The Artemis is powered by a 4.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine the offers over 600bhp (441kW) of output and 750Nm (553 lb ft) of torque, allowing the super-SUV to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.5 secs and to reach a maximum speed of over 290kph. All five buyers of the Artemis are residents in China, where customers are demanding luxury vehicles that offer rear passenger space, personalization and performance -- all of which are typical in a luxury SUV like the Artemis. 

However, those who have implied their interest in ordering the Artemis super-SUV are customers based in the United States, Australia, Spain and Italy. Eterniti aims to sell 30 to 40 Artemis this year, and with the five orders and a handful of interested buyers, the company is likely to reach its goal. Eterniti will make the first deliveries of the SUV this autumn. Eterniti’s global sales director Marcus Kenny is all pleased with the results, especially that the company only showed running prototypes in the Auto China Show.

This is due to the complexity of the situation. Jamil said that for now, DRB-HICOM will continue to give financial support to Lotus. Ever since the Malaysian government chose to divest itself of its stake in Proton and sold those shares to DRB-HICOM, the British company has been on shaky ground. While the shares were being moved, Lotus implemented a development freeze for 60 days. This had ended just recently.

Since then, Lotus has returned to producing the Elise, Exige, and Evora sports cars (the Evora is the only one still available in the U.S.). Lotus has also been working on special edition models for the Goodwood Festival of Speed this June, and is now developing a new V-8 engine and automated manual transmission that will be fitted on the future Esprit supercar. [source: Automobile]

The output for the Tesla Roadster was cut last year and according to The Detroit News, just about 200 Tesla Roadsters remain in Asian and European showrooms. Furthermore, Tesla predicts that it soon spend the entire $465 million loan it got from the Department of Energy. Even with Tesla’s shortage of vehicles for test-drives, it said that there’s plenty of interest in the Model S. There has been a minimum of 10,000 pre-order requests for the upcoming EV, which will be produced in Northern California at Tesla’s assembly plant. The Tesla Roadster had a very expensive six-tag price that almost got to 7,000.000.

Meanwhile, the Model S is much more affordable with a base price of $49,000 following tax credits. It will be available with three battery options that range from 160 to 300 miles per charge. The Model S would be capable of recharging its battery to 80% capacity when plugged into a fast charger. Its other standout features include its rear-facing, third-row seats (expanding passenger capacity to seven) and its 17-inch, touchscreen infotainment display. Tesla expects to sell 5,000 units by the end of 2012. It also aims to make 20,000 units annually as soon as its plant operates at full speed. The Model S can start selling the Model S after it passes the needed cash tests.

When compared to its peers, the V-8-powered Continental GT offers a higher fuel economy than the Aston Martin Vantage V-8 (14/21) and it is better than the Jaguar XKR-S on the highway by two miles (with a rating of 15/22). It’s comparable with 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 (16/24), which weighs 1109 pounds less. Audi had co-developed the more efficient 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. This is actually similar to the engine expected to be used on the 2013 Audi S8 sedan.

The features that improve its fuel economy are direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and a new eight-speed automatic that distributes power to its four wheels. In addition, it’s very quick and is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, only two tenths of a second behind the W-12. The question now is whether its fuel economy would be convincing enough to turn away consumers from the Conti W-12. The V-8 is about 55 pounds lighter and is likely to be priced 10% less. Of course, owning a W-12 would already give you enough bragging rights to make it worth it. [source: Autoblog]

Mark Terry, who is managing director at Chevrolet UK, commented that this challenge is a "great opportunity" for the local rugby clubs to "get themselves in the news" during the close season as well as to "keep their competitive spirit going" through the summer. He added that this is also a "great way" to show the "incredibly flexible" interior space of the Aveo, but he cautioned that driving with a full rugby team in the vehicle is not recommended.

He further commented that the Aveo is a "much more aggressive and masculine looking car" compared to many of its competitors. This feature will give the vehicle an "added appeal" to younger male customers and more traditional supermini buyers, Terry added. The first team to tackle the challenge was Shelford Rugby club, which is based in Cambridge. They used their ruck and scrum tactics with 11 of the first 15 able to get into the Aveo, which was supplied by Cambridge Chevrolet. Participating teams will become eligible when all body parts are inside the vehicle, and tailgate and all doors are shut.