To coincide with the launch of the new IS250 C and IS350 C hard-top convertibles, Lexus is releasing a line of F-Sport performance parts for both models. Manufactured in-house by Toyota’s performance parts division TRD (Toyota Racing Development) the parts are essentially the same as those already offered for the sedan models.

While there aren’t any big power adders (sorry, no TRD supercharger here), the F-Sport line does include a new exhaust system as well as an air intake. Making the driving experience that much more riveting is an F-Sport clutch and short shifter (for the IS250 C with the six-speed manual transmission).

Upgrading the car’s overall driving dynamics are a set of lowering springs (which reduce ride height by one inch) as well as a set of specially tuned Bilstein shocks. And to add some more rigidity to the chassis of these convertible models is a rear chassis brace as well as larger front and rear sway bars.

A set of 19-inch wheels not only improved the look of the car but allows for some wider 225/35/19 front and 255/35/19 rear tires. F-Sport offers a big brake upgrade with six-piston front rotors and four-piston rear calipers with 14- and 13.6-inch rotors respectively. And for extreme cases a carbon ceramic set is also available.

Other highlights in the F-Sport lineup include an aero kit, spoiler, carbon fiber engine cover and an F-Sport shift knob.

See a full list of the parts available after the jump and see our review of the IS350 F-Sport (with pricing on parts) here:

IS350 F-Sport Review

GALLERY: Lexus IS350 C F-Sport

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Last week French auto pub L’Automobile reported what it said was a leaked photo of an upcoming MINI vehicle and now they have more news to share. Unconnected to that vehicle, the magazine says MINI will bring a Roadster concept to the Frankfurt Auto Show this Fall.

The new model would use a soft-top but do without the rear seats (in true roadster fashion). Without those rear seats the Roadster would weigh considerably less. Apparently offering a light-weight model is one of the reasons for the Roadster and so there may be other measures taken to help reduce the vehicle’s mass.

Little else is known about the supposed Roadster concept other than it will make use of a shorter and less angles windscreen.

[Source: L'Automobile via Autoblog]

According to the latest bankruptcy court filings by Chrysler, the company plans to cut 789 dealerships (one quarter of the current dealer network) in an effort to emerge as a financially viable company.

The company sent out overnight letters to the dealerships that will be eliminated.

As expected in bankruptcy, Chrysler will not buy-back the vehicles, tools or parts, but it will put the dealerships in touch with surviving dealers who can then work out a purchase.

Chrysler also plans to push ahead with a plan to put all of its brands under one roof. Currently 68 percent of dealerships carry Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep products, but after the 789 are closed, that number will rise to 80 percent.

There appears to be even more strategy involved as well as 345 of the dealerships being shut down (or roughly 44 percent) also sell vehicles from a competing brand.

Steven Landry, Chrysler’s VP of Sales, spoke optimistically about the future of the 789 dealerships, stating that 83 percent of the businesses sell more used cars than new and that half of them sell fewer than 100 cars per year. “The majority of these dealerships are going to continue on and prosper either selling used cars or other brands,” he said.

The 789 dealerships will receive a 23 business day court review of their individual situation.

[Source: Automotive News]

Resale values on Chrysler products like this Dodge Challenger SRT8 went up in smoke after the company filed for bankruptcy.

According to Automotive Leasing Guide, the resale value of a Chrysler vehicle dropped six percent in the week following the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

In just seven days the uncertainty about Chrysler’s future crept into the marketplace in a very real way, damaging the resale values for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products almost equally.

Prior to the bankruptcy filing a three-year old Chrysler was worth 34.8 percent of its original value. After the filing, that amount dropped to just 28.8 percent.

The value of a three-year old Dodge went from 37.3 percent to 31.2 percent and three-year old Jeep vehicles declined in value from 38.4 percent of the original purchase price to 32.4 percent.

The news isn’t good for those who recently purchased a Chrysler vehicle and as the declines are based on percentage they can take a significant toll on pricey models – like SUVs or the Challenger SRT8 pictured above.

In comparison, a three-year old Toyota retains 45.5 percent of its original value.

[Source: UPI.com]

You might be looking at a picture of the upcoming MINI-i MegaCity. Then again, you might not.

France’s Automobile Magazine obtained this one photo of what could be the MINI-i MegaCity – a low emissions or zero emissions city vehicle. The SMART-style mini- or micro-car is part of BMW’s Project-i initiative, designed to create a new line of affordable cars for urbanites.

An article we reported on several months ago from British pub AutoExpress hinted at the existence of such a vehicle. It is possible this new urban MINI-i could be a plug-in electric car, using the technology currently undergoing development in the MINI E.

There is also, however, a possibility that this leaked image is a revision of the current MINI.

We expect to learn more on this car as we approach the Frankfurt Auto Show this Fall.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

Suzuki recently made the decision to stop production on its low volume XL7 SUV. The vehicle is currently the only Suzuki manufactured in North America.

