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Following the teaser shots circulating online recently, Renault-Samsung has officially unveiled the new SM7 concept at the Seoul Motor Show. The current SM7 model has been on the market since 2004. Designed to preview the production model, the concept features a coupe-like profile with a prominent grille. Modern LED lighting units are present as expected. The red lighting stripe which stretches across the boot reminds me of the Saab 9-5. Nice touch. I hope that the integrated dual exhaust system makes it to the production version. Specifications haven't been announced, but the car reportedly rides on the D platform which underpins the Nissan Maxima / Nissan Teana (JDM). This means engine options will likely include a 2.5-liter V6 with 182 hp and 232 Nm of torque as well as a 3.5-liter V6 that develops 251 hp and 335 Nm of torque. The new SM7 is expected to arrive in production form in the second half of 2011. There are no plans for selling the car in Europe, since Renault says it doesn't intend to have a bigger car than the Latitude in its range.

Wearnes Automotive, which represents brands like Renault, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, Bentley and Bugatti in Singapore, held a Media Nite recently to announce the addition of two more brands to their portfolio. The two brands, McLaren and Infiniti, are without doubt highly-anticipated, and local car enthusiasts can most certainly look forward to a slew of exciting new cars arriving this year. The biggest news has to be the impending arrival of McLaren, for the first time ever in Singapore officially. McLaren's debut supercar to be launched here will be the MP4-12C, which is expected to arrive by the end of this year. Unfortunately Wearnes didn't have an example to showcase at the event, but they did display a customer's McLaren F1, which was breathtaking nonetheless. Beside it was another customer car, a limited edition carbon fibre-bodied Bugatti Veyron, one of only five in the world. Infiniti themselves also made their presence known with its FX SUV, which will go on sale along with the M-Series sedan before the year is out. Other highlights at the event include the Range Rover Evoque, which too wasn't available on display. But a funky wire mesh version was created and placed on a rotating turntable in a room with a disco-like setting. The Evoque is scheduled to go on sale in Singapore by the third quarter of this year, and is targeted at the youthful set who likes a bit of ruggedness with their sporty and stylish lifestyle. There was also a Red Bull Racing F1 car on show outside the premises, to underline the sporty pretensions of the brands under Wearnes Autmotive's hold. The Red Bull F1 car is powered by a Renault engine, and carries Infiniti sponsorship logos. All in all, it was an exciting night, made even more so with such amazing automotive gems on display. But it certainly can't beat the tantalising prospects of the new cars that will soon arrive on our shores.

[extract] Don

Normally, when news of a new Porsche breaks out, I don't really pay much attention. To me, they all seem one and the same, with either more power, or less equipment, or stripped out for racing. It's like a ready-made news template. However, when I read about the new Panamera Turbo S, I took a while to catch my breath. The Panamera is most definitely a love-it-or-hate-it car. While I'm not exactly a fan of its looks (as are many people I'm sure), I actually quite like the idea of a Porsche that can carry a family of four in comfort (albeit a rich family). I feel pretty much the same way about the Cayenne SUV as well. The Panamera Turbo S, which was revealed by Porsche this week, is the fastest Panamera model yet. And it certainly packs a hell of a lot of punch, going by the figures released. 542bhp makes it more powerful than Mercedes-Benz's own powerhouse luxury performance sedan, the S63 AMG. But the most astonishing figure is that the Panamera Turbo S can rocket from 0-100km/h in just 3.8 seconds, even faster than the stripped-down, hardcore Porsche 911 GT3 RS. This is a car that weighs well over 1.8 tonnes, remember. Top speed is rated at a pretty amazing 307km/h, a speed which unfortunately will not be seen anywhere except for the derestricted German Autobahns, or if someone is mad enough to take this hefty sedan around a race track. This car is definitely going onto my list of "cars I have to try before I die".

Large sedans are image bearers for the people that use them as well as the car manufacturers that sell them. This is the same with Chinese car manufacturers and the GAC Trumpchi is GAC's latest large sedan. Now over here in this part of South East Asia Chinese automobiles have a small presence limited to small hatchbacks like the Chana Era and the Hafei Lobo and small family sized sedans like the Geely CK and the Chery A5 (pictured below). The 1.6liter A5 (sounds so much like an Audi moniker) is the largest 'made in China' car that you can buy over here these days but what you get is a decent sized car with a tacky extra large chrome grill (for added 'bling' even though its more 'bleargh' than 'bling'), a tacky slab sided dashboard that is all hard plastics, cream and grey (read utterly dull, uninspired and ultra cheap looking), slightly harsh engine note and suspect handling all rolled into one 'value for money' package. And this is one of their biggest and 'best' looking made in China 4 door sedan sold over here, mind you. Anyway, feel free to disagree about what I wrote above as the people over at GAC (part of the Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group Co Ltd) have come up with the impressive looking Trumpchi. The name may sound like an anagram of TOP TRUMP CHINA. Corny. Very Corny. This large 4 door sedan is an in-house design development. It is very proportioned and has a certain flair to it. It may be like a mix of a Kia Optima, Nissan Cefiro/Teana, some Audi cues, the previous Hyundai Sonata, Honda Accord and parts of a BMW 5 series but it looks pretty original. Maybe it's because GAC and its subsidiaries license manufacture, assemble and/or jointly sell Toyota Camrys, Hondas, Fiats and Isuzu. So many sources and influences to steal, er, borrow designs from. I quite like the strong character line that starts off curving round the front wheel arch which continues all the way to the rear of the car. Anyway, the Trumpchi (boy, it really needs a better name) is said to come in a 1.8liter engine as well as a 2.0liter 4 cylinder 16 valve engine that is reported to give pretty bad (or not?) fuel consumption

According to a recent report, Saab will launch five new models by the end of 2013. On sale later this year, the redesigned 9-5 sedan will attempt to establish Saab as a legitimate player in the mid-size luxury segment. It faces an uphill battle against established players such as the A6 and 5 series but has sleek styling, a long wheelbase, and a modern interior. In 2011, Saab will launch the 9-5 Estate and the 9-4X crossover. The latter shares underpinnings with the Cadillac SRX and will be produced in Mexico. Unlike the 9-7X, the 9-4X will be available in Europe. A year later in 2012, the Swedish automaker will introduce the redesigned 93. Expected to be offered as a three- and five-door hatchback, the 93 will ride on a modified version of the Epsilon I platform with parts sourced from various automakers instead of GM parts bin. Last but not least, Saab will introduce the highly-anticipated 92 in 2013. It will ride on another automaker's platform and feature styling inspired by the original 92. It is expected to be slightly more expensive than the MINI Cooper.