Report: Lotus will actually make some cars, a new Elise comes in 2020

Lotus has been on the back burner for a bit as the company undergoes some restructuring after being run to the ground by abusive CEO, Danny Bahar, who was even sued by the company for a abusing company funds for his personal amusement.

The company, after a long legal battle, then found itself a new leader, Aslam Farikullah, who was later succeeded by former CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroen, Jean-Marc Gales.

To get some money in their pockets so they could fix things and plan to make some new cars, Lotus, who’s also paired up with Malaysia’s Proton, received some capital investment from Chinese auto firm, Gold Star Heavy Industrial Co.

Following these steps to rework strategy, Lotus even confirmed to be sending some cars to our shores, one of which will be a new Elise.

A new report from AutoCar overviews a recent interview with Mr. Gales, who confirmed a next-generation Elise will be ready by 2020. The next model will retain its lightweight principle, tipping the scales at 1,984lbs, making it the lightest Elise ever. The current featherweight would be the Elise Cup 250 at 2,030lbs.

The new Elise’s diet comes from a new chassis designed to conform to all global crash standards, including the U.S. regulations. No word on what will power the new Elise, given the current model still gets a helping hand with Toyota-sourced four- and six-bangers.

Ultimately, the plan is to move about 3,000 vehicles annually by the time the new Elise becomes available.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: AutoCar

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/2afnR93

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Report: Jaguar apparently ditches any sports car efforts for EVs

Some strange and rather surprising news comes in from Jaguar via Automobile Magazine, where the outlet learned that the Coventry-based automaker is said to be ditching any future plans to build high-performance or sports cars, including no XK coupe or convertible replacement and production C-X75.

Sad news is sad…

According to the news bit, Jaguar instead wants to shift their focus from building sports cars to EVs, to better compete with the Germans and the Japanese, and particularly Tesla Motors.

This new trajectory is surprising because Jaguar-Land Rover just established their Special Vehicle Operations division, a move thought to allow Jaguar to better compete with BMW’s M, Audi’s S, and Mercedes-AMG. After spending all that money to create a new branch, they’re going to go against their own grain and focus on EVs.

These new EV plans consist of two new electric vehicles, a replacement for the XJ and an all-new top-spec SUV.

The XJ replacement will double as a competitor to the Tesla Model S, while the new EV SUV, codenamed the X590, should be a blend between Jaguar’s new F-Pace and a Land Rover. Both will feature new autonomous driving capabilities.

The unnamed source also said both cars wil be offered with rear-wheel drive, while the SUV should come with an option for all-wheel drive, augmented by the use of two electric motors, one at each axle.

Like Tesla, pricing should vary, depending on which of the three battery pack choices you choose, which affect driving range and overall performance.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: Automobile

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/2av6wx4

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Report: Mercedes-Benz wants to double-down on its EV efforts to “overtake Audi and BMW”

Tesla Motors is really making an impact on the luxury car market by being the only reliable source for all-electric luxury cars. This obviously has the current mass market luxury automakers pretty ruffled and is the reason why companies like BMW, Audi, and Mercedes are moving more towards electrification and alternative powertrains.

Mercedes however seems to be lagging behind the competition, relying more on the traditional internal combustion engine to keep the reliable and dependable cars going into hands of demanding customers.

But the pressure is building, and Daimler’s CEO, Dieter Zetsche, said he plans to move the company more towards EV development.

“We are adjusting our planning in this field. It is very important to get the right timing. As a tendency, and as a trend, we have become more bullish in that regard,” Zetsche told AutomotiveNews Europe.

So far, Mercedes-Benz supposedly has some big things to reveal for their plan at the Paris Motor Show in October, with speculation suggesting the display of a new EV concept, promising a driving range of up to 500 kilmoeters, or 310 miles. The concept is also on the roster for production, meaning it could be spotted in showrooms as early as 2020.

Mercedes so far has shifted nearly $7.2 billion in R&D towards electric vehicles in 2015, a figure that’s up from $6.3 billion in 2014.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: AutomotiveNews Europe

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/2aIaoHK

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Report: Toyota reportedly confirms hybrid turbo mill for next Supra

There’s a lot of hype hovering around the next-generation Toyota Supra, a supposed revival of the famed midsize coupe, thanks to a joint venture with BMW.

