BMW making HD Radio standard across the range in 2010

If you’ve got your heart set on picking up a 2011 BMW of any flavor, we’ve got good news for you. The company has announced that it’s making HD Radio standard on all of its products, from the lowly 128i to the big 760Li. BMW says that production of HD Radio-equipped models began this month, and that they’ll start showing up on dealer lots by June.

Aside from better sound quality, vehicles equipped with HD Radio can also access a number of additional sub channels on each band. HD2 and HD3 stations offer alternate programming, and are otherwise unavailable on standard FM-equipped vehicles. According to BMW, there are around 2,000 stations across the United States broadcasting digitally.

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R.I.P.: General Motors Announces the Death of SAAB

Just moments ago, General Motors announced that it will be closing down its money-losing SAAB unit after concluding that the sale of the Swedish brand to tiny Dutch supercar maker, Spyker Cars, could not be completed in the time frame that had been set.

“Despite the best efforts of all involved, it has become very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be executed in a reasonable time. In order to maintain operations, Saab needed a quick resolution. We regret that we were not able to complete this transaction with Spyker Cars,” said GM Europe President Nick Reilly.

General Motors had turned to Spyker Cars after a failed effort to sell the Swedish brand to a consortium led by the Koenigsegg Group AB.

The Detroit automaker said that Saab will continue to honor warranties, while providing service and spare parts to current owners around the world.

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2010 SAAB 9-5 Sedan: New High-Res Photo Album

In view of the fact that the floodgates surrounding the all-new 2010 Saab 9-5 Sedan fully collapsed last week, the automaker decided to give permission to magazines such as the Swedish edition of AMS to publish high-resolution photos of their Mercedes-Benz E-Class challenger. However, for reasons that we fail to understand, the Swedes have yet to release anything official on their behalf. Until they do, hit the break to check out the updated image gallery that comprises of 20 new high-res photos.

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Frankfurt Welcomes All-New 2010 Saab 9-5 Sedan: Live Shots Plus Updated High-Res Gallery with 60 Pics

The undisputable star of Saab’s Frankfurt Motor Show stand is the all-new 9-5 Sedan that will go on sale worldwide in the beginning of next year. While Saab’s proposal in the BMW 5-Series and Audi A6 premium segment shares GM’s Epsilon 2 platform with the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia and Buick LaCrosse, the 9-5 features a longer wheelbase and has its own unique exterior and a interior styling that’s influenced by the Aero X concept car as well as by the classic 900.

The new 9-5 Sedan, which will be followed by a load-loving Estate version within the year or so, will be available at launch with a choice of two turbocharged petrol engines, a 2.0-liter unit with 220HP and a range-topping 300HP 2.8-liter V6 that’s offered exclusively with Saab’s XWD four-wheel drive system, and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel that makes 160HP.

Shortly after the market launch, Saab plans to enhance the 9-5 engine range with a small displacement, 1.6-liter gasoline turbo generating 180 horsepower, together with a 2.0-liter BioPower E85-capable engine. All transmissions will be six-speed

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BREAKING NEWS: Koenigsegg Terminates Agreement to Buy SAAB from General Motors

General Motors has just announced that the proposed sale of its Saab unit to a consortium led by Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg has been canceled. And this time, it’s not because the Detroit automaker wanted to keep Saab as was the case with Opel, but because Koenigsegg backed out of the purchasing of the Swedish brand in the same way that Penske did with Saturn.

“We’re obviously very disappointed with the decision to pull out of the Saab purchase,” said GM President and CEO, Fritz Henderson.

“Many have worked tirelessly over the past several months to create a sustainable plan for the future of Saab by selling the brand and its manufacturing interests to Koenigsegg Group AB. Given the sudden change in direction, we will take the next several days to assess the situation and will advise on the next steps next week,” Henderson added.

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China's BAIC Buys Equipment for Old 9-5 from SAAB, According to Swedish Newspaper

Citing unnamed sources, Sweden’s Ny Teknik newspaper reported today on its website that Saab has sold the production tools for its outgoing 9-5 model to China’s Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp. (BAIC). Saab refused to confirm or deny the report. “I cannot comment on it”, Saab’s spokesperson Gunilla Gustavs told the newspaper. The report, however, claims that the sale is a done deal.

BAIC had joined forces with Koenigsegg Group AB to acquire Saab from GM. After Koenigsegg pulled out of the talks, it was reported that BAIC may either go solo and make an offer for Saab on its own, or, more likely, make a bid for the Swedish firm’s assets.

Earlier this week, General Motors stated that it would accept new offers for its Saab division until the end of December, but if it did not manage to strike a deal, it would consider the option of winding down the Swedish brand.

