+++ New details are starting to emerge about the next generation AUDI RS6 Avant. The estate will feature the company's new twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine. It develops 520 hp and 650 Nm of torque in the S8, but sources are indicating it will produce 580 hp and 700 Nm of torque in the RS6. The engine will reportedly be connected to 8-speed automatic transmission or new 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. We can also expect an all-wheel drive system and an active rear differential with torque vectoring technology. If everything pans out, the RS6 should be able to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in less than 4.5 seconds. +++ Due to an uncertain economic future, FIAT has announced they are unable to "give any indications concerning future investments". In essence, Fiat has temporarily halted new investments over concerns that the Euro crisis isn't going away anytime soon. This will likely cause a number of product delays, but the company won't release details until later this year. Despite the disappointing news, Fiat has confirmed that several new models are still on track. First and foremost, the Grugliasco plant has already begun producing prototypes of new Maserati Quattroporte ahead of its launch at the end of the year. +++ MAZDA has started production of the all-new '6' (in Japan known as Atenza), fully redesigned for the first time in 5 years, at the company’s Hofu Plant No. 2, in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The new 6/Atenza features both SkyActiv Technology and Kodo (Soul of Motion design). It is the first model to be equipped with Mazda’s unique brake energy regeneration system, i-Eloop. The new 6/Atenza will be introduced to Europe and Japan before the end of 2012, followed by other markets starting with the U.S. at the beginning of 2013. +++ The successor of the NISSAN 370Z is tipped to get a more powerful 4-cylinder turbo engine and it will also have a lower curb weight compared to the current model. Nissan's new flagship coupe promises to be better to drive since it will be smaller and lighter than the current 370Z, while the company's design boss Shiro Nakamura has said that the upcoming Z-car must be leaner so that it would be more attractive to a wider array of customers. While the 370Z has a V6 3,7 liter engine, the successor is expected to get a 4-cylinder turbocharged unit that will provide a similar level of performance thanks to the lower weight. We should expect to see a 0-100 km/h sprint in approximately 6 seconds, while CO2 emissions will be considerably lower. Nakamura also mentioned that Nissan has already started working on a concept for the 370Z successor, which is expected to make its first appearance sometime in 2014 at a major car show. Various sources were indicating that Nissan is also working on a successor for the 200SX to tackle the Subaru BRZ, Toyota GT 86 and the Scion FR-S, but taking into account that the new Z-car will be smaller and leaner, a new 200SX probably won't be necessary. +++ The U.S. PREMIUM sales race is heating up as BMW is just 104 units ahead of Mercedes-Benz. According to the latest figures, BMW sold 147,905 vehicles in the United States during the first 7 months of the year. Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, moved 147,801 units. These represent increases of 9.4 and 14 percent, respectively. As we have previously reported, BMW won the luxury sales crown last year by outselling Mercedes-Benz by 2,715 vehicles. +++ TOYOTA raised its sales target for this year to 9.76 million vehicles and reported a strong recovery in quarterly profit, underlining its bounce back from a disaster plagued 2011. Toyota said April-June profit zoomed to 290.3 billion yen from 1.1 billion yen the year before. Its new sales target would represent a 23% increase from the 7.95 million vehicles sold in 2011, and is 180,000 vehicles more than what Toyota gave in February. The car maker’s quarterly sales soared nearly 60% to 5.5 trillion yen, rebounding from a sales crash that all Japanese automakers suffered after the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan in March last year. Toyota said quarterly vehicle sales nearly doubled from the year before to 2.3 million vehicles as sales rose in regions including North America, Europe, Japan and the rest of Asia. The regaining of U.S. market share is crucial for Toyota as that is where it makes the bulk of its profits. Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan, Lexus luxury model and Prius hybrid, has had hard times in the past several years, including recalls of more than 14 million vehicles that began three years ago and came amid faltering global demand from the financial crisis. The March 11 disasters in Japan, followed by the floods in Thailand, added to Toyota’s hardships. But Toyota has been recovering. For the first half of this year, it regained its spot as the world’s top automaker in global vehicle sales, beating U.S. rival General Motors, although Toyota officials have played down the importance of being No. 1. Toyota said it carried out cost cuts totaling 70 billion yen for the quarter, offsetting the negative effect of a strong yen, which erased 40 billion yen from operating income. A strong currency hurts Japanese exporters such as Toyota by eroding the value of overseas earnings. +++ The BMW X6 proved cross-overs could be successful even if they skimped on capability in the name of fashion. This has spawned a new segment that will soon be flush with entries such as the Audi Q6 and Mercedes-Benz MLC. Now, Autobild is reporting that VOLKSWAGEN is "seriously" considering joining the fray with a new model that could be called the Touareg CC. Little is known about the cross-over, but it would likely be based on the next-generation model and have coupe-like styling. The model could be launch as early as 2015, so expect to learn more in the coming months. +++