The controversial looks and unconventional format of the FF hasn’t stopped Ferrari from selling every example they’re building this year.

All 800 examples of the FF’s first year of production have been accounted for, after Ferrari completed their private previews with the well-heeled and interested in January. Those who are shelling out the $368,700 in May, when the FF officially goes on sale in Italy, will receive 2012 models.

Ferrari plans to limit production to just 800 cars a year, and has already started ramping up the assembly lines. They plan to build a maximum of 70 cars per month by June.

[Source: Automotive News]

From the “Entirely Too Predictable” files, the ongoing crisis in Japan has spooked dealers wary of car shortages to raise their prices.

Instead of the time-honored car buying traditions of haggling and deep discounts, buyers are paying sticker price on cars that may suffer from delayed shipments from Japan, such as the Toyota Prius, Yaris, Honda Fit, CR-V and Insight, and a few Acuras and Infinitis. Where consumers could expect small discounts of 10-15 percent, they are now paying the full $18,200 on a Honda Insight, for example.

The affected cars are usually hybrids or compacts, and the price increases could last months. As hybrid parts trickle in and dealer lots aren’t getting new shipments, expect to pay full price for a new Japanese car for a long time. Hey, the laws of supply and demand are a fickle mistress.

[Source: ABC News]

Hyundai may arguably be the hottest mainstream brand in the auto industry, but when it comes to dealer profitability, Hyundai dealers seem to lag behind their less popular rivals.

In a report by Automotive News, the CEO of a large dealer group told the paper that Hyundai “not yet a good business equation for dealers”. Even though the product is red hot, used car sales are weak, traffic through the service department is low and supply of the hot new cars being sold is said to be tight. These three factors are the most crucial when it comes to helping dealers turn a profit, and some potential franchisees are turning away from Hyundai as a result.

While service and used cars can cover as much as 85 percent of costs at a Chevrolet dealership, Hyundai can only count on those for 35 to 40 percent of costs, putting the onus on dealers to move new cars, which have much slimmer margins. Hyundai, for their part, has ambitious goals, aiming to become one of the most profitable dealer franchises around, but acknowledges that some of the factors that have fueled their success, like low sticker prices and reliable vehicles, may actually be hindering their progress.

[Source: Automotive News]

With Mazda set to start up its assembly lines on March 22nd, Nissan has announced it will re-start vehicle production two days later. All but one of Nissan’s plans will open today including the Oppama Plant, Tochigi Plant, Kyushu Plant, Yokohama Plant and Nissan Shatai. Vehicle production won’t occur until the 24th, but some part production will take place before then.

The automaker’s Iwaki Engine Plant will remain closed, however, with the company citing damaged infrastructure and continued aftershocks as reasons for the delay.

In a statement, Nissan says it is, “committed to making all efforts to support the restoration of the areas impacted by the earthquake, with sincere hopes that relief and recovery progresses as quickly as possible.”

Toyota Motor Corp., has yet to resume operations at any of its 21 Japan-based plants, but has said it will announce new details soon.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Richard Hamann, race car driver and founder of famed BMW tuning shop Hamann Motorsport, has passed away.

In a statement posted on his company’s home page, it reads that Hamann succumbed to a severe illness. He was just 53 years old.

The business will continue on, upholding Hamann’s legacy of tuning expertise derived from his racing expertise.

Richard Hamann raced professionally for over 20 years, accumulating over 300 podium spots in 700 races, with 103 victories.

Hamann raced in Formula 3, DTM and Gruppe C, and won the Special Touring Car Trophy three times on the BMW M1.

Richard Hamann: 14.04.1956 – 17.03.2011

R.I.P.

Next time you watch a MotoGP race, be sure to note that BMW is always out in front of Mercedes. Sure neither automaker competes in the F1 of motorcycle racing, but while Mercedes’ AMG division sponsors the Ducati team, BMW is providing the pace car.

That pace car is based on the new 1 Series M Coupe, painted up in BMW’s motorsports livery and kitted-out with some extra track goodies. Included on the car is a KW suspension setup, Akrapovic exhaust, a roll cage, Recaro racing seats, upgraded brakes, plus the use of added carbon fiber parts and polycarbonate windows. Oh, and in case you can’t notice, it’s also got the requisite light bar and a massive rear spoiler.

Forget the Ducatis, we want to see what kind of a lap time thing thing can run.

