In a recent interview with British magazine Auto Express, Lotus Group Chief Executive Officer Dany Bahar provided some info about the Lotus City Car, stating that the model will boast better performance figures than its direct competitors from Audi, BMW and Mini. According to Bahar, “There’s no point in trying to fight the MINIs, and the small BMWs and Audis unless you have a special offering. Our car will be an EV or range extended EV and will offer performance of no other small car“. This statement doesn’t say much about the immediate future of the model, but makes it clear that the British manufacturer is firmly committed to this project.

The Lotus City Car was firstly introduced to the public at the 2010 Paris Auto Show as a concept car, weighing in at 1,400 kg and powered by a rear-mounted electric engine delivering an output of 220 hp with 240 Nm of maximum torque. The final production model should be pretty similar to that concept and is expected to make its debut on the market in 2015 with a price tag of about 35,000 € (45,000$ - 29,000£). Although the car will initially be introduced as a Proton model, Mr.Bahar confirmed that it will be easily switchable to its Lotus version, a conversion that will justify in full the inflated price tag over the Proton-badged model.

The City Car concept was equipped with lithium batteries providing it with 60 km of range, but Lotus also added a range extender in the form of a 1.2-litre 3-cylindre bioethanol engine delivering 34 kW (46 hp) which boosts the autonomy of the vehicle up to 500 km (310 mph). As for the performance, the carmaker claimed a 0-50 km/h (31 mph) sprint time of 4,5 seconds, a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 9 seconds flat and a top speed of 170 km/h, with a CO2 emission level of 60 g/km. Click on the ‘Continue Reading’ link below to find out about the upcoming ‘Esprit’.

Continue reading: Lotus CEO talks about City Car and hybrid Esprit plans

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Lotus confirmed to Autoblog.com that the new Esprit will be powered by a naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V8 engine. This unit will be entirely developed by its British engineers and will be used for the Elite and Eterne models as well, delivering about 570 hp in its basic version and up to 620 hp for the most performing variations.

The new Esprit will have a fully modular frame, a solution that allows the carmaker to swap front, middle and rear sections as needed and with very little effort. Moreover, Lotus confirmed that Elite and Eterne will share the same platform and, in the same fashion, the next Elan (or Evora) will grow out of the Esprit design, implying that it will be able to accommodate the new V8 engine as well.

The new Esprit is expected to make its debut on the market in late 2013.

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Bear with us as we try and piece this story together. Spanish Autoblog quotes an EVO interview with Dany Bahar in which the Lotus CEO says that the Elan project is being postponed indefinitely. So far we haven’t been able to find the story on the EVO site so we’re guessing it’s in their latest print edition.

The Elan was one of the many models that the revived (or perhaps reviving is more appropriate?) Lotus brought to the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Apparently though, Lotus now considers the V6 Elan to be too close to the Evora model, although reports currently said the Elan and the Esprit were too similar. And so the company is considering undertaking significant updates to the Evora itself, and lengthen its career instead.

Other news has been revealed in the interview, including the fact that work on the Esprit and Elite is continuing, and that the two models will share many components, most important a V8 engine with 550 hp. On this particular project, we’ve already heard that Lotus is planning on develop the engine in-house. It could prove to be a purist’s powertrain with a sequential transmission or manual, but no dual-clutch. More after the jump.

Continue reading: Lotus Elan abandoned?

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The new Lotus Elan and Lotus Esprit models are too similar to each other. The models, presented at the 2010 Paris Motor Show as concepts, have undergone a survey process at Lotus with both fans and customers saying they’re not different enough. Criticism was also aimed at what is perceived as a “heavyweight” future Elise model.

According to Autointernationaal.nl, designer Donato Coco is already at work to distinguish the Esprit and Elan, although it will be a race to the finish as the models have been planned for a 2013 debut. Both models are set to get more personality but it’s looking increasingly difficult for Lotus to forge its new identity if customer and fan reaction is this.

