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In hindsight, Musk wouldn't use Lotus for Tesla Roadster

The world will be a different place after Elon Musk builds a time traveling device (don't ask us how we know that will happen). For one thing, the Tesla Roadster of the rewritten future will not have been built using the chassis of the Lotus Elise. Also, verb tenses will be becoming even more confusing and, possibly, awkward. "We ended up changing most of the damn car" – Elon Musk We know about the not-using-the-Lotus thing because the Tesla Motors CEO said as much yesterday at the World Energy Innovation Forum at the Tesla Factory in Fremont. The two-day event, which also offers Model S test rides and a factory tour for attendees, featured a fireside chat with the electric automaker's CEO and Ira Ehrenpreis. During the discussion, Musk revealed that if he had to do it over again, he would have built the Roadster from the ground up instead of using the Lotus Elise chassis. "We ended up changing most of the damn car, so we thought later, why did we do that," he said. Another problem with the original idea for the car was the drivetrain. At first, Tesla had meant to use the motor and other propulsive bits from AC Propulsion, only to find that powertrain didn't work well in a commercial application. Instead Tesla only licensed the reductive charging patent, which allowed some integration of the inverter and charger. Besides knocking Tesla's own early efforts, the outspoken entrepreneur took a couple swings at other technologies with quotable quotes such as: "The internal combustion engine is a ridiculous thing!" and "Current lithium ion technology is better than theoretical fuel cell limits. So, game over. Why bother with fuel cells?" Looks like there are some things Musk is not interested in going back in time and changing.

Lotus Elise returning to US in 2020

If you've been hoping to get your hands on a new Lotus Elise, we've got mixed news for you. The good news is that Lotus will bring the Elise back to the US market. The bad news is that it won't happen before 2020. Lotus was forced to withdraw the model (along with the Exige) from the US market in 2011 after it no longer complied with US safety regulations and its temporary exemptions expired. Lotus first launched the Elise in 1996 when the company was still owned by former Bugatti chief Romano Artioli. It rolled out the current Series 2 model in 2001, and brought it to America for the first time in 2004. The larger Evora faced similar issues, and was modified in the form of the new Evora 400 that now meets US regulations. Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales tells Automotive News that doing the same with the Elise would be unfeasible. "We'd need smart airbags, plus side airbags and to change the whole front crash structure. It would add 100kg," or 220 pounds, said Gales. While modifying the current Elise would be prohibitive, the next version is being designed to meet American standards. That won't happen before 2020. In the meantime, Lotus continues to sell a small number of certain variants of the Elise and Exige for use exclusively on tracks. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2011 Lotus Elise News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Lotus Lotus Performance

Evora GT430 revealed, Lotus' most powerful road car ever

A new Lotus grows in the English garden of lightness and speed. Lotus bills the Evora GT430 as the company's fastest, "most powerful and accomplished road car to date." And the stats seem to back that up. Lotus says the GT430's 0-to-60 time is a brilliant 3.7 seconds, the logical result of putting a 3.5-liter V6 supercharged and charge-cooled engine producing 430 horsepower into a car with a curb weight of 2,858 pounds (2,768 pounds exsanguinated). Lotus, in continual pursuit of its fetish for lightness, used carbon fiber (some of it exposed) and lightweight chassis innovations to knock 81 pounds off the curb weight of the already-quite-light Evora 410. Other comparison points: The 410 makes 410 horsepower, hence the name, with a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds. The GT430 also gains torque over the 410, generating 325 pound-feet, though higher in the rev range at 4,500 rpm, to the 410's output of 310 at 3,500. The GT430 comes only with a six-speed manual (you can get an automatic in the 410 if so inclined), and its top speed is 190 miles per hour. Tack on aero, notably the large carbon wing, that generates up to 550 pounds of downforce (that's at top speed, but there's plenty far slower), and Lotus says the result is "tremendous real-world speed and handling unheard of in its class." It's the first new product announcement since news broke of Lotus' sale to China's Geely. Only 60 Evora GT430s will be built, at a base price of 112,500 pounds (VAT included) that will escalate quickly with options. That's around $125 grand, assuming you could get one here. Check out Lotus' website for details. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lotus Evora GT430 View 15 Photos Image Credit: Lotus Auto News Lotus Technology Coupe Performance Geely