Lotus 'Eagle' (2009): first pictures

This is the long-awaited new Lotus 2+2, with a 3.5-litre Toyota V6 and four apparently useable seats. It's the first new Lotus for 13 years and a pretty significant launch, due for its show debut at the 2008 London motor show later this month on 22 July 2008. That's when we’ll find out the name of this new Lotus – codenamed Eagle – but in the meantime the company is teasing us with some new details. These include the car’s sub-five second 0-60mph time, its estimated 160mph top speed and the promise of convertible and high-performance versions. Read on for the full first details and analysis of the new Lotus Eagle.
Is it still called the Lotus Eagle?
For now, as that’s the car’s project name – but the production car will bear a regular Lotus 'E' name, predicted to be a short, pithy tag. This is a true Lotus at heart, after all; early prototypes of the are considerably faster than the Elise, Hethel spokesmen claim, and more stable at speed than the Exige, too.
Of course the Lotus Eagle should be one of the quickest four-seaters around, with an aluminium chassis and a composite roof help to keep weight low in time-honoured Lotus fashion. Add in that 3.5-litre V6 Toyota engine equipped with dual VVT-i (‘intelligent’ variable valve timing) producing 276bhp and we wouldn’t expect anything less from Lotus. The torque figure should be at least 250lb ft.
The rest of the Eagle's spec is pretty impressive too, with 350mm four-pot AP racing brakes, Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs.
And the looks? We'll let you judge the design for yourself, suffice to say that this first official photograph had most at CAR recalling the M250 concept shown at the start of the decade; it was designed as a smarter Lotus to slot above the Elise but failed to meet global homologation standards and was subsequently parked. Much of its spirit seems alive and well in the new Eagle.

Smart MHD micro-hybrid CAR review

The Smart Fortwo MHD has been available in Europe since October 2007. MHD is Smart-talk for a stop/start system and stands for Micro Hybrid Drive. UK versions of the 61bhp and 71bhp Smart will have MHD from October 2008, while the punchier 84bhp and Brabus models will have it in 2009.
Time for CAR to take one out for a traffic-jam test drive.
How does the Smart Fortwo’s MHD stop/start work?
Bigger stop/start systems like that in the A-class BlueEfficiency add a belt-driven starter-generator, but keep the conventional starter motor for cold starts. In the Smart, both the starter and alternator are replaced by the starter-generator.
The system generates electricity to charge the battery when the driver is braking, and automatically cuts the engine when the speed drops below 8km/h (about 5mph). It then re-starts the engine when the driver releases the brakes.

Mercedes SLK's panoramic glass roof: the spy photos

Want to turn your Mercedes SLK into a goldfish bowl? Our spies have caught this prototype out on test with a panoramic glass roof, which is being readied for launch on the next-generation SLK. It's like the panoramic glass vario roof available on the SLK's bigger brother, the SL. So expect a similar cost of around £1400 – and we hear it's a popular option on top-spec SLs. Does a glass roof affect operation of the SLK's folding hard-top?Apparently not, but we guess that's what the engineers are testing right now. It essentially just changes the main roof section from metal to toughened glass like your average laminated windcreen. But CAR's spy photos prove the vario roof is heavily tinted to protect your bonce from solar radiation.The idea is that it bathes the cabin in light, for those occasions when you don't want to lower the roof because it's too hot or you're driving through a polluted city, for instance. Just the ticket for roadster buyers who want to see and be seen, then.This test mule is an interesting vehicle, since it's based on the pre-facelift SLK. Well placed sources told CAR that the glass roof won't be offered in the lifetime of this SLK, pointing to the next-generation car due

