2007 Lotus Elise on 2040-cars

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Born-again Lotus Esprit will be a hybrid in more ways than one

Volvo parent company Geely is helping Lotus end its drought of new products. The storied British company is allegedly developing a mid-engined hybrid coupe it will position as a spiritual successor to the Esprit. The yet-unnamed model will slot above the existing Evora as a more usable and more refined alternative, according to sources who spoke to Autocar. It will ride on a modified Evora platform, but the two cars won't look anything alike; the upcoming hybrid will liberally borrow styling cues from the electric Evija hypercar.  The planned gasoline-electric powertrain will make the coupe a hybrid in more ways than one. The space directly behind the two-seater cabin will be occupied by a V6 sourced from the Toyota parts bin, and the electrified portion of the system will consist mainly of components provided by Volvo. An output over the 500-horsepower mark is likely, but more specific technical specifications remain guarded. What's nearly certain is that the Lotus engineering team will go to significant lengths to offset the weight added by the lithium-ion battery pack. Insiders described the coupe as a stop-gap between the current-generation Lotus models, including the Elise still sold in many global markets, and an array of upcoming sports cars that will ride on a new platform. Another one of the company's future models is an SUV — its first — built on Volvo bones and aimed at the Porsche Macan.  Lotus will introduce its mid-engined coupe during the first half of 2021, still according to Autocar, and sales will begin shortly after. It's too early to tell whether the model will be sold in the United States, but the company has previously indicated it wants to broaden its foothold in our market in order to grow, so we'd bet on seeing it here. This isn't the first time Lotus has tried to reboot the Esprit. In 2010, under the leadership of Dany Bahar, the company took the Paris auto show by storm when it unveiled five close-to-production concept cars including one that previewed a modern-day Esprit. The project was far too ambitious and none of the models shown in the French capital made it to production. In 2012, Lotus vehemently refuted rumors claiming it had canceled the Esprit, which was penciled-in for a 2013 launch, but hindsight is 20/20. Time will tell if two's the charm.

Volvo-based, Chinese-built Lotus SUV allegedly due out in 2020

Lotus will set foot in the lucrative SUV segment before the end of 2020, according to a recent report. It's preparing to unveil a high-riding model named Lambda that will be made in China with Swedish parts. Five-plus years in the making, the first Lotus-badged SUV will share its SPA platform with several members of the Volvo range, including the XC90, and with the plug-in hybrid Polestar 1. Citing unverified reports from China, Holland-based AutoWeek reported the Lambda will land in the same segment as the Porsche Cayenne Coupe and upmarket variants of the BMW X6. Patent images (pictured) suggest it will wear a fastback-like roof line. Using the flexible SPA platform will allow Lotus to offer a variety of powertrains, including gasoline-burning four-cylinder engines with forced induction and at least one plug-in hybrid option. SPA wasn't designed to accommodate six- or eight-cylinders, so leveraging electrification will likely be the easiest way for engineers to unlock more performance. An electric variant will reportedly join the range a little bit later in the 2020s. Production will begin in Wuhan, China, in late 2020, according to the same source. Whether the model will be sold in the United States is up in the air. It would make a significant amount of sense: Americans have an insatiable appetite for SUVs, and the company has often stressed it wants to increase its sales in our market. Lotus hasn't commented on the report, and it has remained quiet about its long-rumored SUV. We heard a lot about the model from Jean-Marc Gales, its former CEO; he notably said it will be to the Cayenne what the Evora is to the 911, and he pledged it would become the fastest and most agile model in its segment. He's gone, replaced by Phil Popham in 2018, so that strategy might have changed. If the rumor is accurate, we won't have to wait long to see how Lotus can apply its design language and its unique engineering philosophy to an SUV. Related Video:

Roger Moore dies at 89; a look back at his automotive moments

According to Reuters, actor Roger Moore passed away this morning. The news source reports he died of cancer at age 89. Moore has a place in automotive enthusiasts' hearts thanks to his connection to some of the most famous onscreen cars in history. He portrayed James Bond in multiple films, perhaps most famously in The Spy Who Loved Me, in which his Bond piloted an amphibious Lotus Esprit. That car inspired many, even Elon Musk, who purchased the submarine version of the car. He also included it as an Easter egg in the Tesla Model S. That wasn't the only memorable Moore automotive moment. In two other Bond films, his character was involved in some remarkable stunts. In The Man with the Golden Gun, Moore's Bond drives an AMC Hornet over a ramp and does a barrel roll. Although cheesy, the stunt did happen. According to The Telegraph, a Cornell University aeronautical computer ran a simulation of the stunt and calculated the variables (such as the proper speed: 40 mph). Then British stuntman Loren "Bumps" Willard executed the roll on the first take, earning a GBP30,000 bonus. Which is a lot of money for a scene that uses a slide whistle as a sound effect. You can see the jump below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Moore is also associated with a great car thanks to his other famous role on the TV show The Saint. In that series, he drove the beautiful and unusual Volvo P1800 coupe. The car was enough of an icon that Jay Leno featured it on his Jay Leno's Garage series. Related Video: