At next month’s Geneva Auto Show, Maserati will launch a new version of its beautiful Gran Turismo model, the Gran Turismo Sport.

The Sport will replace the current “S” model in their line-up, and will be offered with a choice of two gearboxes, a six-speed F1-style sequential gearbox or the six-speed automatic. Sadly, no proper manual gearbox is offered. To put the smile back on your face, you will get a tweaked version of the 4.7-liter, V8 that now produces 454-hp. Maserati reckons it will sprint from 0-60 mph in under 5.0-seconds (official figures to be unveiled at the show).

To distinguish the Sport from the old “S” model, this model now gets a revised front bumper, and as with many luxury car these days, LED’s have also snuck their way into the headlights. No pricing has been announced thus far, but expect it to be between the regular Gran Turismo and the top of the line MC Stradale version.

GALLERY: Maserati Gran Turismo Sport

This year, Mercedes-Benz‘s uber-luxury brand Maybach will go extinct, as the German brand could not see the potential for making a profit in the ultra high-end luxury car segment.

However, that does not mean the brand will vanish off the face of the Earth, thanks to a coach-building company called Xenatec. They take a four-door Maybach 57S and get rid of two of its doors. Since they kept the wheelbase the same as the donor car, they gave it longer doors  and a sleek coupe body to fill in the gap.

Mechanically the car remains standard because Xenatec wanted the car to be servicable by any Maybach dealer around the world. So while you’ll have the standard cars 6.0-liter, twin-turbo, V12 engine that produces 621-hp, you’ll now also have a sportier looking body to travel around in.

And how much would it cost to have this conversion done? It’ll cost as much as the original donor car. A Xenatec 57S Coupe will cost you a cool $940,000. That’s very nearly Bugatti Veyron money.

Despite the stratospheric price tag, Xenatec has sold quite a few of these uber-coupes through their three main distributors; the factory itself in Germany, a dealer in Saudi Arabia and an armor car firm in Russia.

Finding one of these rare exotics would thus be hard, but we have. A Xenatec Coupe is looking for a new home. It is listed for sale at an exotic car dealership in Dubai, U.A.E. According to the advert, it has no mileage on it. While it is sitting at a used exotic car store, the car is still new.

So while you can still get in touch with Xenatec and pay them to build you a coupe out of your donor 57S, a fully finished example is awaiting you in a desert oasis.

Afterall, we at AutoGuide get a fuzzy good feeling by uniting the rich with expensive cars.

GALLERY: Xenatec Coupe

[Source: Alain Class]

British luxury sports car brand Aston Martin will make its debut in the Grand-Am series on January 27th, as it prepares to take part in the 2012 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC), which will be held at the Daytona International Speedway.

For its return to North American racing, Aston Martin has teamed up with Multimatic Motorsports, which are based in Toronto, Canada. The lead car in this endurance race will be driven by Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster, while the second car will be piloted by Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey, who has proven over the years that he is a very accomplished racing driver. For this inaugural event, Dempsey will be teamed-up with Chriss Porritt, Aston Martin’s chief engineer, who is very experienced with the Vantage GT4.

The first round of the CTSCC will be run in support of the 50th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and this support race will run for two and a half hours, with a mandatory driver change. The Aston Martin team will be competiting in the Grand Sport Category, which features six and eight cylinder cars. Aston’s main rival will most certainly be the Audi R8 LMS, which is in the same class.

With experienced drivers and the combined talents of Aston Martin and Multimatic Motorsports, this team will certainly be among the favorites to take the race win. We only have to wait a few days to find out.

Cadillac‘s latest in-vehicle connectivity and control module, called CUE, has been given a big boost by receiving the Top Gadgets of 2012: Editor’s Choice Award by Popular Mechanics magazine.

The award was presented to Cadillac at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV. Cadillac was the only auto manufacturer to walk away with an award from Popular Mechanics.

The CUE was picked because of its innovative technology and potential impact on the industry.

Andrew Del-Colle, assistant editor of Popular Mechanics magazine said; “After seeing an earlier demonstration of the system at the Los Angeles Auto Show, I knew it would be a strong candidate for an award at CES. The show offered a great opportunity to compare the CUE with many other OEM and aftermarket systems, and it stood out to us for its innovative use of new standards such as HTML 5, as well as for its intuitive user interface.”

