Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Lamborghini Estoque concept

Emerging reports indicate that Lamborghini is currently in negotiations with the suits at its corporate superior Volkswagen to put the Estoque into production. The four-door Lamborghini concept was unveiled last month at the Paris show after a drawn-out parade of teasers, but with no actual engine unde-hood and little in the way of specifications revealed, most surmised that the Estoque was just a flash-in-the-pan publicity gimmick. Not so, according to the company's R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani, who confirmed to British weekly Autocar that the company is in the process of making a business case to the VW executive board. If approved, the Estoque could hit showrooms by late 2011 with a UK sticker quoted at around £150k, which lies in between the Gallardo's £135k British list price and the Murcielago's £220k.

To make financial sense, the Estoque would have to borrow heavily from the corporate parts bin, but Reggiani was quick to dismiss speculation that the Estoque would share its platform with any current or next-generation Audi. So what would provide the power, you ask? A re-tuned version of the Gallardo LP560-4's direct-injection V10, optimized for usability at the slight expense of peak output and driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox -- another first for Lamborghini. Also under consideration for the Estoque are hybrid and diesel V8 options, noting that the concept car's platform was designed to accommodate a variety of engines.

Wait a second, a diesel hybrid automatic four-door Lamborghini? What's going on in Sant'Agata since Porsche took over in Wolfsburg? Nothing all that unusual for the company that started out making tractors and even produced a HUMMER rival for a while. But with the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide on the way, the market for the four-door exotic super-coupe could be the new premium battlefield.

[Source: Autocar]

The oxymoronic term 'four door coupe' has been thrown around a lot in the past few years, beginning with the seminal Mercedes-Benz CLS. While the Mazda RX-8, with its reverse-opening rear doors, may fit the bill a bit more accurately, the genre is primarily comprised of long and low sedans with deeply plunging roof lines.

Pretty as they may be, these cars aren't the most practical choices for every day transportation, but they are proving popular enough that newcomers such as Volkswagen and now Hyundai are testing the waters with more mainstream vehicles. The Korean automaker's entry appears to be based on the Sonata mid-sizer and would likely be equipped with the same powertrain options as its less fashionable sibling. A budget model with a similar silhouette as more high priced offerings could be a winner and we hope something along these slinky lines could be on the drawing board using the Genesis sedan's underpinnings.

[Source: World Car Fans]

To the 'Ring we go, and our companions today are -- in the apt words of World Car Fans -- "beauty and the beast." That would be the Aston Martin Rapide and the Porsche Panamera. We'll let you decide which one deserves which title. Follow the link and you'll find a large gallery of both cars in basic black, un-camo'ed and racing each other around the 'Ring to help cast your vote.

In practical considerations, the Panamera looks to have the Rapide beat in all kinds of ways. For instance, it should get better gas mileage if you get the V6 or V8, and it has more trunk space with 450 liters. Aston's cars have little trunk syndrome, and the Rapide probably won't really change that. But hey, who would buy a Panamera or Rapide for practical reasons? Either way, we won't really know the state of things until the 2009 Geneva Motor Show next March when they are officially introduced.

[Source: World Car Fans]

We recently gave you details and showed you spy shots of Audi's forthcoming A7 four-door "coupe". Not much could be gleaned from the photos though, with the car looking much more like a sport camel than a sport sedan. A year ago, CAR magazine was passing out renderings of the A7 based on information it was getting from insiders. Their images were of an impossibly sleek -- and quite good looking -- stealthmobile that substituted a huge hatch for a trunk. Auto Express has new renderings of the car, and it maintains all the spirit of the CAR originals. It's still red and impossibly sleek, with a reptilian, evil eye front end treatment that says "Yeah, I'm lookin' at you..." We've been examining the wheel wells on the spy shots to see if they could really fit wheels as big as those on the rendering -- and we can't say for sure either way. If the 600-hp RS7 variant comes on feet that big, it'll be a serious looking car indeed. However, unless that rear end is hiding a hatch, you won't able to fit anything in the trunk except two-by-fours.


[Source: Auto Express via German Car Blog]

It seems most car buyers today have decided that the aesthetic advantages of the two-door coupe body style are not worth the ergonomic hassles of getting in and out of the back seat. To remedy that issue, most every automaker has or very soon will introduce a car with a coupe-like profile and extra doors to ease ingress/egress. This design trend runs the gamut from mainstream models like the VW Passat CC to near exotics like the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera. Ford apparently doesn't want to miss out on this potentially profitable trend and may create a four-door coupe based on the best selling Mondeo.

If this rendering from CAR is anything by which to judge, the Mondeo coupe will take Kinetic design to a new extreme with a low profile greenhouse, frameless windows, and rear-door openings that are almost certain to induce some concussions. As the premium Mondeo (if indeed it wears that badge), it will get all the techno goodness one would expect of such a car in the 21st century. It may also carry a variant of the 2.7L diesel V6 that Ford has previously installed in Jaguars. Interestingly, the article also mentions AdBlue, which is the urea injection system used to reduce NOx emissions of diesel engines. If Ford adds urea injection, this engine could likely pass U.S. Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions and could even come to the States someday.

[Source: CAR]

With the imminent arrival of the new coupe-shaped Volkswagen Passat at the Geneva Motor Show and the recently launched teaser site for the budget CLS competitor, it was only a matter of time before more detailed spy shots found their way onto the Web.

The artic white mule was caught undergoing testing in the chilly clime of Finland with its upmarket Mercedes rival. The front end struck us as particularly Lexus-like, aping the Japanese GS model with lights inset between the grille and the headlamps, and carrying a similar theme throughout the air dams. Whether all those elements will make it to production, or are merely camo to confound spy photogs, remains to be seen.

Unfortunately, the profile proves to be more last-gen Accord then Benz-beating chic, although judging from the awkwardly shaped rear window, we doubt that the back end will remain as staid when it graces the V-Dub show stand in March.

Click the pic above to check out several shots of the Passat "coupe" in action.

[Source: Auto Channel]