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Lotus getting into the motorcycle business

Lotus founder Colin Chapman is famously quoted as saying something to the effect of "Simplify, then add lightness." We're a bit amazed that it took this long, but someone appears to be taking that message to heart at the British marque, losing a couple of wheels, a clutter of bodywork and a whole mess of weight. No, Lotus isn't planning another spindly Seven-style trackday racer, it's getting into motorcycles.
Well, sort of. As an automaker, Lotus apparently isn't directly behind this two-wheeled effort, but it does appear to have officially lent its brand and logo to a new company, Lotus Motorcycles, which counts former Volkswagen Group designer Daniel Simon, Germany's Holzer Group and auto racing team Kodewa among its partners. The latter builds and races Lotus' T128 Le Mans Prototype in the World Endurance Championship series.
The new company is touting an as-yet unseen motorcycle, a racing-inspired "hyper bike" called C-01, releasing only the image above - a carbon fiber fuel tank trimmed in Lotus' trademark black and gold livery. Details are tough to come by, but the project is said to include a powertrain good for around 200 horsepower and construction involving titanium, carbon fiber and aerospace-grade steel.

Lotus is building 60 extra light, extra aerodynamic Exige Cup 380s

Lotus is never done adding lightness and once again turned its attention to the Exige. Like so many other special Lotuses, this one, called the Exige Cup 380, makes the same 375 horsepower from its supercharged 3.5-liter V6. However, the weight savings is a significant 117 pounds compared with the 2,447-pound Exige Sport 380. This savings comes from the inclusion of many carbon-fiber parts including a one-piece rear hatch, side intakes, hood, front splitter, side sills, and seats, among others. Lotus also removed the gas struts for the hatch to save 2.2 pounds. And if that's not enough, you can save another 2.2 pounds by choosing the optional HVAC and air vent surrounds, and 22 pounds with an optional exhaust system. The Exige Cup 380 also produces significantly more downforce than the Sport, 43-percent more to be exact. That results in maximum downforce of about 441 pounds at the Cup 380's top speed of 175 mph. The car achieves this thanks to a revised front bumper and splitter, vents above the front wheels, more vents behind the rear wheels, and a new rear wing. Even the windshield wiper rests in a vertical position to aid aerodynamics. The Cup 380 doesn't just benefit from better aerodynamics and less weight. The rear tires are wider than the Sport 380 at 285 mm. The Cup 380 also has two-way adjustable shocks and adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars. Even the stability control can be adjusted to the driver's needs. The car is stopped by four-piston brake calipers at all four corners, and a standard steel roll bar protects the driver. If owners wish, they can also add an FIA-certified full roll cage. Lotus will only build 60 of these Exiges, and they're only available in Europe. They're not cheap either. In the UK, buyers will spend GBP83,000 in the UK and ˆ109,900 in Europe. That means this Exige would cost between $106,000 and $118,000, at current exchange rates. Related Video:

UK car output falls 14% in March, may get worse with no-deal Brexit

LONDON — British car output fell for the 10th month in a row in March, hit by a slowdown in key foreign markets, and the sector stands to suffer a lot more if the country leaves the European Union without a deal, an industry body said on Tuesday. Output tumbled by an annual 14.4 percent to 126,195 cars in March, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Exports, which account for nearly four out of every five cars made in Britain, were down by 13.4 percent. The SMMT said analysis it had commissioned predicted output would fall this year to 1.36 million units from 1.52 million in 2018, assuming London can secure a transition deal with the EU. If Britain has to rely instead on World Trade Organization rules for its trade with the bloc, which include import tariffs, output is forecast to fall by around 30 percent to 1.07 million units in 2021, returning to mid-1980s levels, the SMMT said. The forecasts were produced for SMMT by AutoAnalysis, a consultancy. Prime Minister Theresa May has secured a delay to the Brexit deadline until Oct. 31, giving her more time to try to break an impasse in parliament over the terms of Britain's departure from the EU. Foreign minister Jeremy Hunt traveled to Japan earlier this month to try to persuade the Japanese government and Toyota, which has a big presence in Britain, that London was determined to avoid a no-deal Brexit. "Just a few years ago, industry was on track to produce 2 million cars by 2020 — a target now impossible with Britain's reputation as stable and attractive business environment undermined," SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said. "All parties must find a compromise urgently so we can set about repairing the damage and diverting energy and investment to the technological challenges that will define the future of the global industry." (Reporting by William Schomberg, editing by David Milliken)