Autoblog

BMW's future flagship 7-Series sedan has been spotted in Melbourne, Australia on its way back from a photo shoot. Not due until 2009, this all-new platform will carry BMW's internal designation F01/F02 (the F02 is the long-wheelbase model). It is expected to go into production later this year with cars rolling into showrooms shortly thereafter.

We've seen other spy shots of the 7-Series, however these latest shots are indicative of a vehicle in near-finished form. The exterior and interior appear complete, as well. While we still aren't seeing clear shots of the exterior, it has been widely rumored that the new 7-Series will be a departure from the current Bangle-designed sedan, with styling reported to look much like the BMW CS Concept. BMW may show us its new 7-Series as early as September at the Paris Auto Show. Of course, Autoblog will be there. Thanks for the tip Mike S!

[Source: Carpoint]

Before unveiling the simply fantastic new GT-R in Los Angeles, Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn did not appear to be a big fan of high-end halo cars. Renault's line-up is limited primarily to compact hatchbacks and sedans, while the Infiniti Q45 was discontinued two years ago without a replacement. But with the GT-R now exceeding expectations, and Renault looking at new flagship models, a new Q flagship is back on the table.

Although Infiniti was until now just for the North American market, like its rivals Lexus and Acura, the brand is being expanded into other emerging luxury markets like China, Korea and Russia. Infiniti dealers from those four markets recently met with Ghosn at Nissan's R&D center in Atsugi, Japan, where they were shown preliminary alternatives for a new Q.

Trouble is, the various dealers from different markets all wanted different things. According to reports, Ghosn isn't convinced a new flagship luxury sedan for Infiniti is the way to go, but he's giving his managers the opportunity to convince him otherwise. If they can present a compelling business case, a new Q could be around the corner.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

With the Alfa Junior hatch gearing up for production, the 8C Competizione being delivered to customers and the 159, Brera and Spider gorgeous-ing up roads around the world, the next item on Alfa Romeo's plate is the 169, its upcoming flagship sedan.

Although the 169, spy shots of which we brought you back in February '07, could be based on a modified Maserati platform or potentially on one borrowed from Jaguar, it's slated to return to rear-wheel-drive either way, which puts it in a better position to take on Europe's very best sports sedans.

The image above, of course, is just a rendering, but draws on existing and anticipated brand styling cues. We hope the actual production version will be more sexy and, well, more Italian than this illustration, and we also hope it'll make it across the pond with its stablemates.

[Source: The Hollywood Extra]

Porsche and Ferrari fight like cats and dogs. Legend has it that a major motivation in the development of the F40 was Porsche's release of the 959. Fast forward 20 years when Ferrari rolled out the F430 GT to usurp the 911's dominance of sportscar racing. In an increasingly commercialized market, the fight has been taken to the merchandizing arena, where Ferrari's branding efforts are rivaled only by those of Porsche Design.

In the latest battle of this merchanizing war between the two supercar-makers, Porsche Design has opened its newest flagship store, which isn't in Stuttgart where Porsche is headquartered, nor is it in Austria where the design house is based; the new store takes up 145 square meters of real estate on the second floor of Hall B at the sprawling Frankfurt International Airport, a major hub for international air travel and the airbase for Lufthansa, Europe's second-largest airline.

We've reported previously on all manner of Porsche Design products – including kitchen cabinets, wristwatches, Adidas sneakers, power tools, mobile phones and downhill sleds – and most are available at the new store, which, along with retail outlets at airports in Munich, Vienna, London, Moscow, Dubai and Hong Kong (soon to be joined by additional locations in the Copenhagen, Zurich and Manchester terminals) caters to the burgeoning airport shopping market.

[Source: Luxurylaunches.com]

Dave Guilford of Automotive News sat down with Carlos Tavares, Nissan MoCo's global product chief, and the fruits of his investigative labors revealed that Infiniti has big plans over the next three years. A product push that involves a number of new models and expansion of the Infiniti brand into 90-percent of the luxury markets globally are the cornerstone of the marque, with sales likely to begin in South Korea and Russia, along with Europe in the latter half of next year.

Product-wise, Infiniti intends to bring approximately 10 new vehicles to market by the end of the decade, and although Tavares was mum on specifics, he did state that more crossovers, a "sports-oriented" car and a flagship are all part of the future lineup.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

The rumor that the Cadillac DTS and STS will be nixed has officially been confirmed in an interview with the brand's general manager, Jim Taylor. Sales of both models are down for the year, and Taylor admits that one premium-luxury sedan will be developed to compete in the segment.

In the Automotive News interview, Taylor and his superior, Troy Clarke, GM's president of North America, also confirmed that a new entry-level model, designed to slot in below the CTS, is a distinct possibility. Both execs feel that Cadillac's brand image could sustain such a vehicle, likely to be priced in the $28,00 to $32,000 range.

