The top of the line Jaguar XJ gives us a new meaning of the dramatic design the British carmaker has been known for with a perfect combo of lightweight architecture and responsible performance with a good dose of luxury and innovation.

There will only be 30 Ultimate XJ’s to be delivered to the United States before the end of the year with a sticker price of $155,000. The luxurious ride will be offered in Black Amethyst pain finish with external detailing that will distinguish t from the other variants of the XJ.

The rear seats are wrapped in premium semi-aniline leather with power adjustments for the lumbar support and recline. They also have massage functions and access to climate controls. The rear of the vehicle also has a business table made from solid aluminum with piano black trim which can come into a comfortable position with a press of a button.

There is of course a dedicated storage for the champagne flutes which goes well with the champagne chiller in between the rear seats. The center console also has a storage area perfect for business usability.

The passengers of the Ultimate XJ also has an access to an iPad and keyboard that can be charged using docks with leather trim just on the rear of the front seats.

Meridian, a known audio specialist in Britain, designed the 20-speaker system that ensures a great surround sound. The entertainment system for the rear passengers also come with screens mounted on the rear portion of the head rest of the front seats and wireless headphones.

The ride comfort is always excellent as ensured by the revised suspension system of the Jaguar Ultimate XJ sedan. The ride rolls on Maroa 20 inch alloy rims in grey or polished finish.

The Ultimate XJ sedan runs on the supercharged V8 5.0L engine that gives out 510 horsepower linked to an 8-speed gearbox.

The Lamborghini SUV might actually be another sedan that might take inspiration from the Estoque Concept that we saw back in 2009.

Anyway, the top executive of Lamborghini says that a 4-door unit fits the direction to which the car manufacturer wants to go. Let us look for example at Lambo’s cousin Porsche which made a hit out of its Cayenne in the SUV segment even with naysayers on the sideline.

We are assuming that if ever Lamborghini will come up with an SUV, it might take hints from the Cayenne or the next gen model of its cousin brand. The engine might take root from the V10 of the Gallardo which may mean as powerful as 575 horsepower. Or even a more exciting is a hybrid setup which might use hybrid technologies.

The new SUV of Lamborghini will be far from the image of their first attempt in the segment in the form of the LM002 which is actually something built for the military. The new SUV will have a sporty attitude and provisions of a luxury ride of course. This should satisfy the taste of the upper bracketsof the can affords in Russia, the US, India, and China.

We might not see this SUV on sale until around 2016. For now we can expect some more details as we jump from auto shows in Geneva then the one in New York before Beijing which will kick off on the 23rd of April.

You do not have to worry about your driving skills, Porsche will have trainers to help you improve your driving skills and smooth out the rough edges of your driving style thru practical and theoretical lessons.

It will be a perfect get away while enjoying the great sports car. When you join the driving program, you will be cruising from the roads of South Africa to the extremely cold settings of the Arctic Circle. The Driving Experience aims at teaching drivers to master the handling of the Porshe 911 in any weather and road conditions.

If you will be signing up for the Finland program, you can hone your skills thru different levels of difficulty from Precision, to Performance, and the top Master training program. In Africa, the tour will kick off in Cape Town and bring the Porsche 911 thru the twisting roads to test the abilities of the vehicle on winding roads.

If you want to join the winter program of Porsche, you can go to their website for more information or you can request for a catalog thru +49 0711/911-23360 to 64.

The power trains for the new Seat Leon FR+ come with two options. First is the 2.0-liter turbocharged stratified injection (TSI) engine that packs 208bhp and a 2.0-liter TurboDiesel-Direct-Inject Engine with 168 bhp. The base model for the Seat Leon FR+ comes with LED rear-lights, sporty seats and interiors, rear sensors for parking, automatic headlights, twin-chrome exhaust pipes, and rain-sensing wipers.
According to Steve Robertson, the marketing head for Seat’s UK base, the Leon FR proves to be a prominent model in the brand’s product line, therefore, the brand needs to maximize the car’s potential appeal.

Moreover, the Spanish car manufacturer is also upgrading the Leon Cupra R model with additions such as the bi-xenon adaptive headlights, Bluetooth technology, Media System 2.2 and the LED rear-light clusters.

The initial tag price of for the Seat Leon FR+ is at £22,615, which is about £1070 higher than the base FR model. Indeed, the Seat Leon FR+ is a manifestation of the stunning combination of hardcore exterior and engine performance as well as the addition of luxury interior features. We just couldn’t wait to have the Seat Leon FR+ on the showrooms and see how it will fare on the tracks.

The models’ front-end will also get a slimmer design change plus a bigger air intakes and a revamped and lighter bumper look. The models’ front grille will also get changes. The instrument panel will receive subtle changes like a new finish. There’s also a new steering wheel design in the works plus optional upholstery designs and trims.

