Sleuth Week of September 14

Hot off the press!

Audi readies the RS5 rocket: The Sleuth has used this space in the past to tell you about the Audi A5, an extraordinary coupe that slots in between the TT and the R8 supercar. Well, the next installment might be even better as the Sleuth’s spies report that Audi is testing the A5-based RS5 high-performance coupe in the Arizona desert. The RS name is Audi’s way of branding its high-high-performance machines. It’s still unclear just what engine will be under the hood, but rumors suggest a 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 putting out 470 horsepower. The current top “5” ride is the 354-horsepower S5.

A 217-mph hair dryer: How can a hot car get a little cooler? When you strip off its roof, of course. Recently, Bugatti unveiled an open-top version of its 250-mph Veyron supercar. Dubbed the Veyron Grand Sport, the car debuted at the Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance car show in California and retains the coupe’s 16-cylinder engine and 1,001-horsepower output. Bugatti’s enhancements inevitably increase the Veyron’s weight, but a top speed of 250 mph is still possible with the hardtop in place (or limited to 217 mph with the roof absent). Pricing for the Grand Sport is unknown as of this writing, but the Sleuth suspects it will command a considerable premium over the already stratospheric price of the $1.3 million Veyron coupe. Look for it to launch in the spring of 2009.

Speaking of hot rags: An open-air version of Audi’s R8 sports car has been rumored for quite some time now, but the Sleuth’s German spies have noticed it trolling around Bavaria. The roofless R8 will use a removable targa-top setup rather than a conventional soft- or hard-top convertible, meaning the roof has to be manually installed. Of course, there is no storage for the targa top aboard the R8, so open-air motoring has to be carefully planned. The new model will likely be dubbed the R8 Spider and will debut in March.

Get a good look at Camaro SS-izzle: General Motors has quietly released images of its range-topping high-performance Chevrolet Camaro SS. The model heads the entry-level Camaro LS and LT models. The SS is expected to be available some time next year, following the launch of its tamer siblings in February. Under the hood will be a 6.2-liter V8 with either 422 horsepower (six-speed manual transmission) or 400 horsepower (six-speed automatic transmission).

Infiniti expanding its range: As the market continues to fragment into new segments, some manufacturers are considering getting into a larger range of models. Next up is Infiniti. Yes, Nissan’s luxury brand is debating whether it needs a new flagship sedan and an entry-level model. Parent Nissan is positioning Infiniti as a global luxury brand, which could bolster the case for both vehicles being added to the lineup. Infiniti is considering adding a car smaller than the two-door G37 coupe. A decision on whether to develop a new flagship sedan had been expected this summer, but high fuel prices have apparently made it difficult to justify development. The Sleuth’s spies report that an entry-level Infiniti is at least three years away.

Market indicators

Gas prices rising due to speculation and not demand: Driving up the price at the pumps must be a great old time for some warped individuals out there. It’s bad enough that prices were on the rise even before Hurricane Ike rolled into Texas — driven by speculation of what “might” be — but what really irks the Sleuth is how far reaching the gouging is. Two thousand miles from Ike, the price of gas in some regions of Canada — Canada — were up as much as 60 cents a gallon overnight. Meanwhile, crude-oil prices were and are falling like a stone. Prices have not come down in Canada from that spike, even when it wasn’t called for in the first place. How does this make any sense to anyone anywhere? Control must be gained over the absolutely outrageous fluctuations in the market that’s not driven by demand, but driven by fear.

Tapping into more niches: Although BMW’s sales were up one percent in August, the German automaker is expecting a 40-percent drop in profits this year. BMW attributes most of that decline to falling sales in its traditional segments, a problem the company plans to remedy by introducing more niche models. According to industry trade paper Automotive News, BMW will follow up its X6 utility vehicle with vehicle based on the company’s 3-series. No word on exactly what form the new model will take. “We are investigating whether we can successfully occupy more niches across all existing model lines,” a BMW spokesman told Automotive News. BMW will continue its march into niche vehicle segments after the 3-series-based model debuts, with a similar scheme planned for the company’s 5-series. Mercedes-Benz and Audi are also planning on producing “niche” vehicles that defy typical industry segments.