Back in 2007, a well-planned three-way deal between Renault, Nissan and Daimler brought these three automotive powerhouses together. This deal wasn’t necessarily massive, as it only resulted in Daimler getting a 3.1 percent share of Nissan and Renault, and Nissan and Renault getting 1.55 percent of Daimler each. Basically this deal was just to allow the three automakers to freely share their technologies and testing.
It looks as if Renault is pretty close to calling on Daimler to make good on its deal, as Renault is working on a new flagship sedan that will use some Mercedes-Benz parts. This new flagship model is not all Renault is looking ahead to, as the French automaker is also debating releasing an entire lineup of luxury car with Daimler’s help.
The details are still rather sketchy, as they are still in preliminary talks and a lot of the information is from unconfirmed sources. One of the names for the new make that is being tossed around is Initiale Paris, which was once used on a 1995 Renault concept car.
Image Note: The images used are of the 1995 Initiale Paris concept car
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Our spy photographers have already caught the facelift version of the Porsche Panamera testing a few times, but until we believed that the luxury sedan will only be modified on the exterior. However, the British magazine Car reports that important changes will also be made under the hood.
It seems that Porsche decided to drop the V8 engine found in the Panamera 4s in favor of a new, high-performance 3.0-litre V6. This new engine will come with twin-turbo capacity and will deliver an impressive 420 HP - a 20 HP increase over the current model.
The new Panamera will also get Audi’s new V8 TDI diesel engine. This decision should not be such a surprise considering the Panamera is quite a hit on the European market.
The new Panamera facelift will arrive in April 2013 and prepares the path for the second generation Panamera that will arrive in 2015 at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
It seems that Ferrari learned nothing from the previous fire problems the 458 Italia had in the past. The new FF is being reported to have the same issues: a number of three cars recently caught fire, with the latest one being located in Poland (previous two were in Germany in November 2011 and China in February 2012).
The incident took place on the A4 highway near Krakow, Sunday at 19:23. It seems that the fire started spontaneously and according to the driver it went from the cockpit down to the pedals. Luckily he managed to get out of the car in time, but despite his efforts and the help from two fire brigade, the car was completely destroyed.
Ferrari has already recalled a number of FF models from the Chinese market built before December 2011. The problem announced for those models was excessive oil lubrication circuit-processing residues. However, we are pretty sure that a massive FF recall will happen pretty soon.
When the Cadillac CTS dropped onto the market, it was available in a variety of versions, including a sedan, a coupe, and a station wagon. Now, the same recipe for success will be applied to the new ATS. Cadillac will first put out a sedan and a coupe version, but a station wagon version and a convertible are also said to be in the mix. Why? Well, Americans need cheaper alternatives to German coupes and Cadillac is ready to deliver just about anything we’re looking for in order to pick up sales. They have the platform to build on and will more than likely make sure they get their money’s worth on it.
The upcoming ATS Coupe will be revealed for the 2014 model year and will borrow just about everything from the sedan version, except for the sedan’s two rear doors. It will get the same active shutter grille, LED-infused headlights, chrome trim, vertical taillights, and integrated trunk spoiler. Other minor changes will make the Coupe a sportier rendition of the sedan.
The ATS Coupe will be built on the same rear-wheel-drive Alpha platform and will be offered with the same engine line-up as the sedan: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 200 HP, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 270 HP, and a 3.6-liter V6 with 318 HP. The engines will be combined with either a six-speed manual transmission or an automatic transmission. There will also be an option for an all-wheel-drive system.
BMW and Audi better start prepping themselves for some competition.
The Porsche Panamera is one of those cars that’s a little tricky to make body kits for. Pegged as a luxury sports saloon, tuners have to be wary of being a tad aggressive on giving the Panamera a makeover that loses the car’s high-class luster. Fortunately, German Special Customs managed to dodge that proverbial land line with their latest offering, the Panamera Turbo Nighthawk.
GSC’s Nighthawk program offers a simple yet classy body kit for the Panamera, one that’s careful not to go overboard with any of its components. The body kit is comprised of a new front spoiler lip, a vented carbon fiber hood, new side gills, sport side skirts, a modified rear diffuser, a far spoiler, and last but certainly not least, a new quad exhaust system.
With the new components fitted into the Panamera Turbo, GSC went with a matte gray finish on the car’s body, creating a visual chemistry of matte gray and carbon fiber that doesn’t exactly blow up our eyes in a hue of rainbow colors.
Such programs are what looks great for a car like the Porsche Panamera Turbo. If it were any other Porsche’s, say a 911, then we wouldn’t mind if the color looked more visually eye-catching. But this set-up works for the Panamera Turbo and certainly, we’re fans of what GSC managed to do to the German sports saloon.
Just a few weeks ago, it seemed all but inevitable that Saab would be saved by a massive takeover bid from Chinese mega-company, Youngman but unfortunately, the company recently confirmed that it has pulled out of its multi-billion dollar bid to purchase the flailing brand. However, if the latest reports are to be believed, Saab may not be dead just quite yet.
