Auto News 5

Much as we car enthusiasts like to whine about being underappreciated and underserved by profit-driven automakers, there are a ton of really good sports cars to choose from these days. That's good for enthusiasts but might be a problem for the Audi TTS.

The addition of a six-cylinder engine to BMW's flagship 7-series lineup might let the recession's sour taste seep into the mouths of some Bimmer fans, but it shouldn't. After all, the 7-series was a six-cylinder-only model from its U.S. introduction for 1978 until 1988, when the twelve-cylinder 750iL debuted. BMW hasn't built a six-cylinder 7-series for the U.S. since the 1992 model year (the 735i), but the twin-turbo straight six in the 2011 740i and long-wheelbase 740Li is a big-league engine that's clearly worthy of BMW's top sedan, what with its 315 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. Indeed, the powerplant produces nineteen more horsepower and only two fewer pound-feet than the aforementioned V-12 7-series of twenty years ago.

Believe it or not, people are still buying full-size luxury SUVs, even in this age of increased "green" concerns and our dismal economy. Although full-size luxury SUV sales peaked at nearly 300,000 units in 2006, the market has settled into a 100,000-unit rhythm in the United States, which Infiniti expects to continue for the life cycle of its all-new, second-generation QX56 that goes on sale in July 2010.