In the rental car industry, if a vehicle is on the lot it isn’t making whatever money. The same is true for whatever vehicle in the shop for repairs, including vehicles that are recalled by automakers. That has created a bit of a conundrum for rental car companies, and the drive for profits can lead to vehicles getting rented that should be getting repaired.

The Detroit Bureau reports that Hertz is trying to change that. In fact, Hertz has taken the drastic step of asking the government to enact new regulations to place a priority on getting recalled vehicles repaired as soon as possible. Hertz has had to take this step because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration currently has no authority over the industry. NHTSA has been watching the rental car companies from afar since a 2010 accident that occurred as a result of a vehicle defect that didn’t get repaired because of rental demand.

The Hertz pitch may just work, as a pair of high-ranking legislatures will reportedly introduce legislation to regulate the rental car industry. It makes sense that Hertz is looking to level the playing field, since the rental company already has a policy in place that stipulates that recalled vehicles must be fixed before being rented out.

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, few automobile shapes are as imitated as the legendary Jaguar E-Type. Of course, Jaguar itself has drawn inspiration from its most iconic sportscar with the contemporary XK and the more recent C-X16 concept. Eagle has reinterpreted the classic with modern accoutrements. And around a year ago a Swedish designer by the name of Bo Zolland rendered a sumptuously retro re-imagination of the form with the Growler E.

That design was slated to go into limited production by a firm called Visualtech, but now the design has resurfaced under a new moniker: Lyonheart. Based on a tweaked version of Zolland’s renderings, designer Robert Palm has given the retro E a slightly more aggressive look, with more catlike headlamps and retro touches that are somehow even more pronounced.

The new Anglo-Swiss outfit intends to render the shape in carbon fiber, stainless steel, brushed aluminum, chrome, leather and wood veneer and put it into limited production in England for 495,000 euros a pop – equivalent to around $ 650K. Power is slated to come from a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 550 metric horsepower (542 by our standards) and 500 pound-feet of torque, which – coupled with a curb weight targeted under 3,500 lbs – aims to propel the Lyonheart K from 0-62 mph in under four seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 300 kph (186 mph).

Follow the jump for the press release and scope out the fresh renderings in the high-res image gallery above for a closer look.

Porsche Macan, Fisker finances, DOT guidelines

Episode #270 of the Autoblog Podcast is here with Chris, Dan, and Autoblog Executive Editor Chris Paukert. Topics include the annunciation of the Porsche Macan, the state of Fisker’s finances, the DOT proposal for distracted driving guidelines, and in-dash smartphone integration tech. Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #270:

• Porsche Macan
• Fisker on the ropes?
• DOT proposes distracted-driving guidelines
• Could smartphone integration be the solution for the DOT?

In the Autoblog Garage
2012 Subaru Legacy 3.6R
2012 Honda Civic CNG
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
2012 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Chris Paukert

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