Those waiting to get a glimpse of the documentary “Senna” (present company included) can look forward to this announcement: a list of dates and cities for its theater debut has been announced.

Provided you haven’t illegally torrented the movie, those of you in trendy cities such as Austin, Palo Alto or Cambridge can pop on down to your local independent theater and watch the Sundance-winning biopic. Remember, support your local businesses!

Click the jump for a full list of where you can watch.

[Source: AutoWeek]

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A few weeks back, BMW announced that it would make a Performance Edition Package available to owners of N55 powered 335i coupes and sedans.

Now, the company has announced that a variation of that same $550 package will also be offered on the 135i as well, with dealers providing it as a retrofit on current models. Said package includes black grille surrounds, special badging and some tweaks to the single turbo engine, resulting in an additional 20 horsepower (for a total of 320 hp) and a boost in torque (to 332 lb-ft on automatic equipped cars; 317 on those fitted with a proper gearbox. Should be the other way around if you ask us.

Kia Motors is one of the big winners at the first ever Automotive Brand Contest which was organized by the German Design Council. The judge panel declared Kia Motors the worthy winner in four categories. Three kia models were picked as winners for the exterior category, including the compact Sportage SUV, the forthcoming Rio (on sale from September 2011) and the all new Kia Optima (above). Kia was also ranked ‘Best of Best’ in the brand design category, where strategy and focus of the brand’s overall design is rated.

Peter Schreyer, Kia’s chief designer said, “We are all exceedingly proud that Kia Motors has done so well in this new competition, which is very important within the automotive industry. By changing our basic design focus, we have given our brand a face, a distinctive identity.“

The Lamborghini Estoque seems to be well on its way to production, and should arrive sometime in 2014. According to a leaked document, the Italian automaker will also be offering a drop top version of the four-door, which will be unveiled one year after the sedan’s debut. The Estoque convertible will likely arrive first in concept form in 2015, and then go into production form for 2016.

Powering both the sedan and convertible is believed to be a new supercharged V10 engine that will first arrive in the Cabrera (the Gallardo’s replacement), which is due out in 2013.

The Estoque would compete with the Porsche Panamera Convertible, which is rumored for 2012.

In addition, Lamborghini is reportedly planning a convertible version of its ultra limited edition Sesto Elemento.

GALLERY: Lamborghini Estoque

[Source: Top Speed]

Italian automaker Fiat purchased the U.S government’s remaining holdings in Chrysler today. Fiat paid $560 million to the Treasury Department for the government’s 98,000 shares.

Fiat has run Chrysler since the American automaker emerged from bankruptcy protection in June 2009. The U.S government provided a total of $12.5 billion to Chrysler with the funds coming from the government’s $700 billion bank bailout fund. $11.2 billion has been repaid to the Treasury and Chrysler repaid $5.1 billion in loans from the government in May. The Treasury has stated that it likely won’t recover the remaining $1.3 billion. With Fiat’s payment to the government, the Italian automaker now has 52 percent ownership of Chrysler. Fiat will likely own 57 percent of Chrysler before the end of 2011 when Chrysler begins producing a 40 mpg small car in the U.S.

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability Tim Massad released this statement: “With today’s closing, the US government has exited its investment in Chrysler at least six years earlier than expected. This is a major accomplishment and further evidence of the success of the Administration’s actions to assist the US auto industry, which helped save a million jobs during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.”

[Source: Washington Post]

Anyone who has played around with an electric radio-control car knows that power comes instantly and as a result acceleration is pretty rapid.

Expand the idea to a full-size vehicle, and the results are certainly thrilling. So far, all fully-electric vehicles have had a drawback, their single-speed gearbox, which tend to neuter the driving experience.

No one has been able to adopt a multi-speed gearbox to work reliably with an electric motor, but Henrik Fisker is working on just that for his Karma plug-in hybrid sedan.

Fisker believes he has a solution, which if it works reliably, would offer Karma drivers “Veyron levels of performance.” That means that the four-door sedan could accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 3-seconds.

No timeline has been given as to when this system will become available, but with such impressive performance figures, we can hardly wait.

[Source: Autocar]

Sporty or luxurious? BMW or Porsche? Two of Germany’s finest production automobiles have been tuned by Vorsteiner to near perfection, contrasting the M3′s urge to be sporty with the Panamera’s desire to be luxurious. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Vorsteiner’s Candy Cane GTRS3 M3 or their Porsche Panamera V-PT, but enjoying them both in one photo shoot is a real treat.

It’s interesting how seeing both cars in the same frame makes you wonder which you’d rather have as a daily driver. The enticing and menacing widebody M3 or the more refined yet aggressive Panamera? Either way you look at it, Vorsteiner has two winners here and we could only imagine what it was like to spot the two of them prowling the streets of Los Angeles on their way to the photo shoot. Kudos to the tuning company out of California for finding a great way to add style, sophistication and performance without ruining the vehicle itself.

GALLERY: Vorsteiner BMW M3 Candy Cane GTRS3 and Panamera V-PT

[Source: GT Spirit]

When the Scion iQ city car goes on sale this October it will be offered exclusively with a CVT transmission. That, however, is likely to change admits brand boss Jack Hollis

“We already have it,” he told AutoGuide, referring to the 6-speed manual currently offered on the Toyota-branded iQ in Europe. Now it’s just a question of getting it certified for use on U.S. roads.

“We can do it,” he said with enthusiasm, commenting that he’d like to see it introduced in the iQ as part of a limited edition Release Series model. Until then, find out why we don’t hate the CVT transmission here.

GALLERY: 2012 Scion iQ

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2012 Scion iQ review and discuss this story at iQ-forums.com

Plus, watch the video review after the jump:

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Welcome to the next level of car shopping – the AMG Private Lounge in Affalterbach. This 525 square meter lounge allows owners and potential customers of AMG high-performance car to bask in chic ambience, as well as learn more about the vehicles.

“We see it as a second living-room for our customers,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, of the new lounge. “We want the AMG Private Lounge in Affalterbach to provide the perfect setting for the most exciting day of the year – for example when our customers take possession of their new AMG-Mercedes here in Affalterbach.”

Boasting  style, individuality and exclusivity, the AMG Private Lounge is designed to foster customer relations and is a meeting-place for the growing AMG community. The new multi-storey building can be reached by the AMG showroom via an outside staircase, and is dressed to impress. When you walk in, you’re greeted by  a photographic display of the legendary 300 SEL 6.8 AMG racing touring car on the famous “Eau Rouge” in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Outfitted in black and white, the lounge is divided into different areas. The “brand wall” is devoted entirely to motorsports, as is immediately recognizable by the oversized motif of the SLS AMG GT3, which was hand-made by AMG designers. There’s the “lifestyle wall”, where visitors are able to relax or converse, play with an iPad and Playstation. It’s also the place  are provided for individual entertainment, or check out reference material and coffee-table book from the library. Finally, located in the center of the lounge is “Silent Space,” perfect for conversation in a private but informal atmosphere.

If you’re feeling a bit hungry or thirsty, there’s a coffee bar, along with a dining area, which can cater up to 18 guests. Here, you’ll be treated to light dishes with a regional touch.

The showroom is only planned for Germany, so we here in North America get a little short changed on the uber-luxe experience. But we can always hope that the next step will be setting one up a little closer to home.