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Ford eyes dandelions as sustainable alternative to synthetic rubber

Ford, in conjunction with Ohio State University, is turning to the humble garden weed as sustainable resource, researching the dandelion's potential use as an alternative to synthetic rubber. While the automaker already makes considerable use of sustainable materials in its vehicles – such as soy foam seat cushions and straw-filled plastic for interior trim – this latest discovery opens up a wealth of new possibilities for automotive applications. According to research conducted by Ford, a milky-white substance that is found in certain dandelion roots can produce a sustainable rubber that could be used to create plastic parts for vehicle interiors.

Watch the Corvette Z06 live reveal here

Chevrolet announced it will be video streaming the reveal of its much-anticipated 2015 Corvette Z06 from the Detroit auto show floor, and you can catch the whole event below. The preview starts at 9:30 am on Monday, January 13 and will also include the first official look at the upcoming C7.R Corvette race car. You may recall the spy photos of the Z06 we captured testing earlier this year, and the single teaser image Chevy released of the upcoming hi-po Corvette indicates some of the cosmetic changes.

Lotus not liquidating

When a storied car brand moves only 137 units in a year in the UK and 242 in the US, predictions of said marque's demise carry a certain amount of weight -- 137 is not exactly a number that makes an automaker too big to fail. When the manufacturer in question shows up on a government list of companies to be shut down, brand-enthusiast hearts get heavy; the early stages of mourning kick in. But when the company in question is Lotus, the enthusiast thinks to himself, “Eh, they've been in dire straits before.