An Australian newspaper reported last week that Proton wants to build a small sporting coupe based on the Elise. According to the story Australian buyers would be able to buy it for half the cost of an Elise (Elises cost almost 85,000 Australian Dollars and only 20 were sold there last year).
Proton owns Lotus and has previously assembled Elises in Malaysia. Apparently the plan is to base the coupe on the Elise but to come up with a simpler means of construction for the car.
The Lotus engine packages would be ditched with the Proton team are looking for their own engine package. Proton's Chief Executive Tenkgu Mahaleel is quoted as saying "We are trying to get a new engine with 250 horsepower (175kW) . . . still a four-cylinder, but with more performance".
Proton intends to give a more sporting edge to all of its range in future and a lightweight sporting coupe would be an important flagship.