The successor to Maserati‘s Quattroporte exotic Italian sedan will debut later this year, with this Fall’s Frankfurt Auto Show the likely venue.

Reportedly inspired by the designs of the new GranTurismo Coupe and Convertible, the new QP is slated to get an updated version of the current 4.7-liter V8, with fuel economy a key area of improvement.

The new vehicle will also grow in size and increase in luxury to better compete with the likes of the Aston Martin Rapide.

This will then make room for the brand’s new mid-level luxury sedan that should arrive somewhere around 2014 as a rival to the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class and priced around $75,000.

But before then, look for the Grand Cherokee-based SUV, powered by a Ferrari engine!

[Source: InsideLine]

As Cadillac gets ready for its return to racing this weekend, they’ve now quietly rolled out the first three installments of the ‘Refueled: The Return of the CTS-V’ YouTube miniseries.

The series profiles the creation of the cars, their testing and includes more insights on the team and drivers, with Andy Pilgrim driving the No.8 and Johnny O’Connell the No.3 car.

Set to take on everything from Vipers to Volvos in the GT class, the first race of the 2011 SCCA World Challenge series starts this weekend in St. Petersburg, Fla. And the best news, is, while in the past you’d have to wait at least two weeks to watch it on the NASCAR-obsessed SPEED channel, now you’ll be able to watch it live streaming at www.world-challengeTV.com with two races this weekend, 11:55 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday, March 26, and 4:35 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, March 27th.

Watch episode 1 through 3 after the jump and subscribe to Cadillac’s YouTube channel for updates here.:

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New details on GMs upcoming 7-speed dual-clutch transmission have surfaced, although it’s probably not what you’re thinking. Those who don’t recall the first rumors of this new high-tech unit might jump to the conclusion that it’s a beefy unit designed for the next-generation Corvette and a select-group of Cadillacs. Quite the opposite is true.

In fact, the new 7-speed unit is being co-developed with GM’s partner in China, Shanghai Automotive and is designed for use in small (very small engines). It’s also for front-drive applications only, with the latest info indicating it is designed for anything with a displacement of 1.0 to 1.5 liters.

That might sound like we’ll never see the thing. But wait! The Chevy Cruze has a 1.4T engine. And with the Cruze already starting to lag behind in the fuel economy race, this new unit would likely give it a significant boost, easily topping the 40-mpg number of the Hyundai Elantra.

Another possibility, apart from use in other markets, is that it could be targeted for use in the Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept, which the automaker claimed made use of a dual-clutch setup. But will Cadillac really push ahead with a sort of MINI rival? Time will tell.

[Source: MotorTrend]

Remember the Fisker Karma? The plug-in hybrid luxury saloon from an upstart California automaker was touted as beating the Volt to market when it debuted over two years ago, a testament to the ability of small companies to get things done when giant automakers flopped their bloated carcasses into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

But the Volt is now on sale the the Karma? Well, Fisker is proud to announce that after what seems like endless delays, it has now officially entered production, with the stunning, powerful and incredibly fuel efficient $88,000 machine hitting dealers in April.

The Karma, in case you’ve forgotten, makes 402-hp and can run up to 50 miles on pure electric power. And unlike the Chevy Volt, it’s got power seats.

Fiat will reportedly launch the U.S.-spec version of the 500 Convertible at the New York Auto Show in late April, with the car going on sale almost immediately. Just in time for Spring, the drop-top is unique in that it retains the roof structure, but trades rear glass and a metal top for a retractable cloth section.

The powertrain and even the option packages are expected to remain unchanged from the standard 500, with the car making 101-hp in an even trendier package.

Look for full details April 20th, and see AutoGuide’s complete New york Auto Show preview and coverage here.

GALLERY: Fiat 500C Euro-Spec

[Source: KickingTires]

Read AutoGuide’s 2012 Fiat 500 Review Here

Get more Fiat 500 news and info at Fiat500Owners.com

The MX-5 GT is the lightest and most powerful version of the sports car Mazda has ever built. Making 275-hp from a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, it weighs an astonishingly low 1,874 lbs.

Sadly, it isn’t street legal, but a full roll-cage-included race car, designed to compete in the Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship this year. The good news, however, is that Mazda is (not surprisingly) using this car as test-bed. It is, according to the Japanese automaker, “an engineering challenge to get the weight as low as possible using Mazda’s gram strategy as the inspiration.”

Light weight components include polycarbonate windows and carbon fiber body components, plus ultra light weight alloy wheels.

