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Saab is still trying to work through its problems, but the Swedish carmaker has some good news from the States. The first examples of the firm’s new crossover, the Cadillac SRX-based 9-4X, have just arrived at US showrooms. “Our first vehicles are just hitting retailers and our first customer sale took place last weekend at Saab North Olmstead in Cleveland, Ohio” said President and COO of Saab Cars North America, Tim Colbeck.
The first Fiat 500 to make its way into China was presented today in Shanghai by Fiat Group Executive Vice President for International Operations, Lorenzo Sistino. To celebrate the launch, Fiat crafted a special version named 500 “First Edition” featuring bodywork graphics by five young Chinese designers. The special edition will be available in a limited run of just 100 numbered units ahead of the city car’s regular launch in China on September 15.
Get excited DTM fans because there’s a new kid coming to town. We’re talking about Audi’s freshly revealed A5 Coupe racecar, internally named “R17,” that will replace the four-door A4 with which Audi has conquered the DTM title four times since 2004. Ingolstadt’s new touring model is based on the facelifted A5 Coupe that was presented earlier this week and it complies with the new technical and safety regulations that will come in effect in the German touring model championship next year.
The Chrysler Group’s newly formed Street and Racing Technology (SRT) brand has released pricing on its latest crop of models, which include the 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8, the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8, the 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 and the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. 
Prices together with an $825 destination fee start at $47,995 for the Chrysler 300 SRT8, $46,660 for the Dodge Charger SRT8, $44,077 for the Challenger SRT8 and $55,295 for the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.All four SRT8 models are powered by the Chrysler Group’s new 6.4-liter HEMI V8 with Fuel Saver Technology that cranks out 470 horsepower (351kW) and 470 lb-ft (637Nm) of peak torque (465 lb.-ft. / 630 Nm in the Grand Cherokee SRT8).
As well as announcing the U.S. market launch of the JK-8 kit that carries a $5,499 sticker, Chrysler’s Mopar division also released a new time-lapse video that shows us a team of workers turning a four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a pickup truck with a small bed at the back. According to Mopar Performance Team engineer, Steve Houtman, it took the four-man crew (or at least that’s our count of the number of people seen working on the Jeep) about an hour to complete the transformation using the JK-8 kit. Watch them in action for yourself in the clip after the break.
We have already seen and reported on the brand-new 2012 BMW 1-Series, which was revealed a couple of months ahead of its world premiere, which is scheduled for the rapidly approaching Frankfurt Motor Show this September. Nevertheless, if the first batch of photos didn’t do the trick for you, you’ll be happy to know that today, BMW released a massive gallery with some 250 pictures of its compact sized hatchback, which may very well be the last version to feature a rear-wheel drive layout as the Bavarians are rumored to be planning a switch to a front-wheel drive platform for the next generation model. But enough with the talking. Hop over the jump to check out all the high-res gallery.
Meet the new Opel Combo, GM Europe’s latest offer in the light commercial vehicle segment that will also be available in a passenger car version. In case you didn’t notice, Opel’s newcomer is based on the Fiat Doblo van with the exterior styling changes over the Italian model limited to the design of the front bumper that somewhat awkwardly incorporates the German firm’s family grille.
Those of you that fancy turning your four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a two-door pickup truck will be happy to know that the firm’s much-talked about JK-8 Kit is available for order now through Mopar at Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealerships, with pricing set at $5,499. However, Jeep does note that the JK-8 kit, which comes with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, is for “skilled do-it-yourselfers”. For the less handy amongst us, the company said that the kit may be purchased and installed at a Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge or Ram dealership.
The UK market is welcoming the launch of the third Gordini-badged model after the respective versions of the Twingo RS and Clio RS, this time in Wind roadster guise, with buyers having a choice of two engines, the 1.2-liter TCE 100HP and the 1.6-liter 133HP. In addition to the Wind Gordini models, the French firm also slashed the list price of the Dynamique and GT Line trim levels by up to £2,215, with prices now starting at £12,995, instead of £15,205.
Toyota has blessed its European market HiLux pickup truck with a mid-life facelift for the 2012 model year. The cosmetic surgery starts with the exterior that gains a redesigned front end sporting a different grille dressed in chrome, new bonnet, headlamps and front bumper. The changes continue with the redesigned front and rear wings, a new crop of 15- and 17-inch steel and alloy wheels, plus new door mirrors.
Along with the introduction of the regular versions of its refreshed A5 series, Audi also presented the updated S5 range. The most important change concerns the S5 Coupe in which the outgoing model’s naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 engine with 354-horses and 440Nm (324.5 lb-ft) is replaced with the same 3.0-liter supercharged V6 found in the Sportback and Convertible S5s.
Good news for those looking to shop Mercedes-Benz’s next-generation M-Class SUV as the German firm has kept pricing for the two available models at launch unchanged over the respective versions of the outgoing ML, despite the new design, improved engines and upgraded standard equipment.
Toyota today announced prices for its next generation Yaris hatchback in Europe including the UK where the supermini is available for order now with first customer deliveries to take place in September. The new Yaris is available in three- and five-door body styles with British buyers offered a choice of four grades (T2, TR, SR and T Spirit) and three engines including 1.0 and 1.33-litre petrol units and a 1.4-litre D-4D turbodiesel. On-the-road prices start from £11,700.
The MINI Countryman may be, you know, British, but that hasn’t stopped Italian tuning house Romeo Ferraris from creating a special edition in celebration of Italy’s 150th anniversary as a nation. The festive MINI is based on the flagship Countryman Cooper S that is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol churning out 184-horses and a peak torque of 240Nm. After Romeo Ferraris technicians remap the ECU and add a new intercooler, a sports air filter and a race-spec exhaust system, the aforementioned numbers grow to 227HP and 328Nm (241.9 lb-ft).
Audi today unveiled the facelifted versions of its A5 range which includes the Coupe, the Sportback and Cabriolet models. The company’s goal was to freshen up the A5’s exterior looks and to improve both their driving dynamics and fuel economy. 
The 2012 Audi A5 range is available exclusively with direct injection engines featuring forced induction and stop-start and energy regeneration system as standard. As a result, Audi says fuel consumption has been decreased across the range by 11% on average and CO2 emissions by as much as 22%.
Some guys have all the luck. Like Jay Leno. Not only is he a famous and wealthy TV presenter, but he also gets to drive a bevy of new cars well before anyone else. After driving the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell, which won’t enter production for another two years, and the new SLS Roadster wasn’t enough, Leno was also invited to VW’s headquarters at Wolfsburg to try out the new Beetle.
There are many ways to celebrate the sponsorship of an event like the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but when it comes to automakers, the norm is the introduction of special edition models. For BMW, the festivities over its sponsorship of the games begin with the UK launch of two new Performance Edition models based on the 1-Series hatchback and 3-Series sedan.
Volkswagen announced today that it set a first half-year record in passenger car sales, with more than 2.5 vehicles delivered globally. This represents an increase of 11.8% compared to the same period of 2010 (2.26 million).
