What does it take to get the Internet rumor mill up and running? Frankly, not much. A little slip, a tiny hint, or even a leaked picture can set all our virtual tongues wagging. For the auto world, secrecy is paramount. Having someone leak vital information can be a killer deal for a new model or car kept under wraps.

Obviously, companies themselves leak a little every now and then to keep the rumor mills churning and create a bit of free publicity for their upcoming releases. But there have been many auto rumors that came out way before they were intended to, and adversely affected a marque or an example’s sales in the future.

For 2019, these are the top rumor headlines making rounds on the internet, and also the most recent ones. Some may create excitement amongst car fans, while some may make hearts go heavy. Some are all about engines and power mills, while some rumors are about the discontinuation of a favored model to make room for a bigger and better example.

Either which way, not all that we see and hear on the internet should be believed, as some news always takes time to reach us in its truthful form. That said, here go the top 20 rumor mill headlines about the automobile world for 2019. Their veracity is yet to be proved, but the tongues are already in motion, and quite a lot is being bandied about.

20 The New Ford F-150 May Predate The Bronco

Via YahooNews

Let's face it, the world is practically salivating over the new Ford Bronco. But apparently, the new Ford F-150 will beat it, at least in terms of release time. If this becomes a truth, the Blue Oval fans might have a brand new truck around the corner. According to OffRoad, the new F-150 truck might arrive in 2019, while the new Bronco is slated for release in 2020. This is, perhaps, due to the arrival of the 2018 facelift variants of its arch-rivals, Chevrolet and RAM. Additionally, Ford is focusing on cashing in on the fast-moving and lucrative world of trucks in the auto bazaar, so a snazzier F-150 makes sense.

19 Mid-Engined Corvette Facing 'Major Electrical Issue'?

Via TopSpeed

Well, Chevrolet is all set for the upcoming 2019 Detroit Motor Show, but sans the mid-engine Vette that was supposed to debut globally in Motor City. The automaker with the bowtie emblem might disappoint its Corvette C8 fans who have been eagerly waiting for its much-awaited preview. According to the rumor mill and GM Authority, the launch has been delayed for another six months due to some major electrical issues with the car. In fact, it is believed that GM engineers stumbled upon a big electrical snag. They blamed the next-gen Vette’s incompetent electrical system for this matter.

18 Ford Mustang Sedan To House Turbo V8

Via CarAndDriver

Another one from the rumor mill and it is about the iconic Ford Mustang and its upcoming avatar. The Mustang was initially introduced as a rather unremarkable sedan and wasn’t even competition to the fairly successful Falcon at the time. Of course, Ford caught on quick and turned the Mustang into a legendary muscle car. Now, of course, this concept is being carried forward. The Mustang might just sport a fantastic new engine. According to Mustang6G, the all-new, four-door Mustang might just have a turbo V8, looking to match the sales of the Porsche Panamera and the Audi A7.

17 This May Be The End Of The Smarts

Via TopSpeed

The Smart brand is a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch (yes, the watchmaker) and while it was launched with pomp and show, it has been going pop over the past few years. Sales in 2018 were dismal, so much so that all of Smart is transitioning to electric drive, with the internal-combustion models being discontinued faster than you can say Smart! According to Auto Evolution, it is said that by 2026, Smart may be completely wound up, since all of only 500 examples were sold in 2018 in the domestic market. The focus may shift to Mercedes-Benz’s U-class, where U stands for universal and urban.

16 Lexus LF-1 Limitless May Be Next With A Twin-Turbo V8

Via AutoEvolution

The Lexus LF-1 Limitless was unveiled to the world audience at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. The Limitless is designated as the flagship crossover by Lexus, as this masterpiece showcases Lexus's latest advancement in the field of technology, innovation, and design. At its global debut, Lexus claimed that the LF-1 Limitless could be powered by a fuel cell, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, gasoline, or even all-electric setup. However, according to Spyder7, a Japanese publication, it is speculated that the actual production model will arrive in a couple of years and it will be armed with a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 powerplant capable of thrashing out close to 661 horsepower.

15 Jeep Wagoneer's Power Mill

Via CarScoops

So FCA's new inline-six may just power the Jeep Wagoneer. It is rumored that it will carry the tag name Tornado and be a 3.0-liter mill. According to Allpar, this will be the rebirth of Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s inline-six engine dominance. This is something that is highly anticipated and it is whispered that the refreshed engine will be hidden under the hood of all-new Jeep Wagoneer’s new avatar. Also, it may end up as the next-generation Grand Cherokee sooner or later. And what’s more, even the Dodge Charger and Challenger will use this inline-six unit, as will future Ram pickups for their base engine, in place of the Pentastar.

