LAMBORGHINI 4X4 SUV BEING CONSIDERED

Lamborghini is unwrapping a new SUV 4x4 concept car at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show this month. This much we know. What we don’t know is whether a decision has been taken by Volkswagen Group, owner of the Lamborghini brand, to build the thing or not.

JAGUAR XKR-S CONVERTIBLE: MZANSI PRICES ANNOUNCED

Jaguar South Africa has released prices for the fuming XKR-S Convertible. The super drop-top is priced at R1 807 200, and can be ordered from your nearest Jaguar dealership. XKR-S Convertible is based on the normal XKR Convertible, which in turn is based on the XKR Coupe, but adds a bag of African bird’s eye chilli its mix. While it uses the same 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, power and torque have gone up to match the price.

HYBRID BUYERS DON'T RETURN: STUDY

It seems buyers of hybrid cars don’t fancy them too much a second time around. A study done by research company Polk in the US says only 22% of hybrid customers replaced their hybrids with another hybrid. This excludes Toyota Prius customers, who are more prone to buy a fresher one come replacement time.

INFINITI NOW IN SOUTH AFRICA (MZANSI)

The Infiniti brand is officially coming to South Africa. This is according to Nissan SA Managing Director Mike Whitfield. Nissan owns the Infiniti brand. To Nissan, Infiniti is like Lexus to Toyota. Actually during the mid-1990s, a few Infiniti QX45 models were imported into Mzansi. I’m not sure if these were official or not. This time it’s all legal.

RUMOUR: MORE POWER FOR LEXUS LFA

A rumour regarding the Lexus LFA supercar has been reported by the Autoguide online publication. It says that an even more powerful and of course, more expensive LFA is being developed as we speak. Quoting an unnamed Toyota executive, Autoguide says the upgraded LFA could cost as much as R8 million in US dollars!

NISSAN PLANNING ASSAULT ON GOLF, ASTRA, FOCUS

With Nissan enjoying vibrant sales of cars like the Juke and Qashqai, it would be nice to see the brand taking on Opel, Ford, Volkswagen and Toyota head-on once again, like in the good old days. For this to happen, a strong youth-oriented hatchback and sedan need to appear. Something like the Sentra for instance. Our wish may very well come true.

AUDI MAY BUY ITALIAN SUPERBIKE OUTFIT DUCATI

A story that appeared in Automotive News says that Audi AG is almost ready to announce its purchase of Ducati, the Italian superbike maker. According to this report, Audi has done all the work needed to secure Ducati, including going through its books and lobbying the right management and shareholder support. Audi also owns Lamborghini, another Italian brand, and is itself owned by the Volkswagen Group.

RUSSIAN POLITICIANS ORDERED TO BUY RUSSIAN-BUILT CARS

In terms of automotive pedigree, Russia is really only famous for the Lada name. Perhaps infamous is the more accurate word to use. Nevertheless, there’s never really been anything more mother Russia could offer, except maybe Formula One driver Vitally Petrov, and he only because he probably caused Fernando Alonso the 2012 F1 Drivers’ Championship. But this hasn’t stopped Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin from ordering his bureaucrats to start buying only Russian-made cars.

NEW PORSCHE CAYENNE GTS IS COMING

Porsche announced the new 2012 Cayenne GTS, an SUV mostly associated with sporting prowess. Not that other Cayennes aren’t sporty, but the GTS is made even sportier through certain styling and mechanical differentiators. Like the fact that it squats 2.4cm lower than the rest for instance. GTS is priced between the Cayenne S and the Cayenne Turbo.

SPECIAL CHINA-ONLY FERRARI 458 ITALIA ANNOUNCED

This year marks the 20th anniversary for Ferrari in China since the first Ferrari, a 348 TS, was ordered in Beijing. To celebrate this historical milestone, in a few weeks time Ferrari will inaugurate its first ever permanent brand exhibition outside of Maranello at the Italia Center of Shanghai World Expo Park. Covering 900 square metres the Ferrari Exhibition will last for three years and will feature some of the best collections from the Maranello Museum divided into five topics, including Ferrari in China, Green Technology, Product, Design and Racing.

DAIHATSU COPEN BOWS OUT

Six years ago Daihatsu South Africa launched the Copen roadster, at the time the smallest roadster in the market. It was not very cheap, not at all powerful. But damn was it loads of fun to drive! Plus if you drove one you became very popular with little people. Of all ages. Now we hear the Copen is saying goodbye.

AUDI RS 4 AVANT, S4 AVANT, A4 ALLROAD FOR MZANSI

Audi A4 allroad quattro, RS 4 Avant and S4 Avant. These are some of the more interesting Audis confirmed for launch in South Africa over the coming months. According to Audi’s Mzansi spokesperson Rudi Venter, a highly limited number of S4 Avants (station wagon) will do on sale here later in the year. The order will cover about 50 units.

ON THE ROAD: PEUGEOT 308 2.0 HDI

It’s an old question, but…can we trust Peugeots?

In as far as reliability is concerned, I’ve never had any issues with these cars at all. While we don’t drive them for as long as owners, often you do get a sense for a car and our senses tell us that Peugeots are reasonably reliable.

PORSCHE 911 WINS WORLD PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR

At a press conference hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and the New York International Auto Show, the Porsche 911 was declared the 2012 World Performance Car.

AUDI A4 SHOWS FACELIFT, COOL TECHNOLOGY

One might say, and rightly so, that the new 2012 BMW 3 Series is one of the biggest stories of the current motoring year. Yet one its main competitors is also revving up for a great year. The Audi A4, having received a fresh face for 2012, is now better than ever. Just from a new face you ask? Not at all. There’s a lot more under the skin too.