With the Bahrain GP closing in, it was time that the Malaysian-owned F1 team Lotus unveiled its 2010 F10 car and Lotus has come up with the T127. The 2010 T127 comes in a deep green color with a yellow trim and the developers acknowledge that it is slightly overweight race car. Lotus started developing the car as late as September last year and hence it was difficult to develop a light car in just 5 months but the T127 does look shorter in appearance compared to the Ferrari or the McLaren F1 units. Team Lotus intends to finish every race this year and but realizes that it will not be easy. For Mike Gascoyne, one of the experts engineers from the F1 circuit, The T127 is a good, solid current car irrespective the fact that it was produced in 5 months. The race car will be thoroughly tested at Jerez next week.

Mercedes is keen to expand its green bandwagon and the battery electric vehicle Evo is one of its important members. Mercedes has confirmed the production of the first 100 Evo units later this year and if the EV is a success, the German behemoth will manufacture 2,000 units more in the future. The first 100 customers to receive the car are primarily fleet operators and institutions, which are a part of a limited test run. 20 customers will be lucky enough to even get the delivery of the Vito in 2010. The EV Vito uses a 32 kWh lithium-ion battery which gives the commuter an overall range of 130km and it is powered through a 90kW electric motor. The Evo has an electronically limited top seed of 80km/h which is restricted to site urban environments.

The Chicago Auto Show may not be playing the host to debut some internationally famous automobiles but the event is doing pretty good by unveiling commuters that really matter to the Americans, Chevrolet Silverado Heavy-Duty being one of them.

The truck’s facelifted 2011 model broke cover at Chicago reflecting the design team’s efforts which claims to have focused on 11 different points to improve the vehicle. Noticeable changes include stiffer frames which can now handle 16,000 lbs, a sleeker looking front chrome bumper, a new grille and a power dome-styled hood. The 2011 model will also see the return of the 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine which commits reduced emission numbers. The overall improvement in the engine helps the truck dash to 60mph in less than 9 seconds.

The Geneva Motor Show will be a great event with some scorching cars and one of the highlights of the event will be the unveiling of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid. The hybrid system which features in this car is tailor-made for racing and it is different from the conventional hybrid systems like the one found in the Prius.

Porsche has used a fly-wheel generator in a KERS and the generators rotor renders 40,000rpm which then combines with regenerative brakes to send eight-second power bursts to the motors. The entire combination involves a couple of front mounted motors that churn 161hp and a rear-mounted 4.0-liter 480-horsepower flat-six engine. The racing entity is scheduled for an endurance test before summer and the Hybrid will also participate in the 24 Hours on the Nordschleife of Nürburgring later this year.

Citroen is ready to reveal its upmarket models the DS4 and the DS5 this year and the news is that Citroen DS4 will eventually be unveiled as a concept at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Citroen has revealed teaser images of the C4 based model with headlights inspired by the C-Sportlounge Concept. The teaser image chooses a black honeycomb backdrop wherein the chrome detailing is pretty evident. The bumper and the grille have been combined to impart a typical DS lineup characteristic to the DS4 Concept. Although Citroen has not confirmed anything, speculation is ripe that the production version of this car will follow the release schedule of the DS3 with a Paris debut followed by an instant market launch.

Some would say that the financial crisis might be over and that we’re about to get out of recession, so how exactly do these things correlate with vehicle sales? Well the folks from WesBank have just released their vehicle sales confidence indicator and by the looks of it, things are neat as we’re looking at the highest levels in two years. Check out the press release after the break.

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The UAW members are delighted to know that the GM Spring Hill Manufacturing Plant may recall workers as GM is apparently struggling to meet the customer demand for Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers. The GM UAW workers were made to believe that they were in a stand-by mode and they could be activated anytime to need arises.

Free Press reported that GM is considering installing body shops opposed to the automated line to manufacture more units and though this may increase the labor costs, amends will be made by manufacturing and selling more units. Though the anticipation hasn’t been followed by a call from GM, what gives the workers hope is that GM is thinking about labor upgrade for the first time after the global meltdown. GM’s US inventory was reported at 390,000 vehicles last month and GM wants to see the number increased by at least 60,000 units and therefore the workforce is also seeking its revival so as to contribute to the re-growth. [via CD-h]

On February 27th and 28th, the L’Ormarins wine farm will be resplendent with classic beauties from the times of yore, as the Franschhoek Motor Museum is slated to host the FMM Concours and Time Trial. The event is an attempt to celebrate the glamorous classic cars and the undisputed golden age of the motorsport. Indeed, motorsport will be revived at the event where Concours and Time Trial will see vehicles put through their paces as they travel around a specially-designed circuit, weaving their way through the unique corners and chicanes of this exceptional time trial.

The weekend will also see the nostalgia of classic vehicles reignited with an unparalleled showcase of the globe’s greatest cars. The event will also host motorsport legends like Giniel de Villiers and Sarel van der Merwe who will perform special runs around the circuit. The ones seeking modern beauties will be glad to know that the Enzo Ferrari has also made it to the Museum and it will be thoroughly displayed at the event.