Toyota's luxury brand, Lexus, will be releasing a high-performance variant to add to its 'IS' range of sedans. The new sports sedan from Lexus, dubbed the IS F, has been designed to compete with the likes of BMW's M3, Mercedes C 63 AMG and Audi's RS4 - all of which have been established in the sports sedan market for some time now.

While it may be a little late to the dual-clutch party, inBMW's situation this may be a case of better-late-then-never. Before the yearis out, BMW will be offering drivers of the 335i Coupé and 335i Convertible theoption of a new seven-speed double-clutch sports automatic transmission,replacing the previous optional 6-speed Steptronic gearbox. The six-speedmanual will remain as standard.

A new Audi A8 is in the works but development is still in the early stages and so far only engineering test-mules wearing current-generation sheet metal have been sighted. This artist’s rendering shows a potential new look for the next A8, revealing a streamlined shape with new head and taillights and plenty of dramatic character lines. The chrome-laden front end of the current version will also likely be toned down somewhat for the next-generation, though the essential form of the car will remain more or less the same as most of the upgrades will be happening beneath the surface.

As it winds up its third year of full-scale passenger vehicle sales following its return to the Australian market, Fiat is broadening its horizons in the global automotive landscape, announcing partnerships with BMW and Mini in North America to leverage a return to that market as well. The cooperation is also expected to spawn a Fiat-designed platform for the next generation of BMW’s Mini.

A new type of vehicle, dubbed the Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS), is set to issue from BMW’s creative design centre at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. Continuing the proliferation of new automotive niche vehicles such as the crossover utility vehicle, the sports activity vehicle and the more established SUV, the PAS is expected to add a more car-like capable element to BMW’s already extensive lineup of soft-roaders.