Saab Releases First Video of New 9-5 SportCombi

If you're tired of looking at the same batch of pictures of the Geneva motor show-bound 2012 9-5 SportCombi, you'll be happy to know that Saab has published the first video of its flagship station wagon model, and furthermore, the car seen here is finished in a shiny black hue.

As a quick reminder, the SportCombi will be backed by the same all-turbo gasoline, bioethanol and diesel powertrain line-up as the 9-5 sedan, and will also offer the option of the firm's XWD all-wheel-drive system. First customer deliveries of the 9-5 SportCombi are expected in September.

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Bertone’s Baby Jaguar Sports Sedan: Not My Cup of Tea

In all honestly, I really struggle to see how the Bertone B99 fits into Jaguar’s past and current design lineage and line-up. The new generation of Jags – the XF and the XJ – are sleek, risqué and look like nothing else on the market. On the other hand, the B99 could just as easily be badged as a Lincoln, a Rolls-Royce or a Maserati. If you squint at the pictures you’ll see my point. It’s anonymously styled, as if Bertone used a book called, “Luxury Concept Cars 101” as a template. And that grille! It just screams, “Dodge Caliber!”

And apart from the taillights and the A-pillar, can you really see any of Jaguar’s past in the B99? I know I can’t. And isn’t the mere thought a compact Jaguar as bad as Aston Martin rebadging the Toyota iQ as the Cygnet or Porsche selling a SUV?

It devalues the brand, and in the luxury market that’s the worse crime a carmaker can make. Sure, it means more sales, but I’ve never been a fan of the, “profit uber alles!” the eighties left us with.

For me personally, Jaguars have always been either V8/V12-engined coupes and big sedans. The E-Type, the Mk II...even the much derided XJS and XJ6. As if it wasn’t bad enough that BMW’s sells a naturally aspirated (or naturally asthmatic) 4cyl 3-Series, now there’s this on the horizon all in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. To think we’ve gone from, “A Modern Day Successor to the E-Type” to yet another attempt for a “BMW 3-Series competitor” just breaks my heart.

By Tristan Hankins

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Geneva Preshow: AC Schnitzer Turns the BMW 550i into the 540HP ACS5 Sport S Saloon

AC Schnitzer has prepared two production ready concept cars for this year's edition of the Geneva motor show. We've already told you about the first car, the diesel-powered 99d that is based on the BMW Z4 roadster, so here's the tuning firm's second proposal. The ACS5 Sport S Saloon is based on the latest BMW 550i sedan and is said to feature numerous performance and styling upgrades, though AC Schnitzer is keeping mum about most of the details.

According to the tuning house, the 550i's twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine with 407HP and 600Nm has been modified to deliver 540HP and 750Nm, which helps the sedan model to complete the 0 to 100km/h (62 mph) sprint in 4.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). AC Schnitzer said that despite the power bump, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of the ACS5 Sport S are equivalent to the standard BMW 550i.

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Spyker to Sell its Sportscar Business in Order to Focus on SAAB

Spyker Cars N.V., the Dutch owner of Saab, announced today that is has started negotiations to sell its sports car brand in order to focus on the development of premium car maker Saab, which it acquired one year ago from General Motors.

The Dutch company said it will sell the assets of its Spyker sportscar business to the UK-based CPP Global Holdings Limited, owned by Russian millionaire Vladimir Antonov. The terms of the deal include an initial purchase price of EUR15 million, plus a further EUR17 million to be paid from future earnings over a six-year period. The money will be used by Spyker Cars N.V. to reduce its debt.

Once the deal is completed, the Dutch company will be renamed so it would not be confused with the Spyker brand. CPP Global Holdings Ltd. will become the owner of virtually all assets related to the Spyker business, including trademarks, intellectual property rights and, of course, the model range.

