RE: Lotus - Evora 400 and beyond
Thursday 19th February 2015
We're not getting an all-new Lotus until 2020. But there is plenty still to come from the two current aluminium chassis, including a roadster version of the Evora, an even more hardcore Exige and a likely update of the 2-Eleven track car according to boss Jean-Marc Gales.
Evora's 400hp V6 to feature in Exige SThe convertible Evora has been a long time in the pipeline but Gales confirmed it will arrive a year after the 400 goes on sale in August. We're told it'll have a two-piece carbon fibre roof that can be stashed inside the car behind the front seats. The stiffness of the aluminium tub means it'll mean little or nothing in the way of extra bracing.
A new V6-powered 2-Eleven is plannedThen there's a likely new 2-Eleven, which would feature the same 400hp engine, according to Gales. "Our customers have told us: give us something that'll be class-leading on every track day, so we are going to do that," he said. To jog your memories, the 2-Eleven was a stripped-out, 670kg (in non-SVA mode) open-cabin special based on the Exige with a 1.8-litre supercharged engine, of which Lotus built around 250 from 2006. They cost £40,000 and are still holding much of that judging from this £30,000 2008 car. "We can do something similar very fast - within 12 months," Gales said.
Elise range will also get updatesAfter 2020, and assuming the company is back in profit as Gales is promising (by 2017), then he says the Lotus philosophy of lightweight agility could be applied to any model, even SUVs. "When you ask me - what would a Lotus SUV look like, certainly it would be lightweight, have benchmark handling, efficient. I don't understand why they all need to be two tonnes, 1.8 tonnes. We could do one for 1.3-1.4 tonnes." He also dreams of a four-door. "Anything but a Panamera: it'll be very dynamic, very fast looking, very lightweight."
Lotus - Evora 400 and beyond
Updated Evora is just the start - a new V6 2-Eleven and more besides to follow
Evora's 400hp V6 to feature in Exige S
Also in the pipeline is a more hardcore, lightened Evora to be called either Cup or Lightweight. That 400hp version of the supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine in the Evora 400 will also be going into the Exige S. That'll be part of a wholesale revision of the car along the same lines of the Evora 400.
The Exige S has been a big-hitter for Lotus since the supercharged 3.5-litre V6 version was launched in 2012 and has been vying with the Elise for title of Lotus's best-seller ever since. It's expected to overtake it now production of the automatic has started - indeed Gales told us the production line as of two weeks ago was solely Exige S automatics bound for Asia. A 400 version would be serious fun. "400hp and less than 1,150kg. It will be number one," he said.
A new V6-powered 2-Eleven is planned
The Elise is the final one to undergo the Gales makeover, in around two years he estimates. He wants to strip 30kg from the car. They're also going to have to sort the aerodynamics, which aren't good due to the coke-bottle curve. Lotus head of design Russell Carr told us it was never designed for high speed. "Originally it was 120hp and all about acceleration and fun, but over the years we've got to 260hp it really starts to really push the air."
Elise range will also get updates
Discussion
At last, a head of Lotus that understands Lotus.
Instead of trying to make it something else he is capitalising on the values that have made Lotus what it is.
For the first time in a long time their competitors will be looking at what Lotus is planning and listening - maybe even worrying.
Light weight, efficiency, fun, individuality. What a formula for the 21st Century!
Instead of trying to make it something else he is capitalising on the values that have made Lotus what it is.
For the first time in a long time their competitors will be looking at what Lotus is planning and listening - maybe even worrying.
Light weight, efficiency, fun, individuality. What a formula for the 21st Century!
Ex Boy Racer said:
At last, a head of Lotus that understands Lotus.
Instead of trying to make it something else he is capitalising on the values that have made Lotus what it is.
For the first time in a long time their competitors will be looking at what Lotus is planning and listening - maybe even worrying.
Light weight, efficiency, fun, individuality. What a formula for the 21st Century!
All of which has stood Lotus in good stead up until now......oh wait a minute Instead of trying to make it something else he is capitalising on the values that have made Lotus what it is.
