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Lotus said to be planning new sedan, crossover [w/poll]

Lotus has been in limbo in recent years. After former CEO Dany Bahar revealed his plans to build six new models, its parent company was sold, Bahar was sacked, his plans were canceled and a new CEO was hired in the form of former Peugeot chief Jean-Marc Gales. The industry has been waiting ever since to find out what Gales would do with the storied marque, and now we seem to have some indication.
Reports coming in from Malaysia indicate that Jean-Marc presented to the board of parent company Proton a plan for Lotus to build a new sedan and crossover. Though details are scarce, and may seem downright blasphemous for an automaker that built is reputation on lightweight sports cars, it would not be the first time that the House that Colin Built has toyed with either idea.
The company presented the APX crossover concept at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, and the Eterne sedan concept as part of Bahar's far-reaching plans at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The new plans may use these concepts as starting points or could go another direction entirely.

Recap: 2013 Australian Formula One Grand Prix is all about the rubber [w/spoilers]

A pre-season full of talking points was swapped for a brand-new set of talking points after the running of the opening grand prix of the 2013 Formula One season. The consistency of the regulations from last year to this year and the triplicate dominance of Infiniti Red Bull Racing meant that no one would have been that surprised if the relative order of things remained the same. But teams found so many ways to switch things up that, in typical pre-season fashion, no one was ready to make any bets on in-season performance, and a couple of surprising players suffered the ignominy of getting it really wrong: McLaren knew it was in trouble from the very first test, while Williams drivers applauded their car as the best in years, only to have Pastor Maldonado call it "undriveable" on the very first day of practice in Melbourne.
And then there were those Pirellis, the Italian company talking up the fact that its super soft tires would only go off so quickly that it would force teams to pit at least twice during the race.
Even then, no one could have seen the first round of pit stops beginning on Lap 5.

Lotus announces race-ready Exige V6 Cup and Cup R

Lotus has pulled off the wraps on two new versions of the Exige: the V6 Cup and the V6 Cup R. Based on the Exige S, the V6 Cup is built to be a dual-purpose street and track machine. The 0-60 dash should take just under 3.8 seconds thanks to a full 345 horsepower from a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine. Weighing in at 2,380 pounds, the V6 Cup should be an absolute riot to drive, and with a full FIA-approved roll cage, fire extinguisher and six-point race harnesses on board, it's plenty safe, too. Two-way adjustable dampers are standard, as are AP Racing four-piston calipers on all four corners. More importantly, drivers can expect to find the Lotus Dynamic Performance Management system in the cockpit, complete with Touring, Sport and DPM Off modes.
The V6 Cup R, meanwhile, is both lighter and offers more horsepower than the standard V6 Cup. The same blown V6 dishes out 366 horsepower in R trim, and the whole contraption tips the scales at 2,292 pounds. Of course, the same spate of race hardware is stock, minus the DPM system. A lightweight battery, track-spec tow loops and quick-release engine cover help separate the Cup R from its more civil sibling, as do performance brake pads and better oil and water cooling systems.
Check out the brief press release below for more information. Both of the new models are headed for a debut at the 2013 Autosport International Show.