LOTUS TRADEMARKS ETHOS NAME

After much speculation as to what Lotus is going to call its new £45,000 GT model – codenamed ‘Eagle’ – it looks like the company has settled on the name ‘Ethos’.

The Hethel firm has trademarked the name ‘Ethos’ in the US as of March 8 2008, and it is registered as a vehicle.

The trademark was unearthed after a search of the US Patent website.

The four-seat mid-sized coupe is the company’s most important model since the original Elise.

After Lotus launches the new car it will then concentrate on a successor to the Esprit, due in 2010.