Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans Concept

The age of the diesel supercar has dawned. Ferrari should worry.

Matte Black BMW in Abu Dubai

This matte black BMW Lumma CLR 500 RS was spotted in Abu Dhabi, and it looks much better than the orange version revealed by Lumma last year. Like yesterday’s BMW X6, some things just look much better in matte black.

The CLR 500 RS is powered by V10 engine that delivers 560 HP. Top speed is 203 mph.

Rolls Royce Sales up 42.8%

Credit crunch, what credit crunch? Maybe for us, but not for the rich and richer. While most automakers are in the process of tightening their collective belt, Rolls Royce is seeing its sales soar this year and it's getting ready to hire more workers to keep up with demand. Last month the British brand delivered 129 cars which represents growth of 7,5 percent compared to the same month in 2007. From January through September of this year, BMW Group-owned Rolls-Royce has delivered a total 827 vehicles to customers, achieving a gain of 42.8% over the previous year (579 units).

Commenting on the economic situation (we call it meltdown), Rolls Royce CEO Tom Purves said: “We’ve had a very good year. Nobody’s immune, and we certainly don’t think we’re immune, but we do think we have a certain degree of insulation.”

Dodge TriCharger: Two Door Charger

Force Performance answered the question no one asked: what would a two-door Dodge Charger look like? Despite this, the TriCharger does offer several useful modifications.

The engine was replaced with a new HEMI V8 engine featuring FAST XFI Engine Management Twin GT40 turbochargers and a Magna Charger Supercharger Custom EFI Blower Intake. Due to these components the car was named TriCharger. For better stability the car features a lowered suspension while in order to stop in time a new set of Brembo brakes were added. Although there is no official word about production or pricing, it may just be easier to put the engine in an established (similar-looking) Dodge product, like maybe the CHALLENGER.

BMW May Be Planning X4

BMW has been aggressively expanding its vehicle offerings, and like most other automakers, crossovers make up the majority of additions. Earlier this year, team Bimmer added the X6, and with the X1 concept unveiled in Paris, mild-to-wild CUVs seem to be the focus for the boys in Bavaria. Automotive News is reporting that the SAV love will continue next year when BMW unleashes the X4. Design elements are said to come from the larger X6, which is to say that it'll probably look like a really tall hatchback. The X1 concept and the production X3 are based off of the excellent 3-Series platform, and we're guessing the X4 will also don the sharp-handling underpinnings.

If this is what BMW needs to do in order to remain the world's top-selling luxury automaker, we're not so sure it's worth the trouble. The X1 will probably sell relatively well, but it will do so with underwhelming sheet metal. An X4 based off the X6 sounds like an even worse proposition, but then again, we didn't think the X6 was a bright idea either.

2009 Dodge Charger Cop Car Gets More Power

The boys in blue will be happy to know that a new, more powerful interceptor has just hit the streets. Just like the civilian version, the 2009 Dodge Charger police car benefits from Chrysler's tweaked 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine that produces 368 HP and 395 lb.-ft. of torque, or 28HP and 5 pounds of torque more than the 2007 model. As before, departments with a lower budget have the option of the basic version that gets a 250 HP 3.5 V6 engine.

Compared to the civilian version, the cop-spec Dodge Charger's features include performance-tuned steering and suspension, heavy-duty seats to accommodate fully equipped (or...fully-sized) officers, a column-mounted shift lever Load-leveling, height-control shock absorbers and a severe-duty cooling system.

Corvette ZR1 Cancellation Rumor

The rumor weed is abroad everywhere, and sometimes it can spread like crazy. This appears to be one of those times. The DigitalCorvettes.com forum posted a note earlier this day saying that Corvette ZR1 production has been halted (Bowling Green is shut down this week, so no Vettes are being built at the moment) and suggesting that the ZR1 may be cancelled. A post on dealer Rick "Corvette" Conti's blog, linked in the referenced DigitalCorvettes thread, added to the intrigue. Autoblog.com has contacted GM's Terry Rhadigan, who handles global communications for the Chevrolet brand. We presented the DigitalCorvettes link and asked for an official response. His was very clear: "Not true."