The Lamborghini Estoque would seem to be headed to production. After debuting the 4-door Lambo at the Paris Auto Show back in 2008, company CEO Stephan Winkelmann has now confirmed a third model for the exotic Italian brand.

“It has to be an everyday car,” he said speaking at the Reuters Global Luxury and Fashion Summit. “We want to have a car which is able to be used on a daily basis.”

Winkelmann did, however, add that no decision has been made on what segment the car could fit in. In the past Lamborghini did manufacture and sell an SUV, although that seems unlikely. Instead, a four-seater sedan would be the most obvious choice, especially with Ferrari having just introduced its new FF model.

Winkelmann did say Lamborghini will look to find “synergies” within the Volkswagen Group of companies (which includes Audi, Porsche and Bentley) in order to bring to bring the new model to market.

The decision to move ahead and expand the Lamborghini brand to three models comes in part due to increased demand for high-end models in China. Winkelmann says Lamborghini expects the super sports car market to return to the 2007 highs by 2013, selling around 35,000 units a year compared to just 26,000 last year.

GALLERY: Lamborghini Estoque

[Source: Reuters]

After first introducing the Prius v at the Detroit Auto Show in January, Toyota has now released complete specifications on the new hybrid wagon with one important change; the car’s fuel economy. Back at Detroit, execs said they expected the car to achieve a 42/38-mpg (city/highway) fuel economy rating with a combined 40-mpg number. Toyota has since upped that for the production model by 2-mpg across the board, meaning it is now rated at 44/40-mpg for an average fuel economy rating of 42-mpg.

Apart from cars like the fully-electric Nissan Leaf or the Chevy Volt, the Prius v ranks just behind the new 2012 Civic Hybrid (44-mpg combined) and the original Prius (50-mpg combined) and is tied with the Lexus CT200h.

Pricing has yet to be released but Toyota has said the Prius v will retail for a few thousand above the normal Prius liftback model, which starts at $24,520. Despite reports that is has been delayed, the Prius v will hit dealers this Fall.

GALLERY: 2012 Toyota Prius v

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Toyota Prius v Review and hit the jump to watch our video review:

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Since the fall of 2009, Toyota has recalled more than 20 million vehicles. According to an advisory panel appointed by the company, Toyota has not adopted enough change to address the slew of safety problems that have arisen over the past decade.

This issue lies within Toyota’s centralized decision-making that remains based in Japan, and a 60 page report recommended that the company align itself closer with U.S. safety regulators. While lingering damage to Toyota’s reputation still exists despite federal investigations that exonerated Toyota, the panel is still optimistic of Toyota’s future.

The report said Toyota should simplify the downloading of crash information from electronic data recorders, or black boxes, rather than using decoding devices that require frequent upgrades, the report said.

Toyota responded to its recalls, lawsuits and record federal fines of nearly $50 million by last year creating a North American executive panel with direct responsibility for regional business and operations.

Former U.S Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said, “They’re serious about wanting to reclaim their valued perch of premier leader in auto manufacturing. We’ll just have to see what the leadership does”.

According to the panel, the company should consider appointing one CEO for North American operations, since the decision-making process being centralized in Japan is hurting the company in North America.

“Toyota has become too big and distant from its customers,” Moritaka Yoshida, Toyota Chief Safety Technology Officer, said in October 2009. The report suggests Toyota has ground to cover with respect to restructuring its vehicle-safety management.

[Source: Automotive News]

As part of Spyker’s capital-raising efforts for its ailing Saab brand, the Dutch automaker is entering into talks with Chinese automotive company Pang Da, and will have to rename itself as Swedish Automobile N.V. as part of the deal.

In return, Saab will get a $42 million cash payment, ostensibly to help pay Saab’s substantial debts. Saab CEO Victor Muller confirmed the payment, stating ”Pang Da’s advance payment and sales of imported Saab cars are not subject to approval from the NDRC. The first advance payment of EUR 30 million was received last Tuesday.”

Pang Da is expected to pay $91 million for a 23 percent stake in Saab. However, a Bloomberg report claims that China is hoping to slash the size of its auto industry, and government regulators may not give the go-ahead for the transaction, scuttling Saab’s salvation.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Mercedes-Benz is now offering a Grand Edition variant to all GL-Class models, adding even more luxury and comfort to their grand SUV. Additions to the Grand Edition models including front end aesthetics, 20-inch wheels and tires, two-tone leather seats and wood trim with black ash accents throughout the interior.

Just so it’s not mistaken for a standard GL-Class, the Grand Edition GL will feature dark-tinted headlights, radiator grille with black high-gloss louvres, and most importantly, a redesigned front bumper with LED daytime running lights. The 20-inch wheels are wrapped with 275/50/20 tires and can be had in a Himalayas grey metallic finish or a high-sheen finish. Minor amenities and upgrades include unique metallic paint finishes, heat-insulating and infrared-reflecting laminated glass, aluminum-look running boards with rubber studs, and separated exhaust tailpipe trim.

