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Audi to bring hybrid Q5 to U.S. in 2010

Audi will offer a hybrid version of its Q5 crossover in the United States starting in late 2010, says Wolfgang Hatz, head of powertrain development for the Volkswagen group. In an interview Sunday at the Detroit Auto Show , Hatz said Audi must offer a hybrid model to compete with rival vehicles that already offer the technology, such as the Lexus RX 400H. The BMW X6 will be offered as a hybrid late this year, and Mercedes plans to roll out a hybrid in each of its major models starting with the S400 hybrid this year.

Saab gets small payment from Youngman after yesterday’s ‘misunderstanding’

Saab gets a small payment from Youngman What on earth are we going to do once the Saab Saga is resolved? The machinations and misunderstandings surrounding Victor Muller’s increasingly desperate quest to keep Saab alive has probably provided more stories than almost anything else this year. Yesterday’s Saab episode surrounded Pangda Chairman Pang Qinghua stating that the Saab deal was no longer valid since Saab went in to court protection in Sweden, raising the prospect of one of Saab’s creditors pushing the bankruptcy button rather swiftly.

Opel/Vauxhall teases Cascada mid-size convertible

Opel/Vauxhall has given us a sneak peek of its new mid-size convertible, the Cascanda, which effectively replaces the Astra Twin Top. The Cascanda features a full-size fabric roof that can be opened or closed with one button up to speeds of 30mph and is the latest model to shun a folding hardtop in favor of the lighter and more practical soft option. The company claims this is its first D-segment cabrio for more than 70 years but, unlike them, we haven't forgotten the Cavialier Convertible of the 1980s (see pic).