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For a while, the future of Saab looked glum. Thankfully, the fine folks at Koenigsegg have scooped up the Scandinavian automaker and now the future doesn't look so bad. The current 9-5 was a mess of General Motors influence on an aging platform and the end result was really quite bad, but from the details and images that we have on the new 9-5, it looks like Saab might be back in the game again.

Right off the bat, it's easy to see that the new 9-5 looks very, very different from anything we've seen out of Saab lately. A lot of the styling cues were inspired by the Aero X concept. Most interestingly, the entire glasshouse portion of the car is designed in a wraparound style with the painted roof panel not carrying over to the A-pillar. That aside, the whole car is filled with nice little design cues, and even though the headlight fixtures are still surrounded by strips of chrome, it's not nearly as horrible as on the last-generation car. Yeesh.

As for power, Saab is offering a wide range of powerplants for the Global marketplace. For America, we can expect that the 300-horsepower, 2.8-liter turbocharged six (sound familiar, Cadillac SRX?) will make it over, mated to Saab's XWD all-wheel drive system. A smaller, 1.6-liter turbo (180 horsepower) sounds reasonable for our shores, too, but nothing has been confirmed at this time.

For the full details, click through the post to read Saab's official press release.

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Sign us up for one of these. Like the Mini Coupe Concept that debuted long before the lights were turned on at the Frankfurt Show, the Mini Roadster adds a bit of sleek style to the cheeky Mini line, especially since the convertible has always looked a little hairdresser-y to us.

The two seat configuration of the Roadster cuts out the Mini Convertible's rear seats, but we don't think your grocery bags will mind too much. Removing the back people-holders means that trunk cargo capacity swells from 5.7 to 8.8 cubic feet with a more substantial rear opening.

Hey, Mini -- ditch the convertible and bring the Roadster Concept to production. Your friends at Winding Road will thank you kindly. For the full details, click through the post to read Mini's press release.

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Rolls-Royce showed the full production version of its new, slightly smaller than Phantom, limousine today—the 2011 Ghost.

Small is certainly a relative term here, as the Ghost is still roughly the same size as a BMW 7-Series. It won’t want for power either, as its 6.6-liter V-12 engine is capable of 563 brake horsepower and a stifling 575 pound-feet of twist. That output is enough to launch the Roller to 60 miles per hour in just 4.7 seconds, while not spilling the cocktails of the passengers in back.

In terms of styling, Rolls hasn’t strayed too far from the imposing visage of the larger Phantom, with the same square face and clean lines found on the Ghost. On the inside, passengers will benefit from a foolishly long list of luxury options, with the classic picnic tables and door-housed umbrellas not forgotten on the baby Rolls.

Scroll down below to read the full story of the 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost, or take a closer look in our gallery of images above.

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What's not to love about the Audi R8? Well, besides the R-tronic transmission. This is one of  the sexiest supercars that we've been able to get our hands on, and Audi has now upped the ante on its R8 hotness by removing the roof. The R8 Spyder will be hitting our shores next year in 5.2 V-10 guise, and we're already planning our summer drive routes for this exotic droptop.

The mid-mounted 5.2-liter V-10 isn't anything new to the R8, but the dynamics of the roadster should be very different. Cutting off the roof adds an additional 476 pounds to the R8's weight, but even so, the topless R8 will sprint to 62 miles per hour in just 4.1 seconds. It's hard to make a slow car when there's 525 horsepower on tap at all times.

Consider our interest piqued. You can read the full press release by clicking through the post, and be sure to scroll through our image gallery above for the complete set of photos.

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Peugeot has brought its concept of an innovative, electrically powered city car to the Frankfurt show this year, and hasn’t spared one ounce of cheeky French design, or choking EV hyperbole.

We’re not trying to be too cynical here, but anytime a press release talks of a concept car representing, “liberty, optimism – even ‘altruism’,” we’re forced to pause just a little.

That said, BB1’s robot bulldog styling, tiny form factor, and nearly 75-mile range are not without some serious upside. Perhaps even more amazing is the claim that this tiny car will seat four adults. Four very small, very friendly adults (and all wearing green shirts, apparently).

Read on about the Peugeot BB1 Concept in the full press release below.

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The Volkswagen E-Up! Concept is only a few days old now, but VW is already making a big statement and calling it the "Beetle of the 21st Century." No, it's not a homage back to any sort of retro vehicle, and instead uses Volkswagen's latest design language that we've seen in production form on the Golf and Scirocco. The automaker hopes that the E-Up! will be its small car of the future, better serving the needs of buyers who would originally shop the New Beetle.

As the big capital E in its name would suggest, the E-Up! is powered by a completely electric motor, producing 54 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque, all running to the front wheels. Not that any eco-drivers will be worried about this, but 0-60 sprints should happen in 11.3 seconds and the E-Up! will top out at a maximum speed of 84 miles per hour.

Inside, the E-Up! benefits from a unique three-plus-one seating concept derived from the original Up! concept shown a few years back. This layout means that the driver and two side passengers will have optimum seating positions with the extra space behind the driver used for cargo capacity. Interesting stuff, no?

Will the E-Up! make it to production? We hope so. And if VW wants this to be the Beetle for our future, they'd better get moving. Click through the post for all of the nitty gritty details.

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Ford has taken the occasion of the Frankfurt Motor Show to announce that it would bring the newest version of its heretofore European-only C-Max people mover to North American shores in 2011.

The seven-seater Grand C-Max (not to be confused with juicemaker Odwalla’s C-Monster) looks to be an attractive, and relatively small form factor minivan for Ford, and a model that is likely to perform a good sight better than the companies last mommy-wagon, the Freestar.

Grand C-Max offers easy access to its rear seats with a center pass-through, as well as the option of rocking an innovative “2+2+2” seating configuration when only six passengers need be accommodated. Find the full story in the Ford press release, below.