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Mercedes-Benz A-class patent renderings leaked

Mercedes-Benz unveiled a three-door concept version of its 2012 A-class at the New York and Shanghai auto shows in April, and images of a possible production model leaked this week via the European Patent Office. The renderings show a five-door hatchback version of the A-class concept with less aggressive styling. Its world premiere is said to be scheduled for the Frankfurt motor show in September.

Lotus to create 100 new jobs (2013)

Lotus is bouncing back from the five-car plan debacle that saw its CEO Dany Bahar dismissed for professional misconduct, and an ambitious plot to launch a Porsche-slaying five-car range go up in smoke without so much a test mule spy shot. The Norfolk-based outfit has announced today the creation of 103 new jobs to meet rising demand not just for its cars, but the brand’s legendary car set-up skills too. It follows a £100m investment from parent DRB-HICOM earlier in 2013.

Porsche 918 Spyder (2010) at Geneva motor show

Porsche has shown off this stunning new 918 Spyder concept car on the eve of the 2010 Geneva motor show. It’s a mid-engined two-seater in the mould of the Porsche Carrera GT – a landmark supercar to showcase Porsche’s technical nous. Michael Macht, president and chief executive officer of Porsche, unveiled the 918 Spyder in Switzerland, and intriguingly proclaimed that Porsche has never shown a concept car that it hasn’t put into production… Porsche’s official press release was light on the details, but after the unveil Porsche’s R&D chief Wolfgang Durheimer talked CAR around the 918 Spyder and revealed some eye-popping figures for this part-electric hybrid supercar which weighs in at 'less than 1490kg'.