The tuners at MTM have begun tweaking the all-new 2010 Audi S4 (B8) in Europe, and as expected, Audi's new supercharged 333-hp 3.0-liter V6 is rife with potential. With only a revised ECU – no underdrive pulley, intake or exhaust mods – MTM was able to coax 430 crank horsepower out of the blown six – 97 hp more than stock.

The kit, which retails for 2,491 euros (around $3,500 USD), brings torque output up to 380 lb-ft and, according to MTM, drops the 0-60 mph time from 5.2 to 4.6 seconds. Clearly, good things are on the way for the BMW 335i fighter, and we expect more to follow when the new darling of the Euro-tuning scene arrives in the States later this year.



[Source: MTM]

Porsche plans to expand its Panamera line-up to include three new powerplants – a Volkswagen-sourced V6, a diesel and some manner of hybrid – but in addition to offering new engines, the automaker may offer a harder, more performance-oriented model to slot in above the Turbo.

Similar to the strategy Porsche employed with the Cayenne, this new model – which could be dubbed the Turbo S or GTS – would nix the Turbo model's standard air suspension and instead fit a set of performance-tuned springs and shocks to maximize grip and on-track prowess.

As for future powertrains, a senior Porsche executive told Autocar that VAG's V6 and V8 diesels could be fitted to future Panameras, and we wouldn't be surprised to find the new Audi S4's supercharged, petrol-powered 3.0-liter V6 in Porsche's first production sedan in the coming years.



[Source: Autocar]

Bentleys may be as large and luxurious as yachts, but that doesn't mean the premium automaker's factory in Crewe is without leaks. Although Bentley is keen on metering out glimpses at a snail's pace, British auto mag CAR managed to get a hold of a batch of photos of the highly anticipated new "Grand Bentley".

Under development with the code-name Project Kimberley, the new Bentley is slated to replace the aging Arnage sedan at the top of the company's line-up and do battle with the Rolls-Royce Phantom. With technological input from its sister companies under the Volkswagen auto umbrella, the as-yet unnamed Grand Bentley promises to take a big step forward from the Arnage, which still carries its mechanicals and platform from the days when the automaker was under the same roof as Rolls -- not in direct competition. The spy shots reveal mesh grilles, LED lights, a retractable hood ornament (like the Phantom's) and a swooping roofline reminiscent of the classic 50's-era R-Type Continental. Looks pretty sweet, and we'll probably get an even better glimpse as the car's unveiling later this summer approaches with the pace of...well, a speeding Bentley.

[Source: CAR]

If you're a big fan of fully automatic machine guns, then there is a good chance that you've heard of the Oklahoma Full Auto Shoot & Trade Show. The O.F.A.S.T.S. trade show features some serious hardware for purchase, including WWII anti-tank guns and Russian units used buy the bad guys in Afghanistan.

G4 contributor Alison Haislip of Attack of the Show attended the gathering to test out some guns, and she brought a tan Dodge Intrepid along for a little target practice. Hit the jump to watch Haislip rip the hapless sedan to shreds with a Browning 1917 machine gun capable of shooting 750 8-mm rounds per minute. We normally don't get too excited about tank-stopping machine guns, but as we're jonesin' to kick off the Fourth of July festivities, well... we'll start off with an altogether different sort of pyrotechnics. Thanks for the tip, Kelly!

[Source: G4]

A year ago, we showed you pics of the next-generation BMW 5-Series doing some high-speed testing on the Nürburgring, but that was pretty much the last we heard about this midsize bahnstormer. Well, intrepid spy photographer Rich Truesdell spotted a similar mule out in the desert last week, and he has filled us in on some additional details. The car he spotted appears to be a 2011 BMW 540i sedan. Rich relates that the car was big enough to have him thinking 7-Series at first, but BMW helped out by having a clearly larger current 7 on hand for comparison purposes. How thoughtful of them.

While not a lot of final detail shows through, Truesdell points out that the heavy rear quarter cladding could be a tip that something is brewing in the recently revamped styling department in Munich. In particular, around the C-pillar, there was a lot of camo, indicating that perhaps there's something worth hiding. Beyond that, the sedan looks like a shortened 7-Series from most angles, and the dual exhausts suggest that this is likely the V8-powered 540i. Follow the source link to read what Rich thought of the vehicle and to see all of the photos in high-res.



All images © 2009 Rich Truesdell/Automotivetraveler.com

[Source: Automotive Traveler]

We can only imagine how exciting a day it would be to bring home a brand spanking new Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Genesis Owners forum member zedbuyers was feeling that love as he and his wife left a Massachusetts Chevy dealer with a spanking new Cyber Gray Metallic Z06. Zedbuyers was driving from the dealer in the rain with his wife following behind in the couples' nine-month-old Genesis Sedan when disaster struck.

