Detroit Electric SP:01 – it’s a Lotus Exige EV

Detroit Electric has revealed the SP:01, a Lotus Exige based electric sports car promising 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and a range of 190 miles. 999 are being built. Detroit Electric is a re-birth of a once well-known electric vehicle maker in the US (that’s well-known pre-WWII) that’s been revived by former Group head of Lotus Engineering, Albert Lam, set up shop in Michigan with the intention of emulating Tesla’s route to EV credibility by building its own Lotus EV.

Is the Volkswagen BlueSport Roadster back on?

There was talk that VW needed at least three of its brands to take the BlueSport project in to production, and there was talk not just of a VW Bluesport but also a SEAT BlueSport, one from Skoda, another from Audi and even a Porsche BlueSport. But in the end, not a single part of VW’s vast group seemed enamoured enough with the BlueSport to take the project forward. But it now looks as though the idea of the BlueSport is far from dead, with VW’s design boss, Walter de Silva, declaring that he’s a big fan of the BlueSport project, and he’s far from the only one in the VW Group who feels the same.

Lincoln opens first dedicated design studio for 40 years

Ford has opened the first dedicated Lincoln design center for 40 years in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of its ongoing brand reinvention. Last August Ford announced it would be creating the studio for its luxury brand as well as increasing spending, giving it unique interiors and powertrains in an effort to differentiate it from the core Ford offerings. The Lincoln Design Studio has been built on the campus of Ford's Product Development center and houses designers, sculptors, modelers and engineers who make up part of a larger Lincoln Product Development team that will create four new Lincoln vehicles by 2015.