Is Cadillac Plotting A $250k SUV And $300k Saloon?

Right now it might have caned a 7-Series rival, yet it could be aiming even higher than that.
If the info released by GMInsideNews turns out to be accurate, it plans to release not just one but a whole range of ultra-luxurymodels.
The first one should be an SUV, which will sit above the Escalade replacement and go against the likes of the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Project Cullinan.
It will wear the XT9 moniker, will have a starting price of just above $250,000 and should debut close to 2027. Cadillac will continue the expansion of its vehicle lineup with the CT-9 saloon that which should debut around 2029 with a price tag close to $300,000.
Is GM really aiming so high? We shall see...

Note: Cadillac Elmiraj study pictured

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RUF Turbo Florio Is Exquisiteness Itself

It is not exactly a secret that we are huge RUF fans here at MW. There’s just something about the cars these guys make that, in spite of the old-timey looks and overly Germanic attention to details, makes RUF Porsches just so incredibly cool. This time we want to have a closer look at RUF Turbo Florio based on Porsche 991 Targa.

Even the name exudes coolness, doesn’t it? Turbo Florio. How awesome this sounds: “I drive a Turbo Florio.” Fortunately, the rest of the car is competent enough to cash the checks its name writes. RUF Turbo Florio is a thoroughly upgraded version of the 991 Targa which is a very capable car to begin with. What the tuner has done here is boost the car’s power, speed, looks, and therefore appeal.

Just like the standard car, RUF Turbo Florio comes with a 3.8 liter flat-six engine which can be had with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed PDK transmission. But there the similarities end, as this one packs 645 horsepower and 835 Nm of torque, and has the ability to clock 330 km/h. What’s more, the RUF looks a helluva lot better than the standard Targa, what with the aero kit, that ducktail wing at the back, the wheels, and…

The Turbo Florio is without a doubt one of RUF’s finest modern creations. The only reason we wouldn’t buy one, if we could, is because of some other RUF product, the RGT 4.2, which is even awesomer than this one. We will look at that car in a separate piece.

Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet – UK Pricing and Specs

The new Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet is now available to order in the United Kingdom just in time for the spring. And is often the case with cars destined for this market, it comes in just two simple trim grades including the normal S500 and the AMG versions. You just have to decide how much power you want.

If you decide you can leave with just 455 hp, you can get the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet in S500 guise powered by a twin-turbo 4.6-litre V8. It goes from 0 to 62 mph in just 4.6 seconds, averages 32.5 mpg, costs £110,120, and comes as standard with AMG Line specifications which includes the following:

AMG body-styling; 19-inch alloy wheels; LED headlights with Intelligent Lighting System and Adaptive High Beam Assist Plus; AIRMATIC air suspension with continuously variable damping control; satellite navigation with COMAND Online system including dual 12.3-inch TFT displays; AIRSCARF neck-level heating; AIRCAP; comfort heated and ventilated seats with electric operation and memory function; heated rear seats; leather upholstery; intelligent climate control; and an automatic boot separator.

Power hungry customers should choose their Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet from the AMG rank. As always you get two choices, S63 and S65, the former boasting 585 horsepower and the latter 630 horsepower from a V12. The S65 is the most pointless thing ever, as it is only a tenth of a second quicker than S63 to 60 mph, and has the same top speed of 155 mph. And yet it costs £191,630 whereas the S63 is only £134,735.

The standard kit on the on the S63 AMG model includes front splitter in matt silver; AMG radiator grille with twin louvre in matt silver; AMG chrome-plated twin tailpipes; ‘V8 BITURBO’ lettering on the front wings; 19-inch AMG alloy wheels; Burmester surround sound system with 13 speakers; Driving Assistance package; AMG sports exhaust system; and Nappa leather upholstery.

Features is one argument you can make to justify the extra pay for the S65 AMG, as it comes with LED Intelligent Light System with Swarovski crystals; AMG sports exhaust system with two polished chrome twin tailpipes; 20-inch alloy wheels; ‘V12 BITURBO’ lettering on the front wings; designo Exclusive Nappa leather with diamond quilting; illuminated door sill panels with ‘AMG’ lettering; heated steering wheel; Night View Assist; head-up display and Burmester 3D surround sound system with 23 speakers.

Golf GTI Clubsport Edition 40

In their zeal to mark the 40th anniversary of the GTI in the UK with something very, very special, Volkswagen didn’t realized they have given the celebratory model built for that purpose a rubbish name. Golf GTI Clubsport Edition 40 is just a mouthful.

And the problem with that is, to an uninterested eye this thing is just a Golf. It might as well be a diesel. You have to explain to them that it’s a GTI, and a Clubsport one at that, and it’s also the Edition 40. And how uncool is all that?