CUE brings the first application of capacitive touch in an automobile. It uses electrodes to sense conductive properties of objects such as fingers. This system is similar to the touch and interaction one gets from gadgets like the iPad.

Other key aspects of CUE are natural speech recognition, Bluetooth connectivity for up to 10 devices and a motorized concealed storage compartment. The system runs on an ARM 11 3-core processor on a Linux open-source HTML5-based software platform.

The CUE system will debut in the Cadillac XTS and the ATS, and will be thus available to consumers from this summer.

In an industry which has recently seen generally negative news regarding sales figures, Jeep is bucking the trend. Global sales for this purely SUV brand are up by 41 per cent, while in the US, sales grew by 44 per cent.

However, that is nothing when compared to the growth the brand has enjoyed in Europe in 2011. In Germany for instance, sales have grown by 124 percent, and in Italy by 117.6 percent. In France they are up by 71.7 percent and even in economy stricken markets like Spain and UK, sales grew by 21.2 and 18 percent respectively.

On a whole, European sales for the Jeep brand have swollen by 61.8 percent. This is certainly great news for the brand and its investing partners.

“The increase in Jeep sales in Europe is evidence that Chrysler Group’s integration with the Fiat Group is clearly working,” says Mike Manley, President and CEO, Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “Much of the Jeep brand’s success in Europe can be attributed to a strengthened dealer network, as well as a roll-out of new Jeep models for the European market – including the incorporation of Fiat’s fuel- and emissions-saving MultiJet II technology on the new 3.0-liter CRD engine that powers the Grand Cherokee.”

If Jeep can continue on this upward swing, it can become the most popular North American import brand in Europe.

It was a good idea, if only it had worked. A few years back, a man by the name of Scott Devon decided that the world needed a new American supercar. So he appointed a Swede (Daniel Paulin) to design his dream car.

Being a start-up company, Devon did not have the money to develop his own platform or design his own engines. So what he did instead was to take a perfectly good Dodge Viper, and give it some new clothes.

Actually, he did more than that as this was no mere body-kit. The car had a custom, coachbuilt body and a completely unique interior. Oh and he tweaked the Viper’s 8.4-liter, V10 motor to produce a modest 650-hp.

The end result looked very impressive, and it also worked. Thanks to its aerodynamics package, the GTX was very capable around a race track. It in fact set the fastest lap-time for a production car at both Willow Springs and the Laguna Seca Raceway. We use the ‘production car’ term loosely here, read on to find out why.

Devon wanted to put the GTX into limited production, but their plans got cut short when Dodge announced the stoppage on Viper production in 2010. This would hurt Devon’s supply if anyone wanted one. Another reason the project didn’t work was because the order books remained empty. We reckon the $500,000 asking price had something to do with that.

In the end, just two cars were produced, and now one of those can be in your collection. Lot # 1296 at this month’s Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, AZ., is a beautiful black Devon GTX.

We will have to wait and see what it fetches at the auction, but if you’ve been looking for something very rare and unique, this might be the car for you.

GALLERY: Devon GTX

[Source: Barrett-Jackson]

We have seen pictures of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-class before, first when pictures from its brochure got leaked, followed by the official release of images and specs about a month ago.

However, its unveil at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, MI., is the first time it has been shown in the flesh. Like its predecessor, it has a folding metal roof, and the air scarf system, which blows hot air on your neck, perfect for driving with the top down even on cold days.

What is new about this new SL is its nearly all-aluminum construction. Due to this light-weight material, this new SL is 175 lbs lighter than the out-going model. Couple its lighter weight with the new 4.7-liter, turbo-charged, V8 which produces 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, and you’ll end up with a very quick rear-wheel drive car. 0-60 mph in the SL550 model now takes just 4.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically-limited to 155 mph. You can bet, faster AMG-models are also going to be offered shortly after this model goes on sale.

If you like gadgets more than performance, not to worry, the new SL has plenty of toys to keep you happy. There is the MAGIC SKY Control, which makes the panoramic glass in your retracting hard-top go from clear to dark. So it is truly a convertible for all seasons and all types of weather.