The current MX-5 has been criticized for gaining significant weight, part of which is to blame on Ford’s cost cutting strategy for the brand, sharing parts with the larger RX-8. With Mazda now from Ford control, it’s clear the company is getting back to its roots.

The MX-5 GT will first hit the track this weekend in the Britcar championship, when the season kicks off at Silverstone.

GALLERY: Mazda MX-5 GT

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential and successful women on Earth, and her success has lead to the kind of wealth that can give her access to anything she points her finger at.

On the occasion of her 42nd birthday, she pointed towards a black on white 1996 Bentley Azure convertible. It seems Ms. Winfrey liked her Bentley a lot, amassing 49,000-miles on it. Perhaps it was used as a daily driver, and that gives Ms. Winfrey extra brownie points in our books.

According to Mark Scarincio, owner of Boulevard Auto in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. the dealership that currently has this vehicle up for sale, Ms. Winfrey came in with her gal pal Gayle King and said she wanted something special for her birthday. The salesman who was a personal friend of Ms. Winfrey showed her the Bentley and soon she signed papers to this $335,000 land-yatch.

The car has since depreciated quite a bit. It was recently listed on ebay Motors for a “buy it now” price of $67,900 but got no takers. So, if your significant other is a huge Oprah fan, you could earn extra credits by buying it for them.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

Ever wanted to travel through the wine region of France with your friends in a gaggle of rare, expensive Ferraris? If you day dream about such stuff, not to worry, you are not alone, and now thanks to two companies combining their resources, it can come true.

DrivingXllence a supercar adventure touring company, and Risi Competizione which races Ferrari competition cars in the American LeMans Series are pooling their vast resources together to offer customers the ultimate road trip, featuring five Ferrari’s, namely the 458 Italia, 599GTB, F430 Scuderia, California Spider, and even the rare and out-of-production 575 SuperAmerica.

The program will involve driving through five French cities on the way to this years Le Mans 24-hour race. You will stay in five-star hotels, get special VIP grandstands for the race, plus available helicopter rides over the historic race track.

So if you tempted by this adventure, call DrivingXllence at 1.855.XLLENCE or visit their website for more information.

The hybrid engine that first appeared in the Lotus Evora 414E concept is supposedly attracting interest from 3 major manufacturers, according, according to a Lotus official.

Chief project engineer Lee Jeffcoat told Inside Line that there is interest from “several OEMS in 5,000-10,000 units annually, for a potential annual output of 30,000 engines,” as well as smaller companies looking for 1,000 engines per year.

Among the unique features on the engine are an intake manifold pipes cast into the block, a vestige from the original prototype that used a combined head and block. The engine is capable of forced induction, but a supercharger apparently provides greater results. The engine can be packaged in nearly any configuration, and displacement has grown from 1.2L to 1.3L and now makes 47 horsepower, or 67 with the aide of a supercharger.

[Source: Inside Line]

We knew it was just a matter of time once Apple introduced its next-generation of products (most noticeably the iPad 2) that Brabus would be updating their iBusiness package on Mercedes-Benz‘s S-Class luxury sedan. Geared towards becoming the world’s fastest mobile office, Brabus stepped up their game some more on their Brabus 800 iBusiness 2.0 demo car, pushing out 800-hp and 1,047 ft-lbs of torque, giving it a top speed of 219-mph.

The heart of the iBusiness 2.0 is essentially in the excess use of Apple technology throughout the cabin. A Mac Mini is installed in a leather-lined tray in the trunk, connected to a 15.2-inch TFT display that is revealed from the alcantara headliner. The display is also hooked up to be an auxiliary display to the two iPad 2s that can be found on the adjustable custom tables found behind each front seat. Along with each tablet is an Apple bluetooth keyboard, giving its passengers full control to work on the road.

An Internet connection is always ready on the go also thanks to Brabus outfitting the S-Class with UMTS and HDSPA networking. Brabus has even developed their own app, allowing the iPad 2s in the backseat to control Mercedes’ COMAND system that’s normally taken care of by the front driver and passenger. Oh yeah, a 64GB iPod Touch can be found in the rear center console to adjust what tunes are being blasted through the S-Class or Sennheiser’s Noise Gard headphones.

The iBusiness 2.0 conversion is available for any S-Class model, from the S 350 to the S 65. Obviously the gaudy 800-hp is only available for the twin-turbo V12, but hey, some people might rather get to their destination a little slower with all the gadgets available to them. Angry Birds anyone?

Official press release available after the break.

GALLERY: Brabus iBusiness 2.0 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

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