Ja, Bjorn, tink dat's de new Astra? Shoor looks like it, Jan. Lutz will be asking you to kiss this thing when it comes out from under that checkerboard camo. The current Astra is good, and the new one promises to be better, with looks that aren't revolutionary, but nicely done nonetheless. We'll see this world car version of the Astra sometime around 2011 with a variety of drivetrains, including hybrid power. The C-Pillar remains obscured, leaving our curiosity about the hatch's ultimate form unfulfilled. From what we can see, though, the new Astra will be like the current Astra - competitively styled and priced.

[Source: autoblog.nl]

Boy howdy does that camouflage make it difficult to suss out what's underneath! BMW's cooking up a new X3, expected to drop in 2011, and the changes don't look to be huge. The smallest SAV - BMW's acronym for Stupid Ass Sports Activity Vehicle - will get rhinoplasty to bring some Concept CS cues to the X3. The heavy camo on the rear windows suggest that BMW might be addressing some of the awkwardness that afflicts the current model, a definite plus. Word is that much sweat will be expended over an updated interior in order to keep up with competitors. A less-hideous X3 that retains its chassis moves while coddling you with a better interior? Sounds good to us, even though we'd still rather have an M3 wagon.

[Source: BMW blog, Photo: Priddy]

We saw the Chevy Beat concept unveiled a year ago, and now a camouflaged mule has been caught testing in China, fueling speculation that the Beat will succeed the Spark in that market. The Beat is certainly far less dowdy than the Spark, which is also sold, sometimes gratuitously, as the Matiz in other markets.