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]

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

Volvo chief designer Christopher Benjamin took took his artistry to the social media masses in a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Volvo P1800.

In case you don’t know, the P1800 was Volvo’s take on a sports car in the early ’60s and were produced for about a decade, as a rival for the Jaguar E-Type.

Despite having long been been discontinued, Volvo fans have an appreciation for these cars and were predictably intrigued by Benjamin releasing the pictures. However, the company quickly quelled speculation that a production model might be in the works.

If you want to see the Facebook posts, click here.

[Source: Autoblog]

The last time Mazda offered a coupe model based on the underpinnings of its mid-size sedan, it was called the MX-6. It was quite popular in its day, and two-generation of models had been produced before Mazda pulled the plug on the sports sporty car back in 1997.

Now a unnamed senior company source has revealed that the new Mazda6 will spawn a coupe model, which will be based on the stunning Takeri concept car, which was a hit at the recent Tokyo Motor Show.

While the new sedan model of the Mazda6 is expected to hit the market in early 2013, the coupe version might arrive a year later. The coupe will follow the principals of other new Mazda SkyActiv vehicles, while adding new technologies like i-Eloop, which is Mazda’s version of a regenerative braking system which can help improve economy by 10%.

While European markets will likely get a 2.0-liter petrol and 2.2-liter diesel engines, the North American model could also be offered with a V6 engine. Only time will tell.

[Source: WhatCar?]

AutoGuide was on hand last night for the live reveal of the 2013 Scion FR-S in Los Angeles, where Scion showed off their version of the Toyobaru rear-drive, boxer-powered sports car.

The FR-S is mechanically identical to the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86, save for a few minor aesthetic changes. Scion was mum about pricing unfortunately, and that seems to be the last question hanging over everyone’s head.

Check out the video below for the live reveal.

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Anyone who has seen Japanese car commercials knows they can be a bit odd, to say the least. The 1990′s were chock full of weird celebrity endorsments (Jodie Foster and the Honda Civic, anyone?) but the next trend to hit was having directors treat their ads like art house films – and it’s here to stay.

If this were an American ad, we’d probably have lurid shots of the Subaru BRZ in full opposite-lock mode, with a garbled voiceover detailing the terms and conditions of a special lease offer. But this is Japan, and instead we get slow, tight glimpses of the BRZ while the best in adult alternative EZ-rock plays on screen. Whatever. Hit the mute button and enjoy.

Hit the jump to see the Subaru BRZ commercial.

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An alert reader spotted a lightly disguised Subaru BRZ on what appears to be a California freeway. Clad in only a tiny bit of camo, the spy photos don’t reveal much more than we’ve already seen, but are a neat look at the hotly anticipated Subaru sports car.

Aside from the shared RWD platform and 2.0L boxer engine, Subaru hasn’t announced official specs for the car. The BRZ will get its official reveal at the Tokyo Motor Show this week, though official pictures were released earlier.

Check out the gallery below as well as  SubaruBRZForum.com for more information.

Gallery: Subaru BRZ Spy Shots

12. Toyota Camry

While automakers and outside research firms publish sales figures and earnings reports on a regular basis, one metric we rarely get a glimpse of is how profitable each vehicle is. In an era of re-badging and platform sharing, one would think that the most profitable vehicles are those with a large number of derivatives to spread the cost around. But a new report from Bernstein Research suggests that two factors – price point and volume – are the keys to making big bucks off vehicles. And judging by the list, longevity seems to help as well.

Number 12 on the list is the Toyota Camry, and for good reason. The Camry has a number of factors in its favor – massive volumes, an accessible price point and its made in America (currency fluctuations, particularly a rise in the euro or yen, can make exports unprofitable). Bernstein’s report notes that high volume cars at a medium price point are one of the keys to profitability, and the Camry might be the textbook definition of this formula. The Camry’s twin, the Lexus ES350, was absent from the list, but no doubt earns its keep, as a gilded version of the Camry.

The long awaited 991-chassis Porsche 911 made its North American debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, packing more power, less weight and a longer wheelbase.

The base Carrera comes with a 3.4-liter flat-6 engine with 350-hp, good for 4.4 second 0-60 mph time (4.2 seconds with the Sport Chrono Package). Carrera S models get a 3.8-liter version of the same motor with 400-hp, taking 4.1 seconds to hit 60 mph (3.9 with the Sport Chrono Package and PDK gearbox).

The new 991 is 100 lbs lighter, while a 7-speed manual gearbox (the first ever on a production car) helps improve fuel efficiency. A Carrera will set you back $82,100 for a base model, with Carrera S models priced starting at $96,400.

Gallery: 2012 Porsche 911

Subaru revealed some new details about their BRZ Concept-STI today, chief among them the addition of a carbon fiber roof to lower weight and the vehicle’s center of gravity.

Along with the roof, the sports car, clad in Subaru’s iconic WR Blue Pearl paint, gets a unique front spoiler and rear wing, a rear diffuser and an 18″ wheel and tire package (215/45R18 in front , 225/45R18 in the Rear. Also in the cards are Brembo brakes, a staple of STI cars and an “STI tuned suspension”. We’ll have live reveal pictures later on, so check back for more coverage of the Los Angeles Auto Show.

GALLERY: Subaru BRZ STI Concept

Discuss this story at SubaruBRZForum.com