AUDI A8 HATCH AND WAGON

Follow the chain of events: Skoda introduces its Superb with an available TwinDoor. Open it as a hatchback or as a regular sedan with a trunk. Rumours are swirling that the next BMW 5-series will provide consumers with that option as well. Clearly, practicality is moving up the executive transportation ladder. What could the future hold?

Picture, if you will, a diesel-powered Audi A8, offering the torque you equate with luxury limos with fuel economy better than the typical luxury SUV.... with (drum roll please) a hatch or wagon treatment. Why Audi? Remember that it is this luxury Volkswagen subsidiary that treats their Avant versions as the uppermost tier of extravagance. The Porsche-developed Audi RS2 of 1994? Wagon. First Audi RS4? Wagon. Plus version of the last-gen Audi RS6? Wagon. 

Does this mean that Audi will build you an A8 Avant V8 TDI? No, but it's fun to dream. Renderings of the hatch and wagon are below. For previous in-house GCBC renderings, check out the Infiniti G37 convertible and Nissan GT-R Roadster here.

NISSAN GT-R CONVERTIBLE RENDERING

Few vehicles, if any, have garnered the number of articles or even the mentions that Nissan's GT-R has here on GoodCarBadCar.net. Dramatic styling, ludicrous levels of horsepower and torque, and a history that likens the GT-R in Japan to the Corvette in America combine to make the Nissan GT-R worthy of much talk.

Perhaps, oh Nissan, you'd care for more ballyhoo; hype; and publicity? The chances of Nissan building a GT-R convertible appear either slim or extraordinarily deliciously likely. Just think of it: everyone speaks of dynamic instability brought about by chopping off a sports car's roof. Yet, Ferrari builds a Spider version of the F430. Porsche will sell you a 911 Turbo Cabriolet. Pagani has taken the roof off of the Zonda. One of the planet's most competent road cars, the Lotus Elise, is roofless. 

Were a Nissan GT-R convertible to be built, one would expect to see 0-60mph estimates from the manufacturer drop by a tenth or two and top speed could fall by three or four mph. Achieving times around the Nurburgring in less than 7min30sec could be challenging. But sales in Miami, Beverly Hills, and Monte Carlo are assured. And do recall the recent Infiniti announcement that the G37 will soon feature a no-roof iteration. Thus, GoodCarBadCar.net presents an early rendering of a 'possible' Nissan GT-R Roadster.

INFINITI G37 CONVERTIBLE RENDERING

BMW's 3-series, the Audi A4, and Saab's 9-3 are the main competitors in the entry-level luxury sport sedan-turned-convertible crowd. It was discovered recently that Infiniti wants its successful G coupe to be a member of the cabrio field. Don't be surprised to see more power than its competitors at a lower price with similarly (or more) impressive dynamics. 

There are no official pictures of this Infiniti G37 convertible.... yet. But there are renderings. And the rendering you'll see elsewhere is likely a scanned across-the-fold image from a Japanese publication. The most active photoshopper I know took hold of a G37 and chopped. No California Customs job, this; but it does show the current generation in a likely configuration. Don't be surprised to see the fairings remain as a part of the production model - don't be surprised if they're not. A G37 droptop with fairings would fit with its platform-sharer, the 350Z, while they are also more frequently used these days as aero aids and noise abaters. 

Like it or loathe it, give credit where credit is due - to The Good Car Girl.