Drive Belt Tensioner 06 07 08 09 10 11 Honda Civic Sohc R18a1 on 2040-parts.com

Lotus's glimmer of hope: Proton stands by Hethel

After another painful year of sales for Lotus in the UK – down 58% on 2011 - Norfolk's beleagured sports car brand has kicked off the New Year with the grand unveiling of its new flagship Malaysian showroom, and the thumbs-up from senior Proton company suits that Lotus isn't on its last legs. The announcement comes in the same week Lotus’s sales figures were released for 2012. Showing a substantial 58% decrease in sales and selling just 137 vehicles, Lotus Cars was the worst performer in the UK with a woeful 0.01% share of the market.  Are Lotus's Malaysian owners sticking by the company?

Volvo V60 Polestar teased again (probably)

Volvo V60 Polestar teased again Last week we had a teaser video from Volvo of what we think is probably a proper performance version in the guise of the Volvo V60 Polestar. Now, ahead of a reveal that seems to be scheduled for Tuesday (23 rd November), Volvo and Polestar are back at the tease game with a couple of new images which still leave a bit of ambiguity, but which do seem to be pointing to a V60 Polestar. The front end of the Polestar tease (above) does seem to show a butch front end for the V60, and the interior shot shows the flappy paddles and steering wheel from the interior.

New Hyundai SUV to show at Geneva

And now Hyundai is looking to make an impact on the compact SUV market, with the announcement of an “Urban Nomad” concept (whatever that is) to be shown at Geneva next month. Hyundai HED-6 SUV Concept will show at Geneva It looks like Hyundai are trying to create an aggressive and contemporary looking vehicle that can be utilised in today’s urban landscape for a multitude of uses. Sporting chunky 21″ wheels, angular style lines, swept-back headlights and a very stylised rear window made of  Lexan plastics instead of glass.