There is also the MAGIC VISION Control, which is an advanced wiper system, which features wash nozzles that send washer fluid directly onto the wiper blade, and also would heat the water on colder days, so give a nicer, cleaner wipe from the start.

The audiophiles will no doubt love the new Frontbass system. This audio system utilizes the space in the footwell, which now features extra speakers. With sound coming from all corners, the idea is to give a full orchestral experience to the cars occupants.

The 2013 SL550 will go on sale in spring.

GALLERY: 2013 Mercedes SL550

See AutoGuide’s First Look Video of the new SL below:

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Very few car companies can lay claim to have a twin-turbo charged, 500-hp, V8 as their entry level vehicle, but Bentley can.

At the 2012 North American International Auto Show, the Bentley Continental GT V8 made its World premiere. While the original W12 version continues in production, this new V8 will be offered at a lower price point to combat the very best super-coupes from its German rivals.

The GT V8 looks very similar to any other Continental GT, both inside and out, so essentially this is a powertrain story. The power comes courtesy of a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo, V8. Maximum output is 500-hp and 487-lb/ft of torque. Like all previous Continental GT’s, the new V8 model also features all-wheel drive. The only transmission on offer is a close-ratio, 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters.

The performance numbers as you’d expect are pretty impressive. 0-60 mph sprint takes just 4.6 seconds, while top speed is a remarkable 188 mph.

Perhaps even more impressive is its fuel economy. On a highway cruise, this GT V8 can achieve 33-mpg. It can manage that because of its cylinder-deactivation system. So when you’re simply cruising, it will shut down four of its cylinders. So this Bentley can actually run for 500-miles on a single tank of petrol. Could this be a sensible Bentley!

2011 was a great year for this British manufacturer, recording their second-highest year of sales in its history, with 7003 cars delivered globally, of which 1876 units found homes in America.

With this new entry-level GT V8 (No prices given, but expect those to be over $150,000), and also the GTC V8 convertible going on sale this year, Bentley sales might surpass all their previous records.

GALLERY: 2013 Bentley Continental GT V8

If you have been a fan of the turbo-charged motor in the current Acura RDX, you may not like what you’re about to read.

At the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit MI., Acura unveiled the 2013 RDX, which is to ditch its unique turbo-charged motor for a more conventional 3.5-liter V6 motor.

This new engine does pack a bigger punch. It develops 273-hp, that is 33-hp more than the current model. Acura said its customers were not very happy with the fuel-economy of the turbo-charged motor, so it has gone with a more conventional V6. Helping it achieve better fuel-economy will also be its new 6-speed automatic gearbox (current version has five-speeds). Acura has already carried out EPA testing for this vehicle, and the result is 20-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway.

The new model will be available as either a front-wheel drive or all-wheel model.

The new RDX will also be longer than the out-going model, which didn’t offer much rear-seat legroom or much trunk space.

So in many areas, the new RDX seems to be a better vehicle than the one it replaces. Will it still be as much fun to drive? We will let you as soon as we get to drive one.

GALLERY: 2013 Acura RDX

Hollywood comedian John Lovitz was on hand in Detroit to help launch the Smart For-Us pick-up concept at the 2012 North American International Auto Show today.

Smart might have struggled with sales here in the USA with their fortwo model, but globally this eco-minded brand sold over 100,000 units in 2011.

To capture the American market, Smart is hoping that their new For-Us concept, which is billed as an urban-truck will resonate better in our market. This pick-up however is not designed to carry construction workers and their gear to work. No, the For-Us is aimed towards young couples with an active life-style. So if you are looking for a vehicle to carry your mountain-bikes up to your favorite trail, this would do, just as long as that trail is not too far away.

The For-Us is an electric vehicle and uses the same 55kW motor and 17.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack first seen on the all-electric Smart fortwo. Range is thus pegged at 86-miles on a full-charge. Performance numbers are a similar story, its brisk, but not fast. acceleration from 0-37 mph takes about 5-seconds.

Will this vehicle just be a concept? Very likely, but it shows that Smart is trying to expand its customer base and market share.

GALLERY: Smart forus Concept