Mercury Enertia 15.6 X 13 Propeller on 2040-parts.com

Land Rover Defender to be built in Sri Lanka

The Land Rover Defender is to be built outside the UK in a new plant in Sri Lanka to produce Defenders for the region. Land Rover are assisting and training staff at a new assembly plant in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, run by Sathosa Motors PLC in a 50-50 deal with Land Rover distributors SML Frontier Automotive, with $1 million being invested to get the project up and running this year. It seems clear from the level of investment that this is simply an assembly operation using CKD kits from the UK for the Defender, but Sri Lank’s Daily News is reporting that there are plans to invest $500 million in the project.

Apple announces 'iOS in the Car' hands-free system

Apple has announced the next generation of in-car iPhone integration with its latest software update, iOS 7, named 'iOS in the Car'. Next year will see carmakers including Honda, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Ferrari, Chevy, Infiniti, Kia, Hyundai, Volvo, Jaguar, and Acura offering Apple's new iOS in the Car system, developed to let drivers use key iPhone functions via the dashboard screen. Drivers will be able to make phone calls, play music, display Apple Maps and receive iMessages either by using the car's controls or through voice commands to Apple's voice-recognition program, Siri, which can also read iMessages aloud and write new messages as part of Apple's Eyes Free feature set.

One Lap of the Web: The Legend of Ludacris, McLaren engine removal and the Lotus Seven

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Want to see a McLaren F1 get major surgery?