1998 Dodge Ram 1500 on 2040-parts.com

Lotus announces 100 new jobs

Lotus Lotus is on a recruitment drive - prompting confidence that the iconic British sportscar firm’s future looks brighter than it has for years. The company has suffered a rollercoaster ride since relaunching in 2010 with a bold promise to build five new sportscars and a supermini. But the architect of that plan, CEO Dany Bahar, was fired by the company's Malaysian owners and the expansion has since been wound down.

First Motorway Service Station Pub opens on M40

The Hope & Champion pub (pictured) opens at Beaconsfield Services on the M40 Where to stop for a bite to eat on UK motorways can often be a bit of a lottery, with many oif us seeking a pub just off the motorway for a bit of a break and a spot of lunch. But now, amid some controversy and complaints from safety groups, JD Wetherspoons has opened the first pub at a motorway services, with the Hope and Champion open for business at Beaconsfield Services on the M40. The Hope and Champion will be open from 4am to 1am, seven days a week, and serve the usual JD Wetherspoons fodder of passable meals and drinks and, say JD Wetherspoons, a wide range of non-alcoholic drinks, tea and coffee.

Porsche says Panamera avoids gas-guzzler tax

Few expenses were spared in conceiving the Porsche Panamera, but consumers will avoid at least one cost of ownership: the ignominious gas-guzzler tax. Porsche has announced ratings for the 2010 sedan; it will get a combined figure of 18 mpg or 19 mpg from the EPA, depending on the model. This means Porsche’s four-door foray will avoid a fairly substantial cost of ownership--a tax of up to $7,700 is levied on the most prolific guzzlers.