Ford reveals S-Max concept ahead of 2013 Frankfurt motor show

Here's another one that'll probably go straight into the “not bound for United States shores” file: the Ford S-Max concept, which will make its grand debut at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show. Ford says the S-Max previews a “future sport activity vehicle,” which may, in fact, be contemporary PR-speak for “mini-minivan.” Look beyond the carbon-fiber interior detailing (and add some door handles) and you'll see a vehicle that looks more or less production-ready. The S-Max concept isn't too wildly sculpted, sharing styling cues with current Fords (including the Fiesta, Escape/Kuga, C-Max and Fusion/Mondeo) -- from the creases on the hood to the high, hexagonal grille to the stainless steel trim surrounding the greenhouse.

Lotus Evora 414E Range Extender EV moves forward

The Lotus Evora 414E – a Lotus Engineering range extender hybrid project – is still moving ahead with dynamic and durability testing now underway. On the surface the Evora 414E looked like every other Evora, but under the skin sat the first version of a Lotus range-extender platform with a pair of electric motors and a small, 3-cylinder range-extender engine promising impressive performance and economy. Despite the reveal of the 414E at Geneva in 2010, there’s not been a huge amount of news on Lotus pushing forward with the project, or at least not until we got the Infiniti Emerg-E Concept at Geneva this year that turned out to be underpinned by the Evora 414E platform.

Nissan Quest

The Quest joins the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey to make a trio of new full-sized minivans at the 2010 LA auto show. The Quest appears, both from the outside – and gives the impression – inside, of being the largest of the three. The previous generation Quest featured an undulating shoulder line, replaced on this new model by two key flowing lines on the body sides, one of which wraps around from the hood surface.