New Lotus Elite revealed

Lotus Elite Concept Paris We knew Lotus were intending repositioning themselves as an East Anglian Aston Martin. Thanks to a clumsy PR stunt by Lotus we were pretty sure we’d see the direction at the Paris Motor Show. Tick all the boxes.

Mercedes AMG engine guru to join VW

The man credited with development of Mercedes-Benz AMG's latest line of high performance gasoline engines, Friedrich Eichler, has been lured to the Volkswagen Group, where he will take up an as yet unspecified position this summer, sources with knowledge of the move tell Autoweek. Eichler, who joined AMG after working his way up through the ranks at Porsche, was instrumental in the development of AMG's naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8, twin-turbocharged and naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 and twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 that powers the Pagani Huayra. Friedrich Eichler also developed turbocharged four-cylinder engines for upcoming Mercedes AMG cars.

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera gets blacked out

Porsche is adding a dark and sinister model to the Carrera lineup, the 2012 Black Edition. The 911 sports car will be available in coupe and roadster forms, arriving in the spring. There will be 1,911 cars made for the world, with about 573 coming to a crucial U.S.