Lexus IS (2013) more details of new 3-series rival

Lexus has pulled the cloth back on the all-new Lexus IS at the 2013 Detroit motor show, and announced more details of its new hybrid 3-series rival. This will be the first hybrid Lexus IS, and UK sales will start in summer 2013.  What do we know about the new hybrid Lexus IS?  The IS300h combines an electric motor with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. The torque output is yet to be confirmed, but there's 217bhp and Lexus is aiming for a sub-100g/km CO2 output and fuel consumption of at least 65mpg. Figures like that are likely to grab the attention of fleet managers, as Lexus hopes to close the gap on rivals like the BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-class and Audi A4.  There's a non-hybrid model too, but this IS250 will be powered by a 204bhp 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine. It won't be a fleet favourite.  The IS250h has a six-speed automatic transmission, the IS300h has a CVT gearbox, and both cars are rear-wheel drive.

ABT Sportsline introduces 700 hp Audi RS6 Avant

Hot on the heels of their appearance at SEMA and their announcement to open a location in the U.S., the German tuning firm ABT Sportsline has unveiled two new versions of the Audi RS6 Avant, dubbed the ABT Power S and ABT Power. Apparently, ABT Sportsline felt that the 560 hp output of the stock 4.0-liter TFSI-engined Audi RS6 Avant wasn't enough, and tuned the ABT Power S version to produce 700 hp. That's a 25 percent increase in power over the stock version.

Jaguar offers all-wheel drive - but not for UK

Jaguar has confirmed four-wheel-drive models will join its range once again, for the first time since the AWD X-type was killed off back in 2009. The first 4wd Jaguars will be the XJ and XF ranges. They'll be petrol-powered only, and just in saloon form for now, but don't get too excited if you're a UK customer: Jaguar has no plans to bring the all-paw big cats over here any time soon.