Although Saab‘s museum in Trolhattan, Sweden luckily escaped liquidation, the same cannot be said for the former automaker’s US based Heritage Collection, currently housed in Michigan.

McTevia & Associates, the legal firm brought in to deal with Saab North America’s creditors and dispose of its remaining assets, announced that cars in the Heritage Collection will be sent to auction (bids had to be registered before Friday, February 10th at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time).

Among the vehicles up for grabs, include a restored 1952, model 92 (the company’s first series production model), a 1956 94 Sonnet Super Sport roadster (one of just six built),  Erik Carlsson’s famous 1960 RAC Rally winning 96, a rare 1960 93F Gran Turismo 750 (a car inspired by the Carlsson rally machine), an early US spec (1978) 99 Turbo hatchback, a 1986 900 convertible prototype, plus a 9000 and “new generation” 900 that set speed and endurance records at Talledega Motor Speedway. Also up for grabs is an example of the 1987-91 Saab Pro Series open wheel race cars, developed in conjunction with Skip Barber and powered by stock Saab turbo four-cylinder engines.

However, rather than break up the collection and sell each of these cars individually, all of them will be auction in one block, without titles and in “as is” condition, meaning there’s a good chance they could end up as part of another museum’s stock.

GALLERY: Saab American Heritage Collection

[Source: Hemmings Motor News]

10. BMW 750Li Hybrid: $2,641

Flashy, fast or luxurious cars tend to be expensive. It should come as no surprise then that they’re also among the most expensive cars to insure.

This list, provided by Insure.com shows us the most expensive cars to insure. Whether they’re more likely to get into an accident because of their high-powered engines, more likely to be stolen, or they’re just expensive to make and maintain, these cars cost quite a lot to insure.

How can a hybrid cost so much to insure? When it’s aBMW 750Li Active Hybrid, which has a twin-turbo V8 and starts at $101,000 it’s easy to see why this big BMW lands in 10th place on the list.

Although Bentley already confirmed its newest SUV will be coming to market, we still have no details on when the luxury automaker will release the specifics to the public.

The newest update from Autoweek says that Bentley is scrambling to get together a working concept to debut at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show. The new Bentley SUV will likely be based on the Audi Q7 platform, and incorporate a turbocharged W12 engine. Bentley is not trying to compete with Cayenne or Q7 however, with the company aiming its SUV at the upscale luxury market. Bentley also says that its newest SUV offering will have legitimate off-road capabilities.

If the SUV doesn’t drop at Geneva, we should at least get some details about when to expect the luxurious vehicle to hit the market.

[Source: Autoweek]

BMW North America has finally announced the pricing details for its 2013 Gran Coupe that will be making their way to dealerships staring this summer. The Gran Coupe will start at a whopping $76,895 which includes the destination charge.

The pricing for the Gran Coupe comes at a slight surprise to many, considering it’s almost $16,000 more than a base model Audi A7 and $4,500 more than a Mercedes-Benz CLS, which is its main competitor. The premium may be worth it to some though, to own the “Ultimate Driving Machine”.

The “base” 640i Gran Coupe gets a 3.0L twin-turbo, straight-six with 315-hp and 330 lb-ft of torque and BMW also plans to launch a 650i Gran Coupe and 650i Gran Coupe xDrive in the future. The 650is will feature a 4.4L twin-turbo V8 with 445-hp and 480 lb-ft of torque.

BMW is obviously hoping that the stylish look of the Gran Coupe will bring in buyers because the 535i, which has the same 3.0L twin-turbo engine found in the 640i, retails for almost $24,000 less.

GALLERY: BMW Gran Coupe

German based tuner Abt Sportsline will be revealing four new tuned vehicles for the upcoming Geneva Auto Show.

For Audi, Abt will add some spice to the Audi Q3 crossover. Dubbed the QS3, the compact crossover will receive a power boost from its 2.0 liter engine to produce a total output of 266-hp. Abt has also provided an aggressive body kit to compliment the QS3′s performance.

Abt’s Audi AS6 Avant will also be presented at Geneva, decked out with front and rear spoilers, revised side skirts and a four-tailpipe exhaust system. Sporting a tuned 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine, Abt has massaged the powerplant to put out 355-hp, an extra 46-hp over stock.

