Lotus has effectively confirmed that it will replace its Esprit supercar, which was discontinued in 2004, with a teaser counting down the days to an announcement and probable reveal at this fall's Paris auto show.

The company has been working on a replacement for the long-lived fiberglass-bodied supercar for several years, but work stopped during the development of its midengine V6 Evora coupe. However, the arrival of a new management team, led by former Ferrari commercial boss Danny Bahar, has seen the spawning of a new and more ambitious plan for the firm, which is to return to the junior-supercar league once occupied by the Esprit, and possibly into price territory upscale of that. More in the jump!

A Lotus spokesman stressed that despite the move upmarket, "lightweight structures and engineering efficiency remain core to Lotus." The company's cars, after all, have been designed for excellent power-to-weight ratios from the company's birth. The 1975 Esprit was built around a steel backbone clothed with a fiberglass composite shell, but its replacement will likely use an enlarged version of the extruded and bonded aluminum chassis from the Evora, which was designed to allow stretches in width and length to create larger models.

It's not yet clear whether the new Esprit's body will be fabricated from fiberglass or carbon fiber, but Lotus certainly needs to move to a material more sophisticated than glass-reinforced plastic, which always compromised the high-tech image of the Esprit even though it pioneered new technologies during its long life. Also unknown is the new Esprit's power unit, although it would be a surprise if the British company moved away from Toyota, with which it has an excellent relationship as a supplier of powertrains and components.

The new Esprit — or a concept version of it — will be the first Lotus designed under the creative leadership of Donato Coco, formerly of Ferrari and Citroen, who took over from Russell Carr as chief designer under Bahar.

Source: InsideLine

We are delighted to announce that the new 2011 Lotus Elise has just been certified with an outstandingly low emissions figure of 149g of CO2 / km which represents a reduction of 16% over the previous Lotus Elise S,” Lotus said in a statement.

That means that the new 2011 Elise has the lowest CO2 for its performance level for any gasoline sportscar in the world. If that’s not impressive enough, Lotus says that the Elise also returns an impressive fuel-economy figure of 56.1 mpg (46.7 mpg in U.S. terms). This means that the Lotus Elise can travel 500 miles on one tank of fuel.

Not to mention, the 2011 Lotus Elise is still capable of running 0-60 mph in 6 seconds flat thanks to its 136-hp 1.6L 4-cylinder VVT-I.

Source: eGMCarTech

After patiently waiting for 7 years, the Lotus Elise will finally get a facelift for the 2011 model year. Ready to make its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the 2011 Elise will get a new body design incorporating new front clamshell, rear bumper and engine cover. Lotus has also added all in one integrated headlamps including LED day time running lights and LED direction indicators. Since Lotus is all about efficiency, the 2011 Elise gets improved aerodynamics with a reduction in Cd by 4%, resulting in better fuel economy.

If at first sight you think that the 2011 Lotus Elise looks somewhat like the new Evora, you’re not wrong. Lotus says that the Elise gets a “more planted, purposeful stance and a pure, contemporary look that links it to the Evora.”

Power for the base 2011 Lotus Elise comes from a Toyota-source 1.6L engine making 134-hp. The Lotus Elise R is powered by a 1.8L engine making 192-hp while the Lotus Elise SC carries a supercharged 1.8L making 217-hp.

Price for the 2011 Lotus Elise will be announced in March with sales to kick off in April.

Source: eGMCarTech

The first Lotus Formula 1 car for 15 years hit the race track on Tuesday as Fairuz Fauzy completed a secret shakedown for the team's 2010 challenger at Silverstone.

As AUTOSPORT's exclusive spy shot of the new car shows, the so-far unnamed machine was running in the historic green and yellow colours that were so synonymous with Lotus in the 1950s and 1960s.

It is not clear, however, whether the team will keep these colours for the season or they have just been used for the initial run.

The successful shakedown of the car marked an emotional moment for the Lotus team, which was only granted an entry for the 2010 season back in September.

Having undertaken the first engine fire-up of the car on Saturday, the team travelled to Silverstone to get some mileage on it before its official launch in London on Friday.

Team principal Tony Fernandes admitted that the first run with the new car had meant a lot to him. "Shakedown started. Quite a few tears," he wrote on his official Twitter feed.

Lotus is scheduled to begin proper testing of the car at next week's third pre-season F1 test at Jerez in Spain.

Source: AutoSport

Lotus is celebrating its return to F1 by paying a tribute to its Lotus Type 72 Formula One car, which won 20 Grand Prix victories between 1970 and 1975. The new Lotus Exige S Type 72 features a black and gold exterior finished by the same sign writer who painted the race cars for Team Lotus. The special-edition model also gets a Sport Pack as standard, which consists of bespoke high quality interior, including black micro fiber ProBax sports seats with gold stitching.

Power still comes from the 1.8L 4-cylinder making 220-hp. That allows the Exige S Type 72 to sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 145 mph.

