RE: Lotus Evora To Be Windswept And 'Blown
Friday 8th May 2009
Lotus will launch a new supercharged version of the Evora within two years, and will sacrifice the rear seats to create a new convertible version.
Lotus Evora To Be Windswept And 'Blown
Convertible and supercharged versions of the Evora due by 2012
The supercharged Evora will get at least 350bhp in the top-spec models, but a lower powered variant will also be developed to sit between the range topper and current 276bhp 3.5-litre V6 model.
In addition to the new sportier Evora, Hethel’s latest 2+2 coupe will also acquire a paddle-shift transmission before the end of 2010 providing an even closer match to its nearest rival, the Porsche Cayman. The company is also likely to launch a motorsport version to underline the company’s core principal of lightweight performance.
The addition of an electric folding roof will see the rear seats disappear on the Evora convertible, that is currently due to arrive in 2012. But despite the added complexity and reduced structural rigidity, Lotus still believes the drop-top Evora will satisfy the company’s key objectives of producing a lightweight and great handling car. For that reason the roof is likely to be made of fabric, and will be stored in front of the engine to limit the affect it has on the car’s weight distribution.
Discussion
'Lightweight' and 'electric folding roof' do not fit in the same sentence.
If there was an electric roof option for the elise I would pay more for the superb non-electric design it currently uses. A lot more. It comes off and stows in the boot faster than the electric one on my old honda s2000 used to.
It is to my eternal disappointment that Lotus feel they have to copy porsche. I put them in a league above porsche who I consider both eccentric and unimaginative. What Lotus achieve on a budget equal to a porsche cup holder is staggering. They have some of the very best engineering talent in the world. Yet tragically it seems Lotus see themselves as inferior. Colin Chapman led, others followed. The elise led the way, 13 years later, everyone else is still playing catch up.
The evora is Lotus trying to do a 911 for Cayman money. They think that's a winning formula. I don't. Lotus can't compete with Porsche. They simply don't have the resources. They need to do their own thing because when they do they produce world beating cars. When they don't, they don't.
If there was an electric roof option for the elise I would pay more for the superb non-electric design it currently uses. A lot more. It comes off and stows in the boot faster than the electric one on my old honda s2000 used to.
It is to my eternal disappointment that Lotus feel they have to copy porsche. I put them in a league above porsche who I consider both eccentric and unimaginative. What Lotus achieve on a budget equal to a porsche cup holder is staggering. They have some of the very best engineering talent in the world. Yet tragically it seems Lotus see themselves as inferior. Colin Chapman led, others followed. The elise led the way, 13 years later, everyone else is still playing catch up.
The evora is Lotus trying to do a 911 for Cayman money. They think that's a winning formula. I don't. Lotus can't compete with Porsche. They simply don't have the resources. They need to do their own thing because when they do they produce world beating cars. When they don't, they don't.
that made me lolThe Pits said:
It is to my eternal disappointment that Lotus feel they have to copy porsche. I put them in a league above porsche who I consider both eccentric and unimaginative. What Lotus achieve on a budget equal to a porsche cup holder is staggering. They have some of the very best engineering talent in the world. Yet tragically it seems Lotus see themselves as inferior. Colin Chapman led, others followed. The elise led the way, 13 years later, everyone else is still playing catch up.
The evora is Lotus trying to do a 911 for Cayman money. They think that's a winning formula. I don't. Lotus can't compete with Porsche. They simply don't have the resources. They need to do their own thing because when they do they produce world beating cars. When they don't, they don't.
I do agree with that, I have owned at least one Lotus car for the last 35 years and still do now. I too really think this is not the right direction for the product, I don't see it selling in more than a few hundred a year and Lotus say in the original press release they are gearing up to sell 4500 cars per year.The evora is Lotus trying to do a 911 for Cayman money. They think that's a winning formula. I don't. Lotus can't compete with Porsche. They simply don't have the resources. They need to do their own thing because when they do they produce world beating cars. When they don't, they don't.
They really can be much more innovative and could be leading the way in ultra lightweight, small affordable sportscars which was always the company ethos.We are 13 years on from the Elise launch, time they had something else amazing, cutting edge that no one else is doing.
Their troubles started with 4 seater cars in 1975 with the big wide heavy new Elite and Eclat models. prices more doubled overnight and sales dwindled launched in to the teeth of early 70s recession. The Evora makes those cars look small.
With the car market as it is and likely to be for years to come they urgently need a sub £20,000, fuel efficient, low tax model and they need it now . Just look a plummeting used sports and luxury car prices and new car sales down generally 35%. marques like Ferrari & Porsche are down by more than 50%.
On the pistonheads classified there are something like 800 used 911 s for sale some as low as £17000, These are bad times to be selling cars.
, size wise they're on par with the Esprit, that isn't little.Check out the write ups the journos have done after the initial launch, it sounds like it's still hot the lotus dna steering and handling wise (they all race about it - even in comparison to the caymen s, a car it's not strictly competing with in intent) and great build quality to boot, I think lotus may have pulled it off. If it drives as well as they say and driving is your thing then this could quite a success. Here's hoping.
As to the weight well I think it's squared the circle as much as it can - with modern legislation and the remit of the car being what it is then it's as light as practicable, if it bothers that much get an Elise s1...
As to the weight well I think it's squared the circle as much as it can - with modern legislation and the remit of the car being what it is then it's as light as practicable, if it bothers that much get an Elise s1...
If its the size of an Esprit then I would say its small. I had esprits for many years and hammered them around twisty Oxford roads with no problem.
I have a Europa and love the Elise platform but it really is too harsh for most users.
It looks like Lotus have produced a great car that will be accessible to many more people. About the only piece of good news we have had in a couple of years.
well done guys
C43
I have a Europa and love the Elise platform but it really is too harsh for most users.
