1970 Lotus Elan on 2040-cars

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Lotus Emeya concludes winter testing, brings unique treats

Think of the Lotus Emeya as the sedan form of the Eletre SUV, transferring Lotus' newest brand values into a body style closer in spirit to the old Lotus. As the automaker marches toward production later this year, we've got a few more details on what's to come with the English foe of the Taycan competitor. Battery size is said to be 102 kWh; if that's accurate, that would be down slightly on the Eletre SUV's gross 112-kWh battery that provides a usable 109-kWh. Lotus says the sedan's range will be "broadly similar" to the Eletre, which is rated to go up to 373 miles on the WLTP cycle. The sedan, like its brother, is built on an 800-volt system capable of 350-kW fast-charging, and uses two motors to power both axles. A top-shelf Emeya R trim should pack the same power as the Eletre R, 905 horsepower and 726 pound-feet, the Emeya's lower profile and lighter weight taking a coupe of tenths off the Eletre's 2.95-second sprint to 60 miles per hour.  At least two wild specs separate the Emeya from the Eletre: A 55-inch augmented-reality head-up display. Lotus says the projection on the Electre is 29 inches. In addition to being "the largest and most advanced in any Lotus," it offers "a Snow Mode which turns the display blue, helping the driver to see the outline of the road more easily against a white background." Who needs an Apple Vision Pro, eh?  The sedan also fits an active rear spoiler that's four inches broader than the SUV's from front to back, at 11.7 inches compared to 7.7 inches. Adjusting the spoiler's angle on the SUV can produce up to 112.5 kilograms of downforce. The sedan's spoiler rings up a maximum of 215 kg of downforce at speed. The Emeya's top speed is an electronically capped 159 mph, six miles per hour below the SUV's, done to preserve battery health.  Lotus recently concluded a series of winter tests that are part of the company's three-year development testing across 15 countries, working out the Emeya in temps as low as negative 13 Fahrenheit and locking the car in a freezer at -40 F to gauge how its systems performed.  After going on sale in China, the Emeya heads to Europe and then to the U.S., so we shouldn't expect it until sometime next year, joined by the Evija hypercar. Car magazine said it saw a Lotus presentation that mentioned an MSRP of $100,000, almost identical to the base Porsche Taycan's U.S. MSRP.  Related Video:

Former CEO Bahar files $10.6M suit against Lotus

File this one under "not surprising in the least." Fired Lotus CEO Dany Bahar is reportedly suing his former employers for some $10.6 million, claiming that the automaker and its Malaysian owner, DRB, broke the law when they dismissed him. According to a report by Bloomberg Businessweek, DRB and Lotus will defend themselves in court rather than settling, including filing a countersuit against the former top executive.
Bahar, 40, was canned on June 7, about two weeks after Lotus suspended him pending an investigation into his conduct. The report cites a Kuala Lumpur stock exchange filing as its source of the information; the filing also indicates that DRB has decided against selling Lotus, despite continuing losses.

Lotus Exige Sport 410 is just over 2,400 pounds of forbidden fruit

Few automakers short of Jeep love cranking out new variants of a current model like Lotus. Today, the storied British sports car manufacturer revealed the new Exige Sport 410, essentially a more comfortable and road-friendly version of the track-focused Exige Cup 430. This is a mid-engine coupe with 410 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque and a dry weight that's slightly more than an ND Mazda MX-5 Miata. Too bad it's not-for-U.S. consumption. Thanks to U.S. safety regulations, the Lotus Elise and Exige aren't available in America. Europeans will enjoy the Sport 410's supercharged 3.5-liter V6 and 0-60 mph sprint of just 3.3 seconds. The car's top speed is 180 mph. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Thanks to some sophisticated aero, the car can generate more than 330 pounds of downforce. Under the skin, the Sport 410 uses three-way adjustable Nitron dampers and adjustable Eibach front and rear anti-roll bars. Traction comes in the form of 285/30 ZR18 section rear and 215/45 ZR17 section front Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, some of the stickiest rubber available for road use. Forged-alloy wheels are available in either black or silver. The car uses four-piston AP Racing brakes with two-piece rotors. Options include titanium exhaust, carbon-fiber instrument surround, sill covers, barge boards and roof, electrical cutoff and fire extinguisher controls, airbag deletion, a non-airbag steering wheel, four-point harnesses, a full-leather interior, and a dealer-fitted FIA-compliant roll cage. Of course, with enough cash, Lotus will tailor the car to-taste through its Lotus Exclusive program. Related Video: