Easily one of our to picks at this year’s Geneva Auto Show is Audi’s RS5 sports coupe. Based on the already stunning A5/S5, it is powered by the same 4.2-liter V8 found in the RS4 or R8, but output has been upped to a total of 450-hp at 8250 rpm, while maximum torque of 317 ft-lbs is available from 4000 to 6000 rpm. Combined with Audi’s S-tronic dual-clutch 7-speed transmission, quattro all-wheel drive and a 3,803 lb curb weight the RS5 can accelerate to 62 mph in 4.6 seconds – which isn’t quite as exciting as we might expect for a 450-hp car.

Featured for the first time on the RS5 is Audi’s new crown-gear differential, which allows for up to 70 percent of the power to be distributed to the front wheels, or as much as 85 percent to the rear wheels. Under normal operation, the RS5 has a 40:60 rear-bias. In addition, the RS5 features an electronic limited slip differential, that slows the inside wheel in a turn when wheel spin is detected. Plus, an optional sport differential will be made available, distributing power between the rear wheels.

The RS5 sits 0.79 inches lower than the A5 and comes standard with 19-inch wheels (20s are optional). Other highlights include 14.37-inch, 8-piston front brakes, as well as optional carbon-fiber brake discs. There’s also Audi’s drive-select program to control different levels of throttle response, steering, transmission gear changes, the sport differential and even the exhaust system. As for the big rear spoiler, it pops up at speeds above 74 mph and automatically retracts at 50 mph.

Take a gander through our gallery below and leave us your envious thoughts.

GALLERY: Audi RS5

Ahead of its official debut at the Geneva Auto Show next month, a complete brochure for the Audi RS5 has leaked online showing the muscular coupe in all its bright red glory. Looking at the photos it’s clear that the RS5 will follow in the tire treads of the RS4 and RS6, delivering massive amounts of power in a low-slung, fender-bulging package.

What the leaked brochure doesn’t give us, is the important info – like what engine is under the hood and how much horsepower it makes. Some have speculated it could use the RS6’s V10, while others suggest the S4’s Supercharged V6. We have reason to believe the RS5 is more likely to be powered by the RS4’s high-revving 420-hp V8, as suggested by the single tachometer photo which shows a redline at above the 8000 rpm mark – just like on the RS4.

We have to think this RS5 could focus more on light-weight than horsepower. After all, last year Audi did release info on an A5 using an aluminum (rather than steel) frame, along with a carbon fiber hood and trunk, that weighed just 2,888 lbs.

We’ll keep you updated, with live coverage of the Geneva Auto Show starting March 2nd.

Click here for AutoGuide’s live 2010 Geneva Auto Show coverage starting Monday, March 1st.

GALLERY: Audi RS5

[Source: Ausmotive]

Back in 2007 Buick showed the stunning Riviera Concept and now it appears just such a vehicle isn’t as far fetched an idea as might previously have been though. In an interview with Automotive News, Buick and Chevy design director John Cafaro said that his role at Buick involved, “being a zealot for getting Buick more youthful, more spirited and probing ideas for coupes, more expressive vehicles.”

Again, back in 2007, the Riviera sounded nice (and looked spectacular) but Buick wasn’t really an innovator. Quite the opposite really. But with the launch of the LaCrosse and now the return of the Regal, we’re starting to see more interesting things from the conservative brand. Heck, it would appear as though the high-output Regal Show car will actually see production as the Regal GS. And the Regal isn’t the extend on Buick’s down-sizing either with a new smaller in the works, while a smaller Enclave model is also being talked about.

Cafaro didn’t say much more on the matter, so we’ll just have to keep hoping that the Riviera can be more than just a concept – perhaps even featuring the Regal GS’s 255-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder with AWD.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

According to AutoExpress, the automotive journalists equivalent to the National Enquirer, Honda is planning a CR-Z Type R model. While a host of modifications would be included, like larger brakes and a stiffer suspension, the real boost will apparently come under the hood.

Instead of the lackluster 122-hp hybrid setup, the CR-Z Type R will make 200 healthy horsepower. Surprisingly, this won’t come as the result of K20 (or better yet, a K24 swap) but due to a more powerful gasoline engine, as well as a larger electric motor. While the stock 1.5-liter 4-cylinder makes 102-hp, the new version will make 150-hp. The 20-hp electric motor will then be replaced by a more powerful 50-hp unit. The result will be a much-improved 0-60 mph time of roughly 6 seconds.

The car will even gain a fourth driving mode, known as Sport Plus, which will deliver maximum performance from the hybrid setup, while firming up the steering and throttle response.

AutoExpress claims the vehicle is being planned for next year’s Tokyo Auto Show with sales beginning in Japan in late 2011 as a 2012 model. We certainly hope this report is right, but knowing AutoExpress and the vehicles Honda has been rolling out lately, we won’t get our hopes up. Prove us wrong… please… prove us wrong.

[Source: AutoExpress]

With the Cadillac CTS having grown in size considerably since its inception, a true entry-level rear drive luxury sports sedan has been an on-again/off-again project for General Motors. Since emerging from bankruptcy, GM reconfirmed its commitment to the vehicle, likely to be called the ATS.

Now a recent report suggests an ATS concept will debut some time this year, with a possible launch at the Paris Auto Show in the Fall. A more likely debut, however, will be at the LA Auto Show in December, where a new Cadillac model will get the most media coverage.

According to Inside Line, Cadillac will not only introduce a sedan, but also a coupe, convertible and wagon model. The luxury division is currently undecided on if a retractable hard-top will be used or a weight-saving soft top.

The ATS will arrive, in concept form, before the year is out, with a production model to debut in 2011 and sales to follow shortly thereafter as a 2012 model.

[Source: InsideLine]

Possibly BMW’s worst kept secret in recent history, the German automaker has just officially announced a new high-performance version of the 3 Series Coupe, called the 335is. Using the 335’s twin-turbo inline-six, the boost has been upped, the exhaust sportified and the cooling system upgraded. The result is 320-hp and 332 ft-lbs of torque. An overboost function will also permit short bursts of 370 ft-lbs of torque.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard equipment, but BMW will offer (for the first time ever on a non-M 3 Series), it’s new 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. BMW claims a 0-60 mph time of 5.0 seconds with the dual-clutch automatic and 5.1 seconds with the manual. The convertible model will achieve the 0-60 mph sprint in 5.2 seconds regardless of transmission.

Additional changes to this new mode, which slots in art way between the 335 and M3 include a new front fascia and a rear diffuser, as well as many M Sport trim items and 18-inch wheels (19s are optional).

The bad news is the price, with the higher-performance 335 set at $50,525 and the convertible priced from a pricey $59,075. And don’t forget the cost of the 7-speed tranny on top.

The 2011 BMW 335is will be available to purchase this Spring, after it’s debut at the New York Auto Show in late March.

GALLERY: BMW 335is

Official release after the jump:

Cadillac reps won’t say as much, but General Motors Vice Chairman and product boss Bob Lutz has said that the Cadillac Converj will see production. Similar in many ways to the Cadillac CTS Coupe, the Converj gets more futuristic styling and is powered by a similar drivetrain to the Chevy Volt.

According to a report by InsideLine, however, Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell said no production plans have yet been made. “It’s a concept we’re excited about and is under consideration,” he said. “Nothing has been changed in terms of the way we’re working on that project. It’s still in the same realm. It’s not as if the status of that project has reached a different level.”

Cadillac and GM as a whole will have to think long and hard about its strategy for Voltec powered vehicles, although offering the expensive engines in premium priced Cadillac models would make absorbing the cost easier. It is possible, as Lutz seems to indicate, that the Voltec strategy is already decided upon, with the Converj just the first of two Cadillac concepts to feature a version of the Volt’s high-tech electric engine setup.

Most recently Cadillac unveiled the XTS Platinum Concept, which uses a 3.6-liter direct-injection V6 and an electric motor to make 350-hp. It’s possible that a similar powerplant could be used for a production version of the Converj.

If what Lutz is to be believed (remember he erroneously said the G8 would stick around as a Chevy) the Converj wouldn’t arrive for at least two years, with the Volt still not due out until the end of this year.

[Source: InsideLine]

Essentially a foregone conclusion at this point, MINI has confirmed that both the MINI Coupe Concept and MINI Convertible Concept will see production in the near future. Officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show last year, sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson confirmed the production plans at the Detroit Auto Show, while unveiling the company’s latest concept, the Beachcomber Concept.

Robertson had previously confirmed that the Coupe would see production, but this is the first official word that the convertible model will also be produced.

Doing away with the hatchback style, the Coupe and Roadster are aimed at expanding the MINI lineup, which will be grow early next year with a new crossover model.

There are no official word on powertrains for the models, but in concept form both vehicles boast the same engines found in the John Cooper Works models, a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder making 211hp and 192 ft-lbs of torque, with a bump to 206 ft-lbs possible thanks to an overboost function.

***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here***

After much anticipation, Cadillac has finally announced all the details of the new 2011 CTS-V Coupe. The high-powered version of the new CTS Coupe, which debuted at the LA Auto Show, is powered by the same supercharged 6.2-liter V8 found in the CTS-V sedan, with an incredible 556-hp at 6100 rpm and 551 ft-lbs of torque at 3800 rpm. That’s enough to propel the 2+2 seater to 60 mph in an incredible 3.9 seconds.

But the CTS-V Coupe is so much more than a straight line performer, following in the Michelin PS2 tire marks of the V sedan – the first production four-door to run a sub eight minute lap time at Germany’s famed Nürburgring. In fact, the V Coupe should lop off a few more seconds thanks to a rear track that is one-inch wider than the sedan. With the same wheelbase as the four-door, the V Coupe also gets a lower center of gravity thanks to an overall height that is roughly 2-inches (51mm to be precise) lower. The front and rear overhangs are even shortened, with an overall lengh that is also reduced by 51mm.

Other performance highlights include 19-inch wheels and some massive brakes with high-performance Brembo six-piston front calipers with 15-inch rotors and four-piston rear calipers with 14.7-inch rotors. And helping out in terms of delivering a performance oriented (or comfort oriented) ride are GM’s amazing Magnetic Ride Control shocks, which monitor the road every millisecond and adjust shock pressure. First used on Corvettes, this technology is now used by the likes of Ferrari. For the CTS-V Coupe, Cadillac offers the shocks with two pre-sets, Tour and Sport, so a driver can set the car for their preferred driving mode.

As for how the car looks, well, Cadillac certainly didn’t disappoint. The CTS Coupe’s sleek profile gets a very masculine V treatment including some impressive big grilles up front, as well as a massive bulge in the hood to make room for all that engine. The overall look of the car is undeniably like the CTS, however, Caddy designers only carried over the headlights, front fenders and grille from the sedan, along with the instrument panel and center console on the inside.

Now the only thing left to do is drive it, and if it’s anything like the sedan, the V Coupe will absolutely walk all over its German competition.

The new CTS-V Coupe will make it’s world debut at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show on January 11th and is set to go on sale in early Summer.

GALLERY: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Official release after the jump:

Mercedes will bring to market a C-Class Coupe to compete directly with cars like the BMW 1 Series and grab important entry-level customers. Earlier this year the luxury automaker released the E-Class Coupe and now this C-Class coupe is expected later this year as a 2011 model.

Above is the first image of the upcoming 2011 C-Class Coupe, looking slightly stubbier than the E. And with no B-pillar to speak of, it not only looks sleek, but gives an obvious hint that a C-Class convertible is also in the works.

Power will reportedly come from a direct-injection version of the company’s 3.5-liter V6, as well as a smaller displacement engine with twin-turbos. Expect that motor to make roughly 300-hp.

In addition, an AMG version could potentially follow in 2012, using AMG’s planned twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 engine.

[Source: InsideLine]