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Lotus will kill Elise, Exige and Evora to make room for the new Type 131

Lotus ended years of speculation by announcing it will begin rejuvenating its range when it releases a new model in 2021. Known as the Type 131 internally, its arrival will mark the end of the Elise, the Exige and the Evora. Although the three aforementioned models are showing their age, putting them out to pasture at about the same time is a surprising move because they're currently the only cars in the company's lineup. Saying that the Type 131 will have big shoes to fill is an understatement; it will blaze the path that a full family of new cars will follow. Official details about the 131 are few and far between, but an earlier report sketches the outline of a driver-friendly sports car powered by a mid-mounted engine. While it won't stray far from the lightness and the nimbleness that Lotus is famous for, it will be equipped with more tech than even the Evora, which offers a more comprehensive list of features than the track-inspired Exige and the back-to-the-basics Elise. Insiders have claimed that the 131 will be built on a new modular platform, and that it will not use any kind of electrification. Lotus released an image that shows the Evija (an electric, 2,000-horsepower halo car strictly limited to 130 units globally) next to three enigmatic cars hidden by a cover; one is presumably the 131. Another might be the battery-powered model that it's developing jointly with Renault-owned Alpine. As for the third, your guess is as good as ours. We know that the British firm is developing a Volvo-based SUV, but it's not pictured in the lineup. News of a new Lotus model will bring joy to enthusiasts and economists alike. The company is investing over 100 million British pounds (about $136 million) into its Hethel, England, facility, and it will hire about 250 employees to bring the 131 to the market. Most of the recruits will work in engineering and manufacturing. Lotus noted that it hopes to start building prototypes of the Type 131 — an internal designation that will likely not appear on the production model — in 2021. We don't know if deliveries will also begin this year, or if they are scheduled to start a little later. Regardless, it will be worth the wait. Lotus told Autoblog that all of its future cars will be engineered for global markets, and that its intention is to sell the Type 131 in North America. Related video:

Lotus will return to its roots with mid-range model due out in 2021

Lotus knows it can't keep manufacturing the Elise, the Exige, and the Evora indefinitely. It will reportedly begin the process of rejuvenating its range in 2021, when it launches a light, driver-friendly sports car named Type 131. British magazine Auto Express learned the Type 131 — an internal designation that won't reach production; Fiat already owns the 131 nameplate — will be deeply and unabashedly rooted in the company's decades-long heritage. It will embrace Lotus founder Colin Chapman's "simplify and add lightness" philosophy thanks in part to a new platform that should be modular enough to underpin other upcoming additions to the firm's range. Coupe and roadster variants of the 131 will be offered, though only one body style might be available at launch. Although Lotus is working on bringing the electric, limited-edition Evija to production, the Type 131 will eschew all forms of electrification in the name of lightness. Power will come exclusively from a gasoline-burning engine, though the report doesn't specify whether it will have four or six cylinders. Our crystal ball tells us it will be a turbocharged and/or supercharged four-cylinder, because the engine will most likely come from Geely (which purchased a controlling stake in Lotus), and there isn't a six-cylinder on its palette of engines. If the report is accurate, Lotus will share official information about the Type 131 in the coming months, and the model will make its debut in the second half of 2021. Interestingly, it will slot neatly between the Exige and the Evora (pictured) rather than replacing one or both. It's too early to tell whether it will be sold in the United States, but every Lotus official Autoblog has spoken to in recent months has stressed America is an important market. On the opposite side of the scale, Lotus is also developing its first SUV. The yet-unnamed model will be built on a platform sourced from within the Geely group (possibly Volvo's CMA architecture), and it will be developed with an emphasis on performance. Enthusiasts will cry foul, but the soft-roader will become the best-selling Lotus. Related Video:

2022 Lotus Emira revealed with two engine options, Evija-inspired looks

The final internal-combustion-powered Lotus has been revealed: the 2022 Lotus Emira. The styling looks like a blend of the outgoing Evora and the all-new Evija electric car. It also features two choices of engine, one of which comes from AMG. The Emira's nose has the closest resemblance to the electric car, particularly in the headlights and the vent openings on either side of the hood. But the whole car has a softer, more rounded shape like the EV rather than the old Evora. It has very large intakes on each side, and a slim, wrap-around taillight at the back. The body fits over a typical Lotus bonded-aluminum chassis, and the company says the lightest version of the car will weigh around 3,100 pounds. Two kinds of suspension are available, the standard Tour setup and an optional and stiffer Sports version. Also noteworthy is the inclusion of hydraulic power steering, rather than electric. Powering that chassis is your choice of engines. It will launch initially with the same supercharged 3.5-liter V6 from the Evora. Next summer, it will be offered with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder from AMG. Lotus says three transmissions will be available: manual, automatic and dual-clutch transmissions. It didn't say which pairings of engine and transmission would be available, but we expect the V6 to get the manual and automatic options, while the four-cylinder gets the dual-clutch transmission (just as it does when in Mercedes A-Class-related cars). The company also says power will range from 360 to 400 horsepower. This will get the car from 0 to 62 mph in under 4.5 seconds. The interior is fairly minimalist, but definitely more advanced than recent Lotus offerings. Most surfaces are covered in fabric, leather or Alcantara. It has two screens for instruments and infotainment. The former has a 12.3-inch screen, and the latter has a 10.25-inch touchscreen. Features include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's only seating for two, and cargo space is split between a 5.3-cubic-foot trunk and a 7.3-cubic-foot area behind the seats. The Emira was revealed this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Pricing for the U.S. has not been announced, but it will cost under 72,000 Euros in Europe. That comes to around $85,000 in the United States. We should know more about specifications and pricing closer to when it goes on sale sometime this year.