Arizona auctions: Early days filled with optimism

The sun kept shining--both as a metaphor and in reality--while the cars were selling at the Arizona auctions. As of late Thursday, Barrett-Jackson had completed three of its six days of sales. Preliminary numbers assembled by on-site reporters indicate total sales of $20.2 million at the halfway mark, with 100 percent of the 656 cars on offer sold.

Lexus plans small crossover

Lexus plans to show a production-ready compact SUV to rival the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 at the 2014 Geneva motor show, a company source said. The hybrid model, which will be based on the redesigned Toyota RAV4, will slot below the Lexus RX 450h. It was unclear if or when the vehicle would come to North America.

New Audi Q7 (2013) to shed weight. But no Audi Q9 planned.

The 2013 Audi Q7 will be much lighter than the current Q7 The Audi Q7 was rather late to the SUV party of the noughties, not hitting the road until 2005. That meant the Q7 had a bit of an edge when it launched, as it was newer than its competition, but it also means the Q7 is still soldiering on when its competition has already launched newer, shinier models. But Audi are working on fixing that, and fixing the biggest criticism of the Q7 in the process – its sheer weight and size.