2012 Lotus Evora on 2040-cars

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New models, new markets: Lotus plans major expansion in the 2020s

Lotus was so quiet during the 2010s that some enthusiasts wonder if it still exists. It's alive, it's healthier than it's ever been in recent memory, and it's orchestrating a major expansion that will put it back in the spotlight. Its renaissance starts with the Evija, an electric hypercar packing a 2,000-horsepower punch that Matt Windle, the company's engineering boss, called a trailblazer. Future models will all be influenced by this limited-edition coupe. Beyond that, the company is taking steps to overhaul its entire business, from the design language that characterizes its cars to the restaurant its employees eat at — seriously. Even the cafeteria is getting a makeover. "We're building the brand, building the product range, building the dealer network, and building facilities. There's a huge investment program going on," Windle told Autoblog. "We need to shoot the arrow far enough ahead so that we don't get stuck in the day-to-day problems and instead keep an eye on what we need to do long-term," he added. The company's to-do list is long, and rebuilding a brand is difficult, but Lotus believes it can pull it off. The executive team is betting on an array of new products to reach customers in markets Lotus has little or no presence in; the United States comes to mind. The ultimate goal is to increase the brand's annual volume. Windle understandably couldn't shed light on the product plan, but unverified rumors point to a born-again Esprit powered by a 500-horsepower hybrid powertrain made up of a mid-mounted, Toyota-sourced V6 and electric components provided by sister company Volvo. Another one of the company's future models is an SUV —its first — allegedly built on Volvo bones and aimed at the Porsche Macan. We hear a new Elise is coming, too. The engineer explained his team doesn't feel the least bit constrained by the decades-long heritage Lotus is built on, and it's ready to embrace new technologies as it moves forward. "Electrification has given us the ability to look at things differently," he explained, while clarifying the company's core values (aerodynamics, ride, handling, and lightweight construction) won't be overlooked as it expands. "We will stay true to them," he pledged. "Light is right," the phrase famously coined by Lotus founder Colin Chapman, will live on, then. China-based Geely purchased a majority stake in Lotus in 2017 and it's helping turn it around.

Top Gear caught filming Best of British near Buckingham Palace

YouTuber and car-fan extraordinaire Shmee probably had very little trouble tracking down the Top Gear film crew recently, as the group was putting together an episode that could accurately be described as "excessive." With its flag-waving (literally) Best of British theme, the TG guys gathered a jaw-dropping array of British cars, and parked them all right in front of Buckingham Palace to make extra sure that the point was driven home.
Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were outfitted with a trio of Jaguar F-Types festooned with gigantic Union Jacks, with which to survey the landscape of British motoring glory. In the video below, you'll see that this includes any number of Mini, Aston Martin, Lotus, McLaren, Land Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce models (just to name a few), as well as a healthy dose of weird stuff that most people would never guess at being built in the UK. The lawnmowers and military vehicles are especially cool.

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.