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.

VW Beetle GSR Limited Edition gets 207bhp

Volkswagen are launching a limited edition of the Beetle – the VW Beetle GSR – with yellow and black paint job and 207bhp. The Beetle GSR stays relatively faithful to the paint job on its granddad with the bonnet and boot of the GSR in black, as are the roof and mirrors, and there are yellow and black stripes with ‘GSR’ lettering on the sides, all setting off the yellow paint job and 19″ alloys completing the exterior. Oddly, despite the GSR paying tribute to its 1970s predecessor, you can also order your GSR in Platinum Grey or Black. Inside, the new GSR gets R-Line racing track sports seats with cloth upholstery and yellow stitching )although our Colonial cousins get full leather) and a leather steering wheel with the build number – 1 to 3,500 – on a badge on the wheel, R-Line dash, GSR gear stick, leather handbrake cover and black mats with yellow trim.

BMW M550d xDrive to get three stage turbo

BMW M550d xDrive gets three stage turbo Earlier this week we revealed that the long-expected BMW M550d xDrive was ready to rock and we could expect it to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in Spring 2012. The M550d xDrive is the so-called ‘Triple-Turbo’ diesel engine we’ve been expecting from BMW for the last couple of years. With 380bhp and a mountain of torque – 520lb/ft or more – we’d expected BMW to fit the engine to the X5 and X6 to create a diesel version of the M cars.