Autoblog

The blokes at Car say they've got the scoop on the upcoming Audi A7, including a convertible version depicted in the rendering on the right. Power is rumored to start with six cylinders across the range, with a V10-powered S7 and a twin-turbo V10-motivated RS7. Expect a variety of transmissions to be on offer as well, including manuals, automatics and dual-clutch gearboxes with six or seven speeds, along with the availability of quattro all-wheel-drive.

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. Many have toyed with the idea of a four-door convertible – most recently arch-rival Mercedes with the Ocean Drive concept from Detroit '07 – but Audi may be the ones to actually revive the long-lost segment. Parade detail, here we come.

[Source: Car]

Some 2008-model Hyundai Elantras are being recalled due to fuel pumps that could lose pressure and decreasing engine performance. In Elantras with the 2.0-liter Beta engine, gasoline with ethanol added creates a buildup of film on the pump's electrical contacts. This can cause the engine to hesitate during starting or while running. The recall is voluntary, and if you have one of the affected cars, don't hesitate to contact your dealer.

[Source: Freep]

Hyundai's all-new Genesis sedan made yet another smashing impression as it pulled-off perfect 5-star ratings in recent U.S. government testing conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Korean luxury vehicle was sent into a fixed barrier at 35 mph with two crash dummies strapped inside. Once the dust settled, instruments revealed both front seat passengers would have had less than a 10 percent chance of injury -- results earning 5-star ratings. Front and rear seat side impact testing revealed a low probability of injury as well, also earning the car 5-star ratings. In NHTSA rollover testing, the Genesis exhibited less than a 10 percent chance of rollover, again placing it among the top performers in that category. The admirable crash test scores earned by Hyundai's first venture into the luxury segment are sure to give the competition even more sleepless nights, especially considering all that luxury and safety starts at just $33,000.

[Source: Hyundai, Safercar.gov]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Lexus IS-F

The higher-ups at Toyota may have decided to axe the replacement for the Lexus SC convertible, but don't get too used to the idea of a world without a wind-in-your-hair Lexus. Word has it they've given the green light to a convertible version of the current IS sedan. Of course, lopping off the doors and roof of a four-door is hardly unheard of, as that's just what Audi did to make the A4 convertible, but while that 'vert is set to be replaced by the A5 cabrio, Lexus is going the opposite direction.

The IS cabrio is tipped to come in 250 and 350 varieties, with Lexus reasoning that there'd be no market for an IS-F convertible. But fret not, as the same reports suggest that a lightweight IS-F sedan is on its way, again going the opposite way of the Germans as BMW just canceled the M3 CSL program. Things are about to get a whole lot busier at the Lexus plants in Tahara and Kyūshū.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via eGMCarTech]

Click above to view the Renault Safrane in high resolution

The Persian Gulf is fast becoming a demanding market for luxury automobiles. So demanding, in fact, that some automakers have begun creating special models just for consumption there. Just days ago we brought you news that Rolls-Royce, having already shipped a golden Drophead Coupe for one special customer, was launching a limited edition Phantom saloon called the Peony edition.

This, however, is not a special Rolls-Royce. We won't list all the ways in which it isn't a Roller, but will save your time and ours by listing instead what it shares in common. It's a luxury sedan, and it's made specially to be engulfed by the Gulf market. That's about it. The Safrane nameplate was previously used for Renault's lackluster flagship sedan, replaced by the reviled Vel Satis in 2000. So what is this exactly that has revived the name? A rebadged Samsung SM5, essentially. That vehicle is produced in an 80.1% Renault-owned joint venture in South Korea. If you're noticing some similarities with our own Nissan Maxima, you've got a keen eye, as it shares its platform with the last-gen Maxima as well as the Nissan Teana (itself available only in the Asian market).

Unless you live in Dubai, you probably won't be seeing one of these any time soon, but you can check it out in the gallery below.

[Source: Renault via CarScoop]

Click the image above for more renderings of the Seat Exeo

VW subsidiary Seat is, like The Jeffersons, movin' on up, rolling out a new range of vehicles that will push it into new market segments. The image above is one of a set of the automaker's Exeo sedan given to the trademark office in Spain. According to the company, "the new name stems from the Latin word 'Exire', meaning "to go beyond", "to go further", and "The name Exeo is advanced, forceful and technological, which signals excellence and is highly suggestive of driving pleasure." Ok...

