Pro Taper 12 T Front & 49 T Orange Rear Sprocket - Husaberg / Husqvarna / Ktm 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?

2013 New York F1 Grand Prix cancelled

The 2013 Grand Prix of America in New Jersey has been dropped as organisers run out of time to prepare for the New York street F1 event. With Bernie Ecclestone pushing to get America to fall in love with F1, a headline F1 act on the streets of New York – a Monaco GP for the colonials – looked like a plan. But it’s a plan that’s now been postponed until at least 2014 after Bernie plugged the plug on organisers as they need more time to prepare for what will, by any measure, be a huge logistical task.

Renault Samsung SM7 concept

Making its debut at the Seoul Motor Show was the Renault Samsung SM7 concept. Despite carrying the concept tagline, the car is a thinly veiled production model of the forthcoming Samsung SM7 in Asia, and possibly the next generation Renault Laguna or Safrane in Europe. The D-segment sedan is based on a stretched platform that underpins the current SM5, and will go head to head with both the Hyundai Grandeur and Kia K7.