Kepler Motors, a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based start-up company, will take the wraps off its new Motion hybrid-electric supercar this week at the Dubai auto show. The company plans to build 50 of the vehicles, with deliveries due to start in 2011.

The all-wheel-drive car teams a modified version of Ford Motor Co.’s 3.5-liter, twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6, which powers the rear wheels, with a 250-hp electric motor that drives the front wheels. In the Motion, the gasoline-direct-injection Ecoboost has been upgraded to produce 550 hp-195 hp more than the base Ford system.

Generating a combined 800 hp, the hybrid system propels the Kepler supercar from zero to 60 mph in under 2.5 seconds. Top speed is estimated at more than 200 mph. The new two-seater makes extensive use of carbon fiber composite materials for its monocoque chassis and body. Built on a 105-inch wheelbase, the car stretches to 175 inches from bumper to bumper and is 79 inches wide. Its coefficient of drag is 0.30.

Other features include an active double-wishbone suspension, seven-speed sequential transaxle, launch control and a programmable track assistant system. The brakes use StopTech’s new high-performance C3 (continuous carbon ceramic) AeroRotors at all four corners. Kepler says the C3 design, which uses silicon carbide ceramic material reinforced with long, continuous carbon fibers, provides greater mechanical durability and unique heat transfer capabilities vs. competitive carbon-ceramic rotors.

Other supplier partners include Aria Group, DHS Engineering and Mackevision. Aria contributed a variety of product development, engineering, styling, prototyping, machining and modeling services. DHS specializes in battery propulsion systems. Mackevision is helping with data conversion, modeling and quality control.

Founded by multiple world speed record holder Russ Wicks, Kepler contracted several other industry experts to work on the project. Wicks claims to be the only person to have held speed records in excess of 200 mph for IndyCar, NASCAR and NHRA race cars and a hydroplane boat.

Other team members include program manager Neil Hannemann, who previously was the engineering director of McLaren Automotive and also served as the chief engineer for Ford’s GT supercar and the Ford-based Saleen S7. Engineering Director Derk Hartland had been the engineering design manager for the Saleen S7.

Todd Putnam, senior calibration engineer, also has experience at Ford and Saleen. Other contributors have worked at other niche developers, the U.S. Air Force’s Aeronautics Lab and at government regulatory agencies.

Donato Coco has been named director of design for Group Lotus plc. In the newly created position, which takes effect next month, Donato will lead all design activities for Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering as the U.K.-based firm aims to put more emphasis on design. Lotus’s seven-year product plan will roll out a new range of cars that includes an Evora convertible, all new Esprit and eventually a new Elise and Exige.

Russell Carr, who currently heads Lotus Design, will continue to work on both Lotus ventures. He also will do design for third-party projects, a growing part of Lotus’ business, especially in emerging Asian markets.

Coco was previously director of design and development for Fiat SpA’s Ferrari unit. His credits include the F430 Scuderia coupe and Spider 16M, Ferrari California, 599XX and the F458 Italia. He started his career at PSA Peugeot Citroen SA, where he rose to Citroen’s chief designer and was responsible for the Xsara, Picasso, C3, C3 Pluriel, C2, C1, ZX Paris Dakar and the Xsara WRC. Coco has a degree in automotive design from London’s Royal College of Art, London, England.

Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz unit is moving forward to launch the all-electric variant of its SLS supercar in 2013. AMG boss Volker Mornhinweg tells Autocar that road tests of the vehicle already have begun.

The just-launched conventional SLS, which was developed with the Mercedes AMG performance unit, features an AMG 6.3-liter V-8 engine that makes 571 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. Mornhinweg says the electric SLS will offer similar performance, generating 525 hp and 649 lb-ft of torque. He’s confident the company will meet its targets of 0-60 mph acceleration of four seconds and an all-electric range of about 110 miles. But achieving those results will require three lithium-ion battery packs that will add more than 600 lbs to the 3,570-lb weight of the standard SLS.

The car also will benefit from a torque-vectoring system. But Mercedes has no interest in using a noise generation system, a feature that competitors are considering to try to replicate the sound of conventional cars. Mornhinweg deems the technology as “too artificial.”

China’s Ningbo Yunsheng Co. plans to acquire 79% of the outstanding shares of Nikko Electric Industry Co. from Daiwa Securities SMBC Principal Investments Co. and an investment fund operated by billionaire American financier Wilbur Ross, The Nikkei says. The deal, expected to be finalized by the end of January, is valued at more than $500 million.

Shanghai-listed Ningbo supplies magnetic materials and motors for passenger vehicles. The 15-year-old company had sales of nearly $270 million last year.

Japan-based Nikko Electric, which makes a variety of parts for the automotive and construction machinery market, was originally affiliated with Isuzu Motors Ltd. It filed for protection from creditors in 1999 and emerged from bankruptcy in 2005. In addition to Isuzu, its major customers include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Komatsu. Its sales for the most recent fiscal year totaled $922 million.

By combining operations, the partners aim to cut costs and improve quality. They eventually plan to expand beyond China and Japan.

The transmission cross beam in the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo 550i is made from BASF AG’s Ultramid A3WG10 CR material-the first such application for a plastic polyamide. The injection-molded part, which contributes to the overall rigidity of the vehicle and supports the forces and torque of the engine-transmission unit, is supplied by Continental AG’s ContiTech Vibration Control unit.

Using polyamide in place of aluminum cuts weight in half to 2.2 lbs. Other purported benefits include improved acoustics, recyclability and crash safety. ContiTech says the part, which won this year’s innovation award from the Federation of Reinforced Plastics trade group, is able to be placed nearer the exhaust system due to its high-temperature performance.

Visteon Corp. says the plastic engine air intake manifold it supplies for use in Tata Motors Ltd.’s 2.0-liter Nano minicar is 35% lighter than traditional aluminum units. Acoustic performance also benefits from lower inlet orifice noise, vehicle interior noise and “drive-by” noise levels, according to the supplier.

The air intake manifold was engineered by TACO Visteon Engineering and is manufactured by Tata Visteon Automotive. Both companies are joint ventures between Visteon and Tata AutoComp Systems Ltd.

Visteon also supplies the Nano’s audio system. It’s partnering with Nippon Audiotronix on marketing and service support of the Tata-branded audio system throughout India.

Based on Visteon’s “Tiger” radio platform, the dealer-installed system was developed jointly by Visteon’s operations in India and China. Visteon says using a platform architecture helped reduce development time and allows audio features to be scaled to different applications. Features include a customized bezel with an integrated human-machine interface, customized speakers, antenna and a unique mounting system tailored to the Nano. Four variants are available, ranging from a base AM/FM radio with auxiliary input to a higher-end system that includes a CD player, USB port and Bluetooth wireless technology.