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Lotus Elise (2010): a new face for evergreen roadster

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 16 February 2010 15:19 Lotus has just whisked the covers off the new, sleeker 2011 model year Elise – with a new fish-eyed face inspired by the Evora and a one-off 2007 'concept toy car' made for model car specialists Hot Wheels. The 2011 Lotus Elise will be shown at the 2010 Geneva auto show next month. It's a modest facelift with those wedgier lamps, LED day-running lights, more pronounced grille and fresh rear bumper and engine deck, but many of the changes are under the skin.Lotus Elise 2011: the engineering changesNorfolk continues its engine partnership with Toyota and has swapped the 1.8-litre four-pot for another Japanese-sourced four cylinder, this time downsized to 1.6 for the entry-level Elise S, sporting 134bhp and 118lb ft.It's the 1ZR engine with Valvematic breathing apparatus and a lower redline than the previous, manic 1.8.

Land Rover DC100 concept

Land Rover's new DC100 concept vehicle is due to make its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show, with the manufacturer also confirming that a new Defender is anticipated for 2015. The DC100 concept will be building upon the existing characteristics of the car and it is hoped that the concept will act as a catalyst for debate concerning the future of Defender models. The design team is headed by Gerry McGovern, Land Rover's director of design, who says, "This isn't a production-ready concept but the beginning of a four-year journey to design a relevant Defender for the 21st century." John Edwards, global brand director at Land Rover, explains that the manufacturer wants to engage with existing customers to finalise the details of the new vehicle as part of their plans to direct the future of the Defender.

Rumormill: Aston Martin Cygnet could get V12

A few years ago, if you would have asked us about 500-hp city cars, we would have said, “Awesome, but never going to happen.” We were proven wrong with last year's Nissan Juke-R and we may be proven wrong again with a V12-powered Aston Martin Cygnet. That's right, Autocar reports that Aston is studying the feasibility of taking the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet and shoehorning the V12 from its Vantage and DB9 models. Aston says it could fit the V12 in the tiny car's engine bay without major modifications.