The Scoopers of Cars have gotten their hands on a scanned brochure of the production version of the Nissan Intima concept, and it seems that in addition to getting a mass-market makeover, it will also be sporting a Teana badge when it goes on sale in Japan. The transition from concept to production has been uncharacteristically kind to the Teana, with the tightly drawn headlamps, plummeting C-pillar and elongated tail lamps surviving, but the suicide doors and 22nd century interior must have been scrapped due to feasibility issues. We’ll get our first official taste of the Teana when it’s finally revealed on April 20th at the Beijing Motor Show.

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Okay, it just hit us: eccentric. That’s what the Maybach 62 Landaulet is, in a word. In fact, you could apply that to the whole Maybach venture. Like Dennis Hopper said in the Keanu-tastic action flick Speed, “Poor people are crazy, Jack. I’m eccentric.” Daimler is evidently hoping that there are enough “eccentric” people in the United States to warrant bringing over the head-scratchingly-strange Maybach 62 Landaulet to the American market.

With trepidation and a considerable measure of revulsion, we’ve covered the emergence of the Landaulet from the initial rumor, through the preview before the car’s unveiling in Dubai (where else), the first video footage, its North American debut and its eventual production confirmation. It’s been a long and crazy wind-tousled process, and now comes confirmation that it’s coming our way. Oh, and the price? Ultimately confirmed at $1.35 million. That’s not a typo, and it’s higher even than the highest estimates we received previously. In case you, like us, are wondering who would spend that kind of money on a convertible version of a car that ordinarily costs (an already exorbitant) $433,750, ask Hans-Dieter Mulhaupt, the VP in charge of the Maybach program: “The Landaulet is for a superrich individual who wants something that is extremely extraordinary and enjoys being driven in a car with acres of sky above them.” There you have it: “extremely extraordinary”, for a million-dollar premium.

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Lexus Australia’s chief executive, John Roca, gave up a number of product details to The Australian in an interview this past weekend, including the addition of an “F” variant of the GS sedan and possibly a full-size LS limo. Both models are aimed to attack luxury stalwarts Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz by offering a number of high-performance variants and also developing a new model that would slot in below the IS sedan to take on the BMW 1-series and the Audi A3. That model is still a few years away, but it will be an integral part of Lexus’ commitment to reach one million global sales in the next two to three years.

The other element includes offering hybrid versions of every vehicle it sells, plus the introduction of a hybrid-only model that will be unveiled in concept form this January at the Detroit Auto Show. Toyota’s luxury arm plans to release a redesigned five-seater RX next year, based off the LF-Xh concept that bowed in Tokyo, although there’s no word on the rumored seven-seat variant due out before the end of the decade.

Naturally, no conversation about Lexus would be complete without some mention of a two-door, coupe/convertible version of the IS, a model that’s been sorely lacking from the Lexus lineup, plus, the LF-A supercar, which should finally come to market in 2011, but may only be available in left-hand drive.

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Anyone who’s rolling in a 2007-2008 Chrysler Sebring or Dodge Avenger, take note. Chryslerberus is recalling all 181,000 of those vehicles sold during that time to fix an electrical defect that affects unused connectors on the tire pressure monitoring system. Apparently, corrosion can cause a short, and owners could experience their vehicles failing to start, stalling once underway, or some other affectations of the electrical components, including the cruise control. Formal notices are going to be sent out later this month, and dealers have been instructed to locate the problem and seal the affected circuits

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The BMW Hydrogen 7 arrived in late 2006 boasting the unique ability to run its V12 powerplant on both hydrogen and gasoline. This was a smart idea, as the on-board 30-gallon tank of -253° Centigrade liquid hydrogen was only good for a range of about 125 miles. The other fuel tank, filled with 19.5 gallons of good old-fashioned gasoline, extended the range another 310 miles. It didn’t offer any environmental advantage, but it did allow you to get home.

BMW is following up the original Hydrogen 7 with a new version - this time minus the gasoline tank. While official performance specifications, including emissions data, have not been released, BMW is claiming both performance and range have been increased. It will debut at the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Conference and the 2008 SAE World Congress in mid-April, when BMW is expected to release emissions date for the car, as well.

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March 2008 was the first month of sales for the Jaguar XF, and while we haven’t seen any around town yet, the Hail Mary sedan from Coventry is selling extremely well… at least by Jaguar standards. The Jaguar brand has consistently been losing sales month over month since we began reporting sales numbers in our By the Numbers posts. In February 2008, the brand sold just 1,063 units. As you’ve already seen, March 2008 sales numbers have been released, and the XF by itself sold 1,161 units, a number that’s sure to grow as the sport sedan penetrates the media and its marketing campaign gets off the ground. Because of the XF’s sales performance last month, the brand sold 1,752 units in March 2008, its best performance since July 2006 when it moved 1,997 units. If Jaguar does rebound on the back of the XF, it’s too bad Ford won’t be around to enjoy the fruits of its investment.

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The timing of our first hands-on experience with the Jaguar XF is, to say the least, awkward. Less than a week after Ford agreed to sell both Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors, we find ourselves in sunny San Diego behind the wheel of Jag’s supposed savior. While the business end of the equation will be exhaustively covered in the coming months, the renaissance underway at Tata’s newly acquired pet is of equal importance. The XF is a serious step on the road to recovery, but undoing the perception gap that’s plagued this cat for the last couple of decades won’t be easy.

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