Lotus will only make 20 units for the UK to commemorate the number of Grand Prix wins achieved by the Type 72. Other markets including Europe and Japan will get a limited run of the Exige S Type 72 (nothing announced for the U.S.).

Source: eGMCarTech

The new 2010 Lotus Evora has been selected by Top Gear Magazine as its Sports Car of the Year 2009.

“It’s pretty, quintessentially British, fast and handles like a dream,” said Conor McNicholas, Editor of BBC Top Gear magazin. “Evora takes Lotus to a new place in terms of quality but more importantly delivers a sports car rush that puts other marques to shame.”

“I am delighted that the Evora has won the Top Gear award for Sports Car of the Year 2009,” said Lotus CEO Dany Bahar. “Top Gear is very well regarded around the world and it is a fantastic achievement for all who have worked on the Evora to win such a prestigious award.”

Source: eGMCarTech

Lotus has announced the pricing details on its new 2010 Lotus Evora for the U.S. market, which goes on sale during the first quarter of 2010. As a part of the launch, two Lotus Evoras have started a 44-dealer Open House Tour that began last week.

Prices for the 2010 Lotus Evora in the U.S. will start at $73,500. Standard features include silver cast alloy wheels with 18-inches in the front and 19-inches in the back, Bi-Xenon headlights with headlight washing system, rear wing and diffuser, air-conditioning, Recaro black leather sport seats, Lotus command center with auxiliary trip computer, Alpine CD/MP3/WMA/AUX system with full iPod connectivity and much more.

Buyers can opt for the $1,990 Premium Package, which adds accent lighting, premium floor mats, Evora logo on the dash and a bunch of leather trimmed options. The $1,275 Sports Package gets you enhanced throttle response and RPM limit, sport traction control mode, sports diffuser, titanium exhaust tips, cross-drilled brake discs, blank painted brake calipers. The most expensive $2,995 Technology Package adds Alpine/Lotus IMPRINT Sound, Alpine Mobile Media Station, DVD/MP3/DivX Playback, 7-inch WVGA touch-screen display, rear parking sensors (reverse camera costs $495 extra), Bluetooth connectivity, and much more.

If all that doesn’t matter to you, the base $73,500 will at least let you enjoy the 3.5L V6 making 276-hp at 6,400 rpm and a maximum torque of 258 lb-ft at 4,700 rpm. 0-60 mph comes in just 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 162 mph. Oh, and not to mention, you’ll be enjoying 30 mpg on the highway.

Source: eGMCarTech

With many automakers pulling out of the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, the big Japanese auto show is expected to be pretty boring this year. However, Lotus will add a little fun with a new special-edition Lotus Exige Scura – the dark side of Lotus.

Lotus will produce just 35 units of the Exige Scura (Sucra means ‘dark’ in Italian), which will carry a matte-black and carbon fiber theme with contrasting high-gloss “Phantom Black” triple stripes running through the length of the car. On the inside, the Lotus Exige Scura extensively uses carbon fiber to compliment the exterior.

Power comes from a supercharged and intercooled engine that produces 260-hp at 8,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 174 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm. 0 to 62 mph comes in at just 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 152 mph.

Other standard features on the Exige Scura include:
* Launch control.
* Variable slip traction control.
* Ohlins 2-way adjustable dampers for personalized ride and handling characteristics.

Source: eGMCarTech

Lotus has announced the new 2010 Exige S240, a model that updates a few key enhancements to update the appearance (mostly the front end) and improves aerodynamic performance of the Exige. Ready to go on sale in the United States in the fall of 2009, the 2010 Lotus Exige S240 is priced at $65,690.

Power comes from the Toyota-sourced 2ZZ-GE engine with VVT-i that produces 240-hp and a peak torque of 170 lb-ft – it is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. 0 to 60 mph for the Lotus Exige S240 comes in at 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 150 mph. Fuel-economy is estimated at 20/26 mpg (city/highway).

Source: eGMCarTech

The 276-hp road-going Lotus Evora has become a well respected sports car in the auto industry. Lotus is now introducing the next step in the Evora lineup – the Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar. The car will make its debut at the ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hour race.

Based on the road-going Evora, the Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar gets a race-tuned version of the mid-mounted Toyota V6 engine making a total of 400-hp. The weight of the car is expected to be reduced by 440 lbs, bringing the weight to less than 2,645 lbs. Other changes include a 6-speed sequential paddle shift racing gearbox, an FIA specification roll-cage, FIA-compliant 120L ATL fuel system, an FIA fire extinguisher system and a carbon fiber rear-wing, diffuser and front splitter. Stopping power comes from AP Racing’s 6 piston calipers front and rear, with a race-tuned Bosch ABS system, 4-way adjustable dampers and adjustable anti-roll bars.

The Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar is expected to compete in a number of races in 2010/2011 including the Merdeka Millennium 12 Hours, BritCar 24 Hours and the Dubai 24 Hours.

Source: eGMCarTech

Lotus has delivered its first Evora to Matthew Melling of Twickenham, UK. Melling took the keys to his new Storm Titanium Evora from Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars Limited at the Lotus Headquarters.

“I was determined to be the first in the world to get my hands on an Evora so with Stratton Motor Company’s help, I laid down my deposit within seconds of the order books being opened last year,” said Melling. “I have read all the press reviews of the Evora and am so excited about getting behind the wheel - what a great start to September!”

Lotus said that it has received orders for the next 5 months of production. It said that demand for the Evora has been so high that 150 extra new manufacturing staff have been recruited to support assembly operations in Norfolk, UK.

Source: eGMCarTech

Lotus’ line of Exige Cup has generated somewhat of a cult following with dedicated fans of the vehicle since its inception with the Lotus Exige Cup 240 in 2006. During the last 4 model years, Exige Cup cars have been sold either for racing on the track or for pure road-going adrenaline.

For the 2010 model year Exige Cup 260, Lotus says that it has provided the model with new components and technologies, improved efficiency, enhanced handling and increase specifications. The supercharged and intercooled engine produces a maximum output of 257-hp with a peak torque of 174 lb-ft. That allows for a 0 to 62 mph in run in just 4 seconds with an estimated combined fuel-economy of 28 mpg (U.S.).

The Exige Cup 260 is available now for sale in Europe with prices starting at €45,000 ($64,130 USD). The 2010 Lotus Exige Cup 260 is fully approved for road use in Europe and North America. North American market prices will be announced at a later date.

Source: eGMCarTech

The gang at Autocar have singled out the new Lotus Evora as the best drivers car in the U.K. for 2009. The award came following an evaluation that included the 2010 Nissan GT-R and nine other new models launched in the past year. The defending champ GT-R dropped all the way to fourth in this year's roundup following the new Lotus, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage and the Porsche 911 GT3. The key to the Evora's victory appears to have been its impressive handling capabilities and in particular its forgiving nature.

Apparently, potential buyers agree with the assessment from Autocar as demand for the Evora has been so great that Lotus has had to to increase its manufacturing staff by 30 percent. The Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V6 also allows Lotus to get some pretty decent fuel economy of the Evora – a combined 27 mpg (US) on the EU test cycle.

Source: Autocar

The first production examples of the Lotus Evora have now started down the build process with its aluminum chassis being fabricated at Lotus Lightweight Structures in Worcester, UK and final assembly taking place at Lotus' Hethel factory. With the first cars scheduled to be delivered to customers in May, Lotus has released content lists for the Evora. The 276-hp Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V6 with a 6-speed manual gearbox is standard. A close-ratio version of the gearbox will be available as an option. Cast 18-inch front and 19-inch rear alloys shod with Yokohama Advan Sport LTS rubber are the standard fitment, while forged wheels are available for an extra cost.

Other notable options include bi-xenon lights, power folding mirrors and body color door handles. In typical contemporary fashion, the Evora can also be ordered with Tech, Sport and Premium packages that lump the usual assortment of audio, navigation and interior trim upgrades together. The Sport pack also provides a switch that enables sharper throttle response and more slip from the traction control system, among other performance enhancements.

Lotus is planning to ramp Evora production up to 34 units per week by July, assuming of course that economic conditions allow for sufficient demand.

Source: AutoBlog

Lotus has unleashed a slightly revised Exige S for the 2010 model year at the Geneva Motor Show, and thankfully, it seems the U.K.-based automaker has for the most part chosen not to mess with a good thing. The bulk of the changes are minor updates to the car's outer skin, including a new front fascia with larger openings for the radiator and twin side-mounted oil coolers. Out back, a new composite rear wing reduces drag while still putting down 42 kilograms (93 pounds) of downforce at 160 km/h (about 100 mph). We think the facelift makes the Exige look a bit more masculine and aggressive.

Improvements made to reduce weight and aerodynamics also have the desirable effect of increasing overall efficiency. Fuel economy remains stellar for a vehicle of this caliber at 33 mpg on the European Combined Cycle. As Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive of Group Lotus plc, asks, "How many cars have performance figures of 0 - 100 km/h in 4.77 secs but produce only 199 g/km CO2?" Answer: None that we know of.

A Touring Pack is still available and includes such accoutrements as leather hides for the seats, console and handbrake lever along with an iPod adapter, carpets, sound deadening material and a cup holder. For more hardcore drivers, Lotus also offers a Sport Pack with Bilstein sports dampers, traction control, an adjustable front anti-roll bar and a cockpit roll bar complete with integrated harness mounts to keep you nice and secure. A Performance Pack increases power to 240 horses and adds such goodies as upsized brakes, variable slip traction control, a higher-spec clutch and launch control.

Source: AutoBlog