Suzuki built the three-row, seven-passenger crossover at General Motors’ CAMI facility in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada. The facility will continue to produce GM products on its other lines.

Suzuki continues to have a stake in the CAMI joint-venture and CEO Osamu Suzuki isn’t worried that it might be shut down. “The possibility that CAMI would be forced into closure or a production stop is 120 percent impossible,” he told Automotive News. “It is a central pillar in the reconstruction plan, so I am not worried about it.”

It is unclear if Suzuki has plans to re-start production on its flagship XL7 SUV once the economy rebounds or if Suzuki’s interests in the CAMI facility include a new vehicle. Suzuki has announced that it will debut a new mid-sized sedan by the end of this year.

[Source: AutomotiveNews via Autoblog]

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to get truly professional OEM high-quality automotive photography then take a gander at these photos. This massive gallery was posted on AMG’s “Private Lounge” forum, restricted to AMG owners.

Our AMG-owning friends over at Luxury4Play then provided them to us.

Several shots show an impressive rig system used to get those faked high-speed-look photos. This look was popularized in magazines like SuperStreet, although those rigs are far more rudimentary and often require significant photoshopping. The below-mount rig used for the SL65 AMG Black Series photos minimizes the need for Photoshop. It also appears to be made of carbon fiber, keeping the whole system as light as possible and allowing the camera to be mounted a good distance away from the car so that a more scenic photo can be taken.

The photographer isn’t messing around either, using what appears to be a Hasselblad camera.

A second set of shots show some impressive car-to-car action with the SL65 AMG Black Series on the Mas Du Clos circuit in France.

At the end there’s a photo of the whole crew involved in such a photo shoot, which should give you an idea at the kind of expense a company like Mercedes-Benz goes through to get perfect press photos.

We’ve included a full gallery of all the photos below.

GALLERY: SL65 AMG Black Series Photo Shoot

More photos after the jump:

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The Nissan GT-R has once again bested it’s own lap time at the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife, posting a new personal best of 7:26.70.

Unfortunately for Nissan, the new time doesn’t move them up any in the fastest lap rankings, as the Corvette ZR1 still holds a lap time that is three tenth’s of a second faster.

Both the 7:26.7 of the GT-R and 7:26.4 of the ZR1 are distant finishes compared too the Dodge Viper ACR record holder with a 7:22.1.

The 2010 GT-R boasts 5 more horsepower than the previous model, as well as a revised transmission, new tires and a retuned suspension. Apparently those small modifications made a difference. The GT-R first recorded a 7:38 run back in September of 2007, and then shaved nine seconds off that run with a 7:29 in April of ’08. In April of this year Nissan posted a time of 7:27.56, and declared they were looking for an even better time. Now they have it.

Nissan has yet to post any official numbers for the GT-R SpecV, but with the new GT-R’s lap time it is most likely the even more hard-core version of the GT-R can best the Corvette.

The ACR, however, continues to be unchallenged, due not so much for its incredible 600hp and 560 ft-lbs of torque, but because of it’s race car-like aerodynamics.

Official release after the jump:

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From start to finish, Chrysler’s bankruptcy proceedings could take as long as two years, according to a Bloomberg report. The article cites an administration official, and says that the initial period of 30 to 60 days for the “quick and surgical” process only refers to the period required to sell the major assets to a new company.

The remaining “bad assets” would then be divvied up by the courts to the remaining debt holders.

This may not be as big of a setback as it sounds at first, however, as the new Chrysler would no doubt be able to begin operations once it is able, which could turn out to be long before all of the court proceedings have concluded.

Currently Chrysler is still in bankruptcy court and the process does seem to be moving along swiftly as parties opposed to the merger have either withdrawn or been denied. It is not clear how much longer it will take to approve the sale of the “good assets” to the new company owned by Fiat, the UAW and the Canadian and U.S. governments

[Source: AutomotiveNews]

Apparently General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson thinks the upcoming Saab 9-5 is so good, he doesn’t want to sell the Swedish automaker. In an interview in Sweden’s Expressen magazine he declares that he’d rather see Saab fail in bankruptcy court than sell off the brand.

The magazine cites an unnamed source within Saab, who says Henderson does not want the 9-5 as a competitor in the future. Internal GM testing has apparently shown that the car is far superior to a major competitor, the Opel Insignia – which the source says the Germans at Opel confirmed.

The article goes on to suggest that because of how good the upcoming 9-5 is Henderson would prefer to see Saab sold to Fiat along with the rest of GM Europe – an arrangement that could either see GM retaining a stake in GM Europe, or gaining a stake in Fiat.

We do, however, have a hard time believing that with Saab’s niche market status and small production numbers that any major automaker could see the company mounting a significant threat.

[Source: Saabsunited]