Does Lotus have a new Esprit in the works?

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DOES LOTUS HAVE A NEW ESPRIT IN THE WORKS?

CEO Gales spills the beans on new products
MAY 8, 2018

At one point in time, Chinese and Indian ownership of European car companies seemed a little scary. Would they all come out the other end with names like SuperFastCarX and KWID? A decade on, Jaguar is doing better than ever, with some great crossovers, sedans and coupes. Volvos have literally never been better. The next benefactor? Geely-owned Lotus.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of the “adding lightness” brand just revealed to Autocar that the company will produce two new sports cars in addition to a Volvo-based small crossover. The first sports car will border on supercar territory according to Gales, and it will sit above the current Evora in performance and price. The other will likely be a smaller two-seater that lands in between the now-Europe-only Elise and Exige.

Gales told Autocar the company will still use Toyota engines, at least for the moment. The current top Evora makes 430 hp from a Sienna-sourced 3.5-liter V6, while the smaller cars use 1.6- and 1.8-liter fours. All three get reworked by Lotus before being transplanted.

The bigger car will sit “in an upper segment, above the Evora -- take the Evora a step further,” according to Gales. And it will keep the Lotus philosophy of “lightweight, aerodynamic and handling.” The new cars will probably also get modernized electronics and TFT instrument panels, which don’t sound light, but it seems like the company that Chapman built will always find a way.

Read more: autoweek.com/article/car-news/does-lotus-have-new-esprit-works#ixzz5FC8MZUPh