Articles by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Two-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner will come out of retirement and hop back on a Honda motorcycle, but only for testing purposes.

Lotus has been led by managers at Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom since early 2012 and since then we’ve heard little on the progress of the British sports car manufacturer.DRB-Hicom previously said it was committed to keeping Lotus as well as keeping production of Lotus cars in the UK, but stopped short of stating whether we’d see any new models in the near future.One hope had been a new Esprit supercar, the only model from the six-car lineup Lotus’ previous CEO Dany Bahar had envisioned. However, getting the Esprit into production will take hundreds of millions of dollars, money Lotus just doesn’t have and which DRB-Hicom, understandably, may be reluctant to provide.Speaking with Business Times, DRB-Hicom managing director Tan Sri Mohd Khamil Jamil said his company had spent the previous year settling Lotus’ financial issues and other commitments and that it has a new three-year plan. Unfortunately, that three-year plan won’t see any new models launched but rather updates of existing cars."We are coming out with the variants based on existing products--variants with improved technology, improved performance, improved quality as well as improved costing," he said, adding that those will be based on the Evora, Exige and Elise.The first of these has already been launched in the form of the 2013 Lotus Elise S Club Racer, a stripped-out version of the Elise designed for the track.www.motorauthority.com 

Can’t afford a new Mercedes-Benz? Well how about a Mercedes-Benz golf cart? No, the automaker famous for building some of the world’s most luxurious cars isn’t about to launch a golf cart but it has given us a preview of what such a vehicle could look like if it ever did.The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart is the result of design ideas submitted by hundreds of golf fans around the globe. The ideas provided the basis for the concept, which was created by the official Mercedes-Benz design department.Heading the project was Mercedes-Benz design chief Gorden Wagener, who said the design fits in well with the automaker’s ‘Sensual-Purity’ design philosophy.The vehicle is electrically driven and runs on a battery that is charged via rooftop solar panels. Manual charging, as for a conventional golf cart, is also possible.Inside, there’s plenty of technology. Using touch screen monitors, virtually all aspects of the cart can be controlled without extra buttons. The centre console also incorporates a multimedia panel that includes a rotatable docking station for an iPad or iPhone and a USB interface.A joystick is used to control the vehicle instead of a steering wheel. This design was picked so that the vehicle can be driven by occupants on either side. One other interesting feature is the "fore button," which as its name suggests can be used to quickly warn other players of a misplaced shot.www.motorauthority.com 

A new generation of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is coming

And they're stunning. Rather like the progeny of Brad and Angelina, you couldn't expect offspring from Zagato and Aston to be anything less. For the famed Italian design house Zagato, intimately linked with Aston Martin for over half a century, it’s only natural to mark the centenary this year of the historic British automaker, and what better way than to roll out a new Aston Martin Zagato creation.We can confirm that Zagato will build two examples of a new Aston Martin centenary special, one based on the 2013 DB9 Volante convertible and destined for a customer in the U.S. and the other on a 2013 DBS coupe.The DB9 Spyder Zagato Centennial was conceived for American car collector Peter Read, a longtime enthusiast and collector of Aston Martins. The DBS Coupe Zagato Centennial, meanwhile, was developed for a young entrepreneur based in Japan.Their designs draw inspiration from 2002’s DB7 Zagato, which proved so popular that all 99 examples allotted for sale were snapped up before the car had even made its debut at the Paris Auto Show of that same year. The same team responsible for the DB7 Zagato, led by Andrea and Marella Zagato together with Read, also worked on the latest centenary special.Looking at the renderings, it’s hard to recognise the modern Astons underpinning the cars but there’s no missing the signature of elements of both Zagato and Aston Martin. The double-bubble roof, clean surfaces and squared-off tail all scream Zagato while the grille, fender vents and fastback body tell you you’re looking at an Aston Martin well before the winged badge comes into view.You’ll also notice that there are clear influences from the V8 Zagato of the 1980s, particularly at the front of the cars. The design team’s vision is best expressed by Read, who said, “the DB9 Spyder Zagato Centennial perfectly merges Aston Martin and Zagato’s DNA by combining the elegance of design, typical of Zagato, with the soul, power and prestige of Aston Martin, all developed over the last 100 years."No changes were made to the mechanical package of either car, so they both come with Aston Martin’s venerable 6.0 litre V12, good for 380kW. Zagato has been called upon by Aston Martin to develop special bodies for its cars for more than half a century, with the partnership starting with the legendary DB4GT Zagato first shown in 1960. The cars, though expensive, have always been stunning and as history has shown they’ve all become highly sought-after collectibles.www.motorauthority.com 

Late last year concerns over the harmful effects of a new type of refrigerant, R1234yf, used in car air conditioners and shown by Mercedes-Benz to be flammable in certain situations, such as in a head-on collision, emerged.This led to the German automaker recalling a number of cars, including the SL-Class in the U.S., and reverting to the previous R134a refrigerant that R1234yf was meant to replace. R134a was deemed to be harmful to the environment and is currently being phased out of the industry, which is why R1234yf was developed.Some countries, such as France, have already blocked the sale of new cars fitted with R134a due to concerns of greenhouse gases. Many of these are Mercedes models as other automakers have switched to R1234yf. The makers of R1234yf, Honeywell and Dupont, claim its product is safe and is alleged to have accused Mercedes of rigging its test in favor of R134a due to the substantially lower cost of the older refrigerant. R1234yf costs roughly ten times as much as R134a.More than a dozen other automakers are in the process of testing the safety of R1234yf, some of which, such as General Motors Company [NYSE:GM], have deemed it safe. Others, such as Volkswagen, have sided with Mercedes and plan to develop their own refrigerant.Unfortunately, while further results on the safety of R1234yf are still to be compiled, the EU is pushing ahead with its mandate to make it standard on all new cars.According to Reuters, the EU said this week that some Mercedes models were being sold in breach of EU rules, which mandate the use of R1234yf, and according to its preliminary assessment the French ban could be justified. Furthermore, officials from many of the EU countries said all cars should have to meet the rules.Germany has permitted automakers to use R134a and has since been asked by the EU to explain its decision. The German government has until August 20 to come up with an explanation.The talks are ongoing but for now it looks like certain Mercedes models will be banned from sale in France and a ban in more countries may follow.www.motorauthority.com 

