With Saab’s sales for 2009 down 62 percent so far, you wouldn’t expect the Swedish automaker’s biggest problem to be a car shortage. But that’s exactly what dealers are facing, after the General Motors brand cut production earlier this year in an effort to cut costs.

Production at the assembly plan in Sweden has been slowed even further as General Motors works to retool parts of the facility as it prepares to begin production on the all-new 2011 9-5.

GM is also, understandably, not interesting in pumping out a lot of product as the Saab brand is set to be sold to a group led by Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg – which could occur before the end of the year.

The result is a shortage of cars on dealership lots and increased wait times. Rick Wehle of Parkfield Saab in New Jersey said he only has 30 new cars on the lot and last month the dealership sold 10 cars. Problematically, along with slow shipments of other models, the new 9-5 isn’t likely to arrive until the Spring in the U.S.

And the problem isn’t just isolated to North America either, with dealers in Saab’s home market of Sweden facing similar issues. Lars Kopp, a Saab dealership manager in southern Sweden told Bloomberg that wait times have been extended to eight weeks, and that he only has 20 vehicles in stock with orders for 50 more.

Saab spokesman Eric Geers has said that the reduced production and associated delay of product will continue until the deal to sell Saab is completed.

[Source: Bloomberg]

When the new Camaro came out, General Motors explained the very careful two-pronged approach for the car, with the high-volume V6 models appealing to lifestyle consumers, while the high-powered and more expensive V8 version selling to the limited enthusiast crowd. So imagine the surprise in the marketing and product planning departments upon learning that two out of three Camaros sold come equipped with a V8 engine.

GM even went to great lengths to make the V6 models attractive, equipping them with a 29 mpg highway rating, more than 300-hp and a starting price of just $23,530.

This news is a bit of a double-edged-sword for GM. The down side is that high sales of V8-powered SS models will hurt the company’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rating. The up-side, however, is that with V6 an V8 models costing almost the same to produce, the profit margins on SS models is much higher.

[Source: InsideLine]

Audi’s upcoming A1 small car is set to arrive in Europe in 2010, but unlike the rest of the Audi lineup, the car won’t be offered with the German automaker’s impressive quattro all-wheel drive system. Instead the car will be front-drive only – even the high-performance S1 and RS1 (hypothetical at this point) will stay front-drive.

The decision does make sense, as the AWD setup is heavy, which automatically makes for a less fuel-efficient package. Fuel economy is also harmed by the necessity to use a larger engine or add more horsepower in order to have an AWD car keep up with front or rear drive competitors.

According to a report in German auto-pub AutoBild, the A1 will debut in coupe form at the Geneva Auto Show this coming march and go on sale in Europe later that year. An S1 model will follow, as well an A1 Sportback and A1 Cabrio.

Little is known about the car’s powerplant but the performance-oriented S1 is expected to be powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter, four-cylinder engine with a 7-seed s-tronic tranmission. It will make 180-hp and be able to hit 62 mph in 6.9 seconds.

[Source: Autobild via GermanCarBlog]

With a recent barrage of testing performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Subaru was recognized as the only automaker to get a Top Safety Pick rating for every vehicle in its lineup.

What this means it that every Subaru vehicle meets the IIHS’s highest standards, receiving a “good” rating (the highest possible), for front, side, rear and (new for 2010) rollover crashes. On top of this, to receive the Top Safety Pic rating, the car must come with stability control.

“Subaru is the only manufacturer with a Top Safety Pick winner in every vehicle class in which it competes,” said IIHS president Adrian Lund. “The vehicles that earn this designation are the cream of the crop for protecting people in the most common kinds of crashes, and they have electronic stability control for helping drivers stay out of many crashes altogether.”

Subaru of America VP Tom Doll expressed his pleasure in the news stating that,  “This is an outstanding success and a tribute to the engineering that goes into Subaru products. To have this recognition by the IIHS reinforces to our customers that we maintain the highest standards when producing vehicles that are safe, durable, reliable as well as fun-to-drive.”

Subaru’s Top Safety Pick rating is even more impressive than normal, as the IIHS’s new roof safety tests resulted in fewer Top Safety Pick awards being handed out with past winners like the Honda Accord and Ford Fusion droping from the list.

Mercedes will introduce at least one small car to the U.S. in 2012, doing a 180 on a past decision to stick to larger vehicles in order to enforce the brand’s high-end image. The news comes directly from CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche, in an interview in the Wall Street Journal. The car would compete with vehicles like the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3, Volvo C30 and MINI Cooper – as well as a possible compact luxury vehicle from Lexus based on the LF-Ch concept.

Analysts have suggested the move is the result of lessons learned from the recent economic downturn, with sales of larger luxury vehicles and SUVs taking a significant hit, while the share of the market made up by compact and subcompact vehicles has grown. The introduction of a smaller and more fuel efficient model in the Mercedes lineup in the U.S. would also help the manufacturer meet increasingly strict CAFE regulations.

In the past Mercedes had decided to introduce the B-Class to the U.S. market but canceled plans when an unfavorable Euro-to-dollar exchange rate made the car’s business plan unsound. (The B-Class was, however, introduced in Canada, where vehicles are sold for significantly more).

The new Mercedes small car will be based on an all new platform that Mercedes says is much cheaper to manufacture, making the Euro-to-dollar exchange rate less of a factor. It is not yet known if the car will follow in the B-Class’s layout of being a premium-people mover or if Mercedes will opt to build a more sporty offering to better compete with cars like the 1 Series or MINI Cooper.

