BMW Bringing OnDemand to the U.S.

The Europeans get all of the cool stuff first, as BMW allows them to rent various BMWs, including M-Series models, hourly, daily, or weekly, as opposed to shelling out the $40,000+ required to buy one. Well, after successfully testing in the Euro market, BMW is finally bringing this system, called OnDemand, to the U.S.

Initially, the U.S. Launch will be isolated to only one dealership, BMW of Manhattan, and to one model, the 328i. BMW of Manhattan will offer up a total of 100 328is for people to rent to impress their boss, friends, or date. This system is also great for fleet companies deciding if BMW is right for them or prospective retain customers looking to take an extended test drive prior to lumping down thousands of dollars. It is pretty safe to assume that given this is the initial launch is in Manhattan, booking a rental 328i won’t be as simple as booking a Taurus from your local Avis dealer.

Given this is all successful, we will see the available lineup slowly expand. Some of the models to be added to the available rentals include the new 7-Series, X5, X6, M3, and even the M5. According to the report, however, to get premium rides, like the M3 and M5, the renter has to go through a more rigorous qualification process.

Pricing for renting the initial 328i will not be known until about August, but you can rest assured that it will not be a $20 per day rental and we bet insurance is not optional. We’ll update you once pricing is released on this new system.

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Spyker looking for additional investors for future survival

The past few months haven’t been easy for Spyker. After ending its affiliations with Saab, and changing its name back from Swedish Automobile to Spyker, the company fell on hard times. CEO Victor Muller confirmed a few months ago that investors were needed and once found, production could substantially increase.

Unfortunately, those investors never materialized and, as a result, the economic viability of Spyker has continued on its downward spiral. Spyker was recently in serious investment talks with CPP Global Holdings and North Street Capital, but both firms have gone quiet in the past few months and Spyker’s future is looking very bleak yet again.

De Telegraaf recently reported that Spyker Cars posted a net profit of $154 million in just the first 6 months of the year and consequently, one would think that finding a large investor would be a walk in the park. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

In saying that, however, Victor Muller’s statement that the company is “virtually debt free” doesn’t leave us with a great deal of confidence, as it’s clear that the firm’s undisclosed debt levels are dissuading investors from picking up the exclusive marque.

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McLaren JetSet could preview future minimalist supercar

McLaren made their intentions on creating a small, stripped-out supercar clear when they announced a design contest asking students enrolled in the Royal College of Art’s vehicle design course to imagine a minimalist McLaren supercar. Now, the winner of that contest has been chosen and may just be a starting point to McLaren’s future model.

The McLaren JetSet designed by Marianna Merenmies uses an electric motor and uses extensive amounts of carbon fiber on the chassis, body, and wheels. The concept measures just 3.7 meters long and 1.03 meters high, and has a proposed drag coefficient of 0.20.

When asked about the future model, McLaren Design boss Frank Stephenson said: "It’s about making more of less. It’s our job to push automotive technology — to make the car safer, lighter, more powerful, more efficient, eco-friendly and more fun to drive."

Expect to see the new supercar launched in 2015 with an intended price of £50,000, or about $78,000 at the current exchange rates.

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2017 Lamborghini Urus

With Porsche introducing an SUV in 2003, it was only a matter of time before the other premium sports car and supercar manufacturers joined in the fun. After years of rumors, whispers, and planning, Lamborghini is the next to cross over into the high-performance soccer mom world, AKA the SUV realm, with the oddly named Urus.

Though the name sounds odd, it is very appropriate for the model. The urus, also called the aurochs, is an ancient ancestor of the modern day cow, which went extinct in 1627. These things were massive, ranging from 61 to 71 inches tall at the shoulders and weighing in at 1,500 lbs – phew, that’s a lot of quarter pounders. This makes the urus one of the largest bulls ever recorded, which is appropriate, considering the Lamborghini Urus is almost certainly going to end up being the largest to boast the raging bull emblem.

Now that we have turned off Animal Planet, we can continue with the Lamborghini Urus and not the extinct cow relative. There is some debate as to whether Lamborghini can actually support an SUV, especially after the LM002, the original Lambo SUV, fizzled out in 1993 with only 328 models ever produced.

