Mercedes-Benz S Class

When it Hits: A U.S. release date of August 2009 is expected for this coupe cruiser.

What Priddy Says: Mercedes-Benz is working on a new CL, which Priddy says will be more appropriately named the S-Class Coupe. Priddy notes a reworked front bumper and a larger, more angular grille. A new set of crossbars is also visible in the grille opening. LED daytime headlights and possibly LED taillamps have been added as well. It’s only a matter of time, Priddy adds, before her cameras catch an updated AMG model with more aggressive body work and a 6.3L V8.

Peugeot 308 RC-Z

When it Hits: Peugeot first showed the 308 RC-Z concept car at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, but Priddy says these spy shots indicate that the French automaker intends to build the Audi TT fighter and start production within a year.

What Priddy Says: Competitors in this field are fierce, so the car will have to produce a very special lineup of powertrains to run alongside them. The RC-Z will probably hit the streets with the same engines as higher-level 308 models, and there’s a rumored 250hp powerplant. Turbo diesels will probably be included as well.

PSA Peugeot Citroen is realigning itself, Priddy adds. While Citroen is going up-market with models such as the DS line, Peugeot is keeping a harder tab on the sporting side of things, such as Le Mans and the 308 RC-Z.

Dodge Ram R/T

When it Hits: Chrysler hasn’t yet announced any changes to the 2010 Dodge Ram 1500, but this spy shot of an instrumented test truck appears to give away two revisions intended for the performance-oriented, two-wheel-drive Ram R/T model.

What Priddy Says: The 22-inch, five-spoke, painted-aluminum wheels with low-profile Goodyear Fortera P285/45R22 tires are new (the 2009 Ram R/T’s rolling stock was 20-inch, five-spoke, polished-aluminum wheels with P275/60R20 Goodyear Wrangler HPs). The second update appears to be the addition of a removable soft tonneau cover. The R/T’s 4.10 rear axle and “loose” torque converter, along with its 390hp, 407 lb-ft torque 5.7-liter Hemi V8, helps the muscletruck do 0 to 60 in just under six seconds.

550+ HP Cadillac Coupe

When it Hits: Production is likely to start in the summer of 2010 at the Lansing Grand River factory.

What Priddy Says: “Compared to the prototypes we saw last year, these new prototypes look almost production ready, down to the two massive, center-mount exhaust outlets, larger, sportier wheels and V-series badging,” Priddy says. “We can also see that this new prototype is not sporting cross-drilled rotors as the first prototypes were. Additionally, pieces of black tape cover the V-series badges just behind the front wheels.”

Other V-series parts include a wire mesh grille, wider tires, large brake calipers and power dome hood—under which sits the 6.2L, supercharged V8 known as the LSA.