Instead of creating something completely new to chart these unknown waters, Seat has taken a previous gen Audi A4 and given it front and rear clips in the Seat style. Seat will also use the A4 Avant body to create an Exeo wagon. The newish sedan is meant to compete with the Ford Mondeo, Renault Laguna, and Alfa Romeo 159 and will be launched some time next year as a 2010 model. It is expected to retail for £15,000 to £23,000 in the U.K. and we don't yet know which powerplants it will receive.


[Source: Autocar]

Since you can't even really call it a car anymore if it hasn't been blasted around the 'Ring in development, Jaguar has taken the mechanicals of the next XJ sedan to everyone's favorite playground. Those internals wear the ill-fitting sheetmetal of the current XJ, with the addition of serious wheel arches and a fire-breathing nose.

The real thing to take away from the story is this: the car has been described as "the XF's features... draped over an Aston Martin Rapide." Frankly, we were happy when the XJ's design was moved away from mimicking the Mercedes CLS. And we have come to appreciate the design of the XF. But this equation: XF + Rapide = XJ is the kind of thing that could go wrong. Mr. Callum, however, has earned the benefit of the doubt, so we will wait for the feast for our eyes to decide.

[Source: Autocar]

A Saab owner attending the 2008 Saab Owner's Convention posted a recap of the events at Trollhattan Saab (which we thought was defunct, but if not, we're glad it's back). One of the most noteworthy events was something on which he barely commented: a sketch of the new 9-5. Saab has been threatening for a while to start incorporating Aero X cues into its vehicles, and this could be it.

The text around the car says it will have "aircraft heritage," "fuselage bodysides," a "wraparound winshield," and a "grille inspired by a J21." We find the J21 bit and the fuselage sides a stretch, but it's still a good looking place to start. The sketch also hints that the tech in the new 9-5 is already being used in the Turbo X.

While other Saabs are supposed to be downsizing, the 9-5 will actually grow since it's based on the Epsilon II platform along with the Opel Insignia and next-gen versions of the Saturn Aura and Chevy Malibu. The car's engine will be shrinking, though, down to a 1.6-liter turbocharged unit. And could this be the Saab that Wagoner said will be built in North America?

[Source: Trollhattan Saab via Motor Authority]

click above to view more high-res shots of the Euro-Focus

News flash: small cars like the Ford Focus are selling beyond expectations (ours anyway) while trucks and SUVs are sitting on dealer lots much longer than auto manufacturers would like. For this reason, Ford is moving as quickly as possible to switch a few of its truck plants into car plants, including its Michigan Truck plant where behemoth SUVs like the Expedition and Navigator were being built. The switchover is going to cost the automaker since these are not flexible manufacturing facilities, with the first bit of retooling ringing the registers to the tune of $75 million bucks -- and that's just for a new bodyshop. The total cost to retool the plant will be in the hundreds of millions. As they say, it takes money to make money. While the plant is being refurbished, workers will be shuffled to the nearby Wayne plant to build even more Focuses. The best bit of news, though, is that Ford will finally be building its small cars from Europe at its converted truck plant, the ones we've all been asking for since the Euro-Focus got a new platform and we didn't. Not that we're still sour or anything...


[Source: The Detroit News]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Cadillac CTS-V

It's been over 60 years since the Americans have so thoroughly trounced the Germans, but Inside Line has the numbers to prove it. The Edmunds news service had a chance to take the new Cadillac CTS-V (which we're driving in upstart New York as we speak) and its supercharged V8 for a spin around GM's Milford proving grounds and brought along its testing gear. The resulting bombardment ought to have the Germans thoroughly embarrassed and rebuilding for decades to come.

The CTS-V ran the quarter-mile in a scant 12.5 seconds, besting the 12.7 it takes for either the BMW M5 or the Mercedes E63 AMG. Getting back to a standstill was another hit to the Bimmer and the Benz, with the Caddy stopping from 60-0 mph in 109 feet – five feet less than it takes the M5 and six shorter than the AMG. And if you're thinking that brakes and power are easy to upgrade and that the Cadillac couldn't possibly best the Germans on the handling course, think again: the CTS-V ran the slalom at 71.1 mph, while the M5 and E63 ran it in 68.5 and 65 mph respectively. Deutschland über alles indeed.

[Source: Inside Line]