The models presented at Paris last year showed a new direction for Lotus, with additional “family” models and a broader appeal to the entire line-up. Lotus designers are at work on the Evora restyling, which should carry that model through to 2013, and the Elise and Elan vehicles should now get a different vision.

The Elise has been rumoured to weigh about 1,100 kg and should be equipped with a four-cylinder engine with 320 hp. We have been critics before of Lotus CEO Dany Bahar’s seemingly excessive focus on marketing a message that wasn’t backed up by a clear product direction. But now it looks like Lotus will be hard at work at the drawing board to make the product offering the core of the message.

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Before Lotus kicks off with a complete overhaul of its range starting with the Esprit, we could see a number of heavy modifications made on other models, including a new Lotus Exige and revamped Evora. The reports come from Autocar who quote CEO Dany Bahar as “hinting” at a possible new Exige model at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

The new Exige would be in addition to a refresh of the Lotus Evora ready for 2012 and that could sport a new cabin showing off a modern Lotus interior. Lotus will be outsourcing its cabin builds to the CSI company in Germany, known for its work on the Audi R8 and Mercedes SLS. The Evora range should also extend beyond the recent Evora S to include other models.

Further reports from the publication suggest that the new Lotus Esprit will get a V8 engine from Hethel, while the Elan and other models will receive V6’s. More to come from the show in March.

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After a quite stunning line-up of Lotus models at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, for quantity if nothing else, there haven’t been many indications from the company of where it’s going, substance-wise. We were worried for a while there that after seeing the glossy Lotus magazine, the weird and eclectic conceptual art campaign, and a series of highly polished design videos, that Dany Bahar and his Lotus team were more about swagger than substance.

Which is why we were especially curious to check out this Autocar test drive video of the Lotus Evora. After reports that the only Lotus to get an engineering overhaul was going to be the new Esprit, we also heard that Lotus intended on raising quality to compete with the likes of other supercar and luxury car makers like Ferrari and Aston Martin.

So we’ll take future Lotus plans as playing in that field - upping its game through quality build and technology and not just fancy marketing. That will obviously help with image, but Lotus has plenty of pull on its own if it can back up its snazzy new look. Autocar claims that at the moment, the Evora S is the most important car in the Lotus line-up (suggesting that it won’t be axed?) and it should give us some indication of where the company is going in its fast-moving, new developmental phase.

According to the test drive, the cabin has a much better build quality than the previous model and that’s just the start. In terms of driving the new Evora S, it seems that what was a great driver’s car at the beginning - with fantastic cornering and stability - just got itself some “proper supercar performance”, and superior torque right across the range; which all means that it’s a “riot” to drive. Is Dany Bahar putting his money where his mouth is? If this video is anything to go by, yes. In English terms it’s “bloody marvellous”.

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Lotus is doing some serious campaigning on the marketing front and here we get to see the official video of the Lotus Esprit. We have to allow them a poetic licence on the ‘faster than sound’ slogan and the video probably has a few too many elements for our liking, but it’s a professional and dynamic piece.

Lotus is definitely doing the hard work on its marketing and advertising, blending pure sports car images with corporate luxury. The proof is not yet in the pudding but we trust that the substance will back up the flair demonstrated so far. It which case, Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari and co will be looking over their shoulders to see how their revived competitor is getting along.

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The 2014 Lotus Elite is a beautiful car designed to steal customers away from Porsche, Ferrari and co. and it might just achieve that. The Elite is intended to be the epitome of Lotus tradition and technology in a mix of gorgeous styling and technical prowess. While you’d expect the company to wax lyrical about its own vehicle, the Elite is definitely the favourite in the Lotus garage - described as fantastic, seductive and a ‘different breed of sportscar’. It’s their ‘gentleman’s’ car and seeing this video with all its elegance and classical music, we’d have to agree.

But, as at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, Lotus doesn’t stop there. A new era? Bring it on, we say. After the jump you’ll find more pics and videos from the rest in the Lotus line-up and frankly, we’ll forgive them for going way over the top. Our wish list just got very long….