For the inside, the seven-seater receives a two-tone leather (or Nappa leather) overhaul with black/porcelain or black/maroon as contrasting color options. The seats also feature a special piping and contrast stitching design. And exclusive to the Grand Edition are door panels, armrests and dash instrument panel featuring double-lapped felling while the steering wheel is accented in a wood/leather finish with black ash. Lastly, many of the interior pieces feature Grand Edition lettering stitching and badges.

The Grand Edition is available for the GL 350 CDI 4Matic, GL 350 BlueTEC 4Matic, GL 450 4Matic, and GL 500 4Matic. Pricing is set at $112,400 for the GL 350 CDI, $114,100 for the GL 350 BlueTEC, $128,750 for the GL 450 and $139,000 for the GL 500.

GALLERY: Mercedes-Benz GL-Class Grand Edition

Pricing has finally been announced for the MINI Cooper receiving goods from Rolls-Royce’s factory in Goodwood and it’s probably shocking to many, even those that expected an utmost premium for the Rolls-Royce goods. So let’s just get that out of the way with the base-model Mini Cooper Goodwood coming in at an astonishing $68,000. We’re going to safely assume that the $68,000 won’t convert over to America’s market, but even at close to $50,000, that’s a crazy price to pay for a Cooper.

Those in Europe that are really interested and have no problems paying the price tag will get a ton of Rolls-Royce specific details on their MINI Cooper with Inspired by Goodwood emblems to prove you paid the price. The standard paint color is Rolls-Royce’s own Diamond Black metallic while MINI’s Reef Blue metallic is available as an option.

Interior upgrades include Rolls-like woven headliner, Cornsilk-hued leather with stitched black-leather contrast. The entire doors and center console are covered with luxurious leather while the speedometer and tachometer faces have been swapped with Rolls-Royce font.

It’s questionable if the price tag is worth it; but for those that certainly love Rolls-Royce’s luxurious amenities and prefer to drive a more discrete MINI Cooper, well, here’s your compromise.

GALLERY: MINI Cooper Goodwood

[Source: Autoblog]

Infiniti might not have their own F1 team, but that little detail isn’t stopping them from helping the Red Bull team with an energy-recovery system for their F1 team. Consider it Infiniti’s foot in the grand prix door.

Infiniti’s and Nissan’s electric car expertise are what drew Red Bull to them in the first place, and Infiniti is helping them develop their Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) for their Renault-powered F1 cars, which will help F1 cars recapture energy lost from heavy braking. “There are long-term goals for the partnership to go beyond that of a straight sponsorship deal and enter a sharing of engineering information,” said an anonymous source at Infiniti.

Red Bull is already using the Infiniti badge on their Renault-sourced engines, in order to promote the Infiniti brand in Europe. Of course, the fact that Renault, Nissan, and Infiniti are all under the big happy Ghosn-raised family is making this possible.

[Source: What Car?]

Nepal has been under the rule of the Communist Maoist party for 10 years now, and the party tightly controls the amounts of imports that the country receives. Now, a trade group associated with the party has stopped the influx of Honda vehicles into the country, in an attempt to get Honda’s Nepal dealer to keep the jobs of nine people.

Syakar Company Ltd is the sole distributor of Hondas in Nepal, and came under fire from the trade group when it began evaluating nine trainees that had completed their apprenticeship with the company. The trade group claimed that Syakar was attempting to fire them all, even though the company eventually hired them. Still, the trade group shut down all business from last Thursday, and no Hondas have been sold since.

Nepal’s government is on the verge of collapsing, and the Maoists have been asked to disband their army that they used to seize power 10 years ago. The opposition party is currently asking prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal to step down.

[Source: Mangalorean.com]

Vladimir Antonov is a man on a mission. Namely, he wants a sweet piece of the pie known as Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget; but the forces that conspire against him include the Swedish government and federal investigators. So you think any support he gets against his powerful foes would be a credit to him, right?

But what a long, strange trip it’s been with Antonov and his supporters—the fans of Saabs United, the website comprised of enthusiasts and shakers within the Saab enthusiast community, raised a campaign entitled “Support Vladimir Antonov,” to tell the Swedish government that Antonov should be approved as a shareholder—tenuous mob connections or not. Vladimir Antonov, Carrie Fisher would say if she drove a 900 SPG, you’re my only hope! Turns out, though, that Antonov, doesn’t agree with all of his support: in a recent story by a Swedish newspaper, Antonov was caught saying that he wants to distance himself from his supporters, saying that he “expresses clearly that he wants to distance himself from everything that has been written about the Saab deal so far and his involvement in it.”

Naturally, Saabs United jumped on this with urgent fervor. Before Antonov’s ultimatum, SU forum moderators jumped on any Antonov criticism with the force of Soviet damnatio memoriae, urging its followers that Antonov was the best hope for Saab. Well, SU’s owner now works for Saab as a social media manager, so despite the apparent betrayal of Saab’s heir apparent to its loyal legions, some things have worked out in the end.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]