14 Audi's A3-sized Electric Hatchback Soon

Via CNet

Audi has been mulling over the idea of realigning its entire investment program, also dubbed as Audi Transformation Plan, for quite a few years. In short, according to Auto Evolution, the Volkswagen Group-controlled manufacturer plans to pour around $16 billion into electric mobility, digitalization, and autonomous driving technologies by the end of 2023. Plus, the four-ringed auto giant wants to floor the car bazaar with at least twenty new electric models and, more importantly, wants at least half of them to have an all-electric drive system. According to AutoExpress, Audi is going to launch an E-Tronic hatchback of the size of A3 based on shared MEB vehicle architecture from Volkswagen.

13 An Unlikely Partnership? BMW And Daimler 

Via Motor1

Well, in the coming year, even the staunchest of rivals will try to shake hands together after a few weeks, reportedly. Everything is fair in love and war, it seems. Though it’s too early to confirm this, the grapevine has it that long-term competitors BMW and Daimler, Mercedes-Benz's parent company, might join hands to bring forth motor vehicles in the future. If this rumor becomes a reality, the fruits of labor will take their own sweet time to reach the frenzied consumers. The entire world is focusing on electric mobility and it requires massive investments. Perhaps a partnership between the giants like these would make the world a better place.

12 BMW S58 Engine May Sport A Water-Injection System

Via AutoEvolution

The BMW M3 was offered to the consumers in 1985 and carried a 192-horsepower four-cylinder unit under its hood. After more than three decades, the 3-Series comes armed with an all-new M3 that is capable of thrashing out a whopping 465 horsepower. Well, the newest guesstimate comes from Autocar. It speculates that BMW is already testing an all-new M3, codenamed G80, that features a 48-volt, mild-hybrid setup, and even an electric compressor. Plus, the new avatar will be lighter than its predecessor due to BMW’s CLAR vehicle architecture and will perform better with the use of a water-injection system.

11 Ferrari 812 Superfast Spider Will Have A Folding Roof

Via ABCNews

The Ferrari 812 Superfast, the descendant of famous F12 Berlinetta, made its global debut at the last year’s Geneva Motor Show. The rumors started snowballing since September of this year after Marcel Massani, the world's top collectible Ferrari expert, mentioned, in one of his online forum, Ferrari’s upcoming open-top grand tourer. He further added in one of his online chats that the prancing horse, perhaps, shall be soon rolling out the Spider with a folding roof in the style of the Portofino. To further fuel the rumor, another member of the forum claimed that he saw the car with its roof mechanism and that it looked a tad similar to the 488 Spider.

10 BMW's Manual Transmission To End With The M4

Via Motor1

BMW might just be phasing out manual transmission because rumor has it that the next-gen BMW M3 might come as an automatic-only performance sedan. This is not a certainty, though, and we will have to wait and watch for the final decision. That said, according to Road and Track, BMW’s head of development Klaus Frohlich did say that paddles and automatic transmission are what make a car the fastest. And so it seems that slowly, on the whole, manuals will be out phased. The M4, though, will continue to come with a manual option for the next decade or so because it is the fortress of the manual transmission.

9 RAM Rebels With A 7.0-liter Banshee V8 Engine

Via AutoHub

According to FC Authority, the current Ram Rebel sports a 5.7-L Hemi V8 engine that cranks outs a respectable 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft torque. Bested by Ford, the engineers at Ram have put their heart and soul into developing newer and more powerful beasts of labor. The Rebel TRX will reportedly hit the markets by 2022, carrying a 6.2-liter Dodge SRT Hellcat engine for power. Another model, the Rebel TR, is also underway with 520 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque cranked out by a whopping 7.0-liter Banshee V8. Clearly, the Rebel is all set to match and out-pound Ford trucks in the coming future.

8 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Might Be Really, Really Fast

Via TheDrive

While Porsche and Lamborghini are both supercar brands from the Volkswagen AG stable, that doesn’t mean they don’t compete. In fact, they do compete, and Volkswagen even lets them race out their differences on the race track, or rather the Nurburgring. Which is why just recently, the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ 2019 example just beat the previous record—set by Porsche's 911 GT2 RS in 2017—by almost two and a half minutes. According to Top Speed, the Aventador SVJ might just be the fastest production car to race on the Nurburgring. Now, how’s that for an in-house joust? And why not? The SVJ's upgraded, 6.5-liter V12 pounds out 759 horsepower and 531 lb-ft torque.

