With 73 days until Lotus unveils it's "New Era" at the Paris Auto Show, the British sports car maker has once again teased us with a possible successor to the iconic Esprit. In a press release that looks back at the year 1975, Lotus recalls the movie Jaws, the birth of David Beckham and…. the launch of the original Lotus Esprit at the Paris Auto Show.
Now if that's not a hint we don't know what is.
But that's not all. The press release issued by Lotus comments that, "35 years later, something breathtaking will happen once again. Once more in Paris. Once more at the Motor Show. Perhaps a new Esprit? Perhaps not. Or perhaps even more?"
We've got our money on the new Esprit and more as Lotus is tipped to reveal four new concept cars in Paris, including the Esprit concept, two new front-engined GT cars and a new roadster.
The newly released Evora rides on a chassis that was designed to be used for the Esprit successor as well. As for a roadster, it could easily be a top-down version of the Evora. Then, we have to think Lotus is also looking to unveil a V6 in the Exige, as the automaker recently dropped the 1.8L engine in Europe, and the 1.6-liter just isn't suitable for the more hard-core version.
We won't know for sure until the Paris Auto Show this fall. But we do expect several more teasers from Lotus in the coming weeks and months.
Lotus F1, the Malaysian upstart team trading on the name of the famed British sports car maker, is apparently switching from Cosworth to Renault power for the 2011 season.
With Renault powering the dominant Red Bull Racing entry, the factory works Renault team, and a host of other teams, Lotus is hoping to acquire some of the magic contained within the French V8s. Negotiations between the two camps reportedly took place between the two camps at the British Grand Prix, but no announcement has been made.
While Lotus and Cosworth have a long historical alliance, Lotus has previously used Renault power, most notably when Ayrton Senna notably won four races for Lotus with Renault power in 1985.
As part of its attempt to re-position the brand as a competitor to Ferrari and Aston Martin, Lotus is axing its entire European dealer network in an effort to revamp the level of customer service provided by its sales centers.
Lotus CEO Dany Bahar alerted dealers that their contracts would not be renewed on July 18, 2012 (giving them two years notice, as per their contracts), however dealers are eligible to apply for a new contract under undisclosed terms. Lotus is expected to unviel their new strategy at the Paris Auto Show in September, but rumors say that they will abandon the hardcore "simplify and add lightness" mantra that has driven the company since its inception in favor of more luxurious Grand Touring cars. With the 2011 Elise able to get just under 40 mpg and emit minuscule amounts of C02 while still hitting 60 mph in 6 seconds, we're pretty confident that Lotus would benefit from staying the present course.
Lotus has just announced the appointment of a new Chief Technical Officer, while subsequently confirming the departure of the recently hired Chief Operating Officer Frank Tuch. Tuch is leaving for Volkswagen, but not without importing important information to the team at Lotus. According to Lotus ECO Dany Bahar, "We were able to reach a mutually acceptable agreement with VW which still allows Lotus to continue to benefit from Frank's considerable experience before his departure. Frank will also continue to work for Lotus as an adviser and we wish him the very best of luck in his new endeavour."
As for the new CTO, Lotus has appointed Wolf Zimmermann, who formerly oversaw the engineering and technical strategy at Mercedes-Benz. The announcement of Zimmermann joining Lotus is just the latest in a long line of executive appointments that includes Bahar and Design Director Donato Coco (both from Ferrari) as well as several other execs from Porsche and Aston Martin. Lotus also recently signed on Bob Lutz as as a consultant, and is looking to do the same with recently-retired BMW-exec Tom Purves.
These moves are all part of a larger plan by Lotus that will see the company set itself up as a competitor to the likes of Porsche and Ferrari, focusing on more mainstream models and higher production volumes. This restructuring plan has already seen Lotus axe its entire dealer network.
Lotus will give a glimpse at its "New Era" at the Paris Auto Show where the automaker is expected to debut four new concept cars.
Details of what exactly the "New Era" for Lotus will entail have begun to slip out with reports that the automaker will show-off four new concept cars at the Paris Auto Show this Fall. According to some reports the vehicles will include a successor to the Esprit, two new front-engined GT cars and a new roadster model. It's not clear if one of these new models will be the Exige, but Lotus is expected to announce the release of a V6 powered Exige soon. Several spy shots of the car have been taken and considering recent emissions regulations put an end to the 1.8-liter engine (in all its forms) for the European market, Lotus is left only with an underpowered 1.6-liter.
The announcement will come as part of a larger restructuring at Lotus has also announced that it is cutting free its entire European dealer network as it plans to move forward as a serious competitor to Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin.
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