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Bookies Bet on who will Own Saab! Chinese Consortium the Hot Favorite

Brits love to bet on anything and everything – even on Saab’s future owner. Ladbrokes, the world’s largest gamble company that is based in London but operates in more than 200 countries from Asia to Europe, has opened up a special betting on will buy Saab from General Motors. The bookmakers have selected a Chinese consortium as the hot favorite to be the next owner of Saab at 6/4. Other contenders included by the bookmakers are a Swedish consortium, a German consortium, Fiat and Volvo while the bets on Renault and a U.S. consortium are closed.

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Cadillac, Hummer and Saab Chief Mark McNabb Resigns from General Motors

After being at the helm of GM’s premium Cadillac, Hummer and Saab brands for just over a year during which time the automaker took the decision to sell two of the three brands, Mark McNabb decided to jump ship resign from his position. The 48-year-old Vice President will be replaced on June 1st on a temporary basis by Stephen J. Hill, general sales manager of the autmoaker’s premium channel since 2008. “He elected to pursue other career opportunities,” said Cadillac spokesman Klaus-Peter Martin. “A big part had to do with he wanted to be closer to his family in New Jersey,” he added.

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2010 Saab 9-5? Opel Insignia Test Mule Spied with Saab Interior

The next-generation Saab 9-5 sports sedan has been an on-off project for quite a while now and even though the vehicle is supposed to be in showrooms by 2009, we have yet to see any decent prototype models on the road. Instead, for the past few years Saab’s engineers have been fiddling around with Opel Vectra and now, Opel Insignia test mules. These latest scoop pictures were shot by a reader of Sweden’s Auto Motor & Sport magazine who stumbled upon a camouflaged Opel Insignia in a ferry boat from Denmark. A closer look inside revealed that the test mule was equipped with a Saab-styled dashboard

Despite the fact that there’s a lot of reflection from the driver’s window and even though the steering wheel is from the Insignia (see picture below), it’s rather clear that the dashboard features all the typical Saab design elements such as the three-piece instrument panel and the green illumination on all the controls.

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Saab 9-3 Convertible Yellow Edition

We’re still scratching our head with Saab’s official picture of the new 9-3 Convertible Yellow Edition adorned with sunflowers somewhere in the Alps but whatev. Fact is that Saab has released a yellow version of its 2008 9-3 Convertible for the US market. The Swedes believe that, like the first-ever yellow version of the Convertible issued in 1991, this one too will obtain a collectors status in the near future as production will be limited to a few hundred units.

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Saab's New 9-3X Crossover Officially Revealed – High Res Image Gallery

These are the first official photos of the new Saab 9-3X, a ‘crossoverish’ station wagon in the style of the Audi A6 Allroad and Volvo XC70 that will make its debut at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show. Based on the station wagon variant of the 9-3 that Saab calls Sport Wagon, the ‘X’ model will be available with either a 210HP 2.0 liter turbocharged petrol engine combined with the firm’s XWD four-wheel-drive system or a 180HP 1.9-liter TTiD diesel engine with front-wheel drive.

In terms of performance, the 2.0 Turbo XWD which is available with both a six speed manual and automatic transmission can accelerate from 0–60 mph (96 km/h) in 8.2 seconds (Auto: 9.1 sec) and reach a top speed of 143mph – 230 km/h (Auto: 137mph). The front-wheel-drive only diesel variant performs the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 8.3 sec (Auto: 8.8 sec) and has a top speed of 137mph – 220 km/h (Auto: 134mph).

As is the case with other vehicles of this sort, compared to the standard 9-3, the ride height has been raised by 35mm on the 2.0 Turbo XWD model and 20mm on the FWD diesel version. But that’s about all that’s mechanically different between the 9-3X and its Sport Wagon sibling, as there’s no special tires or toughened suspension here.

While it’s as much of an off-road model as the standard 9-3 Sport Wagon, Saab’s designers have tried their best to make the 9-3X look the part. Protective cladding aside, the 9-3X gets new dark grey bumpers, skid panels with a matt aluminum finish, 5-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, aluminum-colored lower door strips and roof rails with the same finish

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Saab’s Jörgen Nylén Reveals Details on Future Products

During a recent GM presentation in Marseille, France, our Spanish pals over at Motorpasion had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Saab’s Vehicle Line Director, Jörgen Nylén. The later not only confirmed that Saab’s Geneva Motor Show concept will indeed be a premium hatch but he also added that it will be equipped with BioPower engine capable of running either on E85 or gasoline. Nylen also revealed that the next generation Saab 9-5 and the production version of the 9-4X compact SUV will both be introduced in the European market

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Saab Aero-X Concept On The Rocks

GM’s Swedish premium car brand, Saab, has created a real-life sized replica of the Aero-X Coupe Concept made entirely from ice. The icy concept is housed within the unique ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden that is located approx 200 km or 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

The icy Aero-X was wesigned and created by Simon Padian, chief designer for Saab and Tjåsa Gusfors – a leading designer at the ICEHOTEL, specializing in ice and snow sculpture. The car is located in a special room called “Move Your Mind” and it will allow the public to experience Saab – the brand, its spirit, tonality and core values through innovative design installations made wholly from ice.

