The details of the SUV were not yet revealed during a breakfast meeting with Land Rover dealers in Orlando, Florida. Without the details, the tag price of the new Land Rover LRX is not yet determined. The LRX is expected to widen the market base of the brand especially since it will also be the most efficient of the cars in the Land Rover garage.

Official photos were released by the car manufacturer and we have hits that it will be coming out with diesel, gasoline, and hybrid variants.

The hybrid and gasoline LRX will head to the United States while the diesel version might be offered in the European market.

The LRX concept was revealed during the 2008 auto show in Detroit. The concept vehicle then had a 2.0L hybrid diesel engine running on biodiesel and has a mileage of 60 mpg. We might need to wait a while before seeing this powertrain in production since it will cost a lot to combine electric drives with diesel.

The car may also be equipped with a start stop technology to further boost its fuel savings feature and decrease its emissions. The designers might also use carbon fiber to cut down the weight of the SUV.

The Halewood plant of Land Rover is tasked to start production of the 2012 LRX by next year.

The GMC Granite is dubbed by the carmaker as an urban-industrial wagon designed specifically for young professionals. The Granite has gets its styling lines from all over the GMC range, and it has some similarities to other successful wagons like the Scion xB and the 2010 Kia Soul.

The designer of the Granite compares the vehicle to an urban loft and true enough it has its modernist feel—tall headlamps, almost a vertical rear, truckish grille, and other details for the interior dominated by suede and cream shaded plastic.

The GMC Granite concept is linked to the Chevrolet Orlando by the 138 horsepower 4-cylinder 1.4L engine which is coupled with 6-speed automatic gearbox.

If this wagon from GMC goes on production, it will be the smallest car from the carmaker ever. When it was previewed during a backgrounder at the GM studio, the Granite concept was a lot similar o the larger Acadia and 2010 Terrain Crossover. The Granite is about 2 feet shorter than the crossover Terrain. It is 70.3 inches wide, 60.5 inches tall with a wheelbase of 103.6 inches.

The rear doors of the GMC Granite take a similar rear hinged design like that of the Honda Element. This conveys the openness of the interior of the vehicle which can accommodate big passengers or big cargo with its flexible interior.

The news first popped on the Twitter page of InsideLine without revealing the name of the GM insider tipster, the confirmation of the news item is said to be accurate and the CTS-V sportwagon is well on its way to the assembly line. So Cadillac fans are rejoicing with the availability of the CTS from the sporty coupe to a functional wagon.

The most likely target of the Cadillac sport wagon will be Europe where there is a big market for stylish wagons. The CTS-V can help the American brand build a following in Europe and widen their global customer base.

The company re-analyzed the V version of the CTS Sport Wagon since there are not much takers in their North American market. This is also true why other car makers like Audi and BMW did not force the issue with their touring wagons in North America. Benz tried its luck with the E63 AMG but the sales figures is struggling hard and barely making double digits each year. Even American brands like Dodge which push for the Magnum and the variant SRT-8 went flop.

Cadillac is hoping to have a different story for their sport wagon since they will be putting a cheaper tag price compared to their foreign competitions. Some expect the sticker to range between $60K and $65K which will still very competitive to snatch some sales from Mercedes Benz’ Estate Wagon which has $20K more on its bumper.

The team responsible for the new Defender is working with their drawing boards covered under the moniker Project Icon. The goal is to update the old Defender and apply principles of modern design to make its lines more appealing to today’s consumers. Land Rover wants to keep the vehicle simple and preserve its capability for which the Defender is known for.

The new Defender might avoid the aluminum body but instead borrow some concept from the rugged steel body works of the Range Rover and the Discovery. Most of its current siblings in the garage are going for the lighter aluminum but the ruggedness of the Defender might just be calling for a harder shell.

It will initially be assembled in England but the car maker has plans to spread production in China, India, and Russia.

The upgrade of the Defender to T5 chassis will involve installing independent suspension, air or steel springs, and a choice between soft or hard roofing. The engine will most likely from the range of six or four cylinders running on diesel.

Most likely, the new Defender will not touch the American shore. The last stint of the vehicle on U.S. grounds was during the 1990s.

There are many important things to keep in mind when it comes to auto insurance for vintage limousines. If you aren’t careful in what kind of insurance and coverage you choose, then if something happens you may find out the hard way that your bad decisions will result in you losing a lot of money. You will probably have to ask around before you even find insurance companies that even offer insurance for vintage limousine, because vintage coverage is just not something that every insurance company is involved with.

Insurance premiums will vary greatly between vintage limousines that are used for private purposes and those that are used for business purposes. The more you intend to drive, the higher the insurance premium will be. A vintage limousine that is used as part of a business will also need more coverage, higher insurance amounts and a premium that will cover the equity value. You need vintage car insurance – but on another level!

The make and features of the vintage limousine also influence the auto insurance policy. Since a vintage limousine is expensive to repair, you need good insurance that has little co-pay or you may end up spending a lot before the insurance will take over paying repairs from an accident.

In Sioux Falls, drivers will have an interval of 13.5 years in between road accidents. That is about 2.5 times longer than the 5.1 years of safely driving in Washington, D.C.

The figures are based on the study made annually by Allstate. The survey coined “America’s Most Improved Driving City” looks into the collision frequency in the 200 biggest cities in the U.S.

