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Lotus reveals extreme new 3-Eleven at Goodwood

Lotus has taken the occasion of the Goodwood Festival of Speed to reveal the new 3-Eleven. Billed as the quickest, most expensive road-going series production Lotus ever, the new 3-Eleven picks up where the previous 2-Eleven left off. And that gave the British automaker quite a starting point. An extreme evolution of the Elise and Exige, the new 3-Eleven boils things down to the bare essentials and packs a mighty punch. It's built around an aluminum chassis with composite bodywork and a completely open cockpit. That gives it a curb weight of less than 2,000 pounds to embody Colin Chapman's ethos of "adding lightness" like no other modern Lotus we've seen yet. At its heart lies an upgraded version of the company's 3.5-liter supercharged V6, producing 450 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. That makes it even more powerful than the new Evora 400, and channels through a six-speed manual transmission, limited slip differential, and traction control. Other features include double wishbone suspension front and rear, Eibach springs, adjustable Ohlins dampers, AP Racing brakes, a Lotus-tuned Bosch ABS, 18-inch alloys up front, 19 inches the rear, shod with Michelin rubber. All of those goodies translate to a 0-60 time of under 3.0 seconds and a top speed of up to 180 miles per hour. It's even quoted to lap the company's test track at Hethel in 1:22. That makes it an impressive ten seconds seconds faster than the aforementioned Evora 400 – which is already six seconds faster around the circuit than the preceding Evora S. Production will be limited to just 311 examples, and is slated to commence in February 2016, with the first deliveries to begin in April. Any potential for North American availability has yet to be announced, but in the UK pricing will start at GBP82,000 (equivalent to $129k at current exchange rates). A more extreme Race version will be offered alongside the Road model, priced at GBP96,000 ($150k) before taxes or GBP115,000 ($180k) with, upgrading with track-focused features like a more aggressive aero kit, six-point racing harness, and a six-speed sequential gearbox.

Lotus Type 132 electric SUV previewed ahead of March 29 debut

Lotus is about to unveil its most important and most controversial car. It will jump into the electric crossover segment when it launches a model called Type 132 internally, and it released a short video that gives us a preview of what the people-hauler looks like inside and out. Aimed at the Porsche Cayenne, among other high-riding and high-horsepower machines, the Type 132 will spearhead the British firm's entry into the mainstream; it likely won't be a high-volume model but we're betting it will become the best-selling Lotus. The preview video reveals a handful of styling cues, like a light bar that stretches across the rear end, and it confirms that the cabin will offer a long list of tech features. Drivers will face a digital instrument cluster and a meaty steering wheel with backlit buttons and a pair of shift paddles, though it's too early to tell what purpose they'll serve. We know that the Type 132 — a name which won't be retained for production — will be entirely electric so the paddles will very likely not be connected to a gearbox. Both are labeled "+" and they may be used to adjust the level of regenerative braking. If that's the case, then odds are there's also a "-" symbol on each paddle that's hidden from view in the 1:12-long teaser video (shown above). Lotus Type 132 preview View 4 Photos Spy shots taken in China in February 2022 suggest that the Type 132 will tilt more towards the sporty side of the crossover scale; Lotus isn't interested in rivaling, say, the Mercedes-Benz GLS in terms of passenger and cargo space. The sheet metal will hide a modular platform called Evolution Architecture, and the crossover will reach 60 mph from a stop in under three seconds in its most powerful configuration thanks in part to a dual-motor powertrain. It will be interesting to find out how Lotus, whose founder's now-famous motto was "simplify, then add lightness," will offset the lithium-ion battery pack's significant weight. Lightweight materials, like carbon fiber, will certainly play a role. Lotus will introduce the Type 132 online on March 29, and production will start shortly after in a new facility located in Wuhan, China. Looking ahead, the company plans to continue its model offensive by releasing a four-door sedan that's called Type 133 and tentatively due out in 2023, a second SUV known as Type 134 that we should see in 2025, and a sports car dubbed Type 135 that will make its debut in 2026.

Lotus CUV sets sights on Macan

The idea of a minimalist sportscar brand like Lotus actually building a crossover, as opposed to its APX concept, is still a bit hard to comprehend. But survival in the modern automotive landscape isn't easy, and a higher-volume model could do a lot to keep the lights on. Hot off the debut of the feather-light 3-Eleven at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, company CEO Jean-Marc Gales is now divulging some more details about the future model. At the moment, Lotus plans to launch the crossover in 2019, and the company has some rather specific targets in mind. "We want to get SUVs to be light and fast. The nearest rival will be the Porsche Macan – but ours will be better," Gales said to Auto Express. Rumors suggest the use of aluminum and composites with the goal for a weight as much as 400-500 pounds less than Porsche's smaller CUV. The model will be exclusive to the Chinese market at launch. While the Lotus crossover is under serious planning, actual development isn't underway yet. According to Auto Express, the company and its Chinese joint venture partner are still waiting for a license to build cars there. Once that comes, they intend to kick things into high gear. Gales also suggested that a Toyota-sourced powertrain, possibly a hybrid, was in the cards.