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Lotus could be sold to Chinese automaker Geely

Two things are constant throughout the history of Lotus Cars: amazing vehicles, and financial struggles. Frequent changes in both ownership and leadership have left the company's future up in the air. And while the new management has improved quality and set a new product plan in place, its seems that Lotus could have a new parent company soon. Despite comments to the contrary, Chinese automaker Geely is rumored to be interested in acquiring Lotus Cars. The British automaker has been owned by Proton since 1996, but after Proton was sold to DRB-Hicom in 2012 investors suggested selling off Lotus. The Star Online reports that PSA in France is rumored to be looking at purchasing Proton cars from DRB-Hicom. In turn, Geely, the parent company of Volvo, is interested in purchasing Lotus from Proton. The report states that Geely has no interest in mass-market vehicles from Proton, while crossover-focus PSA, owner of Peugeot and Citroen, has no interest in a sports car manufacturer like Lotus. China has been encouraging its native automakers to purchase and acquire technology it lacks. Buying Lotus looks like it would benefit both companies. Lotus needs an influx of cash while Geely, looking to compete further on the global stage, would gain a great deal of technical and engineering knowledge from Lotus. Geely's stewardship of Volvo has been mostly hands-off, while giving the Swedish company enough money to invest in new platforms and technologies. If the same were to happen to Lotus, Colin Chapman's company could have its best years ahead of it. Related Video: News Source: The Star Online via Car BuzzImage Credit: Getty Rumormill Lotus Volvo Citroen Peugeot Lightweight Vehicles Performance Supercars Geely

Car subscription services: A slow, expensive start — but the potential is huge

Americans are used to paying for subscriptions — to magazines and cable television, for instance — but experience shows they'll cancel when the price of admission gets too high, or there are more tempting alternatives. Cord cutters ditched nearly 1.5 million pay-TV subscriptions in 2017, according to a survey by Leichtman Research Group. Cable TV started out cheap with basic offerings, and then got expensive. The auto industry's subscription offerings are new, but they're starting out costly, and not price-competitive with traditional leasing. The upside is that they take the hassle out of car ownership for busy people by letting the service take care of maintenance, insurance, licensing and taxes. And they give consumers choice, often allowing relatively painless switches between different cars in the automakers' lineup. Subscription services also point the way toward an ownership-free auto experience, and offer an easy transition to a potential world where ride- and car-sharing will be dominant. Subscriptions are here to stay, but consumers may take a while to "get" them. Lincoln's subscription service for lightly used 2015 to 2017 models, offered through the Ford-owned Canvas beginning this year, got off to a slow start. Many early subscribers canceled. Last month, Cadillac announced it would " temporarily pause" its $1,800-per-month Book subscription service for "adjustments" as of December 1. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Snags with the back-end technology used to support the service made some customer-service functions tedious and time-consuming, adding costs for the company." The challenge for automakers is to come up with a strategy that offers consumers a compelling, affordable option to regular ownership, and one that can also make a profit. I think they'll find that sweet spot, but they're not there yet. Jack Nerad, former executive editorial director at Kelley Blue Book and author of " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car," points out that "A lot of people expected that subscriptions would be very valuable for people who wanted inexpensive transportation, but the reality is quite the opposite. Subscriptions are offering more choices for the wealthy.

Volvo releases extensive model updates for 2014

The 2014 model year is going to see big changes for the Volvo lineup. The biggest news is that the "60 cluster" models (the S60, V60 and XC60) are receiving some substantial updates despite not being all that old, and Volvo is also refreshing the S80, V70 and XC70 models. Of course, the 2014 model year also marks the departure of the C30 and C70 from its lineup, and we still have at least a year to wait until we see the redesigned XC90.
Except for the XC90, all of the 2014 Volvos will be getting noticeable design updates. The S60, V60 and XC60 get more in-depth changes, including a full front facelift. All will use an evolution of the "naughty" design that debuted on the S60. The rear of all three cars get some changes, too, most notably consisting of the reshaped rear fascia with the integrated exhaust outlets. S80, V70 and XC70 will get more minor changes - mostly to bring them in line with the fresher models. The XC70 keeps is rugged plastic cladding, but it gets some stylish wheels with what look like arrowhead accents.
Inside, all of these updated models will new in-car technology such as the Sensus Connected Touch infotainment system and the adaptive digital display with a TFT (thin film transistor) screen. This reconfigurable screen allows the driver to choose between three different themes - Elegance, Eco and Performance - which changes the color and layout of the background. Other new features include heated windshields, Active High Beam Control for the headlights, paddle shifters for a little added driver involvement and IntelliSafe active safety systems (City Safety, Pedestrian Detection and Road Sign Information) The S80, V70 and XC70 will also add heated steering wheels to their respective options sheets, too.