New Minn Kota 1854040 Mka-47 Universal Mounting Bracket on 2040-parts.com

Lotus and Daniel Simon collaborate on C-01 hyperbike project

Lotus has announced the impending launch of its first motorcycle, the C-01, penned by automotive designer and futurist Daniel Simon. The C-01, previewed on the left, will be a hyperbike with integrated racing technology made from materials such as carbon, titanium and aerospace quality steel, and will be powered by a 200hp engine. It is designed to reflect a combination of lifestyle, design and high-end technology.

Crunch watch Mar 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Ben Pulman and Tim Pollard Motor Industry 31 March 2009 13:48 Tuesday 31 March 2009• Porsche said that its earnings before tax rose to €7.3 billion in the six months to the end of January – including a €6.8bn windfall from its VW share options (Financial Times)• Fritz Henderson, GM's president and chief operating officer, will step up to replace Rick Wagoner, who was ousted on Sunday as CEO of General Motors (Financial Times)• President Obama is essentially CEO-in-chief of GM – despite not owning a single cent of stock, says Detroit News commentator (Detroit News)• German chancellor Angela Merkel gives assurances that any would-be investors in GM's European arm will be given state support. Opel is asking for €3.3 billion in aid – and up to 25,000 jobs in Germany depend on it, with up to 300,000 jobs across Europe including Saab and Vauxhall (BBC News)Monday 30 March 2009• General Motors' chief executive Rick Wagoner has been ordered to resign by US president Barack Obama with immediate effect. It's part of Obama's administration's critique of GM and Chrysler's turnaround plans – he's understood to be unhappy with the plans submitted (BBC News)• New GM non-executive chairman Kent Kresa has admitted that at the company's next general meeting it will have 'a majority of new directors' (General Motors)• Chrysler will receive US government aid for the next 30 days, but the Obama administration has said that if the company cannot secure a tie-up with the Fiat Group within that time period it will not receive any more money from the taxpayers and could go into liquidation.

2013 Toyota RAV4: Price from £22,595

Toyota has announced that the new Toyota RAV4 will cost from £22,595 for the RAV4 Active 2WD 2.0 Diesel to £29,295 for the Invincible AWD 2.2 Diesel. The new RAV4 is better looking, bigger, promises better driving dynamics and more equipment than the current RAV4, but Toyota has still conspired to bring in the RAV4 entry point at a lower price than currently, albeit with a new, smaller engine. Trim levels on the new RAV4 are now Active, Icon and Invincible with 4WD available on all trim levels except Active.