ParisMotorShow

Rumormill: Lotus Esprit Successor Could Debut at Paris with Lexus LFA engine

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On September 30 at 4:45 pm CET, Lotus will hold its biggest auto show press conference in many years at the Paris Motor Show. In addition to the new Evora S and automatic transmission versions, Lotus is expected to finally unveil the oft-delayed successor to the Esprit. For several years in the mid-2000s, there were rumors that Lotus would use a V8 from either Audi or BMW to power the new Esprit.

However, in recent years, Lotus has used Toyota engines exclusively in the Elise, Exige and now the Evora. It just so happens that Toyota has a new engine in its arsenal that would be ideally suited to a new supercar, the 552 horsepower 4.8-liter V10 from the recently launched Lexus LFA.

According to Inside Line, the V10 would power the premium version of the Esprit while base versions would use a variant of the 416 hp 5.0-liter V8 from the Lexus IS-F. Regardless of the engine choice the new Esprit and the Lotus brand as a whole are expected to move upmarket to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini.

[Source: Inside Line]

Tags: lotus, lotus esprit, lotus esprit lexus engine, lotus esprit lexus lfa v10, lotus esprit lfa v10, paris, paris motor show, Paris2010, ParisMotorShow

2011 Land Rover LRX to Debut at Paris Motor Show

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Production 2011 Land Rover LRX rendering – Click above to enlarge

Is the world ready for a kinder, gentler Sport Utility Vehicle? Land Rover is betting on it, and the rugged British off-road brand will reportedly debut its hotly anticipated LRX at the Paris Motor Show later this year. Shortly thereafter, the production LRX will make its North American debut in LA. According to Automotive News, the LRX will go on sale in the third quarter of 2011.

We first saw the LRX Concept at the 2008 edition of the Detroit Auto Show, where it was generally well received by both the press and the showgoing public. The LRX is expected to be Land Rover's most efficient model and is likely to be offered with some sort of hybrid powertrain.

Late last year, Autocar reported that Land Rover's first hybrid drivetrain would include a 3.0-liter diesel V6 engine mated up to a 25kW electric motor. The system would be a full parallel hybrid, meaning it could operate on any combination of gasoline or electricity using its onboard lithium ion battery pack.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req'd]

Source

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New Maybach Landaulet Now Avail. for $1.4 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

At the Paris Motor Show, Maybach announced it was taking orders for its new open-topped Landaulet at $1.4 million a pop. The car, first floated as a concept at last year's Middle East International Auto Show, seems calculated to appeal to oil-rich sheikhs. In Paris the company displayed its one-off example in Gulf-friendly white with a two-tone Grand Nappa leather interior - black for the chauffeur's compartment and white for the passengers, reinforcing the fact that this car is made for those who do not have to drive themselves.

The hand-built to order Landaulet, ready for delivery later this fall, harkens back to the open-topped limousines that popes and kings used to be driven around in. It's based on the Maybach 62 S, billed as the world's most powerful series-produced luxury saloon. At $1.4 million, the Landaulet, Maybach's fifth model, is second only to the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport in terms of the world's most expensive production cars. No doubt they're hoping the economy improves so they can sell some of them.

Gallery: Maybach Landaulet

[via Affluent Page]

Tags: Bugatti, Maybach, Maybach Landaulet, MaybachLandaulet, Paris Motor Show, ParisMotorShow

$37,000 Watch Unlocks Your Aston Martin

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos

Aston Martin and Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre have teamed up on a new timepiece that doubles as a key to the $260,000 DBS - James Bond's car of choice. The AMVOX2 DBS Transponder, as it's called, locks and unlocks the car much the same way as a remote key fob, though far more stylishly (you'll still need a key to actually drive away). Available as an add-on only for DBS owners, the chronograph costs $37,900 and can be ordered now for October delivery. The AMVOX2 DBS Transponder will make its public debut at the Paris Motor Show on Oct. 4. The watch features "a suspended metallic grey DBS symbol, a discrete Aston Martin emblem on the movement operating indicator and ruthenium grey bridges, satin finish and a black dial that all evoke the DBS's instrument panel," the company notes.

[Aston Martin via Automotoportal]

Tags: aston martin, Aston Martin DBS, AstonMartin, AstonMartinDbs, jaeger-lecoultre, James Bond, JamesBond, Paris Motor Show, ParisMotorShow