1998 Lotus Esprit V8 Twin Turbo, Rare Azure Blue, Well Maintained With Low Miles on 2040-cars

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China's Geely says it has no plan to buy Fiat Chrysler — as FCA stock leaps

HONG KONG — Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile denied media speculation on Wednesday that it planned to make a takeover bid for Fiat Chryslerk Automobiles (FCA), the world's seventh-largest automaker. Geely was one of several Chinese carmakers cited in by Automotive News, which said representatives of "a well-known Chinese automaker" had made an offer this month for FCA, which has a market value of almost $20 billion. "We don't have such a plan at the moment," Geely executive director Gui Shengyue told reporters at an earnings briefing, when asked if Geely was interested in Fiat. He said a foreign acquisition would be complicated, but he did not elaborate. "But for other (Chinese) brands, it could be a fast track for their development," Gui added. However, a source close to the matter said FCA and Geely Automobile's parent firm, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, had held initial talks late last year, without disclosing their nature. The source confirmed Geely was no longer interested in FCA, noting that the parent company had only three months ago announced its first push into Southeast Asia with the purchase of 49.9 percent of struggling Malaysian carmaker Proton, a deal that also included a stake in Lotus. Geel's denial failed to dent FCA's stock. The price of its Milan-based shares has jumped more than 10 percent to a 19-year high since Automotive News first reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources, that FCA had rejected the Chinese offer as too low. FCA stock on the New York Stock Exchange rose sharply on Monday from $11.60 to $12.38 and on Wednesday was trading at $12.84. FCA declined to comment on Wednesday. FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne has repeatedly called for mergers as a way of sharing the costs of making cleaner, more advanced cars, but he has repeatedly failed to find a partner and retreated from his search for in April, saying FCA would stick to its business plan. He has also spoken of spinning the successful Jeep and Ram divisions off from FCA. Europe's largest carmaker, Volkswagen, and General Motors have both said they are not interested in talks with FCA. On Wednesday, Geely Automobile reported a doubling of first-half profit, above expectations, as cars designed with Sweden's Volvo won over domestic consumers. Volvo is a unit of the Zhejiang Geely group, and has recently announced it will share its technology with Geely.

How the fastest Elise ever compares to 3 sportscars you know

The Lotus Elise had its 20th anniversary last year, and the British sports-car maker's belated celebration is the quickest production Elise ever around its test track. The new Elise Cup 250 can sprint to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 154 mph. It's essentially Lotus' answer to a Porsche Cayman GT4. The Elise Cup 250 replaces the Cup 220 in the model lineup, and Lotus plans to limit production to 200 units annually. The 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder now makes 243 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, compared to 217 hp and 184 lb-ft from the predecessor. The company claims the Cup 250 laps its test track in 1:34, which is four seconds better than the 220. On paper, the Cup 250 could give a Cayman GT4 quite a fight. The Porsche's 385 hp wins on power, but it weighs significantly more at 2,955 pounds. Those differences translate to a slower 60 mph run of 4.2 seconds but a faster 183-mph top speed. We also think the upcoming Jaguar F-Type SVR could make for interesting competition around a very tight track. A recent leak suggests the new model has over 560 horsepower and a 200-mph top speed, so it would easily win on an open course. On a curvy circuit, the Lotus could be an intriguing challenger. Lotus Elise Cup weighs a scant 2,053 pounds in normal trim and 2,030 pounds with the optional Carbon Aero package, which includes carbon fiber parts for the front splitter, rear wing, rear diffuser and side-floor extensions. To save weight, Lotus fits the car with a lithium-ion battery, carbon fiber seats, and forged alloy wheels. The suspension and brakes carryover from the 220, including Bilstein dampers, Eibach springs, and AP Racing brakes. Lotus models often have a sparse interior, and that continues with the Cup 250. The options list includes usually common items like air conditioning and cruise control. A package even combines a radio, carpets, and sound deadening. Standard cars come with a red or black Alcantara interior, but leather is available. The Cup 250 goes on sale in April for 45,600 pounds ($65,170 at current rates), but it isn't available in North America. This forbidden fruit makes for an interesting comparison to other stripped-down models, though. For example, the Evora 400, which is for sale in the US, is slightly slower to 60 at 4.1 seconds but its 1:32 time around the Hethel test track is two seconds a lap quicker.

Volvo-based, Chinese-built Lotus SUV allegedly due out in 2020

Lotus will set foot in the lucrative SUV segment before the end of 2020, according to a recent report. It's preparing to unveil a high-riding model named Lambda that will be made in China with Swedish parts. Five-plus years in the making, the first Lotus-badged SUV will share its SPA platform with several members of the Volvo range, including the XC90, and with the plug-in hybrid Polestar 1. Citing unverified reports from China, Holland-based AutoWeek reported the Lambda will land in the same segment as the Porsche Cayenne Coupe and upmarket variants of the BMW X6. Patent images (pictured) suggest it will wear a fastback-like roof line. Using the flexible SPA platform will allow Lotus to offer a variety of powertrains, including gasoline-burning four-cylinder engines with forced induction and at least one plug-in hybrid option. SPA wasn't designed to accommodate six- or eight-cylinders, so leveraging electrification will likely be the easiest way for engineers to unlock more performance. An electric variant will reportedly join the range a little bit later in the 2020s. Production will begin in Wuhan, China, in late 2020, according to the same source. Whether the model will be sold in the United States is up in the air. It would make a significant amount of sense: Americans have an insatiable appetite for SUVs, and the company has often stressed it wants to increase its sales in our market. Lotus hasn't commented on the report, and it has remained quiet about its long-rumored SUV. We heard a lot about the model from Jean-Marc Gales, its former CEO; he notably said it will be to the Cayenne what the Evora is to the 911, and he pledged it would become the fastest and most agile model in its segment. He's gone, replaced by Phil Popham in 2018, so that strategy might have changed. If the rumor is accurate, we won't have to wait long to see how Lotus can apply its design language and its unique engineering philosophy to an SUV. Related Video: