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Detroit
'09 Preview: Volvo S60 Concept
 Next
month in Detroit, the Volvo S60 Concept will serve up a teaser
for the 2010 production sedan that'll likely debut later in the
show season. The S60 Concept demonstrates that Volvo's new sedan
will ditch the rather conservative duds it currently wears in
favor of a new, much more aggressive visual ensemble. Profile
views show off a coupe-ish roofline, while pointed headlights
extend back onto the fenders and flank a reshaped, more detailed
grille up front...More
info & Pictures
Officially
Official: 2010 BMW Z4
 BMW
will unveil the all-new Z4 roadster at the Detroit Auto Show next
month, but there's no need to wait for the show in Motown to see
the car in non-spyshot form, as all the Euro-spec details were
officially released when the clock struck midnight in Munich.
We're into the new bodywork, which is pretty voluptuous compared
to the preceding model, with a hint of 507 lineage evident in
the car's lines.Up front, wide double-kidney grilles establish
an aggressive face. Out back, the tail is cleaner and more elegant
than the current car's, featuring simpler...More
info & Pictures
Audi
A7 concept coming to Detroit Auto Show
 While
other automakers are fleeing Detroit's Cobo Hall, Audi has plans
to make up for their absences. We already knew the V10-powered
version of the R8 would be making its world debut at the North
American International Auto Show next month and it looks like
several more vehicles will be appearing as well. According the
Detroit Free Press, a concept version of the upcoming A7 will
make be on hand, along with a second US market diesel model. More
info
Aston
Martin offers power upgrades to last-gen V8 Vantages
 If
you're a 2005-2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage owner, you may have
wished you'd held out for the 2009 model which benefits from an
extra 0.4-liters of displacement (up from 4.3- to 4.7-liters)
and gains an extra 40 hp and 45 lb-ft of torque, along with some
revised suspension tuning. The crew at Gaydon feels your pain
and has begun offering a new performance package for the 4.3-liter
model. The kit includes a new induction system originally developed
for the DBS that features a pair of toggling airbox valves that
open at 5,500 rpm to bring more air into the engine. More
info
Repercussions
of failed automaker bailout spreading quickly
 Late
Thursday evening, the U.S. automaker bailout bill failed to pass
through the Senate. The legislation is dead and there are no plans
for another bill to go through the process until the end of the
year. To quote Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, this will be
"a very, very bad Christmas" for many Americans.
According to reports, General Motors has got bankruptcy and restructuring
advisors on speed-dial in preparation for the bad news and Chrysler
has already retained CH11 counsel. More
info
Top
10 Most Stolen Vehicles in 2008
Ten Most Stolen Vehicles:
1. Cadillac Escalade ESV
2. Ford F-250 SuperCrew
3. Cadillac Escalade
4. Dodge Charger
5. Ford F-350 SuperCrew
6. Hummer H2 SUT
7. Dodge Magnum
8. Hummer H2
9. Dodge Durango
10. Honda S2000 convertible
2010
Mercedes E-Class - official image leaked
Now it’s official, the future E-Class sedan will take some cues
from its S-Class big brother. This includes a sleeker body than
the current model, with harder crease lines and a slightly rising
rear-end.A correction from the earlier post has the E-Class sedan
premiering at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the coupe bowing
at the Geneva Show in March. Mercedes to offer a wide variety
of V6 and V8 engines, including a 525 hp 6.3-liter V8 for the
E63 AMG model.
Audi
R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro unveiled ahead of Detroit (new official
images)
 For
those who still have sufficient cash-flow to purchase high end
sports cars, the latest and greatest remains a must. In keeping
with that reality, Audi is cranking up the juice on its flagship
R8 sports car with the introduction of the R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro,
which got an early reveal on the web today. The R8 shares some
less visible bits with its corporate cousin, the Lamborghini Gallardo,
but until now the Lambo's V10 engine has remained exclusive to
the Italian side of the family. More
info & Pictures
Mercedes
considering two-seat roadster based on the A-Class
 As
goes Volkswagen and BMW, so goes Mercedes. Since VW/Audi are going
to make a small roadster and BMW is toying with the idea of a
Z2, Mercedes doesn’t want to be left out, and is exploring the
idea of making its own roadster based on the A-Class. Mercedes
already has a few design studies to work from, and it’s looking
back to the SLA concept from the Detroit Auto Show in 2000. "It
is part of the regular new-model review at Mercedes-Benz to look
at ideas from the past," a senior Mercedes-Benz official
told AutoWeek. "When the SLA was originally proposed at the
end of the last decade, we didn’t have a suitable platform; the
sandwich platform is too high and too heavy. More
info
Nissan
unveils NV2500 light commercial vehicle concept
 Today
at the Nissan Technical Center in Farmington Hills, MI, Nissan
revealed its new NV2500 concept commercial van. The NV2500 is
a preview of its upcoming light commercial vehicle that will debut
in 2010. The NV2500 will be taking the place of the Titan pickup
at the company's Canton, MS assembly plant and take Nissan into
a new market segment in North America. Nissan's Communications
VP Alan Buddendeck explained that the automaker competes in the
commercial vehicle market around the world and wants to round
that out with North America. More
info
Nissan
