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Lotus Evora does special duty for Italian Carabinieri

In a tip of the hat to Britain, the Italian Arma dei Carabinieri, a division of the army charged with civilian police duties, accepted two new Lotus Evora S models for special duty. The headquarters of the Carabinieri in Rome hosted a ceremony culminating in the Evora twins being turned over by Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar. “Everyone knows that Italy has more than its fair share of high-profile sports-car manufacturers, so it’s a real honor for a relatively small British brand to be in this position,” Bahar said.

Are BMW really trying to buy De Tomaso?

Reports from Italy say that BMW is in talks to buy De Tomaso, the perpetually failed maker of supercars. It’s long been rumoured that BMW has an interest in acquiring De Tomaso to give it a proper supercar brand to rival the offerings from the VW group. But, despite many opportunities to do so, BMW has never made the move.

Meet the 214-mpg Volkswagen Twin-Up concept

Ahead of a Tokyo motor show debut, VW is showing off the Twin-Up concept. Essentially an advanced version of the company's entry-level Up supermini, the Twin-Up runs a modified version of the plug-in diesel-electric hybrid driveline used in the high-tech XL1 for spectacular claimed combined consumption of 214 mpg on the Euro combined cycle along with a zero-emissions electric range of 31 miles. The Twin-Up name alludes to the new car's twin drive sources.