Automotive Industry

It's the sort of detail that Bentley are famous for getting right: the bonnet badge that automatically retracts in the event of a collision so as to minimise the risk of injury. But authorities in the USA have ordered remedial work to several models because there are instances of it becoming stuck.

This is a Lotus. They call it the Elite. And it will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show next week, just one of a range of models, modifications and tech that Lotus has lined up for its biggest ever international show.

At first sight, it's a weird idea - but on closer inspection, it's a model that other small-scale manufacturers might usefully follow in export markets: Bentley (and Crewe-build Rolls-Royce) owners in the USA are being treated to a touring parts and accessories display.

Porsche USA is looking for the oldest car in the country.

GM's UK arm, Vauxhall, is taking out full page advertisements in all major UK newspapers promoting a "lifetime warranty." But the headline is not the full story.

VW says - again - that it's courtship with Proton is off.

It was a car that generated lust or nausea: born as the road-going equivalent of a military vehicle, Hummer wanted to be the Jeep of the 21st Century. It was a car that, had the idea arisen today, would never have been born. And with its Tonka-toy styling, its ridiculous demand for real-estate in the middle of a busy road and a fuel consumption that only oil-rich show-offs could realistically afford, there is little doubt that it was doomed.

There used to be a game to make up versions of names for airlines and car manufacturers. For Lotus, it was said that the name was an acronym for "Lots of trouble, usually serious". Not any more - and the little factory in Norfolk remains a hotbed of innovation. Amongst its projects is serious work on hybrids.

Stuff a Prius - how about a hybrid Evora?

Is it big brother or logical safety? Toyota is to fit a "brake over-ride" system to all new models starting with the 2011 model year. What will it do?

It's been a game of brinkmanship with one of the world's best brands almost disappearing. But at last an deal has been done that allows the Swedish government to guarantee a loan that will support the purchase of SAAB from GM by Spyker of the Netherlands.

Spyker and GM have said little about the terms of the deal which, at last, rescued SAAB from imminent closure. But pieces of information are coming together.

It's beginning to look as if Toyota simply had no disaster plan. It took a year to decide that the sticky pedal was a real problem, and only last week they said the Prius wasn't affected. It is now. And the sharks are circling as a litigation bandwagon starts to roll. But not all faults are attributable to cars.

As GM continued its shutdown of SAAB, Genii Capital said that that was the final straw and pulled out of discussions. That was yesterday morning in Europe. By yesterday morning in the USA, GM had announced it had, at last done a deal to sell what's left of SAAB. It would, the company said, go to Spyker after all, and the shutdown would be suspended immediately.

Take a shoe box and turn it into an aerodynamic shape, forge it in lightweight materials and mount it on a chassis that is more space than frame; stick a large but lightweight engine in the middle and paint it dark green with a wide mustard stripe down the middle, from front to back. And now, the finishing touch: yes, it's a Lotus badge. Oh, and one last thing: that paper fluttering in the driver's hand: it's his entry form for the Lotus Evora Cup.

After almost a decade of losses as GM moved SAAB from its quirky but profitable models to standardised boxes built from the GM parts bin, the final attempt to save the company has failed. As Spyker dropped out of negotiations, GM says it is starting a wind-down of operations.