2011 Lotus Evora - Aspen White/black Interior - Sport/tech/heated Seats on 2040-cars

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Lotus Evija whirs onto Quail lawn to tempt 130 prospective customers

At last, we've met the Lotus Evija in its compact, electric-charged glory. The carbon-fiber-bodied electric supercar looks like liquid metal poured over some skeletal biologic form. The coupe represents the first all-new Lotus since the ten-year-old Evora went on sale, the first Lotus developed wholly under Geely ownership, the first in-house all-electric vehicle from Hethel, the first Lotus with a one-piece carbon fiber monocoque tub, and the first one Hethel HQ will send to the Nurburgring to break a lap record. Lotus announced that lap record tilt saying it should be "comfortably quicker" than the all-electric NIO EP9 road-legal EV that ran a 6:45. That has since been broken by the 6:05 figure Volkswagen achieved with its ID.R, a purpose-built electric race car. The 'Ring doesn't yet divide EV times into classes, so we'd still like to see Lotus go for outright honors. That is indeed unfair, but the Evija has the numbers to at least make a go of it. The four electric motors in the ID.R produce a combined 680 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque to move a car weighing 2,500 pounds. The Evija's 50 percent heavier at 3,700 pounds, but has almost triple the horses and more than double the torque, its two motors making a combined 2,000 horsepower and 1,254 pound-feet of torque. It does have active aerodynamics, including a moving rear wing, but it's still short a bunch of race aero, a giant front splitter, and a DRS button. No matter how the German caper turns out, we expect Lotus will be able to find homes for all the Evijas it offers for sale. Only 130 will be made, each one starting at around $2.1 million.

Detroit Electric is actually active in Detroit

Here's some news that will make the urban scavengers sifting through the ruins of the Motor City a little disappointed. Detroit Electric, the slow-moving electric-vehicle maker basing their wares off of a couple of Lotus models is employing people in Detroit. And some local vehicle production may follow. The company is working out of Detroit's Fisher Building, which had been empty last year, and says it plans to boost its employee count from eight to about 20 by the end of the year, The Truth About Cars reports. Detroit Electric changed its production plans for the Lotus Elise-based SP:01 last year, moving the manufacturing base of that model to the Netherlands from a production facility in Plymouth, MI, about 30 miles west of Detroit. Right now, the SP:01 is being worked on in Europe, Malaysia's Paultan.org says. That 201-horsepower model can go from 0-62 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds and has a single-charge range of about 190 miles. That model is expected to be priced at about $135,000. Detroit Electric is also working on a 2+2 EV based on the Lotus Evora, and, while government approvals await, the four-seater may be available for sale as soon as early 2016.

Editors' Picks June 2024: Some German SUVs and an excellent sports car

This month sees some recently-refreshed luxury SUVs join the list of Editors' Picks. Both the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne are fresh for 2024, and both are extremely tempting luxury performance SUVs for the well-off buyer. The vast array of powertrains available for both of them ensure there's a version for all comers, and any enthusiast would adore the extra-high-performance versions of both. Of course, enthusiasts will enjoy the last car on this month's list the most with the Lotus Emira. It's simply spectacular to drive, and we can't recommend it enough to the hardcore driver. In case you missed previous Editors' Picks posts, here’s a quick refresher on whatÂ’s going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get an EditorsÂ’ Pick designation. Those are the ones weÂ’d recommend to our friends, family and anybody whoÂ’s curious and asks the question. You'll find the entire list of Editors' Picks at this link here, which we keep updated as cars are either added or dropped from the list. The vehicles youÂ’ll find below consist of every car we rated in June that earned an EditorsÂ’ Pick. 2024 BMW X5 2024 BMW X5 M Competition View 41 Photos Quick take: The X5 is most desirable in its PHEV and M60i V8 trims, but the whole lineup is extremely competent and brings together excellent performance, excess luxury and cutting-edge tech for its segment. Score: 7.5 What it competes with: Mercedes-Benz GLE, Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport, Maserati Levante, Genesis GV80, Audi Q8 Pros: Superb to drive with knockout powertrains; excellent utility and creative features; styling is sporty and attractive but not over the top Cons: Infotainment system can be a pain; M Competition model is a little over the top; gets pricey quick with options From the editors:  Senior Editor, Electric John Beltz Snyder — "I really like the dual-opening liftgate/tailgate combo. The liftgate portion up top opens quickly, allowing you to throw something inside or grab something out of the back. Flipping down the lower tailgate part gives you a nice place to sit and change shoes. Another benefit is that you can open the liftgate without unsecured items immediately falling out. And with the way the X5 M Competition encourages you to drive it hard, you will end up shifting loose cargo around at some point." Road Test Editor Zac Palmer — "I'd snag the X5 M60i out of all the various X5 variants.