Lotus Evora 400 U.S. bound 2016

British sports car maker Lotus has taken the wraps off the next generation mid-engine Evora 2+2  and announced that following the European launch this summer, will hit the North American market in the fall as a 2016 model.  Called the Lotus Evora 400, it is the fastest production Lotus ever, according to the company. The 400 refers to the engine output, which sees the previous Evora S 3.5-liter V-6 fitted with a new supercharger that boosts it from 345 to 400 horsepower. Torque has been increased from 295 to 302 lb-ft with maximum torque available from 3,500 to 6,500 rpm

With a top speed of 186 mph, the Evora 400 takes just 4.1 seconds to accelerate from 0-60 mph and has beat the previous production car lap time set by the Evora S on the company's test track at Hethel, England, by 6 seconds. In addition to the engine upgrades, the 2016 Lotus Evora 400 features a new aluminum chassis, updated interior and lightweight composite body panels that give the car a new look

Faster and lighter

In addition to being faster than the model it replaces, it's lighter with the new design shaving 45 pounds from the previous model even though content has been increased. "We have always said that to make a car better, you must make it faster and lighter," said Jean-Marc Gales, CEO for Group Lotus. We have achieved this, of course, but we didn't stop there, as considerable number of changes in the interior, chassis, engine and body design have warranted emphatically the title of a new Lotus Evora

The new Evora 400 features new styling that includes a bolder face with larger cooling inlets and LED daytime running lights. At the rear, the Evora benefits from a new bumper, lightweight composite rear diffuser and a three-element wing. The car has a more aggressive stance and appears lower, wider and more planted on the road. Overall length has increased 1.4 inches and yet a shorter front overhang reduces the approach angle from 11.5 to 10 degrees

Cabin improvements

Among the upgrades to the interior, first and foremost, Lotus had made the Evora easier to get in and out of, thanks to narrower and lower sills as well as thinner inside door panels. All new sport seats are lighter, more aggressively bolstered and supportive. The new bonded aluminum chassis not only has thinner sills without sacrificing stiffness, but also allows for a slightly larger rear seating area that's 11 inches wider. The Evora 400 has three new trim levels including upgrades to full Alcantara or Scottish leather, each package featuring specific detailing

In addition to an all-new dash layout, revised instrument cluster and a lightweight forged aluminum sport steering wheel, the Evora 400 benefits from an all-new climate control system that provides greater airflow and more operator control. Other changes include the incorporation of a stop/start button and the introduction of a new high-end sound system. Lotus, which produces about 45 cars per week, will ramp production up to 70 per week to accommodate the demand for the Evora 400. Pricing will be announced closer to its launch date

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Lexus LF-SA Concept: Ultra-bold city car of tomorrow

Employing avant-garde styling that few would have imagined possible, the Lexus LF-SA Concept rolled into Geneva intent on shaking up conventional thinking. Created by the automaker's European-based ED2 design studio this tiny 2+2 urban runabout has a driver focused character but a look that even Lexus admits is "an audacious interpretation of the brand's design philosophy." That said, the LF-SA Concept also is meant to establish that beyond its well-established luxury leanings, Lexus has a passion for creating driver-focused vehicles with emotional flair

Finished in Stellar Silver with dark roof/door/fender contrast elements, the LF-SA Concept's highly-sculpted bodywork is rendered in what Lexus calls a "Time in Design" form that causes the vehicle's perceived shape change when viewed from various angles. A mere 135.8 inches long - nearly three feet shorter than a Lexus CT 200h - the LF-SA's strong positive and negative exterior surfaces are bookended by equally dramatic fascia treatments. Up front, the most aggressive take yet on the automaker's signature spindle grille moves from a two-dimensional graphic to a solid 3D form as it transitions out from the center logo and melds with the angular hood and fenders. The tail has a similarly edgy flavor with a double-step design of its hatchback set off by distinctive L-shaped lamp clusters, which like the headlights, are full LED units. While Lexus made no mention of the LF-SA's oversize rolling stock, those blender-blade alloys wrapped around custom Goodyear rubber display a menacing 3D character

