The New Era Of Lotus - Revealed

Five new models from Norfolk. Count 'em - five

Lotus has a tradition of not playing by conventional rules (such as the desire to actually make a profit), and it has excelled itself at Paris by launching not one all-new car, but five. Thus we now have a new Esprit, Elite, Elan, a replacement for the Elise and a four-door super-saloon called the Eterne.

That's a lot to take in, so for now we'll keep to the highlights of Hethel's ambitious new model programme (we don't actually know much more than that as yet), to give you the highlights of what, in the wonderfully mixed metaphor of Lotus CEO Dany Bahar, will bring Lotus onto a "higher playing field".

There's no doubting the depth and reach of Lotus's ambition, but can it really take on the might of Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin without sacrificing its loyal and fanatical existing customer base? Only time - and sales figures - will tell...

Lotus Esprit
The long-awaited for the Esprit as finally been revealed (by Brian May and Naomi Campbell, of all people), with a 611bhp 5.0-litre V8 mounted in the middle of the angular body.

"The Esprit is the ultimate supercar," says Dany Bahar, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus. "In the past when people thought of the Esprit, they thought of the movies, Bond, Pretty Woman, Basic Instinct but this time around, the car is the star of the show." The Esprit is due in the spring of 2013.

Lotus Elise
This one's going to be crucial; Lotus's bread and butter. The current Elise is already 15 years old and we'll have to wait until 2015 before the New 'un comes on stream, so it's going to need to be good. Still, with 316bhp powering 1095kg, the signs are promising.

Lotus Elan
Kind of like an Esprit, only smaller (think Cayman to 911), the Elan will get a 4.0-litre V6 with 444bhp. That should be enough to take the 1295kg car to a top speed of 194mph and to 62mph in just 3.5secs, and you'll be able to test htat out fro yourself in the second half of 2013.

Lotus Elite
This is Lotus's Aston-chaser, a big-hearted 2+2 GT with a 611bhp 5.0 V8, a retractable hardtop, KERS, and even a hybrid option. On sale for your delectation in Spring 2014.

Lotus Eterne
A surprise among surprises, this one. The Eterne is a four-door super-saloon, using the same 611bhp as the Esprit and Elite. Can Lotus really take on the Rapide and Panamera? Find out in 2015.