Lotus Elite

Continue reading: Lotus models videos: Esprit, Elan, Eterne, Elite and Elise

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There is so much eye candy at the Lotus stand at the 2010 Paris Motor Show that frankly, we didn’t know where to look. An incredible line-up from the company includes the Lotus Elise, the Elite, the Esprit, the new Elan and finally the Eterne. All clearly named with the letter ‘E’ as per tradition and meaning that no-one will ever name a Lotus after me. Anyway, Lotus gave us the full range from a classic, historical model right down to a new, revolutionary (to say the least) member.

The Lotus Esprit, icon of the company is still quite something to look at. The new version has a 5.0-litre V8 with 620 hp (from Toyota). The Lotus Elan, described as perfect for both road and track, has a 4.0-litre V6 with 450 hp while the Elite, future grand touring model for Lotus, has the same impressive eight-cylinder as the Esprit but in a different costume. What’s more, Lotus is making its V6 and V8 engines available in the future in hybrid form with a kind of KERS technology that will go alongside the standard version.

The new Lotus Elise is also on show having a 2.0-litre turbo engine with 320 hp and start&stop technology. It will arrive only in 2015 though, so that’s a long wait if you just happened to be in the market for one of these. Then there’s the surprising, but lovely, Lotus Eterne sedan-coupé with the same V8 as the Esprit and Elite. Meanwhile, the Concept CityCar almost disappeared in this tidal wave from Lotus, but the prototype model is equipped with a flexfuel engine and an electric motor which can work independently. And if you’ve not had your fill yet, the Evora S and Evora IPS are also at the show.

Continue reading: Lotus Esprit, Elite, Elan, Eterne and Elise live at the 2010 Paris Motor Show

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Lotus is certainly having some fun with its new teaser marketing campaign, celebrating the year 1975 and the various events that took place - including the birth of the Lotus Esprit. Jump to 2010 and Lotus is promising ’something breathtaking’ at the 2010 Paris Motor Show that may or may not be the new Lotus Esprit.

The campaign smacks a little of the retro cool (or uncool in the case of the Citroen DS3) so popular in car marketing these days, but really - we couldn’t car. It’s a new Lotus after all. The word from the company is:

1975. Ah what a year (not so for Nixon advisors but hey you can’t please all the people). The Watergate verdicts aside, 1975 was the year we saw Jaws encourage people to stay out of the sea, Margaret Thatcher become the first female leader of the Conservative party and the future face of British football emerge as David Beckham first drew breath.

1975 also marked the birth of another British legend when the Lotus Esprit was officially launched at the Paris Motor Show in October.

Continue reading: New Lotus Esprit at 2010 Paris motor show?

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Lotus chose the first official day of summer (yesterday, but in the North of Italy you wouldn’t never have known it) to tease us with the launch of their new model or as the British sports car maker calls it the ‘dawn of a new era’ leading up to the car’s unveiling at the Paris show.

Whether it will be an Evora convertible or the long delayed Esprit we’ll know for sure in less than a 100 days, but we expect that Lotus will sending out more teasers over the summer.

After the jump you can read their PR release.

Continue reading: Lotus Teases Us with the Dawning of a New Era

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These Lotus spy shots show a revamped Lotus Exige masquerading as what could possibly be the new future Lotus Esprit. In fact, the rear is almost unbelievable and it is what indicates the new Esprit powertrain, according to reports. There are plans to build a new Lotus Esprit, considered essential to the brand, which would have an impressive power-to-weight ratio.

The new Esprit engine is unknown as yet, but it could be a V8 from Toyota, and it’s not entirely certain how modifications to the aluminium chassis will play out. The project is apparently in a very early stage, and will use a version of Lotus’ Versatile Vehicle Architecture.

The Lotus Esprit would be the top-of-the-range model, described as the “ultimate expression of the brand”. We should soon get a full Lotus product plan from the new CEO Danny Bahar, and reports already show a rough idea of what that will be. The Exige, Europa and Elise will be entry-level models with their four-cylinder engines, while the V6 Evora will take up the middle in the Lotus range, with the Esprit right at the top.

Lotus Esprit spy shots

Source | Autocar

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