Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Paris Motor Show, Lotus, Luxury

Lotus continues its march towards global sportscar domination with the 2010 Paris Motor Show unveiling of the Lotus Elite. The Elite represents a step away from “lighter is better” because it is a hefty, four-passenger grand tourer – it weighs in at 3,600 pounds. One of the reasons it’s so heavy? It has a retractable, folding hardtop. Don’t let the weight throw you off though, this is a good looking, aggressively styled powerhouse. Under the hood sits a modified version of the 5.0-liter V8 out of a Lexus IS-F. The unit is then massaged to produce 611 horsepower which propels the car to a sub-four-second 0-60 time and a top speed of 195 miles per hour. The Elite will also be fitted with KERS for a quick boost of recovered energy.

The front mid-engine layout should help balance the Lotus Elite and make for an exciting driving experience. We expect this car to represent a slightly softer side for the automaker, but that’s like saying we expect a bomb to hurt less than a missile. The entire Lotus lineup is poised in attack position, the Elite just happens to wear clothes from the Big and Tall store.

Lotus is aiming to bring this sporty road warrior to market sometime in the year 2014. If you invest your money wisely now, you just might be able to save the estimated $180,000 you’ll need to put one in your driveway. Check out the Elite in action with a video clip after the jump.

Live photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Continue reading Paris 2010: Lotus shows off its new Grand Tourer, the Elite [w/video]

Paris 2010: Lotus shows off its new Grand Tourer, the Elite [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Technology, Videos, Volkswagen

Bluetooth connectivity is getting better all the time. No longer content with just connect your phone, new systems also allow you to wirelessly stream music to your car’s speakers. Volkswagen is working on a system which takes the idea of pairing a phone to your car, and brings it to a whole new level. The system, called Terminal Mode, allows VW’s touchscreen display to become an extension of the your smartphone – weather, GPS, music, phone and text messaging are right at your fingertips in a highly visible location.

Currently, the system is still under development and promises to get better as Volkswagen upgrades its infotainment screens. The current units use resistive touchscreens which can be slightly slower to respond compared with the capacitive units, which will make their way into VWs in the near future.

The Terminal Mode system opens up a potential Pandora’s box of opportunity. Developers could build a whole slew of apps designed for use in automobiles and phones could be built with this integration in mind. There are many pluses to this concept, however this easily falls into the distracted-driving discussion. How soon before we see anti-Facebooking-while-driving laws? Hop the jump to watch video of the system in action.

[Source: Engadget]

Continue reading Video: Volkswagen developing Terminal Mode for full smartphone control through nav screen

Video: Volkswagen developing Terminal Mode for full smartphone control through nav screen originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Volkswagen, Rumormill, Racing

First Toyota, now Volkswagen? According to the boys from Motor Trend, VeeDub is seriously considering entering into the bastion of American motorsport. That’s right, NASCAR. While rumors of VW fielding a Formula 1 team have swirled for quite some time, this is the second time we’ve heard that the German automaker is considering American stock cars and oval tracks.

What may be prompting this apparent interest in NASCAR? As we all know, Volkswagen has its sights set on becoming a much larger player in the American market, going so far as to create a New Midsize Sedan specifically for the States that will be built by U.S. workers in Tennessee. Not exactly Carolina, the hub of NASCAR development, but close enough.

And it’s this upcoming New Midsize Sedan (unnamed as of yet) that would be doing oval duty against the likes of Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and the previously mentioned Toyota. If the rumors are to be believed, VW will begin talks with NASCAR officials and Roger Penske, who fields one of the more successful teams in the sport, in November after the current season concludes.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Report: Volkswagen joining NASCAR rumors begin to swirl again originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Hyundai

After a 2008 introduction, the Hyundai i20 is back at the Paris Motor Show but this time it’s got a bit of an attitude. Hyundai has teamed up with Brabus to create the i20 Sport Edition. So far the only details released involve the appearance changes. The front skirt and wheel arches take on an angrier appearance while Yokohama rubber gets wrapped around a set of 17-inch Brabus alloy wheels. The black mesh looks good next to the black bezel around the headlights, as well as the added LED daytime running strips.

While the outside sports that subtly-cool hot-hatch look, the inside looks it was “designed” by the Great Pumpkin after a night spent throwing one too many back. Though the orange-black paint scheme is a little much, the sporty Recaro seats, leather-lined surfaces and seven-inch touchscreen are welcome additions.

We’re still waiting to hear what is powering the Hyundai i20 Sport Edition, but with Brabus involved we can only hope for the best. The car will enter production during the first half of 2011, and it will be released as a limited-edition model, available in both three and five-door versions. Follow the jump for Hyundai’s press blast.

