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2009
Nissan Altima Coupe
 Nissan
announced details on the 2009 Altima Coupe. It will be available
in models and priced as follows: Altima Coupe 2.5 S 6MT $21,750;
Altima Coupe 2.5 S CVT $22,250; Altima Coupe 3.5 SE 6MT $26,390;
Altima Coupe 3.5 SE CVT $26,890. New for 2009 is a long list of
user-friendly technology features – including standard Nissan
Intelligent Key, available Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System,
an advanced touch-screen navigation system with XM NavTraffic
with real-time traffic information and RearView Monitor. Click
Here for more details
2009
Audi A4 sedan and wagon priced
 Prices
for the sedan start at $32,700, equipped with the all-new 2.0-liter
TFSI four that sends 211 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque through the
front wheels. Quattro will be available on the four-banger, along
with Audi's six-seed Tiptronic transmission. Buyers that opt for
the Avant will have to shell out $34,500 for the added hatch,
extra cargo room and standard Quattro all-wheel-drive. If you
choose the 3.2-liter FSI V6, the six-speed manumatic is standard,
along with the Quattro system. Click
Here for more details
Bugatti
Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport
 Long-rumored
targa-style Bugatti Veyron will officially be called the Grand
Sport. We recently learned that the pop-top Bug will make its
public debut at the Pebble Beach Concourse d'Elegance in a couple
of weeks. What we didn't know was that Gooding & Company will
be auctioning the first order slot on August 17th, right after
the best-in-show trophies are handed out at Pebble Beach. And
bring more than $2,250,000, the expected starting price. Bugatti
is planning to build just 80 of these Grand Sports.
Click
Here for more details
BMW
updates M models for 2009
 BMW's
lineup of M-fortified vehicles now numbers nine, which is the
largest it's ever been in the sub-brand's 30-year history. For
instance, the BMW M3 Sedan gets a new rear end that sports updated
taillights with two LED light clusters, and the entire M3 line
gets some minor interior tweaks, new colors and crash-active headrests.
Click
Here for more details
2010
Acura NSX will be priced around $160,000
 The
Acura NSX is two years away from its official launch, but we can
already imagine how it look like, and more than that what engine
will get and what price will have.
Inside Line reports the car will have a
price somewhere around $160,000, right on top of its rivals: Aston
Martin V8 Vantage, Maserati Gran Turismo and Jaguar XKR. Click
Here for more details
2009
Porsche 911 Targa
 As
part of the update to the 911 line, Porsche introduced the new
911 Targa last weekend. The Targa first appeared in 1967 as a
removable roof panel designed in response to concerns that the
tightening U.S. safety restrictions would ban convertibles. But
today, with a full convertible version of the 911 available, the
Targa has evolved into a large sliding sunroof. As with the previous
generation Targa, the 2009 model will feature a large glass roof
that can electronically slide behind the rear-window.Click
Here for more details
Schumacher
fine-tunes the Ferrari California
 After
having been intimately involved with the development of the 430
Scuderia – proclaimed as the fastest road-going Ferrari ever to
lap the company's private circuit – Schumacher returned to Fiorano
to give his input on Maranello's newest offering, the California.
And while his opinion is hardly impartial, he certainly knows
what he's talking about and his impressions were glowing.
Click
Here for more details & Video
Nissan
GT-R convertible
 The
Nissan GT-R is a fire-breathing monster, both on the track and
on the canyon roads of Southern California. It's been the biggest
buzz vehicle of 2008 and could be the most impressive sports car
in the history of Nissan. No worries, though. The photo above
is nothing more than a reasonably well done photo-shop that shows
what the GT-R might look like as a cabrio.Click
Here for more details
World's
first electric sports car
 The
United Kingdom has launched an electric sports car, in an effort
to give eco-cars an image boost.
Electric cars, are often pictured small,
impractical, and sometimes even ugly vehicles.
However, a company in the UK has unveiled
"Lightning" an electric sports car - claiming to revolutionise
the industry with its looks and technology. Click
Here for Video & more details
BMW
X2 is X1's sporty sibling
 We're
less than a month away from the official unveiling of the BMW
X1 concept in Paris. Powertrains fitted with BMW's Efficient Dynamics
system will be part of the package, beginning with 1.6-liter four-cylinder
engines, eventually evolving into mild- and plug-in hybrid drivetrains.
