Well, we all knew Lotus was going to do something different at the Paris Motor Show, as the company had been dropping hints for the past six months about going up market, and making bigger cars. But what they showed at Paris was simply sensational! Five new models with three new engines to go into production from the end of 2012 to 2015! Absolutely amazingly ambitious! Here they come:
Lotus Esprit (2013) 5.0 liter, 620 bhp, mid-engine, two-seater;
Lotus Elan (2013) 4.0 liter, 440 bhp, mid-engine, two-seater or 2+2;
Lotus Elite, (2014) 5.0 liter, 620 bhp, front-engine, 2+2;
Lotus Elise (2015) 2.0 liter, 315 bhp, mid-engine, two-seater;
Lotus Eterne, (2015) 5.0 liter, 620 bhp, front-engine, four-seater.
(The images at the top of the page show the Lotus Elite, as does the left-hand image in the second row of images.)
All are mid-engined except the Elite and Eterne, which are front engined with the engine well back, and the gearbox in unit with the final-drive unit, a la Aston Martin and Ferrari.
Highly ambitious programme
Is this feasible? It can be, so long as Lotus has the right partners. Even so, five completely new models, based on similar concepts, but in other respects each a major project on its own is incredibly ambitious.
This is the new Lotus style
But will they look the part? The new models all have common design features, and look like nothing else out there. To be sure, the front end, which is common to all, of a wide grille flanked by air intakes of varying sizes, all being rectangular and rectangular headlamps looks a little reminiscent of Lamborghinis. But otherwise we are seeing a new style being borne.
However, there are none of those curvy lines found on the Elise and Evora, but softened knife-edge lines. In this respect they hark back to the old Esprit and Excel. The Elan is clearly a junior version of the Esprit, and all the new models exhibit lines that will no doubt become Lotus style. Clearly, that is the aim.
To power these cars, Lotus has a new range of power units, which will be modular in design, with the four-cylinder two liter being doubled and enlarged to produce a 5.0 liter V-8, while the internal dimensions of the V-6 4.0 liter unit will be very similar to those of the V-8. These will be pressure-charged, but whether supercharged or turbocharged is not certain. However, as Lotus is well-known for its supercharging, this is more likely.
Incidentally, it is possible that these will be made for them, because Dany Bahar, CEO, said recently that Lotus was opening a new chapter with Toyota as an engine supplier. Have they got this fundamental power train right?
Are the engines a bit on the big side?
My guess is that these engines are a size too big for the period we are talking about, 2015-2020. By then, the big manufacturers in Europe are likely to be producing engines with outputs of 150 bhp per liter thanks to modern poressure-charging, so a supercar maker needs to go higher. A range going from 1.5 liters to 4 liters, with 3 liters in the middle should be able to give the power Lotus wants with the sort of fuel economy that will be mandatory by then.
Mechanical hybrid for light weight
What about hybrids? Yes, Lotus has got it right here, opting for a KERS mechanical hybrid, which is essentially a high-speed flywheel that stores energy, and releases it when needed for extra acceleration, or to improve fuel consumption. The auto industry is quietly taking a lot of interest in KERS and hydrostatic hybrids owing to the weight, cost and durability advantage over electric hybrids.
Here is a little more detail on each model, which span a price range of $60,000-$180,000 (UK: £35,000-£115,000).
Lotus Elite
Like the old Eclat and Excel, which were excellent 2+2 grand tourers, the new Elite V-8 will be a front-engined 2+2 intended for grand touring. The engine will be mounted well back, and the gearbox is at the back integral with the final-drive drive gears. The car has sleek styling, and shares family characteristics with the other models, of a wide grille, flanked by fairly deep and wide side grilles. It has sculptured sides, and a fastback rear-end.
Features of the styling include a smoked glass roof, elegant styling, with the new Lotus style seeming to work better on the front-engined cars that the mid-engine coupes. All have avant-garde interiors. No copies here!
Lotus quotes a kerb weight of 3,640 lb (1,650 kg) which sounds quite a lot for a Lotus, and is hardly 'adding lightness' since the BMW M3 based on a series production steel car weighs only 3,480 lb (1,580 kg). That is certainly not good enough. The price is to be about $180,000 ( £115,000).
Lotus Elan
Available as either a two-seater or 2+2, like the Evora, the Elan brings up memories of the original lightweight two-seater sports car, copied by Mazda, and the front-wheel drive disaster of the 1980s. Still this is a great name, and naturally enough, this mid-range two-seater is mid-engined. The first prototype is shown in gold, and has the characteristic wide rear fenders of potent mid-engine coupes.
Powered by a 4.0 liter V-6, producing 440 bhp, and with the rev limiter set to 7,800 rpm, this will be a real flyer, claimed to be capable of getting to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. This is clearly the successor to the Evora, and will be around £75,000; that is going up-market.
A KERS hybrid will be offered as an option on the Elan, and the weight is 2,850 lb (1,295 kg), which sound quite good. Thew car is expected to cost about $120,000 (£75,000). The two right-hand images above are of the Elan.
Lotus Esprit
Now comes a replacement for the iconic Esprit, still dearly beloved and maintained by Lotus enthusiasts. Like the original, this is a mid-engine two-seater with the accent on performance, performance. (Two images below, and one at the bottom alongside the images of the Eterne.)
It is to be powered by the new 5.0 liter 610 bhp V-8 coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle. The KERS hybrid option is available. Lotus quotes a target kerb weight of 3,190 lb (1,450 kg), and say the car will reach 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and go on to 205 mph (330 km/h). Wow, this will help James Bond keep ahead of the baddies in their massive Teutonic juggernauts! However, it will set him back about $170,000 (£110,000).
Lotus Elise for 2015
Please go to
Fast-Sportscars for details.
Lotus Eterne
This really is a market where few dared to tread till recently, when Porsche introduced the Panamera and Aston Martin started on the Rapide. Yes, this is the market for a really fast full four-seater with enough luggage space for four. This is quite a challenge.
The Eterne shares the front- end of the new Lotuses, but has a more graceful, swoopy rear end, and pillarless doors, which give the impression that the car is actually a two-door job.
Appearances should not disguise the fact that this will be a very fast car, powered by the 610 bhp V-8, with the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox as standard, but KERS as an option. The engine will scream up to 8,500 rpm, but will be well muffled inside, of course, and will take the Eterne to about 195 mph (315 km/h).
Acceleration will be very brisk, getting you to 60 mph in under 4 seconds in a car weighing 3,960 lb (1,800 kg), which is a good deal less than the Mercedes-Benz SL two-seater, as it should be. The price is expected to be about $190,000 (£120,000).
Can Lotus really deliver the Eterne in 2015, after all these other models? This mind-boggling programme, which will have leaders of competitor scratching their heads to see whether it can be done, is nothing if not audacious. Whether it can be achieved with durable cars with high build quality coming from the factory from the start remains to be seen.
Can Lotus all these plus the quality needed?
There has been a lot of wondering and whispering in the Lotus Forums and Club Lotus as to whether Lotus has lost its way in going so far upmarket in price and performance. The Elise is meant to overcome that fear, and the range is intended to allow for the natural progression from a small sports car to a hot sports car, and then a 2+2 or four-seater.
In that sense, the whole plan is well integrated, but it may be that by making the performance a shade lower, and the fuel consumption a shade better, the new range might have found a unique niche and been more in the mood of 2015-2020. Who knows? And will the kerb weights be as low as the great Colin Chapman would have liked? That seems a bit doubtful, but we will have to wait and see.