No time frame was given for either new model, but Mr. Taylor also mentioned that a high-end, ultra-luxury flagship is still alive and well.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

2007 model shown

The Nissan Maxima is back for 2008, and prices for the premium midsize sedan have jumped ever so slightly to $28,130 for the SE and $30,380 for up-model SL. Nissan for some reason felt the need to bump the price by $80 for both models. New for 2008 is a Platinum Edition Package that includes bi-xenon headlights, hands-free Bluetooth, and memory for the seats, steering wheel, and side mirrors. The new package will provide savings of $1,350 vs. buying the options separately. The Xtronic CVT is back once again and will control Nissan's excellent 3.5L VQ engine, and the exterior is unchanged from last year's refresh. No word on whether Nissan intends to continue the strange tradition of having the sporty 18" rims on the SE and the smaller, less attractive 17s on the more expensive SL.

[Source: Nissan]

Jim Dunne has dunne it again... one of the world's most famous (and most irritating, if you're an OEM engineer) spy photographers has caught the 2009 Lincoln MKS as it ran out for a little test jaunt around Dearborn.

While Dunne admits that the presence of an early-prototype MKS is no big whoop after Ford just showed off the concept version last January at Detroit's North American International Auto Show, it's nice to know that with all the shuffling going on at Ford they're still on track with product development.

The MKS will be a Lincoln flagship, boasting a V6 engine mated to a six-speed transmission putting power to the ground via the front wheels. No official word on when the car will launch, but Popular Mechanics says we should expect to see it launch in 2008 as a 2009 model.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

Company officials swear it's not in the cards, but industry sources are suggesting that Aston Martin's new ownership is mulling over the possibility of building a mid-engined supercar to top the range.

When the announcement was made that Aston was going independent, CEO Ulrich Bez showed a product line-up that featured the codename NPX at the top, positioned above the $400,000 Rapide four-door coupe, which the automaker, infused with new capital and bolstered by growing sales, approved for production.

Currently the entire Aston line-up is based on the same front-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform, and according to the company's five-year plan, that's not set to change. Not yet, at least, but that's not to say it couldn't change after 2010 when the plan expires and the automaker will have to set a new direction.

This isn't the first time Aston was reported to have been considering a mid-engined model, as the entry-level V8 Vantage was originally planned as a mid-engined model to face off against the Ferrari 360 Modena. If the NPX gets the green light, however, the sites will be set considerably higher on the Enzo's successor.

Related posts:

• The DBX: Aston Martin's forthcoming supercar
• Aston Martin developing a DBX?

[Source: AutoWeek]

Lutz unveiles the Cadillac Sixteen concept at NAIAS 2003 in Detroit

It's official. It's been confirmed: Cadillac is preparing a new V12 flagship. That's straight from the mouth of our favorite man in the business, Bob Lutz. On a recent trip across the pond, GM's venerated product guru confirmed in an interview to the British car magazine AutoWeek that they are indeed working on a twelve-cylinder engine, slated to power a new range-topping, import-beating "Cadillac of Cadillacs," a super-luxury-sedan to rival the likes of the Mercedes S-Class and Lexus LS in the grandest of American style.

The new powerplant is being fabricated from two of GM's 3.6-liter 60-degree V6 engines mounted on a common crankshaft. Far from relying solely on cylinder count, sources speculate the engine will also benefit from such features as direct injection and cylinder deactivation, resulting in a 7.2-liter V12 with somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 horsepower and 540 lb-ft of torque.

And just where is GM testing such a behemoth of an engine? In Australia, of course! As has become de rigeur for American automakers of late, GM is relying on its Australian subsidiary to run the development work on the new flagship engine. Holden is reported to have already begun testing mules, based on a Commodore with a stretched-out engine bay, at its Lang Lang test center near Melbourne. Although the Zeta-based Commodore, (a.k.a. the upcoming Pontiac G8) is being used strictly as a test bed for the time being, it could end up providing the underpinnings for the Cadillac megasedan when the time comes.

Lutz has been pushing for a top-tier Cadillac for years now, and the impetus for its development has apparently come from the feedback received by the Cadillac Sixteen showcar debuted back in 2003. Although the showcase V16 engine was ruled out, apparently the V12 has gotten the green light for development. Shoot for the stars and land on the moon, eh Bob?

Related posts:

• Not so sweet Sixteen: GM says definitely no $100k+ sedan
• Cadillac shores up Ultra Luxury Sedan
• Lutz: Camaro could spawn big Caddy
• $100k+ Caddy a go, again?
  

[Source: Automotive News - subscription required]