Changes under the hood include a 1.8-liter TFSI model engine with 168bhp for petrol units. For the diesel units, you can expect that a 2.0-liter TDI model engine with 175bhp is attached. But that’s not all, a 2.0-liter TFSI model engine with 211bhp and a supercharged engine with 268bhp are also other engine options for the models. There’s also the 3.0-liter V-6 TDI engine while a 3.0-liter TFSI engine model with 328bhp will run the S4 line up.

Of course, the A4 line up with have the stop-start feature as well as the standard energy recuperation system and the direct fuel injection features. The revamped line up of the Audi A4 will be unveiled during the International Frankfurt Motor Show this coming September.

The production of the new VW vehicles will cater the needs of the Chinese consumers specifically those who are living outside the mega cities of China like Shanghai and Beijing. This demographic segment is starting to grow in number and starting to look for their reasonable means of transport.

Like other foreign car manufacturers who entered the market of China, Volkswagen sells their cars under the VW brand. This next move though involves an agreement to have Chinese partners as required by the local law. The government of China is also foreseeing a growth in the share of the local car brands to about 30% through 40% in 4 years time. VW will be developing a unique sub-brand or brand in cooperation with the Chinese partners to make and sell smaller vehicles.

VW sees the partnership to build a local brand in China as a big opportunity since they are still on the stage of penetrating the new segments of the market.

Volkswagen though is playing catch up to other car manufacturers like General Motors and Honda who have already started development of local car brands with their Chinese counterparts. Honda and local car manufacturer Guangzhou Automobile Group will be launching their Everus brand and their first S1 model this year. GM and partners from Shanghai will have the Baojun that will roll out the Buick Excelle dervied 630 model later this year.

Lexus’ image is battered by a number of recalls of their vehicles due to problems like stalling engines, fuel leaks, or instability during emergency maneuvers. Aside from the Lexus brand, the Japanese car manufacturer’s main brand also had to recall about 8 million vehicles due to risks linked to unintentional acceleration.

According to researchers, it is highly possible that Mercedes-Benz will take over Toyota when the figures reflecting the impact of the recalls come in on the second half of 2010.

For the first six months of this year, Toyota’s deliveries in the U.S jumped by 19% or roughly 107,000 vehicles. Mercedes-Benz on the other hand showed a stronger performance with a 25% increase translating to about 106,972 units. The market share of Lexus is projected to go down to 1.98% lagging behind Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Basing it on the numbers alone, it will be a rough battle of the sales units of the two automotive luxury brands.

The dipping numbers of Lexus followed the April recalls of the GX 460 tagged as “safety risk” by Consumer Reports after finding about the roll over risks during high speed maneuvers. Back in May, the Lexus LS 600h and the LS460 halted its production and units were recalled.

In June, it was the turn of the HS 250h sedan. July involved recalls of 7 models due to defects with the engine.

The Lexus brand has been struggling to stand up from these recalls. Unless they are able to manage the damage well, we can expect the premium brand of Toyota to lose its crown to the German brand.

The story about the move of Mitsubishi has some odd details behind it with rumors that the carmaker planned to scrap the Lancer EVO model while there are also rumors that it will no longer release petrol variants of the Evolution but instead focus on a diesel-electric hybrid.

If Mitsubishi is really planning to make an EVO which is a diesel-only or a diesel-eletric hybrid, this will keep the car from mainstream competition of motor-sport. The move will also make it hard to push it in the markets of Japan and the United States. One good news though will be keeping its carbon dioxide emission down the line of 200 grams per kilometer.

The diesel-electric Lancer EVO will most likely go from 0 to 100 km/h below five seconds. This model is rumored to still have the AWD system that gives the car a great performance.

The Subaru plan seems definite with an Impreza STi on the works due for 2012. This new model will have a diesel powerplant which will be a beefed up version of the current 2.0L diesel engine used by the Impreza lineup.

There are also rumors that the 4-cylinder engine of the STi will be downsized to a turbocharged 1.5L engine. This move will also keep the STi from joining rally tourneys.

Let’s wait and see. We will keep you posted!

Now, of course, I am not talking about the rain that is just a few droplets, I am actually referring to rain that is hard and heavy.  When you are in this type of downpour, there are some tips and tricks that you want to make sure that you are following in order to stay safe.

For one, you want to make sure that you allow way more traveling time – that way, you can ensure that you still get to your destination in time and that you do it safely.  You also want to brake a heck of a lot earlier and with a lot less force, that way your brakes do not slip.

I am having a few problems.

There is drool all over my keyboard, for one thing. For another, I cannot quite seem to pick up my jaw from off of the floor.

I mean, oh em gee times three. OMG OMG OMG!

The Porsche 918 Spyder concept is So. Effing. Hot.

There are a computer of skeletons in the closet of its creation, but eh, who cares?

I just want to be able to look at it. Because heaven knows I don’t have a shot in H. E. Double hockey sticks of ever getting to drive it or anything.