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Paris 2010: Hyundai teams up with Brabus for sportier i20

Paris 2010: Hyundai teams up with Brabus for sportier i20 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Lexus, Luxury

The Lexus GS is set to get a comprehensive redesign sometime next year, including thoroughly upgraded underpinnings that will for the basis of Lexus‘ next generation 5 Series fighter. Like the current GS platform, the new architecture will form the basis of the next IS, which in its current form is essentially a shortened and squished GS.

With that in mind, the next generation IS will follow shortly thereafter – likely sometime in 2012 – and in addition to the current sedan and convertible, Lexus could finally add an IS coupe to its lineup. Lexus recognizes that it hasn’t had a credible player in that market for far too long, and with the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe around the corner and the two-door BMW 3 Series holding its own, the obvious question is why hasn’t Lexus done it sooner?

According to our sources, it was easier for Toyota to make a business case for the IS cabrio, particularly given the SC430‘s imminent demise and Lexus’ need for a drop-top offering to fill the hole. If the coupe does come to fruition – and we’ve been told in no uncertain terms that it’s in the cards – expect the two-door IS to bow sometime in late 2012 or early 2013. And it’s safe to assume an F version will arrive with in year of the coupe’s debut.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Lexus IS coupe could come as early as 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Paris Motor Show, Ferrari

Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina would be proud. The Ferrari SA APERTA has made its global entrance, so stare at it while you can because you might never see one in person. Just 80 sans-roof examples of the front-engined V12 hot-rod will be built. That number serves to honor the 80th anniversary of Pininfarina, just as the letters S and A honor Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina.

It’s not entirely topless, though. It does come with a lightweight soft-top which can be installed if the rain begins to fall. We imagine the procedure for putting that top on is surprisingly difficult and it would be smarter to just drive faster and evade the weather. It would be a shame to muffle the open-air song from that 6.0-liter 12-cylinder engine, even just a little bit.

The Ferrari SA APERTA (aperta is Italian for “open”) is a wonderful way to pay tribute to two men and a company that have played an important role for Enzo’s company.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Paris 2010: Ferrari SA APERTA is a limited-edition homage to Pininfarina originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Paris Motor Show, Porsche, Luxury

You can tell pretty much everything you need to know about the Porsche 911 Speedster just by looking at it. It’s a 911, which means it’s got a flat-six engine in the ass-end and it’s got… ahem, classical styling, for better or for worse. We’ll just go ahead on record right now and say that it’s not nearly as pretty as the original 356 Speedster it’s meant to evoke, but what is?

Moving on, there are 408 horsepower from the 3.8-liter engine driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK, of course, we just like typing the full name) dual-clutch transmission. The run to 60 is dispatched in 4.6 seconds and the top speed is just shy of 190. See the latest Speedster in all its glory in our high-res image gallery of live photos below.

Live photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Paris 2010: Porsche 911 Speedster is the Hunchback of Paris originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kenya could resume manufacturing vehicles if a plan by the East African Community succeeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Videos, Paris Motor Show, Electric

Exagon Motors hasn’t often appeared in these pages – the company built some electric ice racers last year – and so yesterday’s announcement of the Furtive e-GT extended-range/all-electric sports car caught us by surprise. We recovered from our shock long enough to check it out in person at the Paris Motor Show today, and the metal does the sleek shape more favors than a camera lens. Still, with a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds (take that, Tesla Roadster) and some range guarantees (!), we’ll take one no matter how it looks.

Specifically, Exagon guarantees that the Furtive-eGT will be able to go – when “calculated according to European standards and energy use cycles” – the following distances before the range extender kicks in:

At a constant speed of 50 km/h : 402 km (31 miles per hour : 250 miles)
At a constant speed of 90 km/h : 288 km (56 mph : 179 miles)
At a constant speed of 110 km/h : 241 km (68 mph : 150 miles)
At a constant speed of 130 km/h : 197 km (81 mph : 122 miles)

Another interesting thing about the Furtive-eGT is that the range extender is an option, which is certainly a welcome change from the one-type-fits-all powertrains we see in the Tesla, Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. Check out more views of the Furtive-eGT in the gallery below and be sure to click past the jump to watch the video.

Live photos copyright (C)2010 Chris Paukert / AOL

Continue reading Paris 2010: Exagon Motors Furtive eGT range-extended EV looks better in person [w/video]

Paris 2010: Exagon Motors Furtive eGT range-extended EV looks better in person [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your local fruit seller, khanga wholesaler or weaver will build the foundation for achieving Vision 2030, Kenya’s economic development plan.

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