Autoblog

So the Kia VG mule that has kept spy photographers busy the last few weeks has now been given a computer animated face and body. It's a nice looking ride, though has a surprising amount in common with the Hyundai Genesis... which means we also see, well, a lot of other cars in it. But that's not a bad thing, really, because the result is a tasty little creation, especially coming from Kia. The lines are a touch more forceful than those on the Genesis, which goes along with Kia being the sporting brand, or so they say. If the final version looks even close to this rendering, and they give it performance to match... well, then Kia will have taken a giant leap forward. Thanks for the tip, miha!

[Source: Kia World]

Picture this, you're stuffing your face full of gourmet food, giving your gullet a real workout, and you look up from your plate just in time to see your Maybach speed by. That last bite sticks in your throat, refusing to budge. Whoever absconded with your über-uglified super S-Class boots your driver out the door while rounding a corner. Now would not be a good time to recall that your €530,000 car is insured for a mere €300,000. Whoops. Vikotor Markov was enjoying a meal at the De Marco café when thieves swiped his Maybach 57. While introducing Mr. Chauffeur to Mr. Chlorfoorm is itself a dicey undertaking, Markov's 'Bach is the first to be swiped in Russia. The band of thugs that ambushed the driver and made off with the car is believed to be responsible for multiple luxury car thefts, including a passel of Bentleys. Perhaps it would have been wiser to just take the Metro.

[Source: Luxist]

Click the image above to view our 47-image Brooklands gallery

If you have at least $330,000 to spend on your next new car, and you've got an eye on the new Bentley Brooklands, you'd better get your order in before they're all gone. The first 140 are already spoken for, which equates to the first year of production. Any new orders will have to wait two years before the order is filled.

Production of the 530hp ultraluxury vehicle will only hit 550 units during its three-year run, and the Brooklands will most certainly meet that quota. Bentley marketing director Stuart McCullough told BusinessWeek that the incredibly low production volume of the Brooklands is due in part to the hundreds of different options available for the mega-coupe. It should also be noted that the painstaking task of creating the car itself is time-consuming, yet another reason the overall production run will be a low number. Remember that each Brooklands begins life as one of Bentley's Azure convertibles, to which the hard roof is then hand-welded. In any case, the amazing degree to which the cars can be personalized (most Bentleys roll out of the factory with around $30,000 - $50,000 of customization...some with much, much more) will likely ensure that no two Brooklands will ever be alike. We're not experts, but we get the feeling these 550 Bentleys will probably never depreciate much, unless, of course, Eddie Griffin takes the wheel...

[Source: BusinessWeek via coolbrit.net]

The Car Connection spoke to GM vice chairman Bob Lutz at the Chicago Auto Show who told them a bigger, badder Cadillac built on the new Camaro chassis could be in the works. Lutz said the reason Camaro's expected on-sale date was delayed was so that the platform could be better integrated with future products.

While Lutz never utters the name "Sixteen" in the conversation, we just have to wonder if the ultra luxury Caddy is what GM has in mind. We reported back in December that GM had absolutely no plans for the Cadillacs of Cadillacs, but maybe, just maybe, Lutz has changed the beancounters' minds and the company will, after all, make real the Sixteen concept.

[Source: The Car Connection]

click on image to enlarge

Upon perusing our October 2006 issue of Motor Trend, we ran across the mag's review of the new 2007 Lexus LS460 and a pair of pictures caught our eye. Before us on the printed page was a bright silver LS sedan doing a burnout and... (gulp) drifting! The Japanese luxury carmaker's relentless pursuit of perfection has always been so categorically opposed to having fun while driving that the images seemed from another world altogether.

But indeed they are not. You see, the 2007 Lexus LS460 is the first LS sedan ever that allows its stability-control system to completely turned off. Once the big lady lets her guard down, the 4.6-liter V8 producing 380 hp and 367 ft-lbs. is totally and utterly at the mercy of your right foot, which makes burn outs and drifting possible for the first time in a Lexus LS sedan. In fact, we'd venture to guess that Angus Mackenzie and company over at Motor Trend are the first to perform this feat in a Lexus LS sedan, if not the first to record it on film, though they certainly won't be the last. And to think, the even more powerful hybrid LS600h is still yet to arrive.

Special thanks to Motor Trend for furnishing us with these pics, and to photographer Mark Bramley for capturing the moment.

[Source: Motor Trend - Oct. 2006, subscribe here]

Before Hyundai brings its first V8 RWD luxury vehicle to market next year we hope the name changes. Equus? Why would you name a car after a genus of the family Equidae that comprises horses, asses and zebras? Regardless, The Car Connection reports the car's interior will live up to luxury car standards with the requisite wood trim and leather seating surfaces.

It's hard to tell what the Equus will look like with this prototype's extra outer layers of camo, but Hyundai's standard fare that includes six airbags, ABS, stability control and a low- to mid-$30,000 price tag could make any V8 RWD luxury car look good.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Toyota’s luxury division Lexus has announced that the all-new 2007 ES350 will arrive in showrooms with a base price of $33,170. A few Lexus shoppers probably already know this as the car went on sale April 21st. Having been excused from any sporting pretentions by the brand’s IS sedans, the ES350 arrives softer and quieter than ever. Its 272-hp 3.5L V6 can move the sedan to 60 in 6.8 seconds, but the ES350’s targeted demographic has already reached 60 if you know what we mean.

[Source: Toyota]