having the new slogan as a motivational springboard.