Mahindra Bolero ‘Attitude’ delivers on its name

It’s been 10 years since Mahindra & Mahindra reworked its Armada SUV into a more civil machine. The company renamed its off-road machine the Bolero at that time, and since then, the beast has found favor with the police, military and regular citizens who need a little off-road prowess in their daily commute. To celebrate the nameplate’s 10-year anniversary, Mahindra has rolled out a new 2011 version of the truck, complete with one very interesting exterior design. From the looks of things, the truck has all of the necessary goodies for tackling the trails of India, including a wicked light bar, a Mahindra logo-shaped snorkel, tow loops and yes, even a pick-axe.

According to Mahindra, the Bolero is the best-selling SUV in India. The truck sold 70,554 units last year, becoming the first SUV to break the 70,000 barrier in India in the process. It’s easy to see why. We love this thing almost in spite of ourselves. It looks like a mad scientist somewhere cooked up the DNA of a Hummer H2, Jeep Wrangler and a Land Rover Defender only to come out with this Tonka truck. Hit the jump for one very entertaining press release.

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Report: Mahindra introduction to U.S. ‘indefinitely delayed’

We apparently won’t be seeing any Mahindra trucks on U.S. roads any time soon. The company has announced that it has no date in mind for its American introduction, and that as of right now, its progress into this market is indefinitely delayed. The hangup resides in an ever-growing legal battle between the Indian company and its almost-was importer here in the States, Global Vehicles USA. As you’ll likely recall, GV USA claims that Mahindra improperly terminated its contract with them earlier this year, noting that the automaker now wants to sell vehicles directly to U.S. customers instead of going through a middle man.

Mahindra, meanwhile, says that it doesn’t want to get into a “war of words” with its former importer. Also, the company has made it clear that it still wants to break into the American market. How exactly it plans to do so is still somewhat murky, however.

In the meantime, Global Vehicles USA has filed an injunction in federal court claiming breach of contract and urging the court to bar Mahindra vehicles from entering the states in the future.

One thing’s for sure, this mess has yet to completely unravel, and none of it bodes well for the availability of inexpensive diesel-powered pickups in America.

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Video: 2014 Lotus Elite loses its roof

Lotus made quite a splash at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The automaker grabbed the spotlight by showing off five new concept vehicles. One of the proposed cars is the Lotus Elite, a 2+2 grand tourer powered by a 611-horsepower, supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine borrowed from the Lexus IS-F. One surprising detail for this Lotus is its weight. The Elite tips the scales at 3,600 pounds, which is a mammoth sum for anything carrying the company badge. The reason for much of that extra weight may lie in the roof, as the Elite is fitted with a retractable folding hard-top.

Losing the roof creates a whole new perspective for both the driver and people gawking at the car as it passes by. The dramatic lines get a visual boost with the top stowed, since the eye has fewer places to wander. The result is an attractive grand touring car that aims to rival similar offerings from the likes of Ferrari,Maserati and Aston Martin, even if it is a heavyweight by Colin Chapman’s standards.

You can let some virtual wind blow through your hair by watching a new Lotus Elite video clip posted after the jump.

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Lotus reportedly brought in for chassis work on new Vauxhall Astra VXR

From the likes of the Dodge EV to the Ford Cortina, Lotus has had its fingers in all of the Big Three’s pies. But its strongest relationship has historically been with General Motors. The British engineering firm helped develop the engine in the original Corvette ZR-1, engineered the Vauxhall VX220/Opel Speedster, re-engineered the Vauxhall Carlton into ones of its own, and has undertaken a variety of projects for the General over the years. Now the latest reports have Lotus teaming up with GM’s European subsidiaries for a new hot hatch.

Much as it did with the outgoing Vauxhall Astra VXR, Lotus is reportedly hard at work tuning the chassis on the next generation of the model. Previewed by the GTC concept at the Paris Motor Show, the new Astra VXR is tipped to ditch the current model’s electronic differential for a more traditional mechanical one. The engine is rumored to produce in the neighborhood of 280-300 horsepower, with Lotus reportedly brought in to help minimize the torque steer inevitable with that much power channeled through the front wheels.

The Hyperstrut front suspension set-up developed for the Insignia VXR is tipped to port over to the smaller hatchback, expected to hit European markets towards the end of next year to do battle with the likes of theFord Focus RS and Volkswagen Golf R. We can only hope that GM finds space in the lineup of one of its remaining brands to bring the new Astra VXR to American shores.

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Lotus Evora by Mansory

With a whole raft of new models in the pipeline, Lotus has some very big plans for the future. But what does that mean for its existing lineup – most notably the Evora, the newest among them? Earlier reports indicated that Lotus was working on a substantial facelift for the mid-engined 2+2 to bring it in line with its more aggressive new design language. And it very well might be still. But that’s not what Lotus has in store for the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

Instead, Lotus is asking the public, “Is it always wise to customize?” Well from our point of view, it’s certainly not always prudent, but it can be sometimes. From our perspective, precious few of those times, unfortunately, are realized when Mansory is involved, as the tuner dubiously improves on production vehicles as it typically does with outlandish paint jobs and garish interiors. But every once in a while, Mansory gives an existing car a re-skin – usually in carbon fiber – that makes us stop and take another look. Like the Aston Martin DB9 Cyrus and the Bugatti Veyron Vincero. And so it appears to have done with the Lotus Evora.

