Just one photo of Hyundai’s IX35 concept vehicle, the ix-onic, has surfaced ahead of the SUV’s unveiling at the Geneva Auto Show in March. This stylish looking compact crossover, originally coded as the HED-6, is the official concept car for the next generation Hyundai Tucson and will inspire all new Hyundai SUV designs, including the Santa Fe and Veracruz.

Until now the only images of the ix35 available were the rather abstract sketches Hyundai released almost a month ago.

The ix-onic IX35 Concept was created at Hyundai European Design in Rüsselsheim, Germany, under the leadership of Hyundai Europe’s Chief Designer Thomas Burkle.

Power will come from a direct-injection 1.6-liter engine that makes an impressive 175hp.

[Source: WorldCarFans via autotelegraaf.nl]

After a flip through GM’s 117 page Viability Plan, submitted yesterday to the U.S. Government, we came across one little surprise. That’s right, the Cadillac CTS, listed in the “Future Product Launches” appendix.

Up until now we have just sort of assumed that this car would see production, but now it appears to be official.

Little is still known about the CTS Coupe, other than the fact that GM plans to begin production of the car in 2010, likely as a 2011 model. It will come with a 3.6-liter V6 engine (sorry, no turbo-diesel like in the concept car) and will use a six-speed automatic transmission.

Every other vehicle listed in the same appendix is already a known production model. The eight vehicle include: the Chevy Volt, the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, the Chevrolet Cruze, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Chevrolet Equinox, the Buick Lacrosse and the Cadillac SRX.

Mercedes tuner Carlsson will have on display at the Geneva auto Show its third combined project with European fashion icon Aigner, a modified GL500 (known as the GL550 in North America).

Called the CK55 RS Racasse, this 456hp GL-Class Benz gets its name from a famous corner on a famous racetrack; the second last corner on the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit. (The two previous Carlsson/Aigner projects, the Eau Rouge and Blanchimont, are named after corners on the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium).

With 388hp in stock trim, Carlsson has reworked the V8 engine with modified cylinder heads, high lift camshafts, a remapped ECU and free flow exhaust system with high flow cats. The result it 456hp and 472 ft-lbs of torque. Carlsson claims this is good for a 0-62 mph sprint of just 5.9 seconds, compared to 6.5 seconds for the standard vehicle.

Like all other Carlsson Aigner vehicles, the Racasse features a two-tone paint job. The full-size SUV also features a completely reworked exterior with wider wheel arches, new side skirts, new front and rear bumpers and a new, more aggressive front hood. The front grille has been replaced with a more imposing chrome unit (featuring a large Carlsson logo) with chromed wire mesh behind.

New driving and fog lights are built into the new front bumper, with LED daytime running lights and illuminated Aigner logos on the fenders.

The Racasse rolls on a set of Carlsson 3/11 UL forged aluminum wheels that measure 23×11-inches at all four corners with massive 305/30/23 tires. The SUV also sits low thanks to Carlsson C-Tronic suspension system that lowers the factory air suspension by 40 mm.

Inside is where the Aigner side of the project really shines with Alcantara on the seats, dash, door panels and center console. The headliner is also coated in Alcantara in a custom stitched pattern.

In the rear, major adjustments were made, as the Racasse has just two seats, as opposed to the usual 5 rear seats. As a result there is plenty of space – enough for a fridge, in fact. Passengers can even enjoy a beverage in the hand-blown Carlsson-Aigner glasses.

A full entertainment system is also contained in the back seat with two eight-inch screens integrated into the front headrests.

The car will officially be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show in March and we’ll be sure to bring you more photos then.

Only 20 models will be built and as for the cost, Carlsson has set it at 228,500 Euros – or approximately $287,000. Yikes!

Official release after the jump:

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Along with asking for $16.6 billion more in loans from the Federal Treasury, General Motors has made it clear that Saturn, Saab and Hummer will be sold off or eliminated.

GM has made it clear that Hummer is for sale if anyone is interested, and the same can be said for Saab, if the Swedish government doesn’t help out with some bailout funding.

As for Saturn, General Motors has said that it will continue to supply product to dealers through 2012 but won’t say any more than that. If you read between the lines, that means that unless something major happens, or a suitable buyer is found for Saturn, the General Motor’s brand will cease to exist in 2012.

General Motor execs have made it clear that the company will focus on four core brands in the future: Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Buick. According to GM Inside News’ sources inside GM, that means that Pontiac will be reduced to a niche brand.

