Autoblog

From its headquarters in Maranello, Ferrari has traditionally operated two divisions: one that makes exquisite road cars, and another that competes in motorsports. More recently, however, a third division has emerged, with the responsibility of conducting the company's ever-increasing marketing enterprise. The Global Branding Division itself seems to be following two tracks: licensing products as exclusive as the road cars and targeted towards their owners, and marketing merchandise to the Scuderia's enormous fan base.

Take for example the ever-popular Ferrari wrist watches: the company teamed up with Swiss watchmakers Panerai to offer a line of exquisite timepieces at big prices, all the while offering the common racing fan a less complicated, lower-cost wristwatch. Ferrari appears to be offering branded mobile phones along the same strategy: the company teams up with Vertu to offer exclusive four-figure devices to Ferrari owners, and with Motorola for more cost-effective (but assuredly still plenty pricey) cell phones.

The latest to fit into the strategy is this Ferrari-edition Motorola Z8, complete with red accents and Ferrari logos, and loaded with special content, including videos, ring-tones and wallpapers. For some reason it even comes loaded with "The Bourne Identity" in mobile format.

Prices haven't yet been released, but while the Vertu sells for thousands, the previous Motorola RAZR Maxx V6 Ferrari Challenge retailed for a more manageable $524. The Motorola Z8 Ferrari will be available from Ferrari Stores and select Motorola retailers. Unfortunately for anyone reading this and thinking it would make a great Christmas gift for a certain special someone, it won't be available until after the new year, so consider putting a personal voucher in with the card instead.

[Source: Kataweb via Unwired View, Motorpasion and CarScoop]

Too many trips to SEMA have left us immune to the shiny detritus that populates the pages of some of our favorite mags, but when Henrik Fisker, the man who penned the BMW Z8 and the Aston Martin DB9, gets into the wheel business, we take notice.

Beyond his newest coachbuilding projects, Fisker has released two new wheels, designed to fit within the arches of several BMW and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The ten-spoke FL10 has a bit more of a competitive aura, while the FT5 gets away with the right amount of style and substance. Both are available in gunmetal or titanium finishes, with prices starting around $1,500. But if you ask nice and are willing to exercise your Black Card, they'll customize your wheels with the paint scheme of your choosing.

You can see if you can purchase Fisker's wheels for your own whip by following this link to their website.

[Source: InsideLine]

UDPATE: Like you, we're having a hard time wading through the conjecture on what this car is exactly. We mistakenly told you below that the Z9 would be a CL-Class fighter, which is wrong – it will be an SL-fighter (damned Mercedes nomenclature!). However, the test mule still doesn't look large enough to compete with the SL-Class (maybe the SLK, which is why we still think it's a Z4).

Reports are flooding in from Munich of a never-before-seen test mule from BMW that's purported to be the Z9, the successor to the short-lived Z8 premium ragtop the automaker sold from 2000 to 2003. Now, to be fair, the mule could simply be the next generation Z4 convertible, but the photographers from KGP seem to believe the body shape is purposefully misleading and that it is, indeed, the Z9.

Such a car would go head-to-head in the marketplace with the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class, and thus likely be offered in both coupe and hardtop converitble models. BMW's choice of engine for the Z9 seems obvious, as nothing less than the corporate V10 producing 500 hp would do for such a premium vehicle. In fact, Winding Road is surmising that the Z9 will carry an even more premium price than the Z8's $128,000 base MSRP, perhaps somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000.

Despite the fact that speculators seem convinced this mule is the future Z9, we still think it looks too small for that to be the case. From the side profile it appears the vehicle is just about the right size for a slightly larger Z4 and not comparable to the size of a Mercedes-Benz CL-Class.

[Source: Winding Road]

It looks like BMW is moving forward, albeit at a leisurely pace, with plans for a successor to its discontinued Z8. According to InsideLine, engineering studies are underway for a more "mass-market" roadster, likely to be tagged the Z6, and targeted at the Mercedes-Benz SL.

Apparently, the Z6 concept has its roots in the California Spyder design study (shown above) unveiled at the Design Los Angeles exhibit at the 2005 Los Angeles Auto Show. Developed by BMW Group DesignworksUSA, the California Spyder was conceived as combining BMW driving dynamics with luxury and presence suitable for the L.A. scene. The concept included a folding carbon-fiber roof, and apparently a folding hardtop is still considered an attractive possibility, although we're guessing that a metal version is more likely than carbon-fiber.

The Spyder was envisioned as being powered by the 3-liter V10 used in BMW's last-generation Formula 1 car, but a production version is likely to draw upon BMW's current road-car engine portfolio, with the possibility of an M-series Z6 driven by the M5's 5-liter V10.

[Source: InsideLine]

Automobile Magazine lends a little credibility to last week's Autobild news that another BMW Z8 is on its way. The former claims that business plans for a Z10, which would be on par with the likes of the (too) low-volume Mercedes SLR McLaren, and a Z6, which BMW figured was too close to the new Z4, were scrapped in favor of a successor to the car that BMW dropped in 2003 (pictured).

But going back to the drawing board isn't such a bad thing. Like Autobild, Automobile says that the new Z8 will likely get BMW's 408 hp 4.4L turbo, 300 hp 3.0L turbo six cylinder, or the 500 hp 5.0L V10... but, the magazine says, it's not going to hit SL600 territory without the V-12. Sounds like fun to us, but the $100,000 to $125,000 price tag might be a little steep.

[Source: Automobile Magazine; Sfondideldesktop.com]

The skies over Germany were full of trial balloons this week, as BMW chairman Helmut Panke has been teasing the German press with possible new products. In an interview with auto motor und sport (rough English translation here), Panke alludes to several possible new BMW models:

• an M7? An M-version of BMW's 7-Series would be positioned against Mercedes' S63 AMG. Panke says market demand for an M7 is particularly strong in the U.S.
• a baby Phantom? With a fully-equipped long wheelbase 7-Series coming in at around $215,000, and the Phantom selling for about $460,000, Panke believes there could well be a potential market at a $300,000 price point. However, he doesn't think that this luxo-model should be a BMW, which suggests that a smaller Rolls might be in the cards.
• a Z8 successor? BMW didn't set the world on fire with its upmarket sports car, but Panke still sees an unserved sports car market segment waiting to be tapped by the right BMW product.

[Source: auto motor und sport]