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Bentley Sports Car Concept at Paris 2012

It appears Bentley are planning to reveal a new sports car concept at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, perhaps as a pointer to a new, sportier, model. Bentley has a great motorsport history, but its current crop of cars – even the new Continental GT Speed – are heavy grand tourers rather than sports cars. But with Bentley looking for new directions in a bid to up its annual sales to 15,000, they are looking at new directions to build sales, one of which is the Bentley SUV.

Holden Calais unveiled, previews Chevrolet SS

General Motors' Australian subsidiary, Holden, has revealed its new VF series Calais -- the rear-wheel-drive sedan that in top-of-the-line, V8-powered, left-hand-drive form -- will be exported to North America and sold as the Chevrolet SS. The new Calais sits at the top of what Holden describes as an “extensively upgraded Commodore” range, with right-hand-drive Australian sales set to get underway in June. The Holden Commodore and its more luxurious Calais derivative have underpinned General Motors' sales in Australia since its introduction in 1978.

Car buying, minus the dealership

“Test drives delivered” is the motto of Tred, a Seattle-based startup that's taking the car dealership out of the car-buying process -- at least from the shopper's perspective. Wired.com reported Thursday that by accessing Tred via the Web or an iPad app, shoppers will be able to select the cars they want to test-drive and have them delivered to the location of their choice. Each car is then delivered by a Tred staffer rather than a dealership salesperson.