Audi makes its first appearance at the Rolex 24 hours at Daytona as customer teams APR Motorsport and Oryx Racing premiere the R8 GRAND-AM. The new race car will see track time in 12 rounds of the GRAND-AM series, which the 24 hours endurance race precedes. APR, a leading Audi tuner, will also feature former Audi factory driver Emanuele Pirro. Pirro Has been part of the team that brought Audi’s R8 and R10 LMP cars several victories. Photos, video and full press release after the jump. Read more

The midsize sedan auto segment has always been sought out by people in search of things like reliability and fuel economy, but often overlooked when it comes to style and performance. This can be found, but for a price. While manufacturers like Kia and Hyundai have been the ones taking the lead in appealing sedans this past year, it looks like Ford will be taking it to the next level with the revitalized 2013 Ford Fusion. Read more

Someone’s been to the gym. The new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL Has shed nearly 275 lbs of weight thanks to a new all-aluminum body shell. The new shell makes for some nimble handling without shirking stiffness, improving the handling characteristics of the stylish coupe. The SL550 will feature a brand new 4.7 liter V8 that develops 429 hp, handled by a 7-speed Driver-Adaptive automatic transmission.  The structure rides on a suspension that delivers both the agility and comfort that is expected from the luxury brand.  A few new technological features that will appear on the Mercedes-Benz SL such as hands free” swipe to open” trunk, the splash-less wipe/wash system known as Magic Vision Control, and Magic Sky Control, which incorporates a panoramic roof in the retractable hard top. Expect to see the Mercedes-benz SL in the states this spring. Press release and photos after the jump. Read more

In line with all the updates that have been going around at Ford, the biggest is a complete redesign of the Ford Escape. The all new SUV comes with not only an updated look, but 11 exclusive features as well as promising great fuel economy. Read more

Ford can put on a lavish spread for high profile journalists like myself. For instance, last time I was there, we had warm pretzels. I mean some really good ones with mustard and everything. This coincided with the expected Focus ST presentation which ended with Ford’s Jim Farley saying something akin to “oh yeah, meet me outside.” We shuffle outside to witness the entire 2013 Mustang line-up roar up in front of us. I then spent a great deal of time gathering my chin (and pretzel) off the floor. Read more