At any rate, Golf GTI Clubsport Edition 40 comes with a 2.0-litre turbocharged direct-injection engine tuned at 265 horsepower and maximum torque, under boost, of 350 Nm. The motor features water-cooled exhaust channel to the turbocharger and  variable valve timing with dual camshaft adjustment. All that make it very sophisticated, but also complex and potentially less reliable. Edition 40 is still very much front-wheel-drive, but it has the excellent electronically controlled front differential lock and the XDS+ vehicle dynamics function, so it doesn’t really matter. The handling will be GTI-sweet as always.

Tipping the scale at 1,375 kg, VW Golf GTI Clubsport Edition 40 can sprint from 0 to 60 mph  in 6.3 seconds whether you go for the manual or the DSG, and three- or five-door body style. The car returns 40 mpg and even has launch control which seems like a bit of an overkill. Included in the £30,875 price is a unique body kit and a custom interior with bucket seats and special materials.

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Arriving In 2018 To Combat Merc CLA?

A 2 Series Gran Coupe could be the perfect answer to the Mercedes-Benz CLA, but only if BMW chooses to make it. Seems like they may be closer than we think. 

The German establishment of automotive bigwig manufacturers usually have always had a way of countering each other’s various advances. One such move that, so far at least, has not been met with a swift comeback is Mercedes-Benz and their small sedan, the CLA.
That might be about to change with something that was unveiled at the 2015 Guangzhou Motor Show in China, the Concept Compact Sedan. As interesting as that unveil was and as pretty as the car looked, our excitement was muted somewhat after learning that the choice to present the concept in China was nothing random.
Turns out that, yes, BMW is looking to a smaller four-door sedan that would sit under the 3 Series, but that they are looking to a China-only release for it. That did not make sense, and continues to baffle us.

But, a report from German motoring pundits at AutoBild suggest that BMW is actually building another car that closely parallels the Concept Compact Sedan for sale in markets such as western Europe and North America; and most likely the rest of the world too.
The report, which suggests the name 2 Series Gran Coupe, says the car will be offered to customers as a more spacious, more practical version of the 2 Series coupe, with four doors and a stretched wheelbase.
Given that it is tentatively called the Gran Coupe, that suggests that it will have the sleeker roofline of a coupe at the expense of headroom for adults. Additionally, and unlike the design of the 6 Series Gran Coupe, the 2 Series Gran Coupe could also adopt a hatchback-like rear end similar to the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

It all sounds pretty fine and dandy to us, but where there is some cause for concern is that BMW could elect to only offer the 2 Series GC with 4-cylinder or 3-cylinder engines, at least one of which being a diesel option.
This is likely due to BMW being rightly concerned, at least in these early days, about enroaching to closely to the terrirtory of their 3 Series, making more powerful and more exciting engines a key differentiator between the more affordable 2 Series and more expensive 3 Series.

Polished 802 PS MTM Audi R8 Can Be Yours For Half A Million Bucks

Judging by its looks alone, the first-gen Audi R8 could’ve stayed in production longer, so spot-on was its design. Audi is obviously of the same mind, simply making it edgier, but the two are, despite their different underpinnings, very similar.
No matter, German tuner MTM thought it should update its bodywork three years ago, and is now seling its creation.
Based on the V10 model, this brash chrome R8 houses a different 10-cylinder animal under its hood and comes with a plethora of modifications that transform it from a supercar into a full-fat monster.
In the ad, MTM states that the vehicle is finally road-legal that surely broadens its appeal to far more people than the ones looking for something they can use solely on the track. It features, carbon-fiber seats wrapped in Magnolia-red leather, forged 9x20 front and 12.5x 20 rear rims and a reinforced 6-Speed Transmission designed to cope with the 5.0-litre V10’s 802 PS.
But wait, wasn’t it supposed to be powered by a 5.2-litre V10? Not in MTM-land, as the tuner replaced the original, naturally-aspirated powerplant with the twin-turbocharged unit from the RS6 C6 generation.
That makes it go at speeds over 350 Km/h and accelerate from 0 to 100 Km/h in 3.0 seconds, to 200 Km/h in 9.37 seconds and to 300 Km/h in 19.42 seconds.
Okay, its €500,000 ($568,975) price tag is hard to swallow, but consider that, in order to achieve its paint scheme, MTM completely stripped and polished its body, investing more than 700 hours of work in it alone. That’s right, the car isn’t wrapped in a chrome wrap, it's been polished to the bare metal. Other visual upgrades include widened sills, an adjustable rear spoiler, and a front spoiler lip.
To top it off, the vehicle did a high-speed test at Nardo, was presented at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2013, at Top Marques Monaco, at the 24h Le Mans event and at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed.

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