BUGATTI UNVEILS THE GALIBIER 16C 4-DOOR CONCEPT

They wanted to call it the Caliber, but Dodge stole that name for its smallish hatchback. So Bugatti changed a couple letters around and got Galibier.

Okay, it's not a funny joke. And anybody with an ounce of French language training knows that the more appropriate pronunciation for this car is Gal-ib-err but Gahl-eeb-yay. Why so much talk about the name?

Well, we don't know much else about this four-door Bugatti. Its proportions are kind of; a little bit; sort of similar to the Lamborghini Estoque concept. But those very same proportions aren't unlike those of the Aston Martin Rapide. Perhaps this is just the nature of ultra-expensive sedans.

The Galibier was introduced to the elite in Bugatti's home of Molsheim in the Alsace region of France. An 8-litre sixteen-cylinder engine uses two-stage supercharging (a la VW's twin-charged Golf?) and can run on E85 fuel. Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani created a removable clock that can be worn on the owner's wrist. Rather gaudily, Ettore Bugatti's signature sits on a panel atop the glovebox. Oh, and about that name: Galibier is the name of a stage in the Tour de France as well as a particular version of Bugatti's old Type 57.

LAMBORGHINI INTRODUCES THE REVENTON ROADSTER- GALLERY

Around this time two years ago, Lamborghini unveiled the Reventon. Although criticized in some corners - including this one - for being comparably overpriced in light of the upgrades over Lamborghini's Murcielago, the Reventon's exclusivity and stop-you-in-your-tracks design led to some success. Now we have the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster. Rather extreme, we must admit, the Reventon in topless form still generates 661 horsepower, accelerates to 60mph in 3.4 seconds as it makes progress toward a 205mph top speed.

Read more about Lamborghini here

Lamborghini's boss, Stephan Winkelmann, says the Reventon Roadster "adds an extra emotional component" to the most extreme car in the brand's history. Yeah, as if the buyers of the regular Reventon weren't a bit emotional over the whole thing anyway.

Lambo Reventon Roadster buyers will be asked to pony up €1,100,000, today's equal of $1,601,431 USD. That's way too much money to pay for a car with the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster's capabilities. However, there will be about 20 of Lamborghini's "friends and collectors" willing to shell out.

Find out which car compete with the Reventon Roadster for the wallets of the mega rich

2011 MERCEDES SLS AMG GULLWING GALLERY - 90 IMAGES

By no means a traditionally beautiful car, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG makes good use of alluring proportions and gullwing doors to draw the eye(s) of online onlookers around the globe.

The successor to the SLR McLaren (a car Mercedes-Benz and McLaren could never agree on) is an in-house development; ironically debuting with its full motherload of pictures on the same day as the McLaren MP4-12C. It's hard to argue about pedigree when one car, the McLaren, inherits the genes of the best supercar of all time, the McLaren F1, while the other, this SLS AMG, can look back over a hundred years of phenomenal machinery.

Besides, if you have the money to have one, you can probably have the other, as well. 53% of the SLS AMG's weight is over the rear wheels. That sounds mid-engined like, very MP4-12Cesque for this front-engined Benz. 571 horsepower is slightly less than what's on offer from McLaren, but this now-famous 6.3L V8 from AMG is a wondrous engine.

And then there's those doors. Like the 300SL of 1954, this Benz's doors open towards the sky above the cockpit. More awe-inspiring and eye-catching than a Lamborghini Murcielago's scissor doors or the Aston Martin DB9's swan-like open/closing method, this car's most talked about feature won't be 479 lb-ft of torque but the emotion-stirring gullwing appendages.

€177,310, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG price, converts directly to about $258,000 USD. Don't expect that to be the MSRP of the AMG Gullwing when it heads across the pond next year; but it could be close. The SLS AMG's blunt nose and similarities to the SLR McLaren in its side vents and its bog-standard Benz-like interior won't deter buyers. This is the kind of Mercedes that'll incite envy of Ferrari or Lambo proportions. A McLaren MP4-12C/Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing comparison will be on the newstands near you before long. For now, check out all 90 pictures of the new SLS AMG below and the McLaren's 26 images here.

ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST DEBUTS WITH 48 IMAGES AND SOME SPECS

As the most powerful car in the history of Rolls-Royce, the new 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost is bound to attract plenty of attention from the motoring press over the next few days. Smaller and less expensive than the awe-inspiring Phantom, the Ghost generates 563 horsepower by way of a 6.6L V12.

