Nissan working on GT-R SUV and sedan?

The rumors of a Nissan GT-R based sedan were not too surprising. It’s not too hard to make a platform a little longer and add a few doors. It’s the next step that weren’t expecting: a GT-R based SUV.
Although performance SUVs are not the most popular cars right now, according to reports, Nissan is going ahead with plans to raise the GT-R’s platform. If this Porsche Cayenne and BMW X5/X6 competitor sees the light of day, it will likely arrive under the Infiniti logo. The GT-R’s all-wheel drive platform would be a natural starting point for a good performance SUV, but fanboys out there may cringe to think that Godzilla may lend a hand to getting the kids to soccer practice.

BMW Z10 ED green supercar coming in 2011

We know BMW is looking for a place to showcase its eco-friendly technology called EfficientDynamics. Now it looks like BMW’s Technik skunkworks (these are the same people who made the Z1 and Z8) will be bypassing the concept car and going right into production with a mean green machine.
Autocar is reporting that this will be a two-seat model called Z10 ED (Efficient Dynamics) that will be launched in 2011. It will be built in limited numbers, and the £80,000 (about $115,00 at the current rates) price tag should keep the car exclusive just like other BMW small batch offerings.
BMW is rumored to be developing a new high-pressure turbocharged direct-injection straight six cylinder engine to power the car. "The idea is to bring all the very latest technology together in a way that will allow a high level of performance without overburdening the environment in a way that the current crop of supercars do," said an insider privy to BMW’s plans. "There is no reason why they need to be mutually exclusive when you consider the sort of technology that exists today. It is just a matter of applying it correctly."
Back in November we heard a similar situation that pegged the M1 Hommage concept to be BMW’s green supercar, but the Z10 ED name may suggest it will take its design cues from the 2007 concept car. No matter the design, the car should weight in around a light 3000 lbs mainly because of a simple carbon fiber body panels, integrated door frames and sill panels.

2011 Mazda RX-7 rendering

It’s been a while since we’ve heard rumors about a new Mazda RX-7. Just like the BMW M7 rendering, we don’t expect one either. But if the folks at Motor Magazine in Japan are going to take the time to put together a rendering, we’re more than happy to get caught in the daydream.

Mazda RX7 not dead? RX-9 in the works?

Maybe we jumped the gun...a few days ago we saw a new rendering of a future Mazda RX-7. While we thought it looked great, the global economic meltdown and the multi-month gap without any rumors had us sure the sports car was left for dead.
Now Inside Line is reporting that resurrection is coming in the form of a RX-9. Mazda may be pushing through a sports car to replace the RX-8, and keep the company rotary-happy for years to come. If all goes right the RX-9 may be powered by a mid-engined (behind the front axle, in front of the driver) twin-rotor engine making 270 hp. The car could also take advantage of new technology that would improve the fuel consumption by twenty percent of the traditionally gas-hungry rotary engine.

2011 BMW Z2 - new details revealed

BMW left a hole in its line up with the new Z4. The car is not too big, but it does put a wide enough gap between it and its predecessor, the Z3, to take it out of direct competition with like the small, lightweight Mazda MX-5. Not likely to leave a market wide open for other companies, BMW is rumored to be working on a Z2 model for featherweight fun.
The Z2 will be built on a modified Z4 platform, and unlike its bigger brother will only be offered with a choice of four cylinders engines with a maximum capacity of two liters. The base version will be a 1.8-liter with 150 hp, while a “M” version could be a turbocharged car with an output of around 300 hp. Like previously reported, a hybrid version is also in the works and a M version might also be a possibility.
The Z2 will be offered with BMW’s latest technologies, including active steering, dual clutch gearbox and active suspension. The price will be somewhere around the $30k area and the official debut will be made at the end of 2010, with sales to begin in 2011.

Baby McLaren rendering

Baby McLaren rendering
Posted on 03.2.2009 13:00 by Myles KornblattFiled under: Mclaren Spy Shots and Rendering sports cars future cars

Now that Mercedes is going it alone with its next supercar, McLaren has room to develop multiple cars for itself.
Accompanying the P11 will be a new coupe placed below the P11 in the lineup. The car will be smaller then the 500 hp P11, which should make it a direct competitor to the Audi R8 and Porsche 911. The rumored 450 hp 6.2-liter Mercedes-based engine, 0 to 60 time of 4.5 seconds, and £80,000 price (about $115,000 at the current rates) put this baby McLaren squarely in between the standard Porsche 911 and 911 Turbo.
Don’t get too excited about this one just yet. The P11 will appear first in

Bugatti prepares Veyron replacement

Whenever we get rumors that Bugatti is hard at work on a new Veyron it gets us excited. Now Bugatti’s president Franz-Josef Paefgen has officially hinted to a car that could premiere in 2010 or 2011. "The new car must fit into the Bugatti history, but also to the Veyron. A totally different direction is not an option."
From that quote we’re guessing this is not a car to complement the Veryon, but something to replace it. Plus, the Veyron’s days are numbered with only about 50 coupes left as well as most of the planned 150 unit run of the open top Grand Sport. No matter what car shows up, we know it will be fast. "If someone tries to beat us, we will have an answer ready," said Paefgen.
The only part that we have a hard time believing is the timetable. The Veyron was a tough car to build. Bugatti engineers had to keep reinventing the car because of the cooling and aerodynamic problems that arise when hitting 253 mph. Considering it took them five years to go from concept to (hand-built) production car with the Veyron, we’re betting we’re going to have to stay excited for much longer than just 2011.