Lb4 Vestdavit Hook (parts Only) on 2040-parts.com

Lotus's new 2010 Elise dips below 150g/km of CO2

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 09 April 2010 07:53 The new facelifted 2011 model year Lotus Elise has cut its CO2 output by nearly a fifth to a saintly 149g/km.It's a 16% improvement over the outgoing Lotus Elise S and Hethel claims 'the Elise has the lowest CO2 for its performance level for any gasoline sports car in the world.' Lotus is getting combative with the new Elise, pointing out that the Elise weighs just 876kg – while the Porsche Boxster sends the scales spinning to 1334kg.So how come the new Lotus Elise is so clean?The aerodynamics are 4% smoother, according to Lotus, while a smaller Toyota 1.6-litre VVT-i engine is downsized by 200cc compared with the outgoing 1.8, yet produces the same power.The new 2011 model year (but on sale now in 2010) shows the benefits of lightweight: it'll hit 60mph in 6.0sec.

Exclusive: Honda to Close European Design Studios

In a surprise announcement, Honda has decided to close design operations in Europe, based in Germany. The decision to shut down both the car design and motorcycle design studios of Honda R&D Europe (HRE-G) in Offenbach, near Frankfurt was taken at the end of September and came as a shock announcement to employees. It represents the latest casualty in cuts for the car design community.

2010 Buick LaCrosse launches at Detroit Auto Show

Update: Click here to watch video of the Buick LaCrosse: http://miad.autoweek.com/vidcast/2010_buick_lacrosse.m4v General Motors’ Buick division will launch the redesigned-from-the-ground-up Buick LaCrosse at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 12. GM says the new LaCrosse is truly global, with an exterior designed in the States (and reminiscent of the Invicta concept from the 2008 Beijing motor show), an interior developed in China, Buick’s biggest market, and a platform done by Opel in Europe.