As traffic slowed from 60 mph to 30 mph in the exit lane, zedbuyers applied the brakes, but his wife evidently didn't. The Genesis slammed into the hours-old Z06, thrusting the $80,000 supercar into the vehicle in front of it. Oddly, the Genesis took the brunt of the blow, and a local Hyundai dealer estimated the damage at $16,000, including nearly $2,000 for the HID headlamps alone. The Z06 damage was $10,000, including $2,000 for a carbon fiber bumper.

Luckily, nobody was seriously injured in the accident, but we're sure the owner is smarting none the less. We're guessing the insurance company is not going to react kindly to a combined $26,000 in damages only hours after the purchase of what is likely a very expensive vehicle to insure in the first place. Peruse the gallery below to check out the carnage, and click on the link below for zedbuyers' damage estimates.



[Source: Genesis Owners via Jalopnik]

Since it first came to the market in 2000, Ford's Focus has been consistently lauded for its crisp "European handling," and thanks to a Ford of Europe press release yesterday, that bromide sounded like it was about to become truer than ever. The release in question announced that the next all-new Focus is to be sourced from a single location – the Blue Oval's Saarlouis Plant in Germany. Quite understandably, that proclamation caused a bit of consternation here in the States, with some news outlets reporting that North American Focus models will also originate from the German facility. Not so.

Autoblog spoke with Lincoln, Mercury communications manager Mark Schirmer this morning (despite his title, Schirmer has been tasked with preparing for the U.S. launch of the 2010 car) and he has re-confirmed that all North American Focus models will originate from a freshly renovated Wayne Assembly Plant in Michigan (something that Ford officials initially promised back in May).

The intention of FoE's confusingly worded statement was to note that Saarlouis is to be the single point of origin for all European Focus models. In addition to Saarlouis and Wayne, Ford will also likely produce the next Focus at a plant somewhere in Asia, but a location announcement has not yet been made.

For a guy who allegedly wants a lot of the credit for creating Tesla Motors, Elon Musk certainly doesn't seem to like the job of being its CEO. As part of Daimler's investment deal with Tesla, Musk needed to commit to staying on as Tesla's CEO at least until the Model S launches in 2011. Musk told Reuters:

I didn't really have a choice. This was a requirement of Daimler that I remain CEO of Tesla through the Model S launch and then continue to be part of Tesla in a chairman role beyond that. It's flattering, but at the same time it's golden handcuffs.

Well, that sure makes it sound like fun, doesn't it? It's clear that Musk has always been interested in projects other than Tesla (e.g.: electric planes and SpaceX), but does he have to make running one of the hippest electric car companies around sound like a drag?

Another nugget from the article: One of the reasons the price on the Roadster was raised was to help qualify Tesla Motors for the DOE loan it later received. Musk said, "We did the minimum we needed to do to make the business work."



[Source: Reuters]

The days of Cadillac's big DTS sedan are numbered as the plant that builds it will soon be shut down and re-tooled. The Detroit Hamtramck assembly plant that builds the DTS and Buick Lucerne will switch over to building the Chevy Volt in 2010 and the current products are both long in the tooth.

The National Post is reporting that the new Cadillac flagship will be dubbed XTS and will be produced at the Oshawa assembly plant. It will be built alongside an updated Chevrolet Impala, the new Camaro and the Buick Regal. The DTS is a front-wheel drive car, but the XTS is expected to the share the Epsilon II platform with the Regal and the new Impala. As such, it will likely get all-wheel-drive at least as an option. For its part, the Regal will likely be a re-badged version of the Opel Insignia. The report goes on to say that Oshawa will produce a hybrid version of one of those offerings – a gas-electric Regal model is a reasonable bet.

Earlier reports had pegged the next Cadillac sedan as a model that would supplant both the DTS and the slow-selling STS, and although the NatPost article does not speak to this, it is reasonable to assume that the new XTS will result in the phase-out of both model lines. The new model line was reportedly put on hold back in August of last year, but it apparently has once again been given the go-ahead.

The XTS is scheduled to be launched in December 2011, with the new Impala coming in early 2013. Thanks to Ben for the tip!

[Source: The National Post]

General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda and everyone else may not think there is much of a market for mainstream diesel vehicles in the United States, but Volkswagen would beg to differ. Since it launched its new generation diesels last fall in the Jetta and earlier this year in the Touareg, they have been selling like hotcakes with June being its best month yet. Last month was the best sales month to date for the Sportwagen with 1,982 sales and a whopping 81% of those were equipped with the 2.0-liter TDI four-cylinder.

Among the 8,431 Jetta sedans sold in June, 40% were diesel powered. And while the Touareg followed most other SUVs with a 41% overall decline to only 330 units in June, 29% of those had the 3.0-liter V6 TDI engine. Rabbit sales were down 69% in June, but a redesigned Golf is arriving in September, including a TDI – and if fuel prices keep climbing through the summer, it could see a huge sales spike as well.



[Source: Volkswagen]