Land Rover’s Discovery is set to receive a raft of updates that will bring the go-just-about-anywhere SUV into line with the latest additions from the British automaker. This means efficiency gains across the range, LED-enhanced headlights and a much more luxurious interior.What we can see from these spy shots is that the updated Discovery, which is expected to arrive on the market around the end of the year as a 2014 model, will feature new lights, new side mirrors and tweaked bumpers.The Discovery is getting supercharged V6 power for the 2014 model year. The engine will replace the naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 in some markets, but still aim to offer superior performance, while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.For the updated model, expect this unit to be joined by Land Rover’s new supercharged 3.0-litre V-6. The supercharged V-6 has already been announced for the latest Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models where it delivers 254 kilowatts and 450 Newton metres of torque.The Discovery will stick with the eight-speed automatic, and won't get the nine-speed automatic gearbox that’ll become standard-fit in the Range Rover Evoque. For the interior, look for a revised dashboard, a new steering wheel and soft-touch materials all around. Stay tuned for updates as development of the 2014 Land Rover Discovery progresses.www.motorauthority.com 

Nissan’s Murano CrossCabriolet may soon have a rival in the crossover convertible segment with news emerging that Land Rover has given the green light for a production version of its Range Rover Evoque Convertible concept car from 2012. What Car, citing an inside source, says production of the Range Rover Evoque Convertible could commence as early as 2014.Some of the vehicles Land Rover sees the Range Rover Evoque Convertible competing with are the Audi TT Roadster and upcoming BMW 4 Series Convertible.The original concept was based on the three-door Range Rover Evoque crossover and featured an automated folding soft top. Both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions are possible for the production model, and they could feature either gasoline or diesel engines. Also available would be a nine-speed automatic, which was recently announced for the Range Rover Evoque lineup.The Range Rover Evoque has been a major hit for the Land Rover brand, with 220,000 units already having been built since production started two years ago. A new convertible fits with the brand’s strategy of expanding the product line beyond the existing range. Other planned variants are said to include long-wheelbase and high-performance models.www.motorauthority.com 

It may look like a Lotus Elise that’s just returned from the worst body shop in town but what you’re actually looking at is an early test mule for a new sports car platform being developed by French automaker Renault and British track car specialist Caterham.The two companies announced last November that they would launch respective sports cars based on a shared platform, with Renault selling its version under the revived Alpine performance brand and Caterham selling its version as part of an expanded road car program.The two cars will look considerably different to one another, despite them sharing much of their internals. The Renault version should adopt elements from the automaker's Alpine A110-50 concept car from 2012.The Caterham is expected to be the more performance oriented of the two, while the Renault will be more comfortable and luxurious. The spy shots show that the cars will be similar in size to the Lotus Elise but with a much wider track.Caterham is primarily responsible for the development of the chassis and testing while Renault is thought to be supplying the engines and other internal hardware. Renault will also be responsible for production of the two cars, which will take place at the former Alpine plant in Dieppe, France.The cars will be strict two-seaters and come with four-cylinder power, most likely with some form of forced induction employed (turbocharged 1.6-litre units have been suggested). The engines will be mounted in a mid-engine position and drive sent to the rear wheels only. Peak output should lie close to 201 kilowatts, enabling the cars to accelerate from 0-100km/h in around 5.0 seconds.Key targets, both in terms of performance and pricing, are the Porsche Cayman and Alfa Romeo 4C. A 2016 reveal has been confirmed, though concepts of both cars are expected before then.www.motorauthority.com 

A new supercar is brewing in the Middle East, one that will set some hard to beat benchmarks, not only in terms of performance and technology but also in price and exclusivity. We are, of course, talking about the upcoming Lykan Hypersport from supercar startup W Motors.Today, the company announced that the Lykan Hypersport, which will retail for a staggering $3.69 million and be built in an exclusive run of just seven units, will feature rear-opening ‘suicide’ doors.These latest renderings show how the doors will look when fully extended and reveal a design not seen on any other supercar currently in production. Rolls-Royce’s Phantom Coupe features a similar door design but these don’t angle upwards like on the Lykan Hypersport.W Motors has also confirmed that the production version of the Lykan Hypersport will be shown for the first time at the 2013 Dubai Motor Show in November. A concept version was shown earlier this year at the 2013 Qatar Motor Show.Two versions of the car are being developed: the range-topping Lykan Hypersport you see here and a slightly tamer Lykan Supersport. Both will be built on a bespoke platform and feature a turbocharged flat-six engine developed by famous Porsche tuner RUF. The Lykan Hypersport will develop as much as 560 kilowatts and is said to be capable of accelerating to 100km/h in approximately 2.8 seconds and reaching a top speed of 394km/h.To justify its lofty pricetag, the Lykan Hypersport has been designed to incorporate jewels and precious metals in its construction and advanced technologies, including an interactive holographic display system, in its cabin.If you were just itching to drop $3.69 million on one of the seven examples W Motors will be building, we hear all the cars have already been accounted for. Fortunately, given that success, we’re sure the company will launch a followup.www.motorauthority.com