For the first time in a long time their competitors will be looking at what Lotus is planning and listening - maybe even worrying.
Light weight, efficiency, fun, individuality. What a formula for the 21st Century!
Having owned an Elise, and now a Cayman GTS I worry for Lotus. The Cayman is better than the Lotus in every single department - steering feel included. You've got to be very dedicated to buy a Lotus over the competition. Even more so at £75k
Edited by straightsixmik on Thursday 19th February 11:25
straightsixmik said:
Ex Boy Racer said:
At last, a head of Lotus that understands Lotus.
Instead of trying to make it something else he is capitalising on the values that have made Lotus what it is.
For the first time in a long time their competitors will be looking at what Lotus is planning and listening - maybe even worrying.
Light weight, efficiency, fun, individuality. What a formula for the 21st Century!
All of which has stood Lotus in good stead up until now......oh wait a minute Instead of trying to make it something else he is capitalising on the values that have made Lotus what it is.
For the first time in a long time their competitors will be looking at what Lotus is planning and listening - maybe even worrying.
Light weight, efficiency, fun, individuality. What a formula for the 21st Century!
Lotus' problems have been that the people at the top always wanted it to be something different. By being Lotus, it stands a chance. Trying to be Porsche - well Porsche will probably be best at that.
A range of lightweight, well-designed, enthusiasts' cars will succeed. I'm sure of it
Ex Boy Racer said:
Hasn't happened before (well, not since the Elise was released). That's why I said - at last.
Lotus' problems have been that the people at the top always wanted it to be something different. By being Lotus, it stands a chance. Trying to be Porsche - well Porsche will probably be best at that.
A range of lightweight, well-designed, enthusiasts' cars will succeed. I'm sure of it
The problem is the Elise was a ground up model that took years to bring to the market. At the time it was admittedly a pretty special thing, albeit occupying a niche role in the market.Lotus' problems have been that the people at the top always wanted it to be something different. By being Lotus, it stands a chance. Trying to be Porsche - well Porsche will probably be best at that.
A range of lightweight, well-designed, enthusiasts' cars will succeed. I'm sure of it
The Elise in the modern climate hasn't brought profitability to Lotus. So why are we supposed to believe building a "vision" around it and the Evora is going to work now? The Evora was arguably off the pace when it came out.
No doubt Bahar had his critics - and rightly so. But all I'm hearing from Lotus is more marketing spin. Are we really expected to believe that a new bodykit/power upgrades are what are going to return Lotus to profit?
We might not have the glitzy 'swiss beatz' nonsense, but this latest "vision" is equally nonsense.
I say this with a heavy heart as I love Lotus (my garage is still a shrine to the Elise I had)
straightsixmik said:
All of which has stood Lotus in good stead up until now......oh wait a minute
Having owned an Elise, and now a Cayman GTS I worry for Lotus. The Cayman is better than the Lotus in every single department - steering feel included. You've got to be very dedicated to buy a Lotus over the competition. Even more so at £75k
Interesting. I've not driven an Elise or a Cayman GTS but surely this is an unfair comparison? The Elise is nearly half the price of a Cayman. Having owned an Elise, and now a Cayman GTS I worry for Lotus. The Cayman is better than the Lotus in every single department - steering feel included. You've got to be very dedicated to buy a Lotus over the competition. Even more so at £75k
Edited by straightsixmik on Thursday 19th February 11:25
straightsixmik said:
The Cayman is better than the Lotus in every single department
In that case I think ultimately you're a Porsche guy in terms of tastes. I don't think Lotus can compete for your business, and they're probably better trying to appeal to people with tastes better aligned to what they can do. Whilst Lotus hasn't been profitable for a long time, that's not solely down to the cars they've been producing. At least as much of a problem has been their tendency to pour money into a project then change their minds and cancel it. The Elise/Exige has been highly profitable and probably still is; just not profitable enough to make up for the company's incompetence on numerous other projects.
straightsixmik said:
The Evora was arguably off the pace when it came out.