While the X1 has already been green-lit for production, the X2
is still in limbo. But if it does come to market, expect the X2
to bow sometime in 2011 after the X1 launches in 2010. Click
Here for more details
2009
Audi A3: Tweaked and priced
 Audi
gave up the details on the European-spec A3 earlier this year,
but it took until today for it to disclose what changes will carry
over to the U.S. model when the 2009 A3 goes on sale later this
month. A cursory inspection of the exterior and specs doesn't
reveal much, but dig a little deeper and the revisions become
obvious. The fascia has been tweaked with a few cues from the
recently revamped A4, including new LED daytime running lamps,
and redesigned rollers fill the wheel wells, hiding Audi's optional
Magnetic Ride suspension system. Click
Here for more details
BMW
8 Series on the way, no M-version planned
 With
their scopes aimed squarely at the upcoming Porsche Panamera and
Mercedes-Benz CLS, BMW's M performance division is rumored to
be working on their own four-door luxury GT for a 2010 launch.
With its styling based heavily on the BMW Concept CS (pictured
above), the platform for the new flagship will be shared with
the new 7 Series. Under the hood, most expect to see a 6.0-liter
V12 based on the current M5's V10, or a twin-turbocharged V8 like
the one rumored for the next-gen M5. Click
Here for more details
GM
releases first official photo of 2010 Chevy Camaro SS
 Regardless
of the fact that over a dozen official looking images of the 2010
Chevy Camaro SS showed up on the web early last week, this single
high-res image of the modern muscle car is notable for the fact
that it is the first overall shot that GM has officially released.
It showed up on the automaker's media site yesterday evening all
by its lonesome with no accompanying details, but what else is
there to know besides the fact it's packing a 6.2L LS3 V8 producing
422 hp and 408 lb-ft of torque. Click
Here for more details
2009
Honda Legend reveals de-shielded Acura RL
 This
revised model gives a new edge to the top of the range Honda and
responds to customer feedback on the current model. The most noticeable
change is to the exterior style of the Legend, with new lights,
bonnet, front wings, boot lid, bumpers and the adoption of standard
18" wheels. Under the restyled bonnet is one of the most
powerful V6 engines in this sector, giving the power of a V8 engine,
while retaining the smoothness and fuel economy inherent to this
layout. Click
Here for more details
Toyota
Hybrid iQ coming in 2010
 Toyota
will unveil the production version of the 2009 iQ at the Paris
Auto Show. Measuring less than 10 feet in length, the iQ is not
just the world’s smallest 4-seater ever built, but it is also
a serious green machine with CO2 emissions levels starting at
a mere 99 g/km. But this is only the beginning. Starting 2010,
it will also gain the title of the world’s smallest hybrid. Inspired
by the next generation Prius, the hybrid iQ will be powered by
a 500cc engine and a small electric motor. Click
Here for more details
Spy
shots: RR4 wearing even less camouflage
 The
RR4 - the Rolls-Royce that asks that you "don't call me 'baby'"
is slowly undressing, striptease-like, before its final reveal
at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Previous spy shots hinted at rear
suicide doors, or coach doors as Rolls-Royce refers to them, and
now it is official: the hinges on the rear door are on the rear
of the door. The car has plenty of Phatom-esque cues, and although
it doesn't look anything like the initial sketch, it looks like
it could be a very attractive proposition when it shows up for
the big dance. Click
Here for more details & pictures
Mid-engine
Audi R3 to replace TT
 Audi's
mid-engine R4 was pronounced stillborn this past year, but with
Volkswagen bringing its own midship concept to the Los Angeles
Auto Show this November, Audi might revive plans its own version
to market in the next five years. The new R3 would effectively
replace the TT, providing a better business case for VAG to produce
a mid-engine platform and silencing critics that have constantly
complained that the TT is merely a tarted up Golf. Click
Here for more details
Bugatti
releases new palette for Veyron Hermes
 The
announcement actually came from Monterey but was quickly overshadowed,
somewhat ironically, by the unveiling of the open-top Veyron 16.4
Grand Sport and the subsequent auction of its first example for
$3.2 million. The unveiling of the new-tint Hermes Veyrons took
place at the Quail motorsport gathering on Monterey Peninsula,
where Bugatti revealed the four new color schemes available: "indigo
blue and vermilion", "indigo blue and lime green",
" black and garance red" and "Prussian blue and
blue jean". Click
Here for more details & pictures
Audi
A7 four-door hard-top cabrio
 Sources
have suggested that, while Audi will be behind the game in bringing
a four-door coupe in the Mercedes CLS mold to market in the first
half of 2010, it's got another segment-busting trick up it's sleeve:
a full four-door convertible. And according to Car's illustrators,
the A7 cabrio will feature a full retractable hard-top.
