New Audi A1 to get Colored Roof Arches [with Video]

More or less, we know what the production Audi A1 that will have its online premiere in early February prior to its physical debut at the Geneva Salon in March, will look like. The Germans showed the car in near production guise through the 2007 Metroproject Quattro (3door) and more recently with the A1 Sportback concepts.

We've even seen the actual production model snapped alongside Justin Timberlake. But Audi's marketing team insists on releasing various tidbits about its sporty supermini.

In this latest video interview, the A1's exterior designer, Jürgen Löffler, reveals that Audi has kept the 3door concept model's contrasting roof arches and that customers will be able to order the roof arch in a variety of colors, regardless of the body color of the car.

He also talks about the A1's shoulder line that Audi names "tornado line", which wraps the car completely around beginning up front with the single-frame grille, extending over the front lights and the side to the tail lights and the rear hatch.

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VIDEO: 2011 Audi A1's R8-Style LED Headlights Explained

The guy you see pictured above is André Georgi, light designer at Audi, and the car shadowed behind him, Ingolstadt's answer to the BMW Group's MINI hatch, the all-new A1 that will be officially unveiled in February. And yes, Audi's latest video teaser on the A1 is all about the sporty hatchback's headlamps and in particular, the LED daytime running lights.

"On the A1, the front gets its character from a completely new form of LED daytime running lights. We have given our newcomer the sportiness of the R8 and the elegance of the A8," says Georgi. You can watch the film after the jump but you won't hear us complain if you decide to pass...

Infiniti said to Offer G25 with Smaller 2.5-liter V6 in the States to Compete with BMW 328i and Lexus IS250

The team over at Inside Line is reporting that it has learned from an unnamed high-ranking source within Nissan that Infiniti will launch a new entry-level version of its 2011 G sedan equipped with a smaller displacement V6 engine in the U.S. this fall. According to the report, the North American Infiniti G25 will be powered by the same 2.5-liter V6 unit found in the sedan's JDM sibling, the Nissan Skyline.

In the Skyline 250GT sedan, the VQ25HR is rated at 225 horsepower (IL says 210HP, but Nissan announces 225HP) and 26.8 kgm or 193.8 lb-ft of torque.

This means that the Japanese V6 is slightly less powerful than the BMW 328i's 3/0-liter inline-six that generates 230HP and 200 lb-ft inline, but stronger than the Lexus IS250's 2.5-liter V6 with 204HP and 185 lb-ft, who are the G25's most closest rivals.

The report goes on to say that for the time being, the smaller V6 is planned only for the sedan and not the Coupe or hardtop Convertible variants of the G Series.

Via: Inside Line

Video Interview with Audi Marketing Boss on 2011 A1 Mini

Just so you know, Audi will constantly be harassing us publishing information and teaser videos/pictures on its A1 mini until the online premiere of the car that's planned for early February. Following the release of a couple of clips and a teaser graffiti back in December, the Germans came out today with a video interview Audi marketing boss, Peter Schwarzenbauer, who talks about the 2011 A1 from a sale perspective.

Among other things, Schwarzenbauer says that the company is currently expecting to sell around 80,000 units of its MINI Cooper and Alfa Romeo MiTo competitor in the car's first full year. Watch the 'self-made' interview after the jump.

Ford Confirms All-New Focus and 2011 Lincoln MKX for Detroit Show

On Monday, January 11 at 8:45 am EST, Ford will take the wraps off its brand-new 2011 Focus at the Detroit auto show, while on Tuesday morning, the company will reveal the less significant, 2011 Lincoln MKX midsize crossover. The Fiesta's new big brother -both in terms of size and styling- is quite possibly one of the most important Fords of the past few decades as it will be a truly global car.

Unlike the current Fiesta which had to be redesigned for North America to address safety, emissions and powertrain issues thus sharing only 60 per cent of parts with its European counterpart, the 2011 Focus has been engineered for all international markets right from the beginning.

According to Ford, around 80 percent of the2011 Focus parts by value will be common between the North American and European versions.

Depending on the market, the new Focus will be offered in various body styles including three- and five-door hatchbacks, four-door sedan and a hardtop convertible (CC).

Ford has already unveiled the MPV variant of the new Focus in the form of the new five-seat C-MAX and its longer, seven-seater sibling, the Grand C-MAX at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show - pictured below. The Grand C-MAX has been confirmed for the U.S. with sales set to start in late 2011.

In Europe, the new Focus and the C-MAX models will be offered with several diesel and petrol engines including Ford's new 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbocharged petrol with outputs ranging between 150 and 180 horsepower while in North America, there's talk about a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit with direct injection.

Both of these petrol units will be offered with Ford's dual clutch transmission.

We'll have the full story on the new Focus on Monday.