It looks like Lotus have produced a great car that will be accessible to many more people. About the only piece of good news we have had in a couple of years.
well done guys
C43
The Pits said:
It is to my eternal disappointment that Lotus feel they have to copy porsche.
I'm not sure they do. Lotus' problem is that there are only so many 'enthusiast' drivers who will put up with crash bang cabin noise, letter-box sized doors and bare plastic and aluminium of the Elise (which personally I love). The vast majority of people choose to buy softer cars - Audi TT, 350Z, Boxter - rather than the something from the Elise/Exige range. Then when the family comes along, those that really want to hang on to a sports car buy BMWs, Porsches and so on. At that point Lotus promptly loose all those customers who have immense affection for their little Elise simply because there's nowhere to go next.In that context, Lotus is copying Porsche only in the sense that they want to have a range that owners can move through, and models that are seen as comfortable, reliable and sophisticated. It might grate with people who want Lotus to only produce 'hardcore' sports cars, but there you go. Whether the Evora will widen Lotus' appeal and increase sales, we'll just have to wait and see.
Lose the rear seats making it convertible? When then it;s not a 2+2?!
It's seems Lotus are going soft, but they are going soft where it is more necessary in the market. The buyer of a 2+2 is hardly ever going to want the hardcore-ness of an Elise or Exige as a 2+2 is meant for bigger distance and more comfort anyway. It seems to me as if they are just conceding their core design principals (lightweight etc) where they basically need to in order to make progress in the market. Don't blame them for that and I really REALLY hope they are successful.
It's seems Lotus are going soft, but they are going soft where it is more necessary in the market. The buyer of a 2+2 is hardly ever going to want the hardcore-ness of an Elise or Exige as a 2+2 is meant for bigger distance and more comfort anyway. It seems to me as if they are just conceding their core design principals (lightweight etc) where they basically need to in order to make progress in the market. Don't blame them for that and I really REALLY hope they are successful.
Tuna said:
The Pits said:
It is to my eternal disappointment that Lotus feel they have to copy porsche.
I'm not sure they do. Lotus' problem is that there are only so many 'enthusiast' drivers who will put up with crash bang cabin noise, letter-box sized doors and bare plastic and aluminium of the Elise (which personally I love). The vast majority of people choose to buy softer cars - Audi TT, 350Z, Boxter - rather than the something from the Elise/Exige range. Then when the family comes along, those that really want to hang on to a sports car buy BMWs, Porsches and so on. At that point Lotus promptly loose all those customers who have immense affection for their little Elise simply because there's nowhere to go next.In that context, Lotus is copying Porsche only in the sense that they want to have a range that owners can move through, and models that are seen as comfortable, reliable and sophisticated. It might grate with people who want Lotus to only produce 'hardcore' sports cars, but there you go. Whether the Evora will widen Lotus' appeal and increase sales, we'll just have to wait and see.
Possible the most sensible open mined post on Piston Heads for some time.
Lotus make great cars, but I can't be bothered to squeeze myself through that gap where the half size door is and the Exige rides like it's on after market suspension compared to the Boxster, even though it's better in many departments
Nothing wrong with having cars in other sectors which appeal to people who are prepared to compromise slightly on weight to have a car which you can use every day and have a normal conversation at motorway speeds
Just worried it will be over priced like recent offerings and not a proper GT
my problem as I've stated before is that Lotus, like most sportscar makers, are understandably envious of Porsche's success and feel that their business model is one they aspire to. It's not just that the evora has been 'inspired' by the packaging of the 911, that alone is an unpleasant enough thought for me. It's also that they feel they have to copy porsche's pricing policy of a reasonable(ish) base cost and extortionate extras. This is the german approach versus the japanese approach of fully loaded cars, very few extras.
I totally get it from a business point of view, it's also partly why porsche have made so much profit, but from a consumer point of view it sucks. It's all about getting customers to spend more on the car than they intended too. No-one's better at doing that than porsche. You can spec a boxster well beyond 50k!!! Have you seen the standard wheels on 911s and boxsters? They are intentionally small, ugly wheels that never appear on the road test cars and are designed to have the owners shelling out for some half decent bigger wheels at unnecessary cost. Luckily for porsche they've enjoyed the loyalty of customers prepared to put up with such skullduggery but sadly I fear it's not a trick Lotus can get away with.
More to the point it's a business model that's very much pre-credit crunch. Porsche are now taking a hammering across the world which suggests to me that their business model is out of date. The tragedy for Lotus is that their traditional business model is getting more and more compelling, and it's a terrible time to change it to a porsche inspired fleecing.
I really hope the Evora will be as successful as it's possible to be in the current climate. I know Lotus are capable of building world beating cars and the early impressions suggest that the Evora is another one. I wish them well with it.
I totally get it from a business point of view, it's also partly why porsche have made so much profit, but from a consumer point of view it sucks. It's all about getting customers to spend more on the car than they intended too. No-one's better at doing that than porsche. You can spec a boxster well beyond 50k!!! Have you seen the standard wheels on 911s and boxsters? They are intentionally small, ugly wheels that never appear on the road test cars and are designed to have the owners shelling out for some half decent bigger wheels at unnecessary cost. Luckily for porsche they've enjoyed the loyalty of customers prepared to put up with such skullduggery but sadly I fear it's not a trick Lotus can get away with.
More to the point it's a business model that's very much pre-credit crunch. Porsche are now taking a hammering across the world which suggests to me that their business model is out of date. The tragedy for Lotus is that their traditional business model is getting more and more compelling, and it's a terrible time to change it to a porsche inspired fleecing.
I really hope the Evora will be as successful as it's possible to be in the current climate. I know Lotus are capable of building world beating cars and the early impressions suggest that the Evora is another one. I wish them well with it.
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