Click
Here for more details
Toyota
unveils new Avensis
 Toyota
will use the upcoming Paris Motor Show in October to unveil its
redesigned flagship model for Europe, the Avensis. Think of it
as the old country's version of the Avalon. Though we only have
a rear 3/4 shot to go by, the new Avensis looks considerably more
chunky than the current model, with a short deck lid, large rear
tail-lights, a strong shoulder line and some interesting concave
surfacing above the side sills. We don't know much else, other
than that it will be offered with more powerful and cleaner engines
when it goes on sale in Europe around January. Click
Here for more details
Audi
develops R8 GT3 racer
 The
courtship between Audi and GT3-class racing teams has officially
begun with the automaker's announcement that it has developed
a GT3 version of the R8 sports car dubbed "R16" internally
by its project overlords at Audi Sport . The rear-drive racer
(GT3 regulations prohibit AWD) features a six-speed sequential
gearbox, mostly production-spec suspension components, plus an
updated front end and a large rear wing designed to keep it planted
to the tarmac. No additional tech specs have been revealed at
this time. Click
Here for more details
Ferrari
to offer California with manual, HGTC handling pack
 However,
Maranello has not finished development of the California and intends
to pacify those malcontents with some new features. For starters,
Ferrari says that about 10% of its customers still demand a manual
transmission, and so they will have one ready for the California
by the time it actually goes on sale about half a year from now.
Around the same time, Ferrari will also unveil a new HGTC handling
package, like those offered for the 612 Scaglietti and the previous
575 M Maranello. Click
Here for more details
2009
Honda City
 Honda's
latest City, which is primarily sold overseas in Asian countries,
has been outed and things are looking pretty good for the little
machine. We really dig the look of the new City, with its front-end
clearly derived from newer Hondas like the FCX Clarity. Inside
is a neat and tidy dash, instrument cluster and center stack that
makes us long for the simple designs from a few years back. Tucked
in behind the steering wheel are paddle shifters for the automatic
transmission and under the stylishly creased hood is a 120-horse
1.5-liter four cylinder i-VTEC engine.
Click Here
for more details & pictures
Mazda
Kazamai concept officially unveiled
 Mazda
pulled out all the awkwardly executed stops for the reveal of
the Kazamai concept, including four sets of dancers, guys in neon-pink
shorts on roller skates and a 40-man Russian singing troop in
Soviet-style dress. We couldn't make this stuff up if we tried,
but what better way to kick off our coverage of the Moscow International
Auto Salon.Despite the strange theatrics, the Kazamai is one of
our favorite Nagare-themed concepts since the Furai and Kabura.
Then again, we're suckers for two-door crossovers. Click
Here for more details
ABT
Sportsline tweaks the Audi Q5
 Every
time a new Volkswagen or Audi is released, German tuner ABT Sportsline
can be relied upon to come up with performance and appearance
packages to enhance them. The latest ride to get attention is
the Audi Q5, and as you can see in the renderings ABT sent out,
the body kit helps matters, because the showroom-trim Q5 is actually
pretty vanilla-looking. The new visuals are backed up by a modified
suspension, 20" wheels, more braking power, and performance
upgrades for each available engine. Click
Here for more details
Rolls-Royce
creates special Peony edition Phantom for UAE
 Wealthy
customers in the United Arab Emirates seem to have a penchant
for special editions of the most expensive luxury saloons. As
if it wasn't enough to get the Maybach Landaulet revealed right
there on their home turn, one Arabian customer recently ordered
a custom gilded Rolls-Royce Drophead. Now Rolls-Royce has followed
up with a special edition of its Phantom limousine targeted specifically
for the UAE. Click
Here for more details
Koenigsegg
developing 700bhp four-door
 We've
seen stretched out exotics before, but Koenigsegg is reportedly
planning on producing a model with four doors right from the factory.
Carbon-fiber saloons from the Swedish automaker have been undergoing
testing for the past two years, with the new model set to be debut
in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010. Sales of the
car are planned for 2011 with a sizable allocation destined for
the U.S. Click
Here for more details
GM
releases official pics of 2011 Chevy Cruze
 The
Cruze will be a global car, and as such it's going on sale in
Europe first. It will makes its global debut at the Paris Motor
Show in October, where European customers will be the first to
check it out in person before it goes on sale in March 2009 overseas.
It will be available at launch with a 112-hp 1.6L engine, a 140-hp
1.8L and a 150-hp 2.0L turbodiesel. The North American version
will likely get GM's upcoming direct injected 1.4L four-cylinder.
The Cruze will also offer a five-speed manual and GM's first application
of a six-speed automatic in a small car. Click
Here for more details
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