Mercedes E-class E320 E430 Right Taillight Passenger Side 98-99 Tl32 2108204664 on 2040-parts.com

Saab on the road to independence

You’ve got to feel for Scandinavian car makers Saab and Volvo. Both swallowed up by big US car makers, and both now being abandoned in a vulnerable position after years of integrating their once independent products in to their parents infrastructure, they must wake up every day wondering if this is the day it all goes bang. Ford is simply trying (increasingly desperately) to off-load Volvo, but GM, which is in a much more precarious position than Ford, has now abandoned its Swedish child in a desperate attempt to appease Congress and survive.

Audi A7 Sportback (2010) first official pictures

This is the new Audi A7 Sportback, a sleek hatchback designed to take on the next-generation Mercedes CLS and the forthcoming BMW Gran Coupe. It’s a bigger brother to the already established A5 Sportback, and underneath the five-door skin is the same platform that will underpin next year’s more sedate A6 saloon. Audi claims the A7 Sportback offers the sporty elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of an estate, though if you just want either of the last two an A6 saloon and Avant based on the same platform will appear in 2011.

GM shelves Camaro convertible, Z28

General Motors has delayed indefinitely the Chevrolet Camaro convertible and Z28 high-performance variant to save cash, sources say. GM also has tabled plans to add a four-cylinder engine version of the Camaro. GM is starting to ship the Camaro to dealers this week.