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.

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel dies

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel, who led the automaker during a turbulent period of recession and restructuring in the early 1990s, has died at the age of 77. "Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter, one of the great environmental advancements in auto history," GM said in a statement. "His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992." Stempel died Saturday in Florida, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported Monday night.

Mazda sells 10 millionth car in America

The first car Mazda ever sold in America was the R100, a cute lil' two-door fastback that was, unsurprisingly, rotary-powered. The year was 1970. Iggy Pop had made that much explicitly clear with "1970." Just imagine how weird it must have been for Americans to wrap their minds around some tiny Japanese upstart, selling a car approximately the size of a 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham's wheelwell, powered by -- what's this, German technology?