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W Motors preparing two new supercar models: the Hyper-Sport and the Super-Sport

This company comes by way of Beirut, Lebanon and recently, they stopped the industry on its tracks with the announcement of two supercars that will be the first pair of exotics to be exclusively built by the Middle Eastern nation.

The cars, called the Hyper-Sport and the Super-Sport, will be built by W Motors in collaboration with some of the best industry partners you can assemble, including Magna Steyr Torino, RUF Automobile, and Studiotorino. Together, they make up the team that will bring to life a pair of supercars that will be unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Details surrounding the Super-Sport have yet to be revealed so we’ll keep that on the back burner for now. As far as the Hyper-Sport is concerned, W Motors has already set a limited run of just five units for the model, with a debut expected around the end of the year.

According to W Motors, the Hyper-Sport will feature a host of ridiculous features, including a carbon fiber frame, a gold-plated hood, signature diamond-incrusted LED lights, gold or platinum keys, and a holographic display unit. Umm...wow.

On top of that, the Hyper-Sport will also come with a mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged, six-cylinder engine that will produce in excess of 70 horsepower while carrying a 0-62 mph time of just 2.8 seconds and a targeted top speed of 240 mph.

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2012 Subaru Impreza WRX Club Spec Edition

Our friends in Australia are probably stoked about getting dibs on a car that’s exclusive to them; pity for us because the said vehicle happens to be one we’re more than interested in getting our hands on.

Subaru Australia has announced that they will be releasing a special edition Impreza WRX Club Spec. It’s going to be limited to only 300 models, which means that only a select few will get their grubs on one. The Impreza WRX Club Spec carries a few distinct styling cues that will be limited to its kind, particularly the choice of a Tangerine Orange or Midnight Black exterior finish. In addition, the high-powered sedan also gets a Subaru Tecnica International spoiler, black door mirrors, Club-Spec badge, a leather interior trim with either orange or red stitching depending on the color of the vehicle you choose on the seats, back rests, and steering wheels. Rounding out the features for the WRX Club Spec are a new set of 17" alloy wheels.

Even better, Subaru is also giving prospective customers an opportunity to add optional upgrades, particularly an STI body kit that’s comprised of a front lip spoiler, a short shift gear lever kit and a flexible strut tower brace bar.

Performance modifications weren’t made on the sedan, but that shouldn’t turn off customers any bit because the WRX already produces 305 horsepower, thanks to its turbocharged, four-cylinder engine.

If you happen to be Down Under and you’re interested in this special edition Impreza WRX, prepare to shell out AUD $41,490, which is around the same figure when converted to USD.

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2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Concept Special Edition

A new special edition 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee was making the waves at the recent Houston Auto Show except that the SUV still didn’t have a name. Sounds odd, right?

Apparently, the production-ready concept vehicle is the subject of Jeep’s "Name My Ride" contest, an online competition that gives Jeep fans a chance to come up with the official name of the Grand Cherokee concept. The contest is currently being held at Jeep’s official website with the top three choices being elevated to another round of voting before the official winner is announced in May 2012.

As for the vehicle itself, this one-of-a-kind Grand Cherokee is based on Jeep’s Laredo X package and is highlighted by a bevy of stealth-inspired custom touches, including a Brilliant Black exterior finish, a black mesh grille, a chrome lower bumper trim, black headlamp bezels, a black liftgate light-bar, and a new set of 20" glossy-black aluminum wheels. The interior also comes with plenty of special features, particularly the leather-trimmed seats and heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, as well as key technological components, including a 9-speaker 506 watt amp sound system with subwoofer, iPod/MP3 connectivity, Parkview rear back-up camera, ParkSense rear-park assist system, Keyless Enter-N-Go, and last but certainly not least, the Uconnect hands-free communications system.

"Jeep enthusiasts have always appreciated limited-edition models and the ability to customize their vehicles," said Mike Manley, President and CEO of Jeep. "This new Grand Cherokee comes with a unique, ‘factory-customized’ stealth appearance directly from Jeep, and is certain to attract interest from an array of potential customers."

"If the level of excitement is what we anticipate, this new Grand Cherokee will be in Jeep showrooms this spring."

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