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LOTUS has always had a special place in my heart – as it has for many car fans. A 1990 Lotus Elan SE once sat on my driveway – and still sits on my wall – and I’ve hankered after another Elan ever since (although prices seem to be rising fast). It’s fair to say that Lotus has built some of the finest-handling cars we’ve ever driven – and it still does. But it’s a brand that has never fulfilled its true promise and never had the investment that, I’ve always felt, could propel it to real and sustained superstar levels. So why am I so excited about Lotus now and how can you be convinced that this isn’t just another dose of dewy-eyed romanticism? One word: Geely. The Chinese…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler ● Concept revealed in Shanghai; production car on sale next year, from £30,000 ● Shares chassis technology and engines with GLA, and provides seven seats WITH a third of all Mercedes’ current sales SUVs – a total of 820,000 in 2018 – it’s difficult to resist the temptation to add another. So enter the GLB, which will make it eight SUVs in the brand’s line-up and sit, unsurprisingly, between the GLA and GLC. The seven-seat Concept GLB, revealed at this week’s Shanghai Motor Show, is a thinly disguised version of the production car that will go on sale early in 2020, with prices starting from around £30,000. It shares its chassis tech, engines and many interior parts with other models from Mercedes’ A and B-Class ranges, but in…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods ● AI:ME is third ‘vision’ concept ● Luxurious on-demand city car AUDI is using this week’s Shanghai Motor Show to showcase its vision of future urban transport, revealing a new compact city car concept called the AI:ME. The brand has not outlined what platform the AI:ME is based on, but the wheelbase is 2,770mm long – the same as the recently revealed Q4 e-tron, which is destined for showrooms in 2020. It all but confirms that the AI:ME is another car on the Volkswagen Group’s all-electric MEB platform, as does the drivetrain; it’s powered by an electric motor on the rear axle developing 168bhp. Squint a bit and it looks a little like the Volkswagen ID. or SEAT el-Born, but this concept car doesn’t directly preview an upcoming…

AICON Frankfurt 2017 First Audi vision concept pointed to a long-distance cruiser that’s capable of Level 5 autonomy. It forms the basis of a fleet of self-driving test vehicles, which is due in 2021. PB18 Pebble Beach 2018 All-electric hypercar concept wowed Monterey Car Week last year. It’s inspired by Audi’s former LMP1 racers and described as the perfect electric companion for a trip to the race track. AI:ME Shanghai 2019 New compact car unveiled in Shanghai this week is an unofficial spiritual successor to iconic A2. It’s pure-electric, on-demand and based on the VW Group’s MEB platform. UNKNOWN Frankfurt 2019 Audi has confirmed that a fourth vision car will be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September. Insiders have hinted that it could be an Allroad-badged SUV.…

Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson ● Rapide E revealed in Shanghai ● 200-mile range being targeted THIS is the Aston Martin Rapide E, the first all-electric car from the British luxury marque and one of the stars of this week’s Shanghai Motor Show. As the name suggests, it’s a version of the firm’s existing petrol-powered saloon, fitted with a new battery-electric powertrain. The car is on sale now, although production is being limited to just 155 units. In place of the conventional Rapide’s 6.0-litre V12 drivetrain is a 65kWh battery pack, powering a pair of rear-mounted electric motors. These develop 602bhp and 950Nm of torque, producing a sub-four-second 0-62mph time, 50-70mph in just 1.5 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. The 800V architecture allows the Rapide E’s battery to be recharged at…

HYUNDAI’S luxury brand has revealed a new electric car at the New York Motor Show. The Genesis Mint is a “luxury car for the city”, designed as a collaboration between the firm’s European, US and Korean studios. It’s claimed that the car is “manoeuvrable and exhilarating to drive”, although it’s just a concept for now. There’s no word on power, but Genesis says it will travel 200 miles on a charge and support 350kW fast charging. With its low, squat stance, long wheelbase and wide track, the Mint looks quite unlike anything in the company’s current product range. There is no front grille, and the headlights mimic the winged Genesis badge. Along the lower edges are plenty of intricate details, while at the rear there is a pronounced deck and…