Mazda RX8 R3 CAR review

Mazda has been producing rotary engines since the year dot and they’ve become the company’s trademark long after others have given up on the idea. Yet rotary engines – like the new Mazda RX-8’s – are hard to justify.
Compared to a piston engine, they were always known for gobbling fuel, using oil and suffering from premature wear. The upside is they sound fantastic and go like the clappers, the RX-8’s revving to 9000rpm before the rev limiter calls time.
The Mazda RX-8 was originally launched in 2003 and has just undergone a facelift emerging as the RX8 R3. It’s got the latest RENESIS twin-rotor engine in which, after donkeys years of development, most of those problems have been licked. It’s also had a makeover in other areas too.
Right, so what’s new on the Mazda RX-8 R3?
Externally, there’s a standard Sports Styling Pack with new front bumper, side skirts, rear wing and the RX-8 also gets 19-inch wheels clad with 225/40 tyres. But as you discover from the driving seat in the first half mile, there have been a few changes under the skin.
The bodyshell has been stiffened and dampers, springs, bushes and anti-roll bars revised including the use of Bilstein sports suspension and a urethane-filled front cross member. At the rear, the multi-link suspension has been tuned to improve both the ride and handling.
The RENESIS rotary engine has undergone a few subtle changes too, such as an improved oil metering system (the engine mixes tiny amounts of oil with the fuel to lubricate the rotor tips) and there’s a new type of knock sensor.

U-turn! VW's Up will be front-engined

By Phil McNamara
19 July 2008 13:51
Shock news from Volkswagen: the Up city car and spiritual successor to the original Beetle will switch to a front engine/front-wheel drive layout, CAR can confirm. Despite the 2007 concept being rear-engined like the iconic 'people's car', VW suits have approved a switch to a front-mounted three-cylinder engine. 'For cost, design and aerodynamic reasons, we will probably have to put the engine at the front,' a VW source told CAR. Our further investigations reveal that a front-engined Up is a done deal – and it's mostly for cost reasons.
By ditching a standalone rear-drive platform, the Up will have much greater drivetrain and component commonality with other front-drive VWs. It will also be much easier to integrate on existing production lines. All told, the decision will save Volkswagen hundreds of millions in investment.
Our sources vow that the Up concept's wonderful looks and proportions won't be compromised. 'The show car's small front overhang stays. In fact, the front-engined car is more faithful to the concept than the rear-engined package we developed,' one insider revealed.
Packaging a front engine means the four-seat production car will measure 400mm longer, taking the Up to around 3850mm – fractionally longer than Ford's outgoing Ka. Power will come from a 1.2-litre three cylinder engine, both naturally aspirated and turbocharged to provide a range of outputs.
A source also said that the engine switch would also eliminate some tail-happy instability in cross winds, as well as eliminating the complexity of channeling coolant from the front-mounted radiator to a rear engine.
Expect the Up to go on sale in 2010, with deluxe versions for western customers and budget versions to tap growing demand in the developing world.

BMW 7-series (2009)

From launch there will be three engines, including an all-new diesel, a revised twin-turbo 3.0-litre petrol and the forced-induction V8 from the . The X6 will also donate its to the 7-series, with a launch expected by the end of the decade. The engine line-up is as follows:
Diesel730d – 3.0-litre straight six, single turbo, 241bhp and 398lb ft
Petrol740i – 3.0-litre straight six, twin-turbo, 322bhp and 332lb ft750i – 4.4-litre V8, twin-turbo, 402bhp and 442lb ft
A revised six-speed automatic gearbox is standard and BMW’s new Dynamic Driving Control unit allows you to modulate the dampers, throttle response, steering and gearshift settings via three modes.

Jeep Renegade

Of the three concepts unveiled on the Chrysler stand the one most likely to see a production line is the Jeep Renegade. Whether it does so with its current tree hugger-pleasing power source is unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
Socket to ’em
Outdoor enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that Jeep has plumped for a hybrid diesel electric engine in the Renegade. A 200kW electric engine over each axle makes it genuine four-wheel drive and a 1.5-litre diesel engine cuts in when required to give extra boost. The combination gives a 400-mile range, meaning it’s unlikely you’ll be left stranded on a rain-lashed hillside looking for somewhere to plug it in. And unlike some of its pure electric concepts, it’s much less likely you’ll run out of gas entirely.
Jeep has concentrated on paring weight from the Volkswagen Polo-sized two-seater by using composite bodywork and giving it a stripped-out cabin. The overall result is an impressive claimed fuel return of 110mpg. The car’s a proper fun machine too, with no roof, a speedster windscreen and drainage holes in the floor so you can hose it out if you really go off-road.
Buggy off
A healthy dose of the classic 1960s beach buggy including a beefy rollover bar and ‘doors’ with see-through panels in them combine with the seven-slot grille and round headlights to make the Renegade look the part. And according to sources within Chrysler it could end up in production as a ‘baby’ Wrangler, aimed at drivers who want a fun and relatively affordable car for off-roading. Prices would start at around £16,000 putting it in similar territory to the Patriot.
If you think that’s unlikely, remember this is the second buggy-style concept that Jeep has done in recent years. The wild 2005 Hurricane concept trod similar ground, albeit with twin engines rather than the Renegade’s more fashionable planet-saving power plant.

Mercedes McLaren SLR speedster (2009)

CAR Online has scooped the farewell edition of the SLR – a speedster version of Mercedes and McLaren's outrageous supercar. Our spy photos and video conclusively reveal the chop-top SLR that's somehow even more shocking than the and Just look at those mini windscreen lips and imagine the speed at which flies will be rammed into your throat at 200mph. Utter madness. Our new spy photos of the aero-screened machine turned up today and the camouflage seems pretty pointless to us; this is clearly an open ‘speedster’ style SLR. Just check out the amusing third headlamp camo detail. Yes, it's pretty difficult do disguise a 200+mph windscreen-less hypercar! Indeed. The SLR’s lines are unmistakable despite the loss of the windscreen. The rear deck features twin roll hoops and double-humps – reminiscent of Mercedes’ classic ‘Silver Arrows’ racers. It’s not known what it’ll be called, but it's internally codenamed Z119. What is certain is that it will be the most expensive SLR ever built, with a price tag in the region of €750,000 (£600,000). Yikes. That’s a huge amount of cash. What does it buy you? Quite simply it’s a windscreen-less SLR. The existing models already use rigid carbonfibre so removing the windscreen is a relatively simple job for the engineers at McLaren's HQ in Woking where the SLR is assembled. Numbers will be limited – it's thought that only 75 of these radical speedster SLRs will ever be built.

BMW tii models

BMW chief Norbert Reithofer has confirmed to CAR Online that a range of tii performance options will be launched soon on the company's smaller models. He has finally ruled out a rumoured M1 version of the 1-series and said the tii spec would be the most performance-oriented model, claiming the the twin-turbo 135i was quite fast enough (it does 0-62mph in 5.3sec, after all).The tii concept shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show points accurately to the approach BMW is developing: performance kits for the 1-series coupe and hatchback, an aero package, carbonfibre details, fatter wheels and tyres, sports seats and instruments. There's even talk of a new M-style steering wheel with integrated LED rev counter.A tii for the massesBMW is the past master at offering huge choice in spec and trim; subtle nuance of alloy wheel size here, and Sport spec there is the stuff of workplace car park folklore. The tii spec will slot above today's M sport spec in the multi-faceted pecking order.However, BMW plans for the tii models to be proper performance cars in the longer run. For instance, the next-gen 1-series, dubbed F20 and due in late 2011, will offer a tii version with a downsized twin-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine and a radically lighter body and chassis, we hear.The 3-series tiiWe'll see the facelifted 3-series this summer - with mild revisions to the lights and bonnet - but there is likely to be a tii model, too. Expect the brakes from the M3, 19in wheels, sports suspension and a new twin-clutch transmission. Again, though, a harder core tii is likely with the next 3-series, codenamed F30 and due in late 2011.