GM Appoints AlixPartners to Wind Down Saab, Says Still Evaluating Bids

The saga that is called Saab entered a new phase today as GM confirmed it has selected restructuring firm AlixPartners to supervise the liquidation of the Swedish automakers assets and at the same time, has requested approval of the selection by the appropriate authority in Sweden.

"The wind down process is expected to take several months, and will ensure that employees, dealers and suppliers are adequately protected. As stated previously, Saab customers can be assured that warranties will continue to be honored and that service and spare parts will continue to be available," GM said in a prepared statement.

General Motors added that the appointment of AlixPartners will not affect the evaluation of the bids it has received for Saab so far. But while GM's "evaluation process" will not be affected, we're pretty sure that any interested parties won't see the orderly wind down of Saab with a positive eye.

Used Saab Prices Drop in the UK, but Experts Say it Won't Last Long

It's only logical that consumers either turn away or are more cautious price-wise when it comes to buying a used car from a brand that has an unsure future like Saab. And while many people are patiently waiting to see what's going to happen with the Swedish carmaker, "Used Car Expert Magazine" says that used Saab prices in the UK have been falling for the past 18 months.

As an example, the magazine says that the average price for a two-year-old Saab 9-3 2.0t has dropped from close to £14,000 in the January '09 to just over £11,000 in January '10.

"The Saab brand has long been under-supported by GM in the UK and dealers have been discounting stock to get rid of it - most notably Stratstone who have been advertising a half million pound Saab stock clearance," said the magazine's Editor, Matt Tumbridge.

However, Tumbridge believes that the price drop is only temporary and that used Saabs will go up again.

"Prices won't be soft forever, even if they close it down. Rovers, which are nowhere near as good, are now very firm in terms of used car residuals. Saab have a following, are close to BMW in terms of style, performance, comfort. It's lunacy that prices have been so soft so long and as soon as Saab's future is clear, prices will firm up. Now is the time to buy," Tumbridge said.

According to the magazine, a 2008 Saab 9-3 2.0t with average mileage of 12,000 can be yours for £11,000 - £14,000 (more than £10,000 down from a new one) while 2006 year model with 40,000 average miles can be had in the UK from as low as £7,000.

In comparison, the magazine says that a £7,000 budget will only buy you a 2003 3-Series at best. For a 2006 BMW 320i ES (2.0-liter, four cylinder model with 150HP) with average mileage of 29,000, prices are said to start from around £11,500 but the magazine claims that £14,000 is a more realistic price.

Source: Used Car Expert - Today's exchange rate: 1 British Pound = 1.62 USD

2008 SAAB 9-3 GALLERY

GM Extends Deadline for Saab Bidders, 2010 9-5 Sedan Production to Restart

General Motors has dropped a December 31 deadline for Saab bids and will soon restart production of certain models to the pleasure of the Swedish brand's employees, dealers, interested buyers and of course, the automaker's fans. However, this doesn't mean that GM will not be closing down the brand if it doesn't find a suitable buyer.

"We are preparing the wind-down process. At the same time we are open to options, to bids that come in. Therefore the deadline has also been dropped," said Saab spokesman Eric Geers.

Reuters reported that Spyker CEO Victor Muller said in a text message that GM had extended the deadline for a final offer from the small Dutch supercar maker until January 7 adding that he believes there are other bidders also interested in Saab.

In addition, Saab announced today that, following a holiday shutdown, it will restart production in January for its all-new 2010 9-5 sedan and 9-3 Convertible models.

"We have the orders and we have to deliver them as usual. We also have the orders for the 9-3 and others. The factory has to continue again," Geers said.

Via: Reuters

GM Slashes Prices of Remaining Pontiacs and Saturns by up to 46%

If you ever wanted to buy a Pontiac or a Saturn and you don't mind that both brands will soon pass into the books of history, now's the time as General Motors is offering dealers huge incentives to move a few thousand leftover vehicles from the two discontinued marques, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

According to the paper, the Detroit automaker sent a letter to dealers on December 23 stating that it would pay them around $7,000 for every new Pontiac or Saturn on their lot that is moved to their rental-vehicle or service-vehicle fleets.

With this move, the leftover vehicles will be classified as used (even though they're new, the dealers will technically be the vehicles' first owner) thus allowing dealers to sell them at a huge discount which is said to be as much as 46% off the sticker price.

The daily newspaper said that the offer will expire on January 4 which is the last day of the December car-sales month with GM booking the sales to dealers as fleet deliveries.

Saturn's leftover portfolio includes the Vue compact crossover, Sky Roadster, Aura Sedan, Astra compact hatch and Outlook crossover, while Pontiac's range comprises of the Solstice Roadster and Coupe, G6 Sedan, Coupe and Convertible, and the G8 sports sedan.

However, you'll have to check with your local dealer to see which models are available. And if you do, don't hesitate to leave us a comment here telling us what kind of an offer they made you.

Via: WSJ (Sub. Required)

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