Proton Concept Packs Lotus Hybrid Drivetrain

It’s great to see Malaysian automaker Proton get into the hybrid business. Besides, they do now own Lotus and a Formula One team. Shame, really, if they don’t come out with better technologies.

This here is Lotus’ Proton concept car which will be showcased at the upcoming Geneva motor show come March. The car is set to showcase the “advanced” hybrid powertrain that Lotus has been working on.

The drivetrain features a 1.2L 3-cylinder Lotus range extender engine complementing an electrical drive system. Unlike current hybrids, the electrical drive system will be the one powering the car and it’s mated to a single-speed transmission.

The internal combustion engine will only kick in to provide an extended range once the battery power is depleted. The batteries are charged by the range extender engine or by plugging to a regular household outlet.

Mercedes-Benz Goes Hydrogen with F800 Style

Green is the color of inevitability. With public perception and legislation requiring automakers to cut their fleet-wide fuel consumption and emissions . Here’s part of Mercedes’ showcase at the upcoming Geneva motor show – the F800 Style.

The car features a couple of green powertrain lineups including a hydrogen fuel cell zero-emissions 100kW motor that develops 214 lb-ft of torque. The hydrogen setup can go 375 miles in between refills. The plug-in hybrid features a 3.5L V6 gasoline engine that dishes out 299 hp and a 80 kW electric motor. Power is channeled through a seven-speed gearbox.

The car’s lines previews the future of Mercedes’ design language and serves as a teaser for the revamped CLS styling as well.

The car also packs a few other nifty technologies like the Range on Map feature on the sat-nav which shows the vehicle’s remaining range 360-degree depicted on the map and the Distronic Plus Traffic Jam Assistant which detects if the car in front pulls off and prevents the F800 from following it blindly. The F800 also features Merc’s PRE-SAFE 360 which applies the brakes if it detects possible rear-end collisions.

Jaguar XK to Get V6 Diesel

Wait until Clarkson gives his take on this. Will he love a Jaguar that runs on the fuel of Satan.

Word has it that Jaguar’s next incarnation of the XK sports car will feature a V6 diesel variant. The 3.0L V6 will dish out nearly 300 bhp thus positioning it to compete with other sporty diesels like the BMW 635d.

The V6 will be made of lightweight aluminum alloy and will have a turbo slapped on. The one advantage Jaguar sees in the diesel (aside from its supposed “economy”) is the amount of torque it can dish out. The car might just give other sports cars a thrashing with its acceleration.

The concept of the XK will also feature a new design grille that (sadly) replaces the Spitfire wing shape. While Jag fans would probably not like the move, Jag says that the new grille looks better with the new styling and would probably appeal better in the international market.

Source: Autocar

Alfa Romeo Pandion Concept Images Leaked

Check out this snazzy new Alfa Romeo Pandion concept styled by the Stile Bertone styling house. Not too many details are known about the car just yet since this image was leaked prior to the car’s official unveiling at the coming Geneva motor show.

The concept is based on the Alfa 8C Competizione and is one of the two concepts that will be showcased by Alfa at the show. The other one’s a two-seater open top styled by Pininfarina.

“Pandion” is the name of Athenean kings in Greek mythology and is also the genus of the Osprey bird. By the looks of it, the name is most likely to come from the Osprey especially with the car’s paint aggressive lines and black and white paint job.

No word has been put out if the concepts will ever be put into production.

Lotus Elise Gets a Facelift

When it comes to agility, the Lotus Elise can give many cars twice its price a real trashing. This here’s the new facelifted Elise. The wasp not only gets improved styling, it’s also greener.

Powering the car is a range of choices that include a new 1.6L engine for the S model, a 1.8L for the R model that dishes out 192 bhp for the R model and the supercharged version of the 1.8L for the SC model that dishes our 217 bhp. A six-speed close-ration gearbox comes standard across models.

The car still mainatins its lightweightedness so all that power in a light body promises the same agility that the Elise has been known for.

The facelift includes a new front bumper, splitter and clasmshell. The front light cluster’s also repositioned to give the car some daytime running LEDs. The back gets a new bumper and engine cover.

Options include alloy wheels and cruise control.

Alfa Romeo Set for US Return in 2012

So we guess that Fiat’s indecision on how to streamline their brands is still an ongoing issue. Reports earlier indicated that Fiat is looking at consolidating several brands including Alfa Romeo, Abarth and Maserati under one marquee.

But that doesn’t stop them from teasing the US market on the possibility of finally getting Alfa Romeos stateside. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said that the Alfa Romeo is a brand that can compete in a wider market especially in North America.

“There is a strong likelihood that the brand will be back here within the next 24 months,” said Marchionne.

Initial plans on brining the brand over included platform sharing with Chrysler but it looks like Fiat is seeing some value in selling cars with the Alfa badge.

Fiat came to the rescue of Chrysler when it neared its demise due to the sales crash of 2009.