What if in an alternate universe Bugatti says, "We're not going out of business, we're doing a new model in the same market as the Veyron," but it doesn't know what that model will be? There's another luxury car company in the family called Porsche that's looking to get into the 4-door game. So Bugatti says, "Hey, we did this design study of a 4-door wagon-y thing a while back, have a look," and Porsche takes a peek and says, "Hey, maybe we can work with this," and then Bugatti says, "If it all works out, maybe, you know, since you own us now we can share things and stuff and stop losing so much money on each car," and Porsche says, "Be quiet, we're working..." and, well, you get the picture.

There's no reason to think Porsche had the EB112 concept in mind when it penned the Panamera. But if Porsche did happen to be inspired by Bugatti's long gone concept, it would provide some sort of rationale for why the Panamera looks like it does. And that would be a start, no? For more of your own comparisons, EB112 vs Panamera.

So the Kia VG mule that has kept spy photographers busy the last few weeks has now been given a computer animated face and body. It's a nice looking ride, though has a surprising amount in common with the Hyundai Genesis... which means we also see, well, a lot of other cars in it. But that's not a bad thing, really, because the result is a tasty little creation, especially coming from Kia. The lines are a touch more forceful than those on the Genesis, which goes along with Kia being the sporting brand, or so they say. If the final version looks even close to this rendering, and they give it performance to match... well, then Kia will have taken a giant leap forward.

The RR4 -- the Rolls-Royce that asks that you "don't call me 'baby'" -- is slowly undressing, striptease-like, before its final reveal at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Previous spy shots hinted at rear suicide doors, or coach doors as Rolls-Royce refers to them, and now it is official: the hinges on the rear door are on the rear of the door. The car has plenty of Phatom-esque cues, and although it doesn't look anything like the initial sketch, it looks like it could be a very attractive proposition when it shows up for the big dance. Still no word on engines, but we have no doubt its output will be something along the lines of prodigious.

VW subsidiary Seat is, like The Jeffersons, movin' on up, rolling out a new range of vehicles that will push it into new market segments. The image above is one of a set of the automaker's Exeo sedan given to the trademark office in Spain. According to the company, "the new name stems from the Latin word 'Exire', meaning "to go beyond", "to go further", and "The name Exeo is advanced, forceful and technological, which signals excellence and is highly suggestive of driving pleasure." Ok...

Instead of creating something completely new to chart these unknown waters, Seat has taken a previous gen Audi A4 and given it front and rear clips in the Seat style. Seat will also use the A4 Avant body to create an Exeo wagon. The newish sedan is meant to compete with the Ford Mondeo, Renault Laguna, and Alfa Romeo 159 and will be launched some time next year as a 2010 model. It is expected to retail for £15,000 to £23,000 in the U.K. and we don't yet know which powerplants it will receive.

A Saab owner attending the 2008 Saab Owner's Convention posted a recap of the events at Trollhattan Saab (which we thought was defunct, but if not, we're glad it's back). One of the most noteworthy events was something on which he barely commented: a sketch of the new 9-5. Saab has been threatening for a while to start incorporating Aero X cues into its vehicles, and this could be it.

The text around the car says it will have "aircraft heritage," "fuselage bodysides," a "wraparound winshield," and a "grille inspired by a J21." We find the J21 bit and the fuselage sides a stretch, but it's still a good looking place to start. The sketch also hints that the tech in the new 9-5 is already being used in the Turbo X.

While other Saabs are supposed to be downsizing, the 9-5 will actually grow since it's based on the Epsilon II platform along with the Opel Insignia and next-gen versions of the Saturn Aura and Chevy Malibu. The car's engine will be shrinking, though, down to a 1.6-liter turbocharged unit. And could this be the Saab that Wagoner said will be built in North America?

All right. Now we're torn. RS6 Avant or RS6 sedan? Both are packing the same twin-turbocharged, direct-injected 5.0-liter V10 putting out 580 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque. Both send power to all four wheels through a six-speed tiptronic tranny and both can be equipped with absolutely massive 420mm (front) and 356mm (rear) ceramic brakes. While it's hard to deny the practicality of the wagon, we think the sedan comes across as more elegant – in a brutally Teutonic way. The voting will commence in the comments and check the gallery below for a plenty of high-res images from the show floor.

The Kia Forte has been caught out again, this time in more press photos and the official Korean-market brochure. The 2009 Spectra replacement is a looker... even if it borrows some of those looks from other vehicles. Regardless, those shapely front fenders, strong shoulder line that terminates into the A-pillar and concave space right above the sills are definitely elements not usually found in the economy car class. The car will probably come to the U.S. with a slight price bump over the $13,000 Spectra, but there'll be more power, space, and fuel economy to go with it. Check out the gallery of hi-res photos below, and if you read Korean and see anything newsworthy in the brochure feel free to let us know in the comments.

The coming Jaguar XF-R has been caught in the valley of death. It was accompanied by a Jaguar XJ mule and shepherded by a fleet of Land Rovers charged with blocking the all-seeing eye of someone's Sony Handycam. Fortunately for us, they failed. The driver of this particular prototype XF-R couldn't keep his foot off the throttle, as at different points in the video you hear the growl of a big displacement V8 and the accompanying scream of a supercharger. Other than vents in the hood to let that 5-liter V8 breathe, the body modifications look to be exceptionally tame. With 500 horsepower, however, its acceleration should be quite the opposite.

The Hyundai Genesis sedan has only been on sale for a month, but the automaker is already considering upgrading the current 4.6-liter V8 with a 5.0-liter version. Hyundai's North American product chief, John Krafcik, told MotorTrend that the Tau V8 could be stroked up to 5.5-liters, but the ideal displacement to keep fuel economy on par with power is an even five liters.

The plan is to increase the displacement of the V8, as well as adding direct-injection to Hyundai and Kia's range of fours, sixes and eights over the next few years. It's a move that several automakers have already adopted and Hyundai's decision to increase its V8's displacement will only happen if it can keep output the same or better while retaining the 4.6-liter's fuel economy.