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Lotus hiring 100 after securing lb100m investment

Lotus is getting a shot in the arm courtesy of corporate parent DRB-Hicom, which has announced a 100-million pound ($152.3M USD at today's rates) investment in the Hethel, UK-based manufacturer. The troubled brand was also in the news last week, with DRB announcing a new, three-year plan that would see variants of existing models introduced.
The money will create 100 new jobs in Hethel, with 45 new engineers, 40 manufacturing operatives and 18 university grads joining the team. Lotus has already seen an uptick in sales this year, according to a Norfolk-based news site, with 40 to 45 cars being produced per week and 722 road cars and 45 race cars sold between January and May. Even sales in the UK have seen a big jump - Lotus only moved 70 units in 2012, but it's already sold 80 cars in the first half of 2013.
Better yet, Lotus is citing an increased demand for its cars around the globe as the motive behind the new hires. While still quite uncertain, Lotus looks like it might finally be on the right track.

Lotus Type 130 electric supercar officially named Evija

Only known as the Type 130 to this point, the new Lotus supercar finally has its official name: Evija. Lotus made the announcement at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and some fans have the lucky opportunity to get a sneak preview of the all-electric performance vehicle during the event. The Evija, which is pronounced "ev-eye-a," will be the first car Lotus has produced under the ownership of Chinese umbrella company Geely. Evija means "the first in existence" or "the living one," according to Lotus, thought the company did not go into the origins of the word. With cars such as the Rimac C_Two already in existence, the Evija is not the first electric supercar, but Lotus says it is the "first all-electric hypercar" from a British automaker. It's also the first electric Lotus. The Evija is slated for its world debut in London on July 16, 2019, and production is expected to start in 2020. However, Lotus set up a light show experience at Goodwood that involves that car. So, fans won't see the full vehicle, but the experience will tease small yet-to-be-seen details.  Very little information is known about the car yet, save for a nebulous aero image and a couple short video teasers. It will have a push-button gear selector, a light-up rear Lotus badge, an electric charging dock cover, and it appears it will have a tablet style dash setup. And, of course, carbon fiber will be the material of choice inside and out. We'll have full specs, photos, and information shortly. Auto News Green Green Lotus Lotus Evija

Banned Lotus 88 F1 car explained by Colin Chapman's son

Racing teams are always looking for ways to gain speed through creative interpretations of the rule book, but speed-obsessed engineers were a little too clever with the twin-chassis design for the Lotus 88 Formula One car. Colin Chapman's son, Clive, gave Goodwood the racer's fascinating story and why the organizers banned it. Lotus' innovation with the 88 was a novel twin-chassis layout. The outer chassis supported the aerodynamic elements and the body, and the inner one held the driver, engine, and transmission. The separate pieces allowed the car to meet the rules in the pits, but the outer chassis would create a seal with the track at speed to preserve the ground effect downforce. The organizers decided this ingenious solution went contrary to the rules against side skirts, and they banned the 88. However, this Lotus was important for a second reason. The inner chassis was F1's first carbon fiber monocoque. The lightweight material is common in racing and performance cars today, but it was a cutting-edge innovation for 1981. Get the full story from Clive Chapman in this clip. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.