7 The New Audi TT Might Have Some Extra Doors

Via CarScoops

According to Motor 1, the two-door coupe that we all know and recognize as the Audi TT might just cease to exist. No, they aren’t stopping the Audi TT’s production; rather, they will now resize the two-door coupe into an all-new four-door and this version should be out by 2020-21. To be honest, this more practical version was displayed at the Paris Motor Show a few years back. Apparently happy with the response they got, the R&D team got to work. Apparently, Audi execs have given this new design their stamp of approval because the fourth generation of Audi TT may just come out with four doors soon.

6 The Chiron Divo Is Double The Price Of The Chiron Sport

Via CarNewsAgency

Bugatti is known for making super-rare and super-expensive cars that sell out like hotcakes before you can say, “I want one.” In March 2018, the Bugatti Chiron Sport was unveiled, but fans were already eagerly awaiting the SuperSport. Now, there’s even a rarer Chiron in town, and this one is known as the Chiron Divo—and is rumored to come with far better acceleration and far faster speeds—and probably might just be able to achieve escape velocity. Okay, so, kidding on the latter part. But it may be priced at a whopping $5.8 million, which is just about double the price of the Chiron Sport. So there, lifestyles of the uber-rich and ultra-famous.

5 A Corvette-Based Droptop Caddy?

Via Youtube

Show the Internet a picture of a chunk of plastic and hyper-speculation is what you get. The Drive shared a picture of a mystery key fob. It was little more than a piece of plastic with seven buttons on the front and a modern Cadillac badge at the back. Now, how did the speculation come about? For started, the bottom left button shows a convertible roof. Then the button above it shows a front trunk opening—and this would only be possible in cars that are mid-engined, hybrid, or have an electric powertrain. So, Caddy might just be getting out a Corvette-based convertible Caddy. Subtle, right?

4 The Land Rover Defender Sport May Be Out, In 2026!

Via CarMagazine

Good things come to those who wait. I remember this line from Jughead way back when I was in school and hooked on Archies. That said, awaiting a model that will come out in 2026 is one very long wait indeed, even it is for the Land Rover Defender Sport. The new Land Rover Defender will be out in 2020, and it promises to remove the rough-and-tumble aspect of the Defender and move the nameplate to a more upscale position. But a 2026 delivery is tough luck indeed for those really wanted a sportier and more performance-oriented Defender.

3 Audi Cabriolet Rumor Cabaret

Via AutoDrome

This one might just truly be a rumor. Apparently, according to Auto Bild, the A4 Cabriolet might just arrive in 2013. And the launch is a response to sluggish sales. That said, no one has spotted any concept cars to date, which sort of refutes this rumor, at least for now. In fact, reports of the A1 Cabriolet have been hot since 2007, but no prototype seems to have seen the light of day, either. Apparently, the A1 Cabriolet is suspected to go on the floor in 2019, but with no news or pictures of this at all, the probability seems less likely by the day.

2 A Brand New Hyper-Expensive, Four-Seat BMW X8

Via CarWow

BMW is tinkering with another model—if rumors are to be believed. And obviously, since the X7 was the latest model, the next one has to be the X8, though it seems to be codenamed G09. If you go for the most-loaded version of the X7, it’s a cool $120,000 or more. The X8 is all set to hit harder, though, because this one won’t be a coupe. It will go above and beyond BMW’s sleek electric sports car, the i8, as well, which is already $160,000 and up. Apparently, it is thought to be a full-sized SUV but with only four seats—ultimate luxury in one large space.

1 Aston Martin Dumping AMG's V8?

Via DriverNews

It all started when Matt Becker, who sits at the helm of Aston Martin’s engineering division, mentioned that AMG’s new straight-six, 3.0-liter engine is something that could fit with the brand in the future. And then a few days later, another statement by him said the company might be laying off the electrified engine in the CLS 53 for a future model from Gaydon, Aston Martin’s state-of-the-art headquarters. Since then, the new straight-six, 3.0-liter engine has acquired an electric twist. It is fresh off the grapevine and according to Autocar, Aston Martin is going the whole hog to develop a new straight-six engine using hybrid or plug-in hybrid technology.

Sources: Allpar, Auto Bild, and FC Authority.