370Z S-Tune begins to get official with new images and info
 Nissan
has released official images of the NISMO 370Z S-Tune, and the
photos show a much more hardcore of version of the Japanese brand's
new rear-wheel-drive sports car than we saw debut at the LA Auto
Show last month. Buyers will be able to choose between the full-on
body kit above with a new lower chin spoiler, "extension
nose piece", rocker moldings, rear valance and rear wing
or a toned down version. Those larger deep dish, five-spoke aluminum
wheels are also an option, as are a stainless steel exhaust system,
upgraded S-Tune suspension, additional body braces and S-Tune
brake pads. More
info & Pictures
Mitsubishi
Evolution X FQ400 coming with 405 hp
 Autocar
snagged a handful of pics and some initial specs of the UK-only
Mitsubishi Evolution X FX-400, and as suspected, the hotter Evo
is a road-going version of the ADR Motorsport-prepared sedan that
successfully campaigned this past September in the 24-Hour Britcar
Championship. The turbocharged 2.0-liter 4B11 will put out approximately
405 hp and 400 lb.-ft. of torque thanks to a new turbo, retuned
ECU and center-exit exhaust. More
info
Audi
R8 V10 debuting in Detroit, cabrio coming in 2010
 While
other automakers are dropping out of the Detroit Auto Show left
and right, Audi is heading to Motor City with guns blazing, beginning
with the 2010 Audi R8 V10. Car and Driver decided to put the rumors
to rest that the updated super coupe is officially coming to Detroit,
packing a 5.2-liter V10 putting out 520 hp and 398 lb.-ft. of
torque. Aside from the obvious aural and performance differences,
the V10-powered R8 will make use of a pair of larger dual exhaust
tips rather than the V8 model's quad outlets. More
info
Audi
TT-RS headed to Geneva Motor Show
 Audi-philes
have even more reason to rejoice now that news comes in of an
imminent TT-RS launch next March at the Geneva Motor Show. The
standard-fare TT offers plenty of punch, and the TT-S spices things
up a bit with a high-pressure version of Audi/VW's 2.0L forced-induction
four banger. Sometimes, way too much is, ya know... just enough,
and for speed freaks, Audi has apparently green-lighted an ultra-hot
version as well. More
info
Aston
Martin Rapide official rendering
 Usually
it’s the automotive press who makes the renderings of future cars,
but this time Aston Martin made a rendering for the press. According
to CAR Magazine, Aston dropped off an early Christmas gift and
gave them its rendering of what the production Rapide will look
like. Aston’s sedan should be powered by a 6.0-liter 500 hp V12.
CAR is reporting that the Rapide should cost between £130,000-£150,000
(about $200,000-$230,000 at direct current rates) when it arrives
in about a year. More
info
Jaguar
XF Coupe breaks cover
 According
to Auto Express, what you see here is slated to hit showrooms
in 2010 and will go up against such luxury and performance stalwarts
as the Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe, BMW's 3 Series Coupe and the
Audi A5. It's definitely got the looks to compete on equal footing,
with the trendy high belt-line and minimal glass surface area.
Where the XF sedan features slinky lines, this XF bulges in an
exaggerated show of power, making the new Coupe a much more aggressive
design overall. More
info
Porsche
Panamera finally arrives
 After
what seems to be about the last three decades of seeing spy photos
of Porsche's first four-door super sedan, the Panamera, the car
is now officially revealed. Porsche is calling this a four-door
grand touring sports car rather than a coupe or sedan. Power for
the Panamera will come from a range of V6 and V8 engines that
will likely mirror the Cayenne lineup. The engines will run from
a paltry 300 horsepower up to the 500-hp unit from the Cayenne
Turbo. More
info & Pictures
Ford
releases pricing for all five 2010 Fusion models
 Fusion
S: $19,270 (2.5L 4, six-speed manual). The dust has hardly settled
from Ford's big showing at the 2008 LA Auto Show, and already
it's making news again with the new 2010 Fusion. Today Ford launched
a minisite to promote the redesigned mid-size sedan, and contained
therein is pricing for all five models. Everything begins with
the base Fusion S model that starts at $19,270 and comes with
the new 2.5L four-cylinder and a six-speed manual. The range tops
out at the Fusion Hybrid, which starts at $27,270. More
info & Pictures
2008
LA (Los Angeles) Auto Show
 Full
coverage of LA Auto show some great photos of new rides from Lexus,
BMW, Nissan, Honda, Ford, Porsche and more. More
info, videos & Pictures
2010
Ford Mustang
 The
2010 'Stang is at once the same and different. Like the 2005-09
model, it's immediately recognizable as Ford famous pony car.
If anything, it looks even more like a late '60s Mustang thanks
to some additional curvature in its lines, especially along the
belt-line. At the same time, it also looks more contemporary.
The designers have improved the aerodynamics and reworked many
of the design details. What may be even more important for drivers
of the Mustang is an all-new interior that finally dispenses with
cheap, hard plastics and looks like it was designed in this century,
but more on that in a bit. More
info & Pictures
DC
Designs creates another Roller atrocity
 Dilip
Chhabria unveiled the DC Ambierod at the 2008 New Delhi Auto Expo.
The coupe was supposedly inspired by the Hindustan Ambassador,
on which the Ambierod is based, and Chhabria wanted to create
the Indian equivalent of the Holden Efijy concept from 2005. In
short, he failed – hardly a surprise considering the wannabe Roller/350Z
and the $375,000 Cayenne coupe that DC concocted in previous years..
More
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