Simon Padian: ”The Move Your Mind room is designed to be a journey, a flow, a pulse which aims to disrupt and challenge the visitors perceptions of what is normal or expected. The installation is designed to create an audiovisual experience that defies the visitor’s senses. We hope that the public will find it thought-provoking and leave feeling more engaged with the Saab brand.”

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Saab Turbo X Making Its N. American Debut In Boston

The Boston International Auto Show, which opens to the press just after Thanksgiving on Nov. 27, is having the North American debut of the special edition Saab Turbo X (see details & images here), making Bostonians among the first here to get a look at it.

Inspired from the first black 900 Turbo (BTW, Saab will also showcase a recently acquired classic 1985 900 Turbo SPG in Boston), the all-wheel drive Turbo X is equipped with a 280 Hp 2.8L V6 Turbo engine. In addition to tuning of the suspension and its electronic chassis, throttle and powertrain settings, the Turbo X also features distinctive styling additions

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Renault Zoe Z.E.: Funky All Electric Supermini Bows in Frankfurt

Proving that electric cars can be fun, at least in theory, Renault took the wraps off its second all-electric showcar in Frankfurt after the Fluence Z.E, the Zoe Z.E. which is a compact-sized, four seater supermini with scissor doors at the front and butterfly doors at the rear. The funky looking French concept is motivated by a 70kW / 93 horsepower electric motor with the lithium-ion batteries promising to offer a driving range of around 100 miles or 160 kilometers.

The Zoe Z.E. also gets massive 21-inch alloy wheels and a retractable rear spoiler for greater aerodynamic efficiency while the photovoltaic cells on the rooftop recover solar energy to power the climate control system that has been co-developed with L’Oréa and features ‘hydrating’, ‘detox’ and ‘active scent’ spray functions -all for the sake of beauty…

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NY Show: Five-Axis Beefs Up 2011 Scion tC Coupe

For those that found the second-generation Scion tC far too timid-looking, Toyota’s tuning partner Five-Axis prepared a special version of the car to demonstrate the many ways in which the all-new coupe can be customized with internal and aftermarket accessories.

The Five Axis Scion tC show car features a four-inch wide-body conversion and a unique House of Color custom formulated exterior paint appropriately named, Bloodshot.

The coupe rides on beefy 20-inch AD R5:F alloy wheels shod in Yokahama Advan Sport tires size 245/30 up front and 295/25 at the rear. Performance upgrades include a TRD custom Big Brake kit and a Tein adjustable coil-over suspension.

Five Axis also enhanced the 2011 tC’s interior with unique trim and color appointments and materials including custom leather-trimmed seats with Ultrasuede EcoDesign inserts.

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(Un)Delete Option: Bentley Continental Supersports options list to include rear seat

We’ve come to expect the ultimate in customization from Bentley. If you’ve got the scratch, the company will be more than happy to custom tailor its products to fit your tastes – right down to the color of your car’s seat belts. It should come as no surprise, then, that the company is now allowing potential ContinentalSupersports Coupe buyers to order their cars with a back seat.

One of the coolest parts of the 612-horsepower coupe is the fact that, for its part, Bentley tried to trim the car’s fat. Weight got ditched wherever possible, including the cabin. Those hefty, infinitely adjustable, heated, cooled and massaging front buckets were swapped for lightweight carbon fiber-backed units, and the two rear seats were scrapped all together. In their place? A sexy piece of carbon-fiber bracing. We like.

But evidently, Bentley buyers would prefer their two-door to have more seats. To help boost Continental Supersports Coupe sales, the company has decided to offer the back thrones as a stand alone option. Checking the box will put the standard front seats in, ditch the rear bracing and re-install the rears. There’s no word on exactly how many pounds that will add to the car’s waist line, but it can’t do the coupe any favors. Boo to this.

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Rumormill: Audi RS5 headed for the States?

It’s been a little while since anything with an RS badge came our way from Ingolstadt, but it if you believe the whispers floating around the Web these days, there may be hope for a U.S.-spec Audi RS5 just yet.Automobile is reporting that the company is seriously mulling bringing the S5’s meaner brother to our neck of the woods.

