New Saab 9-3

Saab is flying high on news of a rescue deal worth £88million. A further cash injection, totalling nearly £300million, is also on the table – and now we’ve got the first image of the car hoping to keep the Swedish firm’s fortunes on the up: the new Saab 9-3.

The financial lifeline has come from Chinese car makers Pang Da and Youngman, and follows months of wrangling.
The news has kick-started long-dormant plans to replace the top-selling 9-3 and launch a new 9-1, aimed at the MINI and Audi A1.
According to official company documents, there are plans for three and five-door versions of the 9-1. Saab also wants to build a large SUV called the 9-7, and plans to bring the 9-4X SUV to the UK have also been revived.

Our image of the new 9-3 shows what owners can expect from the model that’s tipped to become a top seller for the brand. It first surfaced on a Swedish website that had intercepted a copy of Saab’s business presentation to the European Investment Bank in January this year.
The new 9-3 is expected to launch towards the end of next year and will come with a variety of petrol and diesel engines, as well as a choice of manual and automatic gearboxes. At least one of the planned engines – a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol – will come from BMW.
The newcomer is based on an all-new chassis, which was developed independently of Saab’s previous owner General Motors. Both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive hybrid versions will be available.
Inside, Saab will debut its advanced IQon infotainment system, which uses Google’s Android operating software to provide sat-nav and audio.
This system will also allow users to access their E-mails and download apps that deliver online content on the move.
The new 9-3’s striking looks are clearly inspired by the PhoeniX concept that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, but also take cues from the larger 9-5.

That means there’s a greater focus on giving the car a sporty look, with boldly defined wheel arches, turbine-style alloy wheels and a coupe-like roofline.
The biggest changes can be seen at the rear of the car, which gets a curvier design than its predecessors, with stylish, narrow tail-lamps.

Designed by American Jason Castriota, the 9-3 is described by insiders as a “sportcombi”. Auto Express understands this means the car will be a five-door hatchback, rather than a four-door saloon.
It will offer seating for five adults, plus a practical boot and spacious cabin. Previously, Saab has admitted it was planning estate and convertible versions, and it’s understood that these are still under development.
For an alternative review of the latest Saab 9-3 visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

New Audi TT sketch

The new Audi TT could be set to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of November, according to the latest rumours.

The story has been given a further boost by the appearance of a single sketch on a Dutch blog website that claims to show the car’s rear.
Our exclusive main image is based on that picture, and shows more clearly what TT fans can expect from the new coupe.
If the original image proves accurate, the rear of the car will combine shapes from the acclaimed 2010 Audi quattro concept, mixed in with more up-to-date detailing from the recent e-tron electric concepts.

Audi is denying that it knows anything about the car, hinting that the focus at Tokyo will be on a five-door version of the A1. Yet Audi chose the Japanese show to reveal a previous TT concept, the Shooting Brake, in 2005.
Under the latest plan, the TT is set to move upmarket. While the current car uses chassis and engine components from the VW Golf, the new model is expected to feature an advanced mixed steel and aluminium chassis.
The original’s front-engined, four-wheel-drive layout would remain, but this move would develop the TT as a Porsche Boxster and Mercedes SLK rival.
Bigger, more powerful engines are planned, including a twin-charged 2.0-litre, offering up to 300bhp. A fully electric version is also under development.
Moving the TT upmarket would allow the VW Group to develop a smaller two-seat roadster, based on the BlueSport concept, which could eventually wear Skoda, SEAT, VW and Audi badges.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 V.S. 2011 BMW M3

The first photos of the facelifted 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG leaked on the interwebs today way ahead of its official unveiling at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. As the BMW M3 Sedan received a design facelift in 2009, the 2012 C63 AMG goes through a series of cosmetic changes.

On the outside, the C63 AMG gets a set of SL-inspired headlamps. Car’s front fascia is new with rectangular daytime running lights, a wider center opening, a reduction in vertical gill count to one per side—and includes a grille with one fewer horizontal bar.

At the rear-end, LED taillights match the flashy front-end. The C63 AMG leaked features one of the Development Package models, which is visually differentiated by its carbon-fiber trunklid spoiler and two-piece front brake rotors with red calipers all around. The rear fascia also features a black diffuser portion now extending a little more up the bumper.

The standard car will wear a new twin-five-spoke 18-inch wheel design. Inside, the C63 gets the same updates as the C-Class models: a reworked dash with a 5.8-inch central display running a new interface and a crisp 4.5-inch color display in the gauge pod. AMG opted to retain the 6.2-liter V8 instead of fitting its new 5.5-liter biturbo mill, so output remains at 451 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. The Development Package will reportedly stick around for 2012, raising output to 481 hp and nixing the 155 mph limiter to allow the C63 to top out at 174 mph.
The 2012 C63 AMG will go on sale this fall. Pricing hasn’t yet been announced, but car magazines speculate a price point around $61,000.
As with any new Mercedes or other competitors’ cars, we put together a comparison against its counterpart in the BMW lineup, in this case, the 2011 BMW M3 Sedan, E90 bodystyle.
In our opinion, the C63 AMG facelift is quite successful with design lines close to the SL model. The front-end is more aggressive and imposing. Inside, the new interior is a step-up from the previous iteration