Little known Swedish firm, National Electric Vehicle Sweden is said to be behind the latest bid to purchase Saab’s remaining assets for an undisclosed amount. But if previous speculation about GM shooting down Youngman’s billion dollar bid for Saab is true, then we can only imagine how much this new deal must be worth.
If NEVS really has struck a deal to purchase Saab, then it’s likely the firm has ambitious plans to turn Saab into an electric automobile producer, to help inject some life into the brand. What’s very interesting about this latest bid is that NEVS is actually owned by none other than Karl-Erling Trogen, the man once behind the operations at Volvo Trucks.
Although all of this sounds very promising, we have serious doubts that NEVS bid will be accepted if previous, unsuccessful attempted acquisitions are anything to go by.
The current generation BMW 7-Series was only launched a couple of years ago, but with Mercedes tackling their S-Class with modifications improving fuel efficiency, as well as design, BMW had limited time to freshen up the competition. The facelifted BMW 7-Series will find its way to the market in 2013, ready to meet the new S-Class straight on.
The new 7-Series has received changes to both the exterior and the interior, as well as a line-up of new and upgraded engine variants. For the exterior, BMW has added new full-LED headlights, a prominent BMW kidney grille, and a modified front apron, while the interior gets a multifunctional instrument display and a new Rear Seat Entertainment package.
The engine line-up will range from the 258 HP 3-liter straight-six petrol engine found in the entry-level 730i up to a 544 HP V12 engine found in the top version, the 760i. All of the versions will be combined with Auto Start-Stop function, Brake Energy Regeneration, and the second-generation Driving Experience Control switch with ECO PRO mode.
UPDATE 05/25/2012: This review has been updated with the official details and images for the BMW 7-Series.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 BMW 7-Series.
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Back in April 2012, Jaguar officially confirmed that the F-Type sports car wold be coming, except they only confirmed it in a coupe version and a roadster version. Now, recent spy shots have revealed that an R version is also under development. Come on, anyone knows that all Jaguars come with their own R version, so this little development shouldn’t have taken anybody off-guard.
The future Jaguar F-Type R will be powered by the usual supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine used in almost all the other R models, but detuned to around 450 HP, which is still pretty impressive for such a tiny sports car.
Compared to the standard F-Type, the R version will get a set of quad exhausts, more prominent front and rear bumpers, a new set of wheels, and a sportier interior.
It is believed that the R version will be launched at the same time as the standard version, so expect to see the new F-Type in all its glory later in September 2012.
Now all we need to complete the lineup is for the Jaguar F-Type RS to get picked.
The Cadillac Escalade has always been a love-it-or-hate-it type of vehicle, thanks to its awesome styling but terrible fuel economy. Sales have been falling off lately and incoming CAFÉ regulations are really putting the squeeze on GM to increase the overall fuel economy of its sole luxury automaker. This led to talks of the Escalade getting the axe in coming years, but apparently GM is not ready to throw in the towel yet.
Reports are pointing to an all-new Cadillac Escalade arriving in 2014 as an early-2015 model year. Instead of Caddy going the direction that many other SUV builders have gone, it will keep the Escalade on a truck frame, whereas many builders are changing SUVs to sit upon car platforms. This means that the 2015 Escalade will ride on the same platform as the soon-to-be released new Chevy Silverado and Sierra.
Unfortunately, we have nothing to really offer except speculation on the incoming Chevy and GMC trucks, as we have only seen heavily camouflaged models. All we can say for certain is that the Cadillac will share the same platform as its pickup brethren. Some experts are anticipating a change in the Silverado/Sierra twins that rivals the 1996 space shuttle treatment that the F-150 received. If this is the case, we can also expect a vastly redesigned Escalade.
We also know that GM has to work on the fuel economy of this luxury SUV to help it meet CAFÉ regulations in the future and the 18 highway mpg that the 2012 Escalade gets is simply not going to cut it. Look for GM to develop an engine that rivals the Ford’s EcoBoost V-6, like the 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine that has been mentioned, and toss it into the Escalade. The only other option would be to go turbo diesel, which may not sit well with Cadillac owners.
We will continue to bring you more information as it becomes available on the upcoming 2015 Escalade.
Current model pictured
Aston Martin is intensely preparing their new DBS for its official launch and in the past few days, the future DBS was spotted running a very quick lap around the Nürburgring with its sticky Pirelli tires.
According to our spy photographers, the sports car was very fast! That speed comes from its previously used 6.0-liter V-12 engine delivering somewhere between 550-600 HP. Add that to the fact that it was built on a lighter chassis and extensive use of lightweight materials, and you have the recipe for a very successful - and fast - sports car!
As for the design of the DBS, Aston Martin clearly took inspiration from its One-77, visible on the front of the vehicle with its reshaped headlights. The rest of the design seems to be a direct evolution of the current DBS with sportier touches here and there. The rear of the vehicle was more refined with adjustments made to the rear bumper and exhaust.
Expect to see the new Aston Martin DBS launched at the 2012 Paris Auto Show this September.