“Without Spyker we would not have been able to acquire Saab Automobile last year but the Spyker Business soon became a small fish in a large pond as a result. In terms of the overall results of Spyker Cars N.V., the Spyker Business had become immaterial, but to develop its business going forward, its cash needs are relatively significant,” said Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars N.V. and Chaiman of Saab Automobile AB.

"The management of the company has very exciting plans for Spyker and the brand is entering a period of major developments," CPP's managing director Brendan O'Toole added.

CPP Global Holdings has been producing chassis and body panels for Spyker since 2000 and the C8 Aileron model since 2009. The company's controversial owner, Vladimir Antonov, used to own 29.9 percent of Spyker through his Snoras bank, but had his share bought out by Victor Muller's Tenaci Capital before the acquisition of Saab.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Lambo Bull [Insert 'S' Word Here] Continues with Full Release of Photos

The farce of the "leaked" Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 photos continues to play on. Following the appearance of a scanned image from the Croatian edition of Evo Magazine on Wednesday, earlier today Jalopnik released a single photo only to be snarked back by Autoblog that posted a higher resolution version claiming that it knew where the photo came from but was sworn to obsessively cover the auto industry secrecy until Monday.

In the third -but certainly not final- act of the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 play, Jalopnik has published two more pictures, luckily for our browsers, on its Facebook page. You can check the trio of photos by clicking this link that will forward you directly to the Facebook gallery.

By John Halas

Foxy Mustang vs. Tree: Tree 1, Mustang Nil [with Video]

What enterprising youth hasn’t hooned around an empty car park in a car? I think it’s safe to say that most motoring enthusiasts would have at one stage in their lives, before they had the bravado to exercise their “skillz” [sic] on the track (or, in some cases, a nasty accident that makes them take pause). Well, think of this video as the interim stage between, “Parking Lot Racer” and “Certified Track Demon”.

So we have this guy (it would have to be, yeah?) in a post-1987 Mustang. He’s participating in some sort of coned off track racing shenanigans. It’s all fun and games power sliding through the cones until the 1:05 minute mark. Then...BAM! On the plus side, the car hit on the passenger side, which appears from the video to be unoccupied.

One thing’s for certain; it’ll be a long time before this driver takes another Fox body Mustang around that tree-lined car park. Check out the video below and leave your piece in the comments section.

By Tristan Hankins

Via: Autoholics

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Opel Reveals Sleek Zafira Tourer Concept Prior to Geneva Motor Show Debut

After we got a first glimpse of the Zafira study by means of an iPad hologram, Opel released the full details of the concept which previews the next-generation Zafira MPV. Described by Opel as a “lounge on wheels”, the design study uses the same style language as seen on the Insignia and Astra models.

The front is the most eye-catching part of the Zafira's sleek bodywork, with the headlights, LED running lights and the fog lights being united in a boomerang-shaped structure, inspired by the Ampera EV's fascia. Unlike the Meriva, the Zafira sports conventional doors and has a dynamic look due to the ascendent midline and the 20-inch rims.

The rear end is also sporty, dominated by the high-sitting taillights and the two large exhaust pipes integrated into the rear apron.

“We have transferred the idea of a relaxing lounge to a vehicle and created an automobile wellness oasis, a place to relax and enjoy. Passengers can retreat in the lounge. It is a comfortable, roomy space where you really want to be – regardless if it’s for a business trip or to relax for a long journey,” says Mark Adams, Vice President of Design at Opel.

One of the Zafira's main features is the panorama windshield, which is continued by a glass roof covering the entire length of the roof offering an airy interior. Inside, there's room for seven passengers with the concept building on Opel's Flex7 seating concept pioneered by the first Zafira. There are many available configurations, including a lounge mode that offers four spacious business-class seats.

The Zafira Tourer Concept is powered by a new version of the Opel's 1.4-liter gasoline turbo engine featuring Start/Stop technology.

We'll have more on Opel's new concept model from the Geneva motor show floors next week.

By Dan Mihalascu

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