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Lotus confirms new Elise S Cup

Head on over to the Lotus website, and though the Elise isn't offered in the United States anymore, buyers in other markets can choose between numerous models: there's the base Elise, the Elise Club Racer, the Elise S and the Elise S Club Racer, and that's before even getting into the even more extreme Exige that's also based on the Elise. Track-day enthusiasts can also go for the full-on Elise S Cup R, but now the British sportscar manufacturer has confirmed a new variant.
Called the Elise S Cup, it slots in between the CR and the Cup R as an extreme performance model that can actually be driven to the track and back home on public roads. The S designation tells us it packs the 1.8-liter supercharged four that already produces 217 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque in the existing Elise S, Elise S CR and Elise S Cup R, but as we saw when Lotus was testing the new variant around the Nürburgring, the Elise S Cup packs some key upgrades.
It's got an aero kit - including front splitter, winglets, side skirts, rear diffuser and rear wing - that's more aggressive than other road-going models (though apparently less extreme than the track-focused S Cup R), helping to generate 145 lbs of downforce at 100 mph and 275 lbs at top speed and besting the Elise S around the Lotus test track by an impressive three seconds.

Lotus says it's hiring 200 new engineers in effort to expand

Lotus is making moves to rise back up in the automotive world. A report from The Telegraph says the British company will hire 200 new engineers. This batch of hiring comes from the pockets of new Chinese owner Geely. The plans also include the opening of a new engineering center in the U.K. away from its longtime home in Norfolk. Lotus CEO, Phip Popham said this about the new moves. "Lotus has been in survival mode for many years. We're taking on people here and also in the Midlands. We need to tap into the industrial resource outside Norfolk to help our growth," Popham said. These new hires are all part of a multi-billion dollar investment into Lotus from Geely to try and turn the company around. Ultimately, Lotus wants to triple its current production all the way up to 5,000 cars per year. One of the initiatives from this investment is an all-electric hypercar we saw teased not too long ago. Popham also spoke of making cars with a slightly different focus than the Lotus we know of today. "A car not just for the weekend, but one you can live with," Popham says. Ideas of a Lotus SUV or grand tourer have bounced around in the recent past, and those still appear to be in the company's plans. The British brand plans on tapping Geely for many items it doesn't already have, according to the report. These include modern items like digital display screens and parts required for electrification of its vehicles. A new platform meant to house these "livable" Lotus cars is said to be in the works.

Lotus Emira delayed for the U.S. while allocation amount and prices rise

It's Lotus' turn to catch the production and pricing virus, an ailment that's caused almost every automaker to lag on delivery timetables while increasing prices for reservation holders. Last October, Lotus Emiras intended for the UK home market were already trailing delivery estimates by six months. Early last year, Lotus expected to get Emiras tagged with U.S. plates as soon as fall of 2022. Now, CarBuzz reports that Emira V6 First Edition units destined for the U.S. will land on our soil this summer but won't be released to customers until between mid-October and mid-December. According to a letter sent by Gator Motorsports' franchise Indy Lotus in Indianapolis, Indiana, the holdup is U.S. certification.    On top of the delay, prices are going up for all U.S. and Canadian reservation holders except those who have completed paperwork for the initial North American V6 First Edition allocation. Lotus said the various troubles and quagmires around the world have increased the Emira's unit cost by around $14,400. Folding that into the MSRP would make the price $108,300 before destination. We say "initial" about that allocation because Lotus has upped the North American allotment by 600 units, making 1,300 in total to come to come to NA, the U.S.-specific number slightly smaller. When the second tranche becomes open for reservations, they will cost $105,400 in the U.S., that price already on the U.S. retail site configurator. Anyone who reserved the AMG-powered four-cylinder Emira I4 First Edition is going to see their cost rise from the $85,900 announced before. The new price MSRP be revealed until later this year, deliveries not scheduled to commence until Q2 of 2024. Of course, we should expect the cost of the regular series production cars to rise as well. The situation varies by market, so anyone on any of Lotus' lists should check with their Lotus dealer. A lively thread on Emira Forum that started in February is up to 26 pages as global Emira buyers try to figure out who needs to confront what increase. Part of the ire comes from Lotus having promised none of the pricing challenges would be passed on to reservation holders, saying, "The price you're being quoted is the price you'll pay for your Emira."     Ready for the good news? There will be more options to spend your money on.