Audi developing sporty Q6 crossover

Audi is reportedly working on a new crossover which will slot in between the Q5 and the Q7 and give competition to BMW’s X6. Automotive News Europe magazine has confirmed this bit of information from Walter de’Silva, the design chief with the Volkswagen Group. While Audi has a rival for all of Mercedes and BMW’s vehicles a sports crossover would enable it to widen its offerings and tap into the lucrative though niche segment. Odds are that the new crossover would be named the Q6 and will share its platform with the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne.

What a new Volvo P1800 looks like

Volvo's design chief Christopher Benjamin is apparently a fan of the classic P1800. You know the one. Sir Wobbly-Eyebrow Moore drove a P1800 in The Saint. Well, after having a chat with some people on an Internet called Twitter - and to celebrate the car's 50th anniversary - Mr Benjamin sketched out how he imagines a modern day P1800 would look. And judging by the reaction garnered on Facebook, the Internet is lightly enamoured with it. But bear in mind this is the same Internet that enjoys the delights of a dog on a skateboard. Volvo is very unlikely to put such a low volume coupe into production any time soon, but if - if - it ever did, we'd more than like to see it sporting the same engine and drivetrain as that fabulous C30 Polestar; the bonkers little 400bhp all-wheel-drive monster built by Volvo's official Swedish race outfit. TopGear drives the Volvo C30 Polestar If you can remember, the Polestar C30 could hit 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds (possibly even faster) and lap Volvo's test track quicker than a Mitsubishi Evo X. It also sounded like half an old F1 engine, and that is a Very Good Thing. What does Top Gear's Internet make of these sketches? And would you like to see a new P1800, or are you of the opinion it should be left alone? After all, Volvo left the P1800 literally unchanged for its entire production run. Wonder if Sir Roger would've preferred an Interceptor like his successor, Simon Dutton...

DMC Goes Carbon Crazy On The Ferrari California

Fairly or not, the Ferrari California has gained a reputation in many circles as the "chick's" Ferrari. So when tuning the sporty coupe, shops have two potential directions: give in to the feminine image and make a car even more female-friendly or fight the image and aim to create a Ferrari that any man would be proud to drive, no matter what anyone else has to say about it. Fresh off of what's sure to be one of the hottest tunes all winter, German tune shop DMC chose the latter route for what it's calling the Ferrari California 3S Silver Carbon Fiber. Carbon fiber is a key component of all things masculine, from F1 race cars to rocket ships, so we think the gracious addition definitely has the California leaning in the direction of the men's aisle. The fact that the carbon is in simple, understated silver doesn't hurt, either. The tuned California gets a variety of body components done up in silver carbon, including a front splitter, rear diffuser and rear license plate surround. Of course, no "manly" tune would be complete without a power increase, and DMC put some turbo chargers and engine modifications to work in boosting the 4.3-liter V-8's output to 598-hp (up from 454 hp). The upgraded engine gives the California's top speed a healthy increase to 202 mph (up from 193 mph). No man or woman need argue about that. A pair of ADV1 rims, 21-inch in front and 22-inch in the rear, finish the package off. If you're not a tuner sort of gal (or guy), word is that Ferrari plans its own California upgrade by early next year.