Over the past two years, Mercedes has introduced three concepts based on the B-Class architecture, including a hydrogen fuel-cell concept, a hybrid concept and an electric car concept. It’s likely that the future Mercedes small car platform will bring one of more of these concept car technologies into production.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Unlike traditional compacts these cars can be costly; the Mini goes for as much as $34,000 depending on optionsDaimler’s tentative move comes as buyers in Europe and the U.S. are increasingly redef

After lagging behind in the compact car segment for decades, Chevrolet may finally have the car that will not only silence critics, but please them too. The all new 2011 Cruze will replace the Cobalt and take on cars like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. And it’s sure to gain popularity amongst penny-pinchers with a turbocharged 1.4-liter 4-cylinder engine capable of 40 mpg on the highway.

As though that weren’t enough, Chevy is claiming the new Cruze will have more interior room and caro capacity than the Civic or Corolla and will offer optional items like a navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and XM Satellite Radio. Safety will also be a strong-point for the car with ten standard airbags!

AutoGuide will be on hand to bring you live coverage of the all-new 2011 Chevy Cruze from the LA Auto Show starting December 2nd.

Get more Chevy Cruze news and info at CruzeTalk.com

Official release after the jump:

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What better venue to host the North American debut of the Rolls-Royce Ghost than the LA Auto Show?

Detroit? Hardly!

The Ghost is the first entirely new model from Rolls-Royce since 2003, when the flagship Phantom debuted. Slightly smaller than that uber-luxury land-yacht the Ghost is still massive and excessively luxurious. It’s real claim to fame, however, might be its more performance-oriented engine, a 6.6-liter V12 that makes 563hp and 575 ft-lbs of torque at just 1500 rpm. Using a new eight-speed automatic transmission the Ghost will be able to hit 62 mph in just 4.8 seconds.

The Ghost will be available with a very long list of standard an optional equipment, including rear-seat LCD screens with fold out tables and, of course, umbrellas in the doors.

Rolls-Royce is expected to follow the same product development strategy with the Ghost as with the Phantom, so expect to hear rumors of both a coupe and a convertible starting soon.

We’ll be sure to bring you coverage of this car and all the rest with live coverage of the LA Auto Show starting December 2nd.

See AutoGuide’s Live 2009 LA Auto Show Coverage Here Starting December 2nd

GALLERY: Rolls-Royce Ghost Debut in Frankfurt

Having recently been unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany, Hyundai will officially launch its new 2011 Tucson for the North American market at the LA Auto Show in early December. The Tucson is likely to keep much of the design we first saw in Frankfurt and is a bold departure from the rather bland look of the vehicle it replaces.

Hyundai promises added legroom and headroom and the European model offers a panoramic sunroof – which we hope is also offered here.

Sold as the ix35 in Europe, those European models are offered with a selection of gasoline and diesel powerplants. Hyundai is expected to announce that North American models will get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 161-hp and a more powerful 2.4-liter motor. There is a strong possibility that both engines will feature direct injection. After all, just this week Hyundai announced in South Korea, a new 198-hp direct-injection 2.4-liter 4-cylinder.

See AutoGuide’s Live 2009 LA Auto Show Coverage Here Starting December 2nd

GALLERY: 2011 Hyundai ix35 Tuscon Debut in Frankfurt

After initially announcing that the production version of the LF-Ch hybrid hatchback concept would be offered exclusively in Europe, Lexus has hinted that it may bring the model to other markets including North America. After creating a feedback page for the car on its website, Lexus has now made the biggest move towards an acknowledgment of U.S. sales by announcing the vehicle will be on display at the LA Auto Show in early December.

Designed to compete against vehicles like the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and Volvo C30, the LF-Ch is a premium hatchback suited to European tastes. It is also a hybrid and while there is no confirmation, it is expected to get either a version of the Hybrid Synergy Drive system used in the Toyota Prius, or the version in the Lexus HS250h.

Lexus has said it expects a production version of the LF-Ch to debut in Europe in 2011. The company has also registered the CT200h name in the North America.

See AutoGuide’s Live 2009 LA Auto Show Coverage Here Starting December 2nd

GALLERY: Lexus LF-Ch Concept

Hyundai won’t be offering the all-new 2011 Sonata with a V6 engine, opting instead to go the four-cylinder route. It’s not clear if the automaker plans to offer two different four-cylinders, but this week in South Korea, Hyundai did take the wraps off of the company’s first direct-injection engine, a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder.

Using direct injection technology to get added power and reduced fuel consumption, the 2.4-liter four-banger makes an impressive 198-hp and 184 ft-lbs of torque. In comparison, the old 2.4-liter motor made 175-hp and 168 ft-lbs of torque.

No fuel-economy numbers have been announced, but with the old engine achieving 22/32 mpg, this new motor should get closer to 24/35 mpg.

It’s entirely possible that this will be the only engine Hyundai will offer for the Sonata (until the hybrid model is announced), however, there is a possibility of a smaller, less powerful 4-cylinder, as well as a turbocharged version that would make V6-like power. A more powerful option isn’t a sure thing, however, as V6 versions of mid-size sedans like the Sonata, Accord or Camry, make up a small fraction of a model’s overall sales.

We expect to hear more about the new 2011 Sonata and this engine at the LA Auto Show in early December.

Official release after the jump:

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