It’s no secret we’ve got a Swede on staff here. And whenever Swedish things pop up in the automotive realm, he tends excitedly ramble on in Scandinavian and lose all focus. This would be one of those times. “Du måste titta på den hår!”, he says. Must be good, then.

What you’re looking at above is a simple trackday video made by Anders Bäckman. Except that it’s not simple at all, it’s exceedingly awesome footage of some amazing cars tearing around the Gotland Ring on the Baltic Isle of Gotland. The Gotland Ring is an ongoing project which just completed its first phase. Another loop is will soon be added, extending the track; and then hopefully another and another and so on. They want to make a massive motorsports park out of the whole thing, and we’re all for it. In the summer, you can lap there in then middle of the night – while the sun’s still up.

Make sure you check out the Porsche 996 GT3 trail-brake drifting around 1:20.

[Source: Jalopnik]

More BMW goodness from the LA auto show. Aside from the newly redesigned 7-Series, BMW also pulled the covers off of its Concept 7-Series Active Hybrid, which benefits from an additional electric motor. The extra power bumps the overall horsepower of the Active Hybrid to 420 horsepower and an epic 605 lb-ft of torque. No word on how the extra batteries and electric motor would help the car’s fuel consumption. So far the Active Hybrid is just a concept, but it proves that BMW is seriously contemplating the next step in reducing fuel consumption and emissions. [Photo courtesy of Jalopnik]

BMW hit the drawing board hard for their newly redesigned 7-series. While the car was officially unveiled in Paris this year, the all-new 750i was on hand for all to see at the LA Auto Show as well. The head-honcho Bimmer is powered by a serious engine. Up front there’s a kicking twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 400 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. While the power plant is nothing to sneeze at, the car’s interior provides the kind of sophistication that BMW has come to embody, with fine leather and high quality materials covering every surface. The new 750i starts at $76,8000.

The show comes to a close for the media today, forcing mooch-happy journalists to head home before it opens for the public tomorrow. Check out our images from today and if you’re in the area, definitely come check it out.

[Show as slideshow]

So you think you’ve taken some legendary road trips in your time, eh? Well, try Moscow to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. That’s that Transsyberia route, and that’s what this car was built to do. It might be a seriously boring drive devoid of scenery, but at least you’d never complain about your commute again.

The BMW 335d isn’t the only vehicle in the family getting the fantastic twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder. For 2009 BMW will release the X5 xDrive 35d. With boat loads of torque on tap from the oil-burning engine (as in 425 lb-ft), the X5 xDrive 35d is made for towing  a boat to the lake on the weekends, all while getting great fuel economy. This SUV gets a staggering 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. Of course, this X5 will still offer everything we love about the lux-ute, including a stable platform and comfortable interior. BMW has worked to reduce cabin noise levels from the diesel mill up front by adding rigidity to the engine block, and the result is an SUV that’s hard to differentiate from its gasoline counterpart. Very cool.

Other Articles You May Enjoy:

Detroit: 2010 Lexus HS 250h

2010 BMW Z4 Revealed

New Drop-Top MINI Cooper

Lexus has been hard at work improving on one of their best selling lines. The next generation RX SUV’s look to offer new advancements in both the power and fuel efficiency departments, especially in the 450h hybrid. By using heat from exhaust gasses, Lexus has managed to limit the amount of time the engine must stay on before getting warm, thereby reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The 450h will also sport a new electronic AWD system that will be able to use regenerative braking to charge the hybrid’s batteries. Power gets a bump, too—27 horsepower over the previous model to 295 ponies.

In an increasing effort to maximize mpgs, automakers from around the world are beginning to incorporate computer aids to help coach drivers into greener driving. Honda’s newest hybrid, the Insight, is one such car. The company is calling its system Eco Assist, and it works by adjusting the speedometer’s color in coordination with how frugal the pilot is driving. Honda says the system should make hybrid driving more fun and rewarding by showing drivers exactly how their actions impact their fuel economy. The Insight should be on sale in the US by as early as next spring, and should be priced significantly lower than current hybrids like the Toyota Prius.

Honda pulled a fast one by unveiling a new concept at the LA Auto Show this year: the FC Sport. Designed to demonstrate the versatility of hydrogen fuel-cell technology, the FC shows the sporty side of the alternative fuel. The car uses the same fuel-cell stack found in the Honda FCX Clarity, only in the FC Sport, the cells are stacked behind the passenger compartment. That makes for a car with more mid-engine handling characteristics. Speaking of the passenger compartment, the FC is a three seater, with the driver positioned ahead of the two rear seats. For now, the FC Sport is only a design study, but it shows that Honda is at least contemplating a sportier version of the FCX Clarity.

Some cried blasphemy when Lotus announced its four-seat, two-plus-two Evora, but we knew better. As expected, it looks fantastic – let’s just hope it has the dynamics to match.

[Show as slideshow]

Badge aside, this A6 at Audi’s LA Auto Show booth is a relatively unassuming specimen. But that 3.0T on the trunk means a lot – this A6 is equipped with Audi’s new supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine, the same one found in the 2010 S4. It’s good for 333 horsepower, 324 lb-ft of torque and up to 27 mpg in the S4, so it should prove to be a welcome alternative to the 4.2-liter V-8 that power-loving A6 buyers have had to spring for in the past. And to think, without that badge it would have slipped right past us!

Somehow we managed to talk our way into a test drive of MINI’s newly unveiled Cooper E, their plug-in electric solution to the traditional city car. Check out the video to see what we think!

Today finally marks the “official” unveil of Nissan’s next Z car, the 370Z. We say “official” because the car sort of leaked out over the weekend, though this is the first time we’ve seen it in the metal. We’re happy to say it looks fantastic, and with the new 332 horsepower engine (with 270 lb-ft of torque), it should prove to be quite the belter as well.

Nissan brought along a cutaway engine and gearbox for show so that the less tech-inclined in the crowd can see how it all works. Sorry to say, you won’t get one of those with your new Z.

[Show as slideshow]

There are allegedly two Gumpert Apollos in the US. This would be both of them, then.