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Lotus pumps Exige up to 430 horsepower

It seems that every few months or so Lotus has yet another lighter, faster version of one of its cars, usually with an emphasis on the lighter part. This time, the latest, fastest Lotus gets a big bump in power. It's the Lotus Exige Cup 430, and it shares its supercharged V6 with the recently launched Evora GT430. That means it makes 430 horsepower, an impressive 55 more than the 375-horsepower Exige Cup 380. It also produces 325 pound-feet of torque. That engine is impressive enough in the Evora GT430, but it becomes pretty breathtaking in the Exige, which weighs about 2,410 pounds. Though that's slightly heavier than the Cup 380, the overall power-to-weight ratio has improved, and Lotus says the 430 can fly to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds from a standstill. It also boasts a higher top speed than the 380, at 180 mph, which is 5 mph more than the 380. Perhaps more impressive is the fact the Exige Cup 430 is the fastest road car Lotus has tested at its Hethel race track, beating the track-oriented 3-Eleven road car by 1.2 seconds. Among the other interesting features of the Exige Cup 430 are the three-way adjustable shocks as well as adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars. More of the car's total downforce, 45 percent to be precise, acts on the front now, compared with 36 percent on the Cup 380. Four-piston brake calipers are used at each corner. It also comes with a number of weight-saving features as standard, including the lithium-ion battery and titanium exhaust. It can also be optioned to be a legitimate race car with an FIA-legal roll bar and airbag delete. But just the stock car isn't cheap. It has three different price tags depending on whether you purchase it in the U.K., Germany, or France. But the cheapest price in dollars comes from the U.K. where it retails for GBP99,800, or just shy of $131,000 at current exchange rates. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lotus Exige Cup 430 View 9 Photos Image Credit: Lotus Lotus Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Performance

Lotus cars to be 'Made in China' at new Geely plant, according to documents

BEIJING/SHANGHAI — The Chinese owner of Lotus plans to start producing the British sports car brand in China for the first time with the opening of a new 9 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) factory in Wuhan city, company job advertisements and government documents showed. The previously unreported plans are Zhejiang Geely Holding Group's first move to shake up the British brand since its purchase of a majority stake in 2017. The move is in line with Geely's ambitions to build more up-market cars and throw off its reputation for copycat designs and shoddy quality. For Lotus, it could mean greater production volumes and new models such as SUVs to boost sales. "For Geely, going high-end can help it take more market share," said Alan Kang, Shanghai based analyst at LMC Automotive. "Geely needs to do that to better compete with global brands." Lotus cars are currently built in Norfolk, England. Geely and Lotus said in a joint statement that while Norfolk was Lotus's manufacturing home, a key part of the firm's strategy to revive the brand was expanding the brand's manufacturing footprint globally. "Details on additional locations and models will be confirmed in due course," the company said in an e-mail to Reuters. The planning authority of Hubei province, whose capital is Wuhan, last month approved Geely's plans for the plant. The factory will be able to manufacture 150,000 cars annually, according to a document posted on the authority's website. The Wuhan Development Zone, where the factory will be based, said in a statement posted on its website last month that production at the plant would include "Geely's Lotus project". The Wuhan Development Zone did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. The documents did not say when the plant would start operations. The facility is approved to build all-electric battery cars, electric hybrids as well as combustion engine cars like Lotuses. Job advertisements on Geely's website show the automaker is looking to fill at least 20 Wuhan-based roles for the Lotus project. LUXURY AMBITIONS While is not clear what portion of the new Chinese production line would be devoted to the British brand, greater production volumes would be consistent with Geely's stated ambition to grow the market for Lotus by broadening its line-up. Geely sold only 1,630 Lotuses globally in 2018. Lotus currently produces models such as the Evora and Elise.

Lotus won't rule out SUV, but first we'll get a new Elise

Not even Lotus can ignore the sales potential of SUVs. Speaking to media yesterday, Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales said "The SUV is an interesting market. We're working on a concept but haven't made a decision yet." Lotus has reorganized lately, and is cash flow neutral on a path to future profitability. Put away your pitchforks. Yes, Lotus is the last automaker we'd expect to make an SUV, but nearly every other carmaker has already given up resistance. And we surmise that even a Lotus SUV would follow the Lotus founder Colin Chapman's famous ethos of "Simplify, and add lightness." At least relatively. Or, as Gales put it, "We stick to our roots, because they are enviable roots." That means the new Elise, coming in 2020 and destined for America, will be a lot like the current model sold in other markets. As we reported last week, Gales confirmed that the next Elise will be slightly wider to accommodate side airbags, but otherwise will have similar dimensions and power-to-weight ratio. The Evora 400 Roadster is also still planned, but won't come stateside for at least two years. "Lotus will not fit electrical steering [systems]. They take away the steering feel." And while the SUV ship may sail, there are still a few heretical ideas left in Hethel. In confirming that the Elise will add assisted steering in the next generation, Gales assured us it would be hydraulic. "Lotus will not fit electrical steering [systems]. They take away the steering feel." Also off the table for Lotus is any kind of hybrid. Speaking to Autoblog, Gales explained that hybrid systems adds weight, complexity, and take up space. The first two items go against the core values at Lotus, and the third creates packaging issues. "Besides, when you have low mass it's easy to be efficient," the CEO said. He added that a pure EV might be something Lotus would consider, but not anytime in the near future. Lotus returns to the US this year with the Evora 400. Stay tuned for our first drive review in a couple of days (spoiler alert: the car is awesome). And beyond the Evora convertible and next Elise, Gales says "You will enjoy many more cars from our company." We can't wait.Related Video: Lotus Convertible Coupe SUV Performance lotus evora 400 jean-marc gales lotus evora 400 roadster