A supercar for tree huggers.

An oil burner sports car? Who would’ve thought. The new Audi R8 TDI runs on a 6.0 litre V12 TDI powerplant generating 500bhp and 1,000Nm of torque. The R8 TDI Le Mans comes as standard with a shade of paint known as…Brilliant Red. Despite our reservations, the color does look vibrant and highlights the R8’s numerous design details. It sprints from 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 300km/h. The peak torque – which is usually quite low in diesel engined cars – comes in at only 1,750rpm.

Modena – February 26th, 2008. A year after the unveiling of the GranTurismo, Maserati will be back at the Geneva International Motorshow with yet another world premiere, the GranTurismo S. The ultimate expression of the Trident coupé’s sportiness shifts the emphasis onto performance and driving enjoyment. Two main novelties are at the heart of the new Maserati: the 440 HP V8 4.7 engine and the electro-actuated gearbox with fast MC-Shift arranged in the Transaxle layout typical of high-performance sports cars that represents the technological DNA of all Maseratis.The GranTurismo S makes use of the high-performance brake system developed in collaboration with Brembo and introduced for the first time in the automotive field on the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S. The system features front brake discs made with dual-cast technology — a dual casting of cast iron and aluminum, paired with aluminum mono-bloc 6-piston brake calipers, ensuring optimized braking performance.

Cashing in on the Quattroporte's global success, Maserati has commissioned both Studio M and Studio Torino to come up with a 1:4 scale model of what is to be known as the Cinqueporte. Built as a one off model for a rich Sheikh - who apparently uses specially built Italian supercars to traverse his desert off-road track - the Cinqueporte remains mechanicall unchanged from the regular Quattroporte. Aside from the revised front bumper - to make room for larger air intakes, crucial for Camel hunting season - and air dam, the Maserati looks like a love child between a Cayenne and a Quattroporte. And they said rich people have no taste.. 

Looking like a cross between a Lexus GS and an Audi A5, Mercedes' new coupe could be having an identity crisis. 

We've never been a big fan of Mercedes' CLK. In anything less than a suited up warsuit, the CLK is the very essence of a hairdresser's (or over here in Malaysia, a Datin's) car. With the car being up for replacement soon (we expect to see it no later than 2009), Mercedes-Benz is jazzing up the new CLK to be more than just a car for the ladies. Now, with a snazzy looking (read: LEXUS GS300) front end, the CLK is looking to be a suitably snooty alternative to BMW's sporty 335i or Audi's executive looking A5. Losing ground isn't an option and that's why the final test mules for the replacement CLK has been spotted cruising around the streets of Sweden. Despite what you may think of the light assemblage, Mercedes-Benz believes that it works and as rumours would have it, the new E-Class would be sharing similar frontal aspects. Hang on a sec, isn't the GS a direct competitor to the E?

Powertrain options are the usual suspects; from the lowly 200 Kompressor to the range topping AMG 63. We also heard a rumour that Mercedes' newfangled BlueTec would also be on the cards somewhere down the model's lifespan, though its unlikely that we'd be seeing it here in Malaysia even if the option was offered. Expect the CLK to house the latest COMAND system with the all the bells and whistles we've seen thus far being available as an option on the coupe.

A two seater Jaguar with Porsche aspirations? You bet. 

Fresh off the heels from the recent interest shown by Tata, Jaguar bosses have apparently given their soon to be Asian owners something to dream about. With no significant direction thus far as to what the new 911 beater will actually look like, some insiders have speculated as to how it will actually look like. Will it look like the F-type prototype? We believe so, though it’s expected that the final product will bare little – if any – resemblance to the svelte looking coupe. Using a shortened version of the XK chassis, the new sports coupe is expected to be livelier than the long legged XK. If signed off, the earliest we’d be seeing of the new sports coupe will be in 2010. Unless Tata finds a way to secure a means of speeding up this model’s development – which could go either way, since a Porsche beater isn’t likely to be a volume seller – the new coupe could end being another pipe dream.