For Volkswagen, Abt will feature a crowd stopping Beetle with a reduced ride height, headlight masks and 20-inch alloy wheels. In the power department, this mean Bug will deliver 237-hp.

Finally, Abt gets its hands on the new Volkswagen Up! Offering only aesthetic changes for now, the Up! receives mirror caps, headlight masks and revised side skirts.

GALLERY: Abt Sportsline Geneva Teaser

As fuel prices continue to rise, fuel economy in our cars becomes a bigger issue on a daily basis. Volvo announced at the Chicago Auto Show that they are working towards a line-up of automobiles that utilize nothing but four cylinder engines.

Within five years, U.S. president and chief executive officer of Volvo John Maloney says that every new Volvo will come outfitted with a four cylinder engine as “it just makes sense.” Thanks to turbochargers and high pressure fuel injection systems, among other new technologies, smaller displacement engines are constantly becoming more and more powerful leaving no use for larger motors.

One good example of this cylinder downsize strategy at work is Ford’s Ecoboost engines which have been quite successful as they offer equivalent power to competitors motors with less cylinders.

The move to four cylinders will also streamline the companies manufacturing and ordering operations, saving the company money in the long run.

Audi has just released information regarding the TT RS Plus, a more powerful, faster and more dynamic TT RS. The TT RS plus will be available in both Coupe and Roadster versions featuring a 2.5L TFSI engine with 360-hp and 343 lb-ft of torque.

The German automaker didn’t specify when the vehicle will be released other than “early 2012″, but we reckon that customers can place their orders now if they really want one. The TT RS Plus is available with either a manual six-speed transmission or a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic. The Coupe version of the TT RS plus hits 62-mph in just 4.1 seconds while the Roadster does it in 4.2 seconds – both with an automatic transmission. Manual drivers will experience the acceleration to 62-mph 0.2 seconds slower.

Top speed is set at 174-mph and Audi is reporting around 27-mpg for the TT RS Plus. What is probably most impressive about the TT RS Plus is its 3,196-lb weight in a model with a manual transmission with quattro all-wheel drive. It achieves an impressive 1-hp to 8.82-lbs power-to-weight ratio thanks to its lightweight Audi Space Frame (ASF) chassis. The Roadster has a 1-hp to 9.26-lb power-to-weight ratio.

The TT RS Plus will come stock with 19-inch wheels and a large, fixed rear wing to increase downforce on the back of the car.

The TT RS Plus Coupé with manual transmission costs €60,650 (roughly converted to $80,600) in Germany or €62,800 ($83,450) with the seven-speed S tronic. The TT RS Plus Roadster has a list price of €63,500 ($84,385) or €65,650 ($87,240) respectively.

Announced for Europe Audi has not said if the TT RS Plus will be available in North America.

GALLERY: Audi TT RS Plus

Watch AutoGuide’s Audi TT RS Review /w Video Here

According to a statement by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China’s monthly sales of passenger-vehicles suffered its steepest decline in more than seven years due to a Lunar New Year holiday season hiatus that deprived dealers of a week’s worth of sales. Figures indicated that sales fell to 1.16 million units in January, a 24 percent decrease from the year before. According to five analysts from Bloomberg News, sales were projected to drop 18 percent.

Great Wall Securities Co. analyst Ran Fei said, “Even though the actual holidays were five working days, some dealerships took the opportunity to close their stores for a longer time. The numbers are disappointing.” Compounding the auto sales slump in the Chinese market, the Chinese government also estimated that holiday sales at the nation’s main retailers and restaurants rose at their slowest pace since the 2009 financial crisis.

Are these signs an indication that the world’s largest and fastest growing automotive market is showing economic resistance? Despite these statistics, Ran Fei insists that “Car demand is stable. There’s no indication of any changes on that front.” China’s Passenger Car Association also believes that the Chinese economy is fundamentally sound and interprets the auto sales number as a mere holiday season distortion. The Passenger Car Association expects a 30 percent rise in sales for February.

Huatai Securities Co. analyst Chen Liang adds, “Demand is still there and consumers in the smaller, less developed cities will still have a growing need for cars. These numbers don’t change my outlook for the year.”

