[Steve PH]

Things are about to get interesting or tough (depending on your point of view) for European car makers. Not only do they have something of a global recession to deal with but by 2012 the average C02 output for a car built by a European car maker must be no more than 130 Grams per KM. So somehow they have to make desirable small cars and sell them in big numbers to get away with the occasional monster like the GT2.

Buying into VW works very well for Porsche (VW can make the sensible stuff and balance things out) but even so Porsche will need to make a more frugal car at the bottom end of the scale and sell it, which is were this model should fit in.

Part of me hopes they don't make too good a job of building an Elise rival. I don't want to see Lotus going under!