The LF-SA Concept's cabin also reflects a journey into uncharted territory which Lexus says was "inspired by the spectacle of a solar eclipse." It starts with a sweeping dash that holds a holographic central information display as well as a conventional head-up unit. In keeping with its driver-centric theme, the prime seat in the house is fixed while the steering wheel and pedals are fully adjustable. Access to the LF-SA's fairly diminutive rear perches is gained by sliding the front bucket forward. As one might expect, this intriguing one-off also provides all aboard with state-of-the-art connectivity and safety. It will be interesting to see where Lexus decides to go with this envelope-stretching concept. It's no secret that the automaker has been discussing the possibility of adding a sub-CT 200h model to the family

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Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce debuts 2015

Serving up more power with less weight, improved aerodynamics and a healthy measure of enhanced technology thrown in for good measure, the 2015 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce - SV for short -- bowed at Geneva as a more exotic take on one of the world's most stunning supercars

Based on the Aventador LP 700-4 Coupe, the new SV pushes the limits emerging as "the fastest and most emotional series-production" Lambo ever to roll out of the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory. To help trim 110 pounds from the carbon-composite intense baseline Aventador, Lamborghini engineers further optimized the monocoque and its aluminum subframes and replaced the alloy body panels as well as the new rear wing and air intakes with either carbon fiber or superlight Sheet Molding Compound (SMC). The interior came under the same mass-reducing scrutiny, where carbon fiber door panels and racing style shell buckets lessened mass, as did dispensing with the standard infotainment system - still on offer at no added cost - conventional carpeting and a fair bit of sound insulation. It also boasts a new yellow TFT screen for its digital instrument cluster with a blue upshift indicator and a G-force indicator in the lower part of the main display

Less restrictive exhaust

On the motivation front, upgrades to the Variable Valve Timing and Variable Intake System on its mid-mounted 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 coupled with all-new lighter and less-restrictive exhaust plumbing contributed to a gain of 50 horsepower - which works out to 739 horsepower. Redline has also been lifted from 8,400 to 8,500 rpm. Collectively, the revamps improved overall power to weight ratio by 10 percent on the 3,362-pound Aventador SV, trimming its 0-62 mph time by 0.1 second -- to 2.8 ticks - and helping it reach a top speed of over 217 mph

Fed to Lambo's 7-speed ISR automated manual transmission that prodigious power heads to all four wheels via the latest Haldex IV electronically controlled AWD setup. Like the standard Aventador, the SV uses a racing style pushrod chassis with adaptive Magneto Rheological Suspension (MRS) shocks and a new variable-ratio electromechanical Lamborghini Dynamic Steering (LDS) system that adapts to road speed and the Strada/Sport/Corsa mode settings available on the SV's Drive Select system. Other SV touches include 20-inch front/21-inch rear alloy wheels - available with racing-style center locks -- wrapped in Pirelli P Z Corsa performance tires and standard Carbon Ceramic Brakes

To keep the Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce securely planted at speed and enhance its cornering prowess, the two-seater also benefits from a comprehensive aero tweaking. The front end has a more open appearance with a bolder and deeper splitter and twin wing elements as well as larger air intakes to further improve brake cooling. That same openness carries to the rear treatment, where the 3-way manually adjustable wing is matched with a revised and more efficient lower diffuser separated by a black mesh insert that helps extract heat from the engine compartment. Lamborghini says the revisions optimize the SV's total aero signature by 150 percent and increase downforce by 170 percent compared to the baseline Aventador

The 2015 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce goes on sale later this spring and will start at just over $366,000. No word yet on what that figure will be in the U.S. or when the first cars will arrive here

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Koenigsegg Regera: Plug-in supercar boasts nearly 1,500 horsepower 2016

Already well known for producing conventional supercars, Swedish boutique maker Koenigsegg rolled out its latest and arguably greatest creation to date in Geneva in the form of its first hybrid model. Called the Regera - which means "to reign" in Swedish  And with over 1,475 horsepower, the company claims the Regera will be the fastest-accelerating as well as the most powerful production car ever built. Koenigsegg plans to make just 80 copies of the Regera over the course of the next five years, a figure it points out "symbolizes the principle of domination, control and achievement in Pythagorean Numerology." Each is expected to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.9 million

