Audi Q4 ‘Coupe’ SUV previewed in design sketches

Is this Audi Concept, heading for Beijing, the new Audi Q4 Audi are taking the ‘Design Sketch’ route for their tease of a new concept heading for this month’s Beijing Motor Show, which almost certainly portray a concept version of a forthcoming Audi Q4. Apart from the sketches, Audi are being tight-lipped about what they’re taking to Beijing, but it certainly looks like a high-riding SUV concept with a more coupe roofline than either the Q3 or Q5. In fact, this new Audi Concept looks very like the Audi Allroad Shooting Brake Concept we saw at Detroit in January and points firmly to Audi looking to extenbd its reach in to ‘Lifestyle’ SUVs with more desighn than practicality.Which is no surprise – Audi love a niche, especially one that’s growing.

Swedish court rejects Saab creditor-protection plea; Saab will appeal

A Swedish court on Thursday rejected an application by ailing carmaker Saab for protection from creditors to give it breathing space to solve a cash crisis and get funds from Chinese investors. The Vanersborg district court in western Sweden said in a statement on its Web site that there was no reason to believe a new creditor protection process, known as a reconstruction, would work. Saab said in a statement that it is disappointed with the ruling and will appeal the decision.

1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ fetches £1.96 million

A 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ sold for £1.96 million as the star of R.M. Auction’s 2012 London sale. Star sale of the night in Battersea was a hugely desirable 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ by Carrozzeria Scaglietti which managed to reach £1.96 million (although a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Alloy Gullwing failed to sell at £2.4 million), but there were plenty of other lots reaching decent prices too.