In January, GM reported an 8 percent decline in China sales, its first Chinese sales decline in six months. Chevrolet sales suffered a 20 percent hit to 54,399 units. According to Ford, its China sales fell a staggering 42 percent last month. Bucking the trend, Luxury German brands BMW and Audi both posted higher sales, enjoying a 30 percent and 23 percent gain respectively.

IHS Automotive Shanghai analyst Namrita Chow provided this explanation, “Prior to the Chinese New Year, Chinese consumers who are looking to enhance their prestige and status symbol have chosen high-end luxury brands.”

[Source: Bloomberg]

More than two years after Koenigsegg debuted its Agera R model, the Swedish automaker will finally bring the first one to America sometime this June according to a company executive.

The Agera R has set plenty of records already, including the Guiness World Record for 0-186 mph time. Its equipped with a 5.0L twin-turbo V8 engine with the potential of pumping out 1,115-hp with E85 or 940-hp with standard 95-octane gas.

Koenigsegg is also waiting approval to get a second exemption from a federal regulation that requires smart air bags – the same exemption NHTSA denied last year to Pagani. Interestingly enough, a valid excuse for low-volume, independent carmakers to use is “substantial economic hardship” when filing for safety exemptions. Ferrari, cited “hardship” within the last three years in order to not add the newer airbags. It would be a surprise if Koenigsegg, who produces only 15 cars a year (by hand nonetheless) wouldn’t get an exemption if Ferrari could.

Koenigsegg has apparently lost $7.7-million between 2006-2008 and expects to lose another $3.3-million between 2009 and 2011, when the current exemption expires. It’s almost silly that Koenigsegg has to explain to the Department of Transportation that “The Koenigsegg vehicle—a $1.32 million ultra high performance sports car—is simply not typically used to carry child seats or small children.”

Nonetheless, if Koenigsegg does get the airbag waiver, then we’ll finally see car number-92 as an Agera R in America. It’ll also be the first Koenigsegg built for the US market since 2008.

Koenigsegg is also already looking towards the future of its 100th car. To celebrate the milestone, they plan on showing off a render at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show and will build the car for themselves rather than for a customer order as it typically does.

Lastly, it appears that Koenigsegg is looking towards modifying its V8 engine to potentially run without camshafts. By using pneumatic-controlled valves, Koenigsegg could improve fuel efficiency between 20- to 30-percent. It’s a similar technology that’s seen in F1 cars.

GALLERY: Koenigsegg Agera R

[Source: Car and Driver]

Defining the one percent is messy math business that we’re far from doing, but maybe you can reach this stellar status by demonstrating your wealth through gifts.

If that is the case, hip hop entertainer Birdman certainly made the cut in the video below where he gave away a Rolls-Royce Ghost and Bentley Mulsanne — along with a second Bentley that he kept for himself.

If you aren’t up to date on the world of ultra-luxury cars, here’s a quick rundown.

The Bentley Mulsanne launched in 2010 and is the company’s sedan, sporting a 6.75-liter twin-turbo V8 making 505 horsepower and 753 fl-lbs of torque. You can choose to enjoy that power behind the wheel, though at the $290,000 starting price some people may prefer just to pay a chauffeur. Little Wayne got the Mulsanne, while Birdman’s brother and business partner Ronald “Slim” Williams walked away the happy new owner of a Rolls-Royce Ghost.

The Ghost starts at $380,000, and packs 563 horsepower and 575 ft-lbs of torque. Realistically, people buying these cars aren’t all that concerned with the power specs. Badges and emblems emblazoned on the body and throughout the vehicle mean more to status symbols than big power numbers. The interiors ain’t bad either.

Either car offers a splendid example of what it feels like to swim in fine leather and rich wood. Ferris Beuller said it best, “It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.” Of course in that movie he’s referring to a Ferrari 250 GT California, but the words still ring true.

If you’ve been scratching your head over these names, this “Lil Wayne”, Ronald “Slim” Williams and a grown man who walks around calling himself “Birdman”, you probably don’t have a taste for rap music.

The three men referred to above are responsible for Cash Money Records, the label behind some of today’s pop icons like Drake, Nicki Minaj, T-Pain and among others, the predator look-a-like himself: Lil Wayne. Know then or not, the first guy in the video is Birdman and these cars cost him a total of well over $1 million so he must be doing something right.

You can watch the video below.

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