While sharing many visual cues with its Koenigsegg kin, the new Regera has a more elegantly contoured body which is set off with several unique touches including "Constellation" LED running lights that offer a starlike appearance, a panoramic windshield, distinct roof scoop, automatically deploying front/rear aero devices highlighted by an active foldable rear wing made of lightweight carbon fiber and a unique "fishtail" outlet for its sound-tuned Akrapovic titanium exhaust system. The car also features custom carbon fiber wheels

Providing dual-mode motivation for the Regera is a bespoke version of Koenigsegg's own 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 tuned to make 1,084 horsepower along with a trio of electric motors - one between the crankshaft and the Koenigsegg Direct Drive (KDD) transmission that replaces a conventional gearbox and one at each rear wheel to add extra muscle as well as torque-vectoring - that tally up another 690. That combination also develops a collective 1,475 lb-ft of torque, enough to send the 3,590-pound Regera blitzing from 0-249 mph in less than 20 seconds. Located in a carbon-aramid central tunnel, the Regera's 620V/9.3kWh liquid-cooled lithium battery pack can be replenished on the fly through regenerative braking or via a Level II charger using the port hidden behind its rear badge

In addition to a full hydraulic suspension, active engine and transmission mounts and auto soft-takedown functions on all body closures including its trick swing out/rotate Dihedral Synchro Helix doors, the Regera's length roster of standards list encompasses 8-way power memory-foam seats, a primo Koenigsegg infotainment system, 3G/Wi-Fi connectivity, front/inner/rear camera systems with recording capability, Apple CarPlay and front/rear parking sensors along with remote-diagnostic and firmware-update capability

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Kia Sportspace Concept: New look, new thinking

The versatile Kia Sportspace Concept bowed in Geneva with contemporary take on a mid-size vehicle intended to "meet the demands of those who refuse to be categorized when it comes to their lifestyle or their motoring needs." Created at Kia's European Design Center in Frankfurt under the direction of Gregory Guillaume, the Sportspace embodies a multifaceted character that has an elevated sense of style in a wagon. Guillaume says the concept would be a welcome addition to the Kia's European lineup, the Sportspace Concept also is believed to offer an early look at some of the cues we may see in the 2016 Kia Optima sedan - a for-sure update that has already been spied testing on the continent

Finished in Ignition Red, the 5-door Sportspace integrates flowing lines and dynamic proportions with more sophisticated detailing at both ends. Kia's signature "tiger-nose" grille has a bolder appearance set off by an articulated and louvered Plexiglass insert that can rotate as needed to increase cooling. The vehicle also sports unique "ice cube" LED headlamps and satin-aluminum strips in the lower apron that keep the directional signals hidden until they're activated. A strong D-pillar treatment, angled hatch, carbon fiber kick plates and 20-inch alloy wheels add interest to the profile while the tail of the Sportspace boasts a tastefully integrated roof spoiler, aggressive carbon fiber diffuser and LED taillamps with sequential turn signals

Inside, the Sportspace's 4-passenger cabin matches contemporary design with impressive practicality setting off supple smooth and hand-woven leather seat coverings with carbon fiber and milled, anodized aluminum trim. The floating dash pairs digital instrumentation with a new infotainment system that features split-screen capability while the conventional inside mirror gives way to a smaller screen that displays images from a rear-mounted camera as well as other pertinent vehicle info. In addition to generous legroom and headroom, the two rear passengers can use special clamps on the front seatbacks to mount two tablet PCs stored in the car's full-length center console. Ever ready to accommodate skis that can be easily slid between its rear seats, the Sportspace also features an array of 28 steel balls in its load floor that allow heavy, bulky cargo to glide into place before retracting when the large liftgate is closed

An advanced 2.0-liter T-GDI (turbocharged gasoline direct injected) 4-cylinder engine provides motivation for the Sportspace Concept and sends its 247 horsepower to the front wheels through an automatic transmission. It's still too early to tell how much of the look and technology in this engaging Kia one-off will actually transfer to the upcoming Optima line -- in sedan or wagon form. But the Sportspace Concept definitely makes a statement we hope is realized in the years ahead

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