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Lotus's new 2010 Elise dips below 150g/km of CO2

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 09 April 2010 07:53 The new facelifted 2011 model year Lotus Elise has cut its CO2 output by nearly a fifth to a saintly 149g/km.It's a 16% improvement over the outgoing Lotus Elise S and Hethel claims 'the Elise has the lowest CO2 for its performance level for any gasoline sports car in the world.' Lotus is getting combative with the new Elise, pointing out that the Elise weighs just 876kg – while the Porsche Boxster sends the scales spinning to 1334kg.So how come the new Lotus Elise is so clean?The aerodynamics are 4% smoother, according to Lotus, while a smaller Toyota 1.6-litre VVT-i engine is downsized by 200cc compared with the outgoing 1.8, yet produces the same power.The new 2011 model year (but on sale now in 2010) shows the benefits of lightweight: it'll hit 60mph in 6.0sec.

BMW M5 (2011) the first official video

BMW has started its hype generator for the upcoming M5, with this first online teaser video. I'm at the office and can't watch the footage right now – what can we see of the new BMW M5?  It's officially called a 'first glimpse', and in and amongst shots of a partially-camouflaged prototype M5 roaring through a tunnel and powersliding along a snowy test track, M Division boss Dr Kay Siegler appears talking about the new car in the workshop of M HQ. Segler introduces the new M5 as 'a bold business car, which at the touch of a button, becomes a sports car'. The new BMW M5 - the lowdown The new F10M-spec M5 is downsizing from the E60's 5.0-litre V10 for the same 550bhp 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 found in the X5M and X6M. But rather than the torque convertor autos used by the SUV pair, the new motor is mated to a beefed-up version of the the seven-speed M-DCT double-clutch transmission currently serving in the M3.

Avoid being bumper-to-bumper this Memorial Day weekend

Nothing burns gasoline better--or in more irritating fashion--than getting caught in stop-and-go traffic. And this is The Weekend to take to the road. There are the 32.1 million Americans traveling over the holiday, and 87 percent are driving, according to AAA.