Commissioned by the factory, Mansory’s take on the Evora is meant to demonstrate what’s possible in the aftermarket. It looks kitted-out with enough carbon to make an F1 car jealous, but we’ll reserve final judgment for when we see it in person at the fast-approaching show. In the meantime, you’re invited (lucky you) to follow the jump for the official statement and check out the pair of images released in the gallery below.

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Lotus unable to secure local government money

When Lotus ushered out a plethora of new concept vehicles at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, we were more than a bit surprised. Sure, many of the designs had no chance of making it to production, but even a new Elan or Esprit would cost the boutique automaker millions to build – money Lotus simply doesn’t have. Auto Express reports that the English Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has turned down the automaker’s application for a £27.5 million loan ($50 million U.S.). The money was reportedly sought in order to build a new plant in Hethel, Norfolk, that would have produced some of new models while also employing another 1,200 Brits. The BIS turned down Lotus in spite of the fact that the government body had already approved £450 million in loans to automakers like Jaguar and General Motors. The automaker is no doubt disappointed with the decision not to allow the loan, but Team Lotus isn’t going down without a fight. Lotus released a statement saying that the automaker was exploring all options, adding that a next step could be “submitting an updated bid for round two of the RGF (government loan), which is set to close on July 1.” What does this latest setback mean to Lotus? We’re not privy to the automaker’s financial statements, but we’re guessing Lotus really needs this money to build any and all of its new products. If it doesn’t get the proper financing, we’re thinking that there may not be any new Lotus models anytime soon.

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First Drive: 2011 Lincoln MKX

If there’s a sales star of the Lincoln lineup, it’s the MKX. Ford’s luxury arm has managed to move over 100,000 of the leather-lined crossovers since 2006, and that pace doesn’t look to be slowing anytime soon. Lincoln says the crossover market here in the U.S. is bound to swell considerably in the coming years, and since it already represents nearly four percent of the automotive industry as a whole, everyone seems to know that this is no place to cut corners. Fortunately, the MKX is set to enjoy its second refresh since hitting the market four years ago.

Given the vehicle’s significance, it should come as no surprise that Lincoln is using the 2011 MKX as a springboard for its vision of the company’s future. The refreshed MKX benefits from a raft of updates that include many of the changes we saw hit the crossover’s Blue Oval clone, the 2011 Ford Edge. With more power, a quieter cabin and an interior that’s finally becoming of a true luxury brand, the MKX has the makings of a sales winner. We’re just not sure the Lincoln high-rider is far enough away from its kissing-cousin.

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Report: Lincoln plans to close 200 metro dealers, upgrade the rest

Now that Ford has officially announced that its Mercury division would be going the way of the Dodo, and with Blue Oval-branded models like the Taurus SHO proving that the Dearborn automaker can indeed move itself a bit upmarket, the next logical concern is addressing what will happen to Lincoln. That’s especially true given the fact that Lincoln’s 82,847 total sales in 2009 are a mere pittance compared to that of class-leadingLexus, which moved 215,957 vehicles.

One of the big problems with Lincoln is that there are just too many dealerships trying to sell a car to in-market customers. To wit, Lincoln currently boasts a whopping 1,221 stores in the States. By way of comparison, Lexus has 230, Audi has 270, BMW has 338 and Mercedes-Benz has 352. Do the math and it’s easy to see that each Lincoln dealership doesn’t sell very many vehicles – in fact, they’re averaging just two sales per week.

According to Automotive News, Ford has a two-part plan to inject some life into its moribund Lincoln outlets. First, the total number of dealerships will be reduced by at least 200, and most of those closures will happen in large metropolitan markets where there are already multiple stores. Second, remaining outlets will be heavily upgraded in order to compete with Lincoln’s targeted competitors.

Will it work? Hard to say, but if the brand can build models like the rumored production version of theConcept C showcar, it could certainly inject some life into Lincoln. In any case, we should get a few more details around October 4, which is when Lincoln’s annual dealer meeting is scheduled to begin.

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Lincoln Continental to return? Depends on who you ask…

There’s some word that Ford is seriously considering resurrecting the Continental name. The internets are buzzing with both confirmation and denial of the rumor depending on where you look. Over at Automotive News, a report suggests that dealers have been told that the Conti will resurface as part of an upcomingLincoln renaissance that includes the introduction of up to seven new or significantly reworked models in short order. Those dealers have supposedly been shown a handful of concept-level renderings of what the new models will look like.

Meanwhile, Motor Authority is reporting that Ford is trying to silence any speculation that the big Continental will return to the Lincoln stable. The site quotes Lincoln spokesman Christian Bokich as saying that of the seven new models headed to the showroom soon, none of them are a new take on the Continental.

That would seem to make sense for a number of reasons. With Lincoln fully embracing a terribly confusing alphabetic naming system, a nameplate like Continental would stick out in a big way (though perhaps Ford is reconsidering this nomenclature strategy). Throw in the fact that the MKS is currently tucked into the slot that the Continental traditionally held, and there’s less and less room for resurrecting the nameplate.

So what does Lincoln have planned for the near future? The crew over at Pickuptrucks.com seems to think that the brand is going to take another swing at a luxury pickup, even though the Blackwood and Mark LTmodels before it have failed to move the sales needle. Of course, all of this is just well-intentioned speculation at this point. Chances are that with today’s dealer meeting proceedings underway, Lincoln won’t be able to keep its real plans under its hat for long.

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