Suzuki's Jazz rival splashes

Another quirky Suzuki is on the way – the Splash – a small car with a big interior. The five-door is a rival for petite but practical hatches like Honda's Jazz.
Unveiled at the Paris show, the Splash will go on UK sale at the end of 2007. At 3.8m-long, the five-door is not that much longer than a Ford Ka. But a tall roof ensures higher mounted seats and reasonable legroom, aided by a long wheelbase thanks to those pushed out wheels. The Splash is spun off the front-drive Swift platform. The concept car runs an all-new 1.2-litre petrol engine, which insiders claim returns around 75mpg, hooked up to a four-speed automatic 'box. With such miserly consumption, a diesel Splash is looking unlikely in the UK. Some of the more fanciful touches – 18inch alloys, LED lamps, side cameras, fancy tailpipes, lashings of chrome – will be toned down on the production car. But the architecture is pretty faithful to the finished model's. The interior is very simple, with the single speedo containing info about fuel consumption and other on-board diagnostics. Suzuki's answer to BMW's iDrive – a menu screen operated by a ball-shaped control – also makes an appearance.

Acura Advanced Sports Car

Honda has given a huge hint about its NSX supercar replacement with this Advanced Sports Car Concept. Honda president Takeo Fukui unveiled the supercar in Detroit, and revealed key details of the production car. It will run a V10 engine, mounted in the nose, and turning all four wheels. 'My passion is performance,' said Fukui. 'And our direction is clear: we plan to make advances in technology, design and performance with this car.' Click 'next' for more.
Design: Corvette meets Cadillac
The ASC was designed by Honda's Los Angeles studio. The stylists have clearly been studying America's supercar icon, because the front end screams of the Corvette. And the crisp creases and sheer surfaces are reminiscent of Cadillac's stillborn supercar, the 2002 Cien. 'Our intention was to design an exotic sports car that gracefully combines advanced technology and strong emotion,' said Jon Ikeda, principal designer, Acura Design Center. 'The technical, machined surfaces and keen-edge design are balanced with sweeping curves and dramatic lines, all of which results in the ultimate exotic sports car.' The horizontal light bar which dominates the rear is a nod back to the original NSX. It rolls on 19-inch wheels up front, 20s at the back. Overall length is 4.6m-long – around 0.5m longer than a 911.

Renault Laguna Coupe

Critics of the new dull-looking new Laguna - and there have been a few - can seek solace in the new two-door coupé version unveiled today in Frankfurt. It's a far sleeker affair, although a concept. And we all know what happens to sexy concepts before they reach the high street. We just have to hope the officials who vouch it won't change much for production aren't just toeing the company line. This isn't no sports coupé designed to trade off Renault's reputation in F1. Think of it as the company's answer to its domestic rival Peugeot's 407 Coupé. Click 'Next' to read the full story.
I like the look of it... what's different from the saloon?
Every body panel is different, and there are some lush design details on this show special. It's the first Renault with LED headlamps and Renault boss Carlos Ghosn made the typical concept car usual claim that its interior was made using craftmanship from luxury watches. Back in the real world, this concept car does provide numerous clues to the production car. For starters, it ushers in the company's new V6 turbodiesel, a 3.0-litre cranking out 265bhp. There will also be Nissan's 3.5-litre V6, plus more wallet-friendly 2.0-litres in both petrol (205bhp) and diesel (180bhp) guise. All will drive the front wheels.

Kia Koup

Kia’s Koup. If you saw this compact coupe concept without its badges and had to guess who made it, there’s no way your first guess would be Kia. Its lines are simple and sporty, not a million miles from a Ford Puma. But it actually looks like our from the front, and has hints of along the flanks.
But however it looks the Kia Koup should be fun. It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre direct-injection engine producing 290bhp and has a tasty torque curve delivering 289lb ft from 2000rpm all the way to 4000rpm.
The interior is deliberately futuristic. Tom Kearns, chief designer of KMA says: ‘Kia strives to appeal to the emotional side of car enthusiasts who seek adventure and want to take a leap into the future with style and advanced technology. The Koup effectively delivers (that).’
Some US commentators thought the exterior design too understated. We’re told it’s close to production (the interior architecture certainly looks it), so go on Kia, make it happen –and bring it to the UK!