Why are you talking about the Elise? It is the Evora and Exige S that are the models being talked about by Lotus and which look like the core sellers for Lotus in the short term.The Evora won a bunch of Car of the Year awards when it was launched; it was not off the pace. It had some bad luck though - launched just as a global financial crisis was taking hold, and then sidelined by Bahar when the car was barely a year old.
The market is opening back up for Lotus. Not only are levels of new car buying improving across the globe, but the sort of car Lotus does is becoming more rare and sought after in amongst everything else getting more electonic and remote (and big, and heavy).
Gales reckons sales of 3000 p.a. will make Lotus Cars profitable. We're not talking world domination here, or more than a tiny fraction of Porsche sports car sales.
braddo said:
Why are you talking about the Elise? It is the Evora and Exige S that are the models being talked about by Lotus and which look like the core sellers for Lotus in the short term.
The Evora won a bunch of Car of the Year awards when it was launched; it was not off the pace. It had some bad luck though - launched just as a global financial crisis was taking hold, and then sidelined by Bahar when the car was barely a year old.
The market is opening back up for Lotus. Not only are levels of new car buying improving across the globe, but the sort of car Lotus does is becoming more rare and sought after in amongst everything else getting more electonic and remote (and big, and heavy).
Gales reckons sales of 3000 p.a. will make Lotus Cars profitable. We're not talking world domination here, or more than a tiny fraction of Porsche sports car sales.
All very valid points. I owned an Elise but tried an Evora S extensively before buying the Cayman GTS. The Evora did win Car of the year but its stats were effectively the same as a Honda NSX. 15 years later. Power isn't important to me, but it is to masses of the general unwashed population.The Evora won a bunch of Car of the Year awards when it was launched; it was not off the pace. It had some bad luck though - launched just as a global financial crisis was taking hold, and then sidelined by Bahar when the car was barely a year old.
The market is opening back up for Lotus. Not only are levels of new car buying improving across the globe, but the sort of car Lotus does is becoming more rare and sought after in amongst everything else getting more electonic and remote (and big, and heavy).
Gales reckons sales of 3000 p.a. will make Lotus Cars profitable. We're not talking world domination here, or more than a tiny fraction of Porsche sports car sales.
Your right that this should be a perfect time for a market to open up for Lotus with its economical/performance focus etc - I just think its too small of a market for Lotus to exhist and ultimately develop anything meaningful that will let the company exist in 10 years time. Profitability is one thing, being profitable enough to develop a new model another thing. All this plan does it let Lotus exist for a bit longer.
I'm not sure what else the management could do in the situation they are in. My gut tells me someone like VW should buy it - benefit from economies of scale, shed a load of development overhead, and occupy a small but profitable place in the VW empire and build cars true to the niche target they operate within.
Ex Boy Racer said:
A range of lightweight, well-designed, enthusiasts' cars will succeed. I'm sure of it
Mmmm. Enthusiasts cars like SUV's and large 4-door saloons you mean? It's worrying in the extreme that the new CEO already has these in his sights. Hardly sounds like Lotus's core competencies to me. There's returning to profit, and there's returning to profit significantly enough to fund the development of entirely new product lines. I'm afraid I've heard it all before.. Pie in the sky bullish hyperbola designed for column space, and to reassure the workforce.
Ex Boy Racer said:
Lotus' problems have been that the people at the top always wanted it to be something different. By being Lotus, it stands a chance. Trying to be Porsche - well Porsche will probably be best at that.
A range of lightweight, well-designed, enthusiasts' cars will succeed. I'm sure of it
Spot on.A range of lightweight, well-designed, enthusiasts' cars will succeed. I'm sure of it
Releasing cars with similar performance at similar price points to Porsche is only ever going to end badly.
I've always seem Lotus as the underdog taking on its more mainstream competitors by punching above it's weight.
Buyers should be thinking 'shall I spend £70K on a Cayman or go for a Lotus which while not quite a polished is cheaper and faster'
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