Rolls says the Ghost is designed with "Yacht Lines" in mind. The "elevated prow" is distinctly Rolls-Royce while the overall shape is very Phantom-like. This can't be surprising given BMW's nature to simply upsize the design of each of their own models. BMW, after all, is Rolls-Royce's German owner.

Inside the layout is much more BMW-like than the Phantom could ever be. Though it's doubtful that any visible parts are shared with the 7-Series Bimmer (photo comparo here), the less formal dashboard style could be off-putting to those who have the money to buy a Bentley Continental GT or even the new Bentley Mulsanne.

Don't kid yourself, the interior of this Rolls-Royce Ghost likely provides the kind of ambience only a handful of other cars can attain. And while we've known for a long time that BMW wanted Rolls-Royce to offer a smaller Rolls, its arrival is somehow discomforting. A lesser Rolls-Royce? Is that appropriate?

Appropriate will be one of many adjectives used to describe the financial statement of Rolls-Royce once the Ghost is rolling off the (slow-moving) assembly line in Goodwood. Compared with Toyota Camry sales which reach beyond 400,000 in the United States alone, the hundreds of Rolls-Royce Ghosts sold will seem like tiny drops in a small puddle. When sold at prices between €200,000-€300,000, however, the Ghost will be an earner on par with the Rolls-Royce Phantom that came before. Check out all 48 images of the new Rolls-Royce Ghost below before having a look-see at The Good Car Guy's own Phantom photo.

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TOP 10 BEST-SELLING AUTO BRANDS IN AMERICA FOR AUGUST OF 2009

Kia and Subaru sales shot through the roof in the United States in the month which ended Monday. August buyers were aided by Cash For Clunkers and thousands of dollars in incentives provided by the manufacturers to go along with the government's rebates on trade-ins. A quick look at August/2008's Sales Stats will show Subaru to be the eighteenth-ranked brand in sales totals - here Subaru's perched inside the top 10 best-selling brands in America.

Manufacturers not listed here which managed to post sales increases over that which was achieved in the eighth month of 2008 include: Audi, Volvo, Mazda, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Mercury. Saturn sales spiralled down more than 58%. Buick sales were not half of last August's total. GMC's total went from 42,194 last August to 23,145 last month.

Check out August 2010's U.S. auto sales data here

LUXURY CAR SALES IN AMERICA FOR AUGUST OF 2009

Of the nine automakers listed below, only Audi and Volvo improved upon their August of 2008 Sales Stats last month in America. Porsche managed to do so, as well, going from 1,404 vehicles sold in the eighth month of 2008 to 1,526 last month. Combined sales of Porsche, Saab, and Hummer were fewer than 2,800 in August. Jaguar and Land Rover fail to report their American sales totals. Bear in mind the Canadian figures for August in which Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Acura, Lexus, Volvo, and Porsche all posted notable increases over August of 2008. Check out July's luxury sales chart here.

CANADA AUTO SALES AUGUST 2009

The German luxury trifurcate we know as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi combined for remarkable sales figures in Canada last month. What was 4,113 sales last August turned into 5,342 Bimmers, Benzes, and Audis sold in the 31 days ending Monday. That's just one out of many notable statistics from last month's Sales Stats, all of which you can read about below. Overall, the Canadian automobile market shrunk by 7.9% compared with August of 2008 though light truck sales increased to the tune of 1.4%. Check out July's totals here. For a closer look at Hyundai's increases in Canadian sales, click here.

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General Motors: -27.5% to 23,018

Ford: +7% to 22,166

Toyota: -24.2% to 16,707

Chrysler: -6.8% to 14,393

Honda: -21.8% to 10,574

Hyundai: +38.4% to 10,418

Nissan: +4.2% to 7,071

Mazda: -10.7% to 6,880

Kia: +20.6% to 4,672

Volkswagen: -5% to 3,605

BMW: +20.5% to 2,292

Mercedes-Benz: +20.5% to 1,992

Subaru: +4.2% to 1,940

Mitsubishi: +24.9% to 1,860

Acura: +26.4% to 1,644

Lexus: +31.3% to 1,532

Suzuki: +1.3% to 1,315

Audi: +89.6% to 1,058

Infiniti: -13.6% to 604

Volvo: +16.3% to 527

Mini: -9.5% to 457

smart: -30.4% to 268

Land Rover: -27.2% to 134

Porsche: +7.1% to 120

Jaguar: -18.1% to 68

Saab: -79.8% to 36


Check out Canada's auto sales data from August 2010 here