GM Inside News also reports that Saturn will move to eliminate the Astra and Outlook sooner and hold on to the Aura, Vue and Sky until the end.

[Source: AutoNews and GMInsideNews.com]

Today is it… the North American Auto Industry’s big day full of big and frightening news. But things may be worse than anyone had planned.

That’s right, General Motors wants more money from the Federal Treasury… $16.6 Billion.

Yes.. that is $16.6 Billion on top of the $13.4 Billion loan GM already secured from the Federal Treasury, for a total of… cue Dr. Evil…. $30 Billion.

And to think, we were so naive to believe that today was the day GM and Chrysler were supposed to show the Federal Government how they were going achieve financial sustainability and declare how they would pay back the outrageous sums of money they already borrowed.

Instead the struggling automakers are asking for more. Chrylser says it needs $2 billion more while GM is asking for $4.6 billion to reach its December 2nd request of 18 Billion. On top of that GM wants $4.5 billion to pay a line of credit, as well as $7.5 billion more to help pay that line of credit if auto sales continue to suffer. Under the General Motors restructuring plan, the company says it would be able to begin paying back the loans by 2010.

The scary news for workers is that GM did present a restructuring plan, one that would see 47,000 jobs lost by the end of 2009 and 5 U.S. plants shut down by 2012. Of those jobs 37,000 would be hourly.

[Source: AutoNews]

Official GM Bailout Release after the jump:

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FAB Design, a German tuner shop famous for West Coast Customs-style rapper-trash modifications on Mercedes vehicles, has outdone itself by blinging out a Maybach 57 S. Notice we said, “ruin” in the headline.. with quotes… as Maybach models aren’t exactly gems to begin with.

Other than the obvious blue paint, the car features ASMA-like fenders that extend the width of the car by 30cm – essentially one foot (although that sounds like an exaggeration based on the photos). Up front a new bumper has some large square cutouts that match the rear exhaust outlets.

Inside the wheel wells are 20-inch rims, with some extra wider rubber that measures 265/30/20 up front and 325/25/20 out back.

FAB Design says that thanks to their engine tuning the car now makes 650hp and 756 ft-lbs of torque and can hit 62 mph in just 4.9 seconds. Top speed is rated at 186 mph – the same speed the Brabus modified Maybach achieved to set a record for the world’s fastest Maybach. Again, it sounds like FAB Design is embellishing.

The interior of the car features white leather and gobs and gobs of blue Alcantara.

On a positive note, the company did make use of some nice carbon fiber details around the door handles and other areas.

FAB Design says just 15 version of this vehicle will be built for customers and while we can see some of them being ordered, with Maybach’s low sales volume 15 sounds like wishful thinking.

FAB Design is usually at the Geneva Auto Show so we’ll be sure to get more info if we can. And if you thought this was over the top, we’re certain Mansory has something just as even more ridiculous in store for Geneva.

[Source: WorldCarFans via Auto Motor Und Sport]

It’s really all just speculation at this point but there are reports the Bentley’s new supercar will make as much as 630hp and hit 62 mpg in just 4 seconds. And as ridiculous as that sounds, it might be an understatement.

Currently the Continental GT Speed makes 600hp from Bentley’s famous twin-turbo W12 and those Bentley engineers haven’t even begun to tap into the available power in that massive 6.0-liter engine.

According to a report on Gas2.0, it is quite likely that the Bentley Supercar will use a technology called Ethanol Boosted Direct Injection, or EBDI. Bentley has already announced that it will focus upcoming engineering efforts on biofuels (aka Ethanol) and considering the performance advantaged of EBDI, this isn’t a stretch.

EBDI technology allows, for the first time, for a FlexFuel vehicle to use direct injection optimally for either gas, ethanol or a blend of both.

EBDI is the invention of a company called Ricardo; and while that doesn’t mean much to most people, Ricardo has worked with VW and Audi in the past, helping to develop past direct injection technologies, as found on Audi’s Le Mans race cars and now in its street cars. And with Bentley being owned by VW/Audi, the connection almost becomes a no-brainer.

In fact, in the Ricado press release announcing the EBDI technology breakthrough, the company comments that it is currently doing testing on a VW VR6 engine – essentially a naturally aspirated half of the Bentley W12. Ricardo states that its technology works perfectly with high-boost turbocharging to achieve the higher compression required to optimize ethanol combustion.  The company also said that a EBDI VR6 could replace a larger V8 engine – hence our belief that the Bentley Supercar will make more than 630hp.

