Road and Driver

New “baby Phantom” will get a 500-plus-hp turbo V-12 and an eight-speed transmission.

BY STEVE SILER

Rolls-Royce has let us in on a few more details about its upcoming RR4, the so-called “baby Phantom” previewed as the fetching 200EX concept at the 2009 Geneva auto show. While showing the car to potential customers in New York, Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves announced that the crisply styled RR4 (which won’t be its final name) will be powered by an all-new 6.6-liter V-12 with twin turbochargers and an output of more than 500 hp. A ZF eight-speed transmission will transfer the power to the wheels.

Keep Reading: More Details Released On 2010 Rolls-Royce RR4 - Official Info

Nissan’s luxury arm dishes on its plans for the future.

BY AARON ROBINSON

The windblown puddle of mercury known as the Infiniti Essence concept car shown at this year’s Geneva show tells volumes about where Nissan’s luxury division is headed both stylistically and technically. The twin-turbo 3.7-liter direct injection V-6 in the Essence will debut, sans turbos, in the redesigned M sedan due in early 2010, making about 340–350 hp. The complex direct-injection technology, in which fuel is injected directly into the cylinder rather than in the intake ports as is more common, most likely will also make its way into the G37 coupe and sedan as mid-cycle upgrades before the cars are completely redesigned in about three years. Besides making more power, gasoline direct-injection technology is also needed to meet tightening emissions and fuel-economy regulations around the world.

Where’s the Q?

As yet, Nissan remains unsure whether to replace Infiniti’s former flagship, the Q45. Infiniti’s U.S. office wants a $70,000–$80,000 car to seal its position as an aspirational luxury performance brand against Lexus, BMW, and Audi. The idea is being explored; recently, dealers from around the world visiting Japan went wild when shown a Q concept which was basically a four-door extrapolation of the fabulous Essence show car.

But Larry Dominique, Infiniti’s vice president of product planning for the U.S., says he wants to see how the economy shapes up before he decides for certain whether to invest in the project. And he has other priorities for the division’s limited resources. Mainly, he says, the division needs to keep its bread-and-butter products fresh, namely the 10Best-winning G and the M. The company also has a replacement for the QX56 sport-utility in the works, which will debut after the redesigned Nissan Armada probably later in 2010. Both trucks will be built in Japan on a traditional ladder frame shared with a new Nissan Patrol, which remains for overseas markets only.

Keep Reading: Infiniti Readies Direct Injection for M37 and G37, Unsure About New Q - Car News

As concepts, they set the stage on fire. Could they have done the same as production models?

BY TONY SWAN

Ever since World War II, they’ve spiced auto-show displays, stimulating the acquisitive glands of millions. Before the industry started calling them concepts, they were known as dream cars. That was more appropriate, really, since the idea was to get show-goers dreaming about their next new ride.

Most dream cars had at least one or two elements that eventually found their way into showroom models. But very few made it to production as complete vehicles, and those that did were substantially watered down.

There were practical reasons for this, of course. But even so, there have been many dream cars we think would have made terrific production models with little or no modification.

Keep Reading: Coulda’-Been Concepts - Feature

We may finally see the LRX concept come to life as a mini Range Rover.

BY DAVID GLUCKMAN

While our own lawmakers hem and haw about whether or not to extend further aid to the ailing U.S. auto industry, Land Rover is getting some help to make its SUV-only lineup relevant. The UK government has offered the company £27 million (roughly $37 million) toward the £400 million (about $552 million) estimated cost of bringing the LRX concept to production. Land Rover Managing Director Phil Popham says: “Clearly, the actual development cost is many multiples of £27 million, but it is a welcome investment and certainly helps in the current environment.”

First seen at last year’s Detroit show, the vehicle would be badged as a Range Rover and be smaller, lighter, and more efficient than any of the brand’s past products. Popham adds that: “The LRX is in the cycle plan and will be shown in 2010 for likely sale in 2011: diesel, hybrid, and small-capacity gasoline engines are in the plan.” Production is still dependent on final engineering validation, however.

Keep Reading: Land Rover Receives UK Grant Offer to Build Smaller, More Efficient Range Rover - Car News

This concept presages the production version of the “baby Roller.”

BY MARK GILLIES

Keep Reading: Rolls-Royce 200EX Concept -Video