The Kingdom of Quattro pulled the sheets off of the sinister coupe at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and our jaws have been on the floor ever since. Under the hood sits a tweaked 4.2-liter V8 with 450 horsepower at the crank. The mill is bolted to none other than the Audi Quattro all-wheel drive system, complete with a new torque-vectoring rear diff.

Automobile hasn’t gone so far as to name a source for the rumors, which leads us to take this one with a Q7-sized grain of salt. Still, if it were true, we may have our sticky paws on an RS5 by summer 2012, right around the same time the refreshed A5 is scheduled to hit the U.S. Keep your fingers crossed and your hopes down.

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Chrysler 300C by STARTECH Luxury Cars Concep

The 300C’s appearance is completed by the sport springs and rear shocks that lower the ride height by some 40 millimeters along with custom-tailored STARTECH Monostar IV wheels in diameters of 20 or 22 inches. The largest tire/wheel combination features the fully polished five-spoke wheels with tires in size 265/30 ZR 22. Making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the STARTECH tuned Chrysler 300C Sedan and Wagon versions feature a full bodykit consisting of a front spoiler, custom-tailored mounting elements with daylight running light on the front bumper, rear spoiler, matrix chrome grille and rocker panels with four integrated LED entry lights. The sedan version also gets a roof spoiler.

Inside, the German tuner offers buyers a series of accessories including scuff plates with illuminated STARTECH logo, a high-quality completion set for the wood trim, leather door trim and armrests, a sport-steering-wheel, aluminum shifter and pedal, as well as chrome-plated aluminum door-lock pins.

For the 300C 3.0 CRD STARTECH offers the SD6 tuning kit that bumps power output of the 3.0-liter V6 common-rail turbodiesel engine from standard 218 hp to 262 hp and torque from 510 Nm to 580 Nm (376 to 428 lb-ft). The sprint from rest to 100 km/h (62 mph) is shortened from 7.6 (wagon: 7.9) seconds to 7.2 (Touring: 7.5) seconds. Top speed grows to 238 (wagon: 232) km/h (149 and 145 mph respectively).

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Suzuki Kizashi 3 Concept Luxury Cars

Also on stand in New York will be the other two concepts of the series, the Kizashi 1, which made its debut at the 2007 International Motor Show in Frankfurt, and the Kizashi 2, unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show last October.The Japanese carmaker confirmed earlier reports today about the unveiling of a third iteration of the Kizashi Concept series at the upcoming New York International Show later this month. According to Suzuki, the Kizashi 3 not only represents the completion of the concept series but most importantly, it will provide us with a closer-to-production vision of a future sport sedan offering from the Japanese carmaker.

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2010 Nissan Qashqai Luxury Cars

2010 Nissan Qashqai Compact Crossover

The Nissan Qashqai is an auto that’s better gazed upon than mentioned. It has a difficult and queer-sounding name that’s pronounced as Cash Kai but it does not mean you need plenty of cash to get it. Guess what, this car was tested and is the recipient of the highest ever EuroNCAP crash rating making it a small but one of the safest cars in Europe if not the world. Nissan has given its European market compact crossover, the Qashqai, a mid-life makeover for 2010 to prolong its appeal to consumers. Most of the cosmetic changes concern the front end as hood, bumper, fenders, grille and headlights have all been revised giving the Qashai a much more aggressive look.

Excellent safety features aside, the Nissan Qashqai is good-looking and can match the looks of the mini. It may be small but it looks bulky with a distinctive front thanks to the large front lights. It has 16-inch alloy wheels but you can opt for the 17-inch wheels at an additional cost of £700 but if you’re opting for the higher-end Tekna trim then the 17-inch wheels come as a standard feature.

2010 Nissan Qashqai Compact Crossover

In the 2010 model, there are also two new exterior colors, revised tail lights with LED technology, and newly designed 17-inch alloy wheels. These styling changes together with a series of other improvements are said to have reduced the Qashqai’s drag coefficient from 0.34 to 0.33.

The Nissan’s interior is logically laid out – if a little plain – and the build quality is top-notch, with soft-touch plastics and well damped switchgear. There is plenty of storage, too, with a large glovebox and decent door pockets. While the smaller petrol unit is expected to account for the majority of sales, it’s the larger diesel which is our pick of the line-up. The Renault-sourced unit is punchy, responsive and superbly refined. Its 320Nm of torque peaks at only 2,000rpm, but it doesn’t run out of breath further up the rev range.

The car will be offered with three engines when launched in February. There are two petrol units – an 113bhp 1.6-litre and 138bhp 2.0-litre – and one diesel, the 105bhp 1.5 dCi. The 148bhp 2.0 oil-burner will arrive in June.

2010 Nissan Qashqai Compact Crossover

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