Auto News 5

With the Evora, Lotus expands from track-day toys like the Elise and the Exige into the realm of the high-performance GT. Although the Evora follows recent Lotus practice by using an aluminum-spaceframe structure and a mid-mounted engine, the car is much larger, more luxurious, and more livable than any of the current models. The standard setup is a two-seater with a cargo deck behind the front seats, but a two-plus-two configuration is also offered, as are luxuries like navigation, a backup camera, and a full leather interior. The engine is again sourced from Toyota - this time the Camry's 3.5-liter V-6. In the hands of Lotus engineers, it makes 276 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual is standard, but an automatic eventually will be added. Lotus claims this heretofore humble engine will propel its new GT to 160 mph and provide a five-second 0-to-60-mph sprint. The Evora will be the top-model Lotus when it arrives here early next year, priced from about $70,000.

Just like you, we always want to know what's coming next from Detroit, Tokyo, Stuttgart, Munich, Los Angeles, and all the other places where automotive engineers and designers dream and scheme on our behalf. Car companies, of course, are loath to share information on new products lest their competitors try to copy them--or you decide not to buy the cars they already have on dealer lots. Car companies, though, are simply groups of people, and some of them have a hard time keeping secrets. So, we poke, we prod, we cajole, and we uncover information that becomes the basis for our annual Sneak Preview issue. As always, some of our information is educated guesswork based on hints, insinuations, hunches. Make no mistake, though, these cars are on their way, even though details may change. Ladies and gentlemen: our list of 136 cars coming over the next few years...

If anyone spots a Venza in my driveway - one actually owned by me, not borrowed - please shoot me. This Toyota has the sex appeal of a turnip and far less sporting character than the little red wagon I admired as a 4-year-old. The high beltline, the é ride motions, and the boring-at-all-costs attitude is more than I can stomach. Also, I detected a few poor trim fits inside which makes me suspicious that Toyota has relaxed its supreme quality standards. I must, however, admit that the Venza is a perfectly suitable transpo-appliance for Joe and Jane Blow who motor through life in a trance. It's affordable, fairly roomy, probably safe, and capable of mid-20-mpg fuel economy. Since it wears a sombrero badge, durability is practically guaranteed. So if these qualities appeal to you, be my guest, but do me a favor and keep your Venza out of my sight.