The automotive name of thrones: Multiple personalities

Some automotive nameplates transcend boundaries, while others simply do not – or cannot. You might think you’re familiar with a certain car in our local market, but cross into another country and pseudonyms and assumed identities become a way of life for a number of brands. There’s no doubt some car names are irreplaceable. It would be almost blasphemous to take icons like Mustang or Corvette and rename them to suit the tastes of a local market... Wouldn't it?

The week's top news stories: September 2, 2018

The automotive news wheel is always turning. If you’re not constantly checking CarAdvice – which you should be doing, by the way – it can be easy for some headlines to slip through the cracks. To make sure you haven’t missed anything important, we’ve gathered what we reckon are the hottest news stories from this week, right here. Check them out, and let us know what caught your eye.

2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE spied almost camouflage-free

The next-generation Mercedes-Benz GLE has been spied again, and what little disguise has been fitted leaves very little to the imagination. Up front the company has put some camouflage on the headlights, as well as false panels masking the sides of the grille. The section below the headlights is carefully concealed, suggesting we'll get a new lighting signature compared to the current range of Mercedes-Benz SUVs.

1995 McLaren F1 GTR at full noise – video

Monterey Car Week is home to some of the rarest, most expensive metal on earth. A lot of that metal sits still, shining under the Californian sun as judges go over it with a fine-tooth comb, searching for anything that might make them less than perfect. Along with the stationary display, though, some (crazy or wonderful, depending on your perspective) owners let their cars loose on Laguna Seca, treating spectators to a rare look at their priceless vehicles.

2018 Holden Calais review

Few new cars have launched in Australia with as much impact as the ZB Holden Commodore and its Calais derivative. That’s because few cars are so different to their direct predecessor. But we’ve no wish for VFII-shaped baggage, so we will judge this car on its merits as a mid-sized liftback from Germany with a sprightly turbocharged four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive.

Lamborghini mulling Senna rival - report

The boss of Lamborghini has hinted the Raging Bull is considering a bespoke flagship to duke it out with the McLaren Senna and Aston Martin Valkyrie, according to a new report out of the UK. Speaking with Autocar, Stefano Domenicali said the firm is mulling an "extreme aero" limited-run model "in the vein of the Centenario and Veneno".

2020 BMW iX3 spied

Photographers have captured images of the upcoming BMW iX3 undergoing testing in Europe, giving us a closer look at the company's first all-electric SUV. Looking very much like the Concept iX3 that previewed it in April – as is the BMW norm these days – the iX3 prototype seen here appears to borrow much of its sheetmetal from the standard X3, albeit with minor modifications.