“We’ve moved past theoretical discussion and are busy applying renewable energy technology to the real world,” said Ricardo Inc President Dean Harlow.  “The EBDI engine project is a great example because it turns the gasoline-ethanol equation upside down.  It has the performance of a diesel at the cost of a gasoline engine, and runs on ethanol, gasoline, or a blend of both.”

Note: Reports say that the Bentley Supercar may achieve its four-second 0-60 time by removing the rear seats. We’ll have to wait for Geneva to find out.

[Source: WorldCarFans via Autowereld and Gas2.0 and Ricardo]

It has been rumored for quite a while now and Mercedes has decided to officially confirm the existence of the E-Class Coupe, ahead of its unveiling at the Geneva Auto Show in March.

With a stunning new design based on the all-new 2010 E-Class, the Coupe does away with the B-pillar and features frameless windows. Incredibly, this new design is the most aerodynamic shape of any production vehicle with a coefficient of drag of just 0.24. (This ought to bruise some egos over at Toyota, after the not-yet-released 2010 Prius was recently announced to have the most aerodynamically efficient shape at just .025 cd.)

Mercedes intends to make the E-Class Coupe efficient in many other ways with steering and fuel pumps that only operate when necessary and an alternator that varies depending upon the driving situation and the on-board voltage. Mercedes has also equipped the E-Class Coupe with low rolling resistance tires.

Offered in The U.S. in June, the vehicle will be available as both an E350 and E550. The E350 will make use of Mercedes’ V6 engine with 268hp and 258 ft-lbs of torque and the E550 will use the V8 engine which boasts 382hp and 391 ft-lbs of torque. Two four-cylinder engines will also be available in Europe.

Much like its sedan counterpart the E-Class Coupe will feature plenty of state-of-the-art performance and safety equipment, including Agility Control adaptive shock absorbers and Attention Assist drowsiness detection. High beam assist, which adjusts the vehicle’s headlights based on the distance to a vehicle ahead or one in the oncoming lane, is also standard.

In Europe the E-Class Coupe will also come equipped with an Active Hood that will raise two two inches during an impact to reduce injury to a pedestrian.

Standard equipment includes a leather interior with sport seats, a Panorama Sunroof, Mercedes’s Command System and automatic dual-zone climate control.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe:

Official release after the jump:

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Ahead of its expected debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March, these two official pictures of Hyundai’s new flagship luxury sedan, the Equus, have been leaked.

Hot on the heels of the Genesis luxury sedan, the Equus is aimed at the upper echelon of luxury motoring, and is intended to take on cars like the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class and Lexus LS.

The vehicle will be 7 inches longer than the Genesis sedan, 1.5-inches wider and boast a wheelbase that is 4.5-inches longer as well. Initially the car will be offered with the same two powerplants that are found in the Genesis; the 290hp 3.8-liter V6 and 375hp 4.6-liter V8, although it is expected that a 5.0-liter V8 will eventually be offered and will boast as much as 420hp.

Based on the conversion rate the Equus could cost almost $100,000 but that is extremely unlikely and we imagine a base price closer to $60,000.

[Source: The Car Blogger and AutoBlog]

We recently reported that the Audi A4 beat out the BMW 3 Series as the most popular luxury car in Germany for 2008 and now Audi is continuing to rack up the successes by boasting that it was the best-selling brand in all of Western Europe in the month of January.

These figures support news from the Simpson Carpenter market research institute which recently announced that Audi was Germany’s favorite brand.

During a time when sales figures are declining around the world, Audi has posted losses but not to the extent of its competitors. As a result the company managed to grab a total market share of 5.1 percent – compared to just 3.9 percent for the same period a year ago. In terms of units, this amounted to 45,124 vehicles.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG credits the success to the long list of vehicles that Audi has either newly brought to market or completely redesigned. “We have moved our product offensive into the passing lane,” says Schwarzenbauer. “Particularly in economically strained times, it is crucial that we at Audi offer our customers precisely what they want. We must offer appealing and sporty models which stir enthusiasm among Audi fans – vehicles that are also highly energy-efficient and low on consumption. In 2009, we will remain on the offensive.”

In 2008 Audi launched 12 new vehicles and in the first half of ’09 the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer will launch another six. “By 2015, we expect to offer Audi customers 40 different models,” says Schwarzenbauer, ” all loaded with forward-thinking technologies. To this end, we invest some two billion euros annually in product development.”

Official release after the jump:

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