This year the cities of Arlington, Texas, Lexington-Fayette in Kentucky, and Alexandria, Virginia are considered the most improved placed to drive in this year. Comparing the list last year, oddly, 5 cities in Virginia also got in.

The mid portion of the mainland U.S. seems to be a safer zone for drivers. These cities which often have slippery roads during winter ironically top the list. Some New Jersey cities on the other hand are among the worst roads to drive on.

Among the bigger cities, Phoenix is considered as among the safest where the average is 8.8% above the average nationwide. On the other side of the coin, Washington D.C. is considered as among the riskiest roads of America together with other cities like San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.

Allstate uses their claim data collected in the last two years to analyze the chances of collisions on the roads of the different states.

Throughout its history, Nisssan has had many relationships with other automakers from around the world. In fact, in the 1930s when cars were first being built, the technology used for it all came from the United States as did the chief designer of the cars. From 1993 up until 2002, Ford was also working with the Nissan company and a result were two minivans, one sold under each company name, that were built exactly the same and used the same parts. Since 2008, the French automaker Renault owns a large part of Nissan. This working together with companies around the world has greatly influenced the Nissan cars which are now the third best selling Asian make on the market.

Although built for the Asian markets originally, Nissan cars were shown around the world during the 1950s at car shows. Although at first slow selling, the small cars were soon improved and the model lines expanded. Nissan cars were even used in races which caught the attention of many around the world.

Nissan has since that time made cars that keep up with the times and demands of consumers. Therefore, a full range of vehicles is offered from economy sized to full sized pickup trucks and even sports cars. On top of that, Nissan offers a wide variety of trims, engines and styling for their popular cars.

Infiniti released the official tag price for its 2009 EX35 crossover starting at $33800 as it rolled out of dealerships. The new EX35 provides more standard and safety features.

The RWD base model at $33800 provides standard leather seats, roof rails, HVAC vents on the rear, and a reverse camera. The AWD that has the same features has a sticker of $36000.

The RWD Journey variant sells for $35200 which comes with some upgrades like the 6-disc CD entertainment system, steering column enhanced with telescoping capabilities, automatic climate control, and a coat hanger on the head rest of the driver. The AWD Journey tops the list at $37400.

Consumers can also opt in for an AVM or Around View Monitor which helps drivers dealing with blind spots during parking through cameras installed on the side and rear of the vehicle.

A technology package is also available. This upgrade gives the driver warning systems for lane departure and forward collision, cruise control, and brake assist. Other upgrades consist of a navigation system and 18 inch wheels.

All of the EX35 crossover models come standard with a 3.5L 297hp V6 engine. The 3.7L variant with a 305 hp output is not yet in the U.S. but is currently being marketed in Europe.

The 2010 Cadillac SRX which is believed to be the top rival of the EX crossover has a slightly higher price of $34155. Auto industry experts are waiting to see how the new EX will help GM reclaim the segments of the luxury SUVs and crossovers. Other competitors are the BMW X3, Lexus RX, and the Infiniti EX.

Sadly, another car company is raising the white flag. Karmann, who has become famous for the conversion of its Karman Ghia, is finally shutting it doors. Almost a year has passed with back to back bankruptcy scares, closures, and purchase.

Of course, the next possible step is filing for bankruptcy. However, the firm is not yet certain if Karmann would take the alternate route.

While Karmann holds contracts for other companies, the latest model it built was the Mercedes-Benz CLK, which the E-Class Coupe replaced.

Sadly, the convertible rolled off Karmann’s assembly earlier this week. According the a report in The Straits Times, with the parting of the last Karmann-built model, the world is not guessing whether a successful comeback for Karmann is possible, in the hands, of course, of one or more new owners.

The sudden closure of Karmann was followed by a fight with IG Metall, the company’s workers union. However, the global financial crisis that hit the industry hard gets the blame for it has reduced the production dramatically.

Few of Karmann’s most valuable produce are as follows: Mercedes CLK, Beetle, Ford Escort, and a few Audi cabrios. The models have given Karmann roughly 3.3 million since 1949. Today, however, we have to wait to see what path Karmann would take.

The Continental Supersports highlights its flex-fuel capabilities and soon Bentley will unveil greener features like aids to upgrade the aerodynamics and deactivation system for the engine’s cylinder.

Recently, the car manufacturer said goodbye to its famous Arnage flagship but Bentley has ambitious foresights to upgrade its fleet. There are talks about the production of a super Arnage by the end of 2010 which will be a bigger car, more luxurious ride, and more fuel efficient with its cylinder deactivation technology.

Cylinder deactivation is engineered to decrease fuel consumption dramatically by sealing off individual chambers of combustion when the demand for power is low. An innovative superheat and high pressure technology will also be used to curve the ideal lines for the most effective aerodynamics.

The super Arnage will be powered by a V8 engine that is coupled with an 8-speed gearbox. The configuration of the powerplant has not been revealed so everyone is still guessing if will be twin-tubocharged or supercharged.

Bentley may go on a hiatus from September 2009 before going full blast with the production of the replacement for the Arnage. The new Bentley Arnage model is set to be unveiled this August during the Concours d’ Elegance in Pebble Beach California.

I’m a big Bentley fan – and I’m sure quite a few people are. For more things Bentley, check out our favorite Bentley Blog.