But really, all it is just a lot of hype piled on top of hype, to make one big dog pile of hype. And more hype has been posted at AutoRAI, a Dutch automotive outlet, who supposedly learned that the next-gen Supra will sport a turbocharged hybrid powerplant. To no surprise however, specifics of this powertrain were not available.

Click here for more news on the BMW-Toyota midsize sports coupe under the tag, “Toyota Supra.”

The outlet supposedly spoke to Toyota Motorsport GmbH’s Vice President and Director of Business Operations, Rob Leupen. That division of Toyota is apparently responsible for the development of the prototypes.

There wasn’t much to add to the already busy pool of preexisting hype already built up around this new BMW-Toyota midsize sports car. So far, rumors continue to bounce back and forth about it actually being called the Supra (alleged Trademark filing), its powertrain, and even the use of “supercapacitors.”

– By: Chris Chin

Source: AutoRAI (if you know Dutch)

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/2af3P26

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Video: Watch this motorist’s shocking encounter with lightning

It’s summertime in the U.S. of A., which means storm season is in full effect throughout North America, with chances of strong and severe thunderstorms that are as frequent as sweating and swamp ass.

So it shouldn’t be shocking–no pun intended–to find yourself caught in any of these storms during your commute or time on the road. And in the case that you do, it’s always best to slow down, turn your headlights and hazards, or even pull off to the side, given how visibility get drop to near-nothing but a wall of rainwater. Hopefully, there aren’t any giant trees, hail or pieces of debris mixed in.

Despite the danger, thunderstorms can also be amazing spectacles to watch and experience, from a safe location. Lightning is one of those spectacular byproducts of a thunderstorm and as wowing as it is to the eye, it is equally as dangerous.

But when you’re inside a car, you are, for the most part–key point on most part–safe. For example, there’s a general 1 in 960,000 chance that you could get hit by lightning in your lifetime, and that chance drops as you age.

It’s already fairly unlikely that you can get struck by lightning, let alone witness an exploding telephone pole. So you can definitely consider this Chicago-area resident lucky, who happened to catch a lightning strike as she was driving through a severe storm.

So that’s what possibly happens in the distance when it thunders…

Check it out after the jump.

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– By: Chris Chin

Source: CNN

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/2aoNmIb

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Report: Apple’s car delayed until 2021

It seems Cupertino’s tech giant is suffering some setbacks with the anticipate Apple Car development with Engadget reporting a delay until 2021.

Speaking briefly with an “insider source” on the development team, the due date for the Apple Car is delayed until then after originally being scheduled for 2019, then 2020.

Since the Apple Car came to light, it’s obtained the internal code name, Project Titan, with an electric power train and autonomous driving capabilities.

Other rumors suggest that Apple is looking to find a special R&D site sized at around 800,000 square feet somewhere in the San Francisco are. Magna Steyr is also contracted to build the Apple Car once designs are finalized.

Entering the car market with no previous experience is no easy task, especially since there’s more to just making the car. It also involves establishing a method and network of selling the vehicles.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: Engadget

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/2afgYX5

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Photo Leak: Could this picture prove the Chevy Corvette “Zora” mid-engine coupe is real?

Rumors of a mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette “Zora” have been around in some way, shape, or form since the Corvette has existed. But now, it seems Chevrolet might actually be producing one very soon.

Numerous hints and leaks have suggested such a project, in a likely bid to compete with the Ford GT, with some rumors even postulating the recent hints as signs of a potential mid-engined Cadillac supercar.

But those rumors seem to be overruled by this latest picture teaser, which says, “C8 Corvette ZR1/Zora,” followed by a subtitle, “2018+ Corvette ZR1/Zora LT5,” and then “In Development.”

This is being heralded as an “accidental leak” one a Internet-based landing page for the project.

Of course, anyone could Photoshop an Internet landing page, by substituting whatever caption the user decides. But MotorTrend believes this is the real thing.

Additionally, the landing page is sourced to a tuning firm by the name of Katech, suggesting the company could be contracted to produce some accessories and modifications for when the car gets released.

However, this is not been confirmed.

Spy shots have surfaced in the past of early developmental test mules back in January of 2015, while Chevy’s Bowling Green, Kentucky-based plant received a nice $700 million stimulus package to prepare itself for the next generation of Corvette.

A reveal is expected to happen a the 2017 Detroit Auto Show.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: Katech via Motor Authority

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/2ai4VLD

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