GALLERY: BMW 1M MotoGP Safety Car

Porsche has released full details on its upcoming flagship sportscar, pricing the hybrid machine at an astronomical $845,000. Combining the original concept with Porsche’s ongoing hybrid race car technology the carbon chassis 918 will get a “high revving” V8 engine making in excess of 500-hp mated to a plug-in hybrid drive system with two electric motors, adding “at least” an additional 218-hp. Those motors will be attached, one at each axle, effectively making the 918 an AWD machine.

The car will hit 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds claims Porsche with a top speed of 199 mph. Porsche is also reiterating that it will be able to lap the Nurburgring below 7:30 seconds, topping the Carrera GT by at least 2 seconds.

As for the car’s hybrid performance, Porsche says it will achieve an incredible 78-mpg. (European test cycle). Official EPA fuel economy numbers won’t be available until much closer to the car’s on-sale date in 2013. As a plug-in hybrid, Porsche says the exotic sports car will recharged in roughly 7 hours using a conventional household outlet and will provide 16 miles of emissions-free range, up to speeds of 94 mph.

A technology teaser, Porsche has yet to release every detail of the car, but other pertinent info includes the fact the car 918 will use Porsche’s 7-speed PDK transmission and the V8 engine will be larger than 4.0-liters.

With the new info comes a set of new renderings of what the production model is expected to look like, as well as confirmation that it will feature a manually removable roof that can be stored int he front luggage compartment.

Porsche is now accepting orders for the 918, with deliveries set for 2013. Those lucky and wealthy enough will also be given the opportunity to purchase one of just 918, 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder models (Coupe or Cabriolet) – you know, as a beater. With styling inspired by the new supercar, pricing for those models is set at $160,700 for the coupe and $172,100 for the Cabriolet, bringing the total cost just north of a million dollars.

GALLERY: Porsche 918 Spyder Renderings

Reports of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo’s death have been greatly exaggerated. After the unsurprisingly angry backlash the company received from its fanbase, Mitsubishi has apparently reversed its decision to kill its flagship rally fighter.

Mitsubishi now must find a way to balance the ferocious performance and cult-status image of the Evolution with the new eco-friendly image it’s developing around the world. The Evo X will still be available, but the next generation will “evolve” into a different direction—something that may surprise the Evo’s thousands of fans.

In a press release, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation Global Chief Executive, Osamu Masuko indicates that perhaps the Evo never was axed and that the automaker has plans for the next generation of the vehicle. Masuko comments that in response to new market demands the automaker, “is considering not advancing the Lancer Evolution concept in the same way as before, but to find a different direction for the Lancer Evolution model to evolve.”

With previous rumors that the car could include hybrid or electric technology, this seems all the more likely by additional remarks that the car’s future direction and the “technologies involved” in it, will be revealed at a later date.

So rest assured Evo faithful, the STi-killer isn’t dead, but it may never be the same.

Hyundai has recalled over 190,000 Elantra models over concerns that the passenger side airbags might not work properly.

The Elantras were from the last generation, built from July 2006 to November 2008, and cover model years 2007 to 2009.

The recall deals with a defect in the airbag seat sensor that detects a person’s weight and deploys the airbag accordingly, not deploying the airbag if the passenger is a child, for example. The sensor is located in the center console, and could break easily—if liquid is spilled into the console, for example. Then, the side airbag could fire regardless of the passenger’s size and weight, injuring a child.

Over 96,000 additional Elantras from 2007 and 2008 are also being examined for a driver’s side airbag that could deploy incorrectly if the seat is set in a certain position.

Following hot on the heels of the C-Class Coupe, Mercedes’ AMG division has revealed a high-performance version of the car. The C63 AMG Coupe gets the same 6.2-liter V8 borrowed from the sedan, making 451-hp and a serious 443 lb-ft of torque. Combined with a 7-speed Speedshift MCT transmission, this newest Benz can hit 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds.

But if you’ve got an AMG-type personality, then the AMG Performance package is the way to go with a modified engine that delivers 481-hp. Other upgrades include even more capable AMG brakes (painted red), a carbon fiber trunk lid spoiler, and an AMG steering wheel coated in Alcantara. AMG Performance Package equipped models shave a tenth of a second off to 60 mph, and raise the top speed from 155-mph to 174.

All models get a wider track with a more aggressive aero package, an upgraded suspension package, more direct steering, plus big 18-inch alloy wheels coated in 235/40/18 tires up front and 255/35/18 tires in the rear.

Keeping those tires gripped to the road should be a challenge, and making smokey burnouts all the more easy to achieve is a three-stage Electronic Stability Program that can be shut completely off.

For more on the C63 AMG Coupe (including live photos) look for AutoGuide’s coverage of the car’s unveiling at the New york Auto Show on April 20th.

GALLERY: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe