Any news on the next gen Elise/Exige?

[EliseAtLeast]

When can we expect any news on the next generation Elise/Exige?

[Tracktimeplz]

See Lotus hits funding roadblock

[EliseAtLeast]

I did but the Elise/Exige is bread and butter for the company.

[Randy Chase]

Bread and butter really is engineering. They have not always had the Elise and they could make the existing model stay in the line up. New paint, new style options.

[def]

9 years with no body changes seems a really, really long time.

[LarryB]

If they don't do a next Gen Elise / Exige, dropping new body panels on the current chassis would be a heck of a lot cheaper then a from the ground up new design. Would expect that and maybe even a new power-plant as the mid-life kicker.

[VisualEchos]

Originally Posted by def

9 years with no body changes seems a really, really long time.

Tell that to Porsche...lol.

[EliseAtLeast]

Isn't the 2ZZ not being produced anymore? Even if they keep the current platform and bodywork wouldn't they still new a new powerplant?

[Jklotz]

Originally Posted by VisualEchos

Tell that to Porsche...lol.

you beat me to it. 911

[ewalberg]

is the 2zz not being produced by yamaha anymore or is toyota not using it? Two different situations... toyota not using it doesn't mean lotus can't still get it from yamaha. (i'm not saying a new engine might not be a good idea, if for nothing else than PR, but still...)

[Slobdog]

Originally Posted by Jklotz

you beat me to it. 911

Not sure if I agree. The 911 has had plenty of changes thoughtout the years and is a substantially different (better/safer handling) car than the first "911". You have 993, 997 etc etc. It's just retained the 911 name.

Along those lines it would be nice to see the elise/exige chassis stay while everything else improves. Some of the things I've read on here about the ecu, engine, fuel starvation, cooling and general build issues could be improved with slow steady development.

However, AFAIK the 911 chassis has been constantly developed/changed but only the engine layout is the same. The esprit certainly lasted awhile - not sure internally what all changed with that car and it's chassis besides the engine. If a better epoxy emerged or suspension design became obvious it would stink if Lotus didn't employ it.

My two cents in the end is they should stick with the same design and fix the bits owners complain about. A whole new design isn't necessary (unless regulations necessitated it ??)

[AgentTripleX]

Originally Posted by VisualEchos

Tell that to Porsche...lol.

It's been 45 years since the introduced the first 911 Carrera.

[ChrisB]

Originally Posted by AgentTripleX

It's been 45 years since the introduced the first 911 Carrera.

And everything but the name has changed several times.

[Westrock]

I think what they are trying to say is that Porsche has pretty much used the exact same "silhouette" since day one, thus leading people like Jeremy Clarkson to proclaim that Porsche designers are indeed the laziest in the world.

And that most people could not tell a Carrerra from a Caymen, even though its double to price. Not that our cars aren't any different, but they are at least close to each other in terms of price.

I'd love to see the ass end of a S1 Exige get some more time in the spotlight.....it was a wonderfully big butt.

[wantanelise]

The people that cant tell a caymen from a 911 cant tell a caymen from an Exige either so do they really matter?

[Minnis]

Originally Posted by wantanelise

The people that cant tell a caymen from a 911 cant tell a caymen from an Exige either so do they really matter?

so true, twice I got " what kind of Porsche is that" and they were both standing in the rear where it says LOTUS

[Seth W]

the nsx comes to mind in my book as far as chassis goes.

I'd assume something like their 2GR would be a good choice. Just getting into the lotus thing (MR2 owner) but with the evora running the new manual tranny I see that as a good candidate. If MR2 owners can stuff one in a spider (1zz) then I'd guess you could manage to shoe horn one in a elise/exige. Weight difference does not seem to be huge because of aluminum block vs iron. I never weighed mine out before I did my swap (V6 in 2nd gen MR2) but when I did the 4 corner scale thing I never bothered changing it because it was good from the start.

just my take but coming from a car that was 2350 dry any 20 years old making near the same power, something less than 2000 lbs with newer suspension would be fun. If toyota ever put out a decent car these days they could take note from lotus

[QuadCamSix]

The 2GR is WAY too big for the Elise. Its bigger than the 5VZ-FE. Great engine no doubt. Thats why lotus put it into the Evora. If I were a betting man I would say lotus will pursue another supplier for the next gen Elise. There is nothing in particular keeping them tied to Toyota and lets face it reliability hasn't really been the strong suit of the 2ZZ. Im thinking of the petrol version of the new ecoboost/ecotec.

[MikeinAlexandria]

I think the Elise has a timeless 21st century look. Where Lotus can improve is build quality, more (or less) sound deadening, smoother transmission, easier access to some systems. I wonder how much weight it would add to have both clams open and close, and could they reduce weight somewhere else?

I do love my car, it has been a blast so far, even if the maintenance (when I pay someone to help) gets expensive... $132/hr.

[QuadCamSix]

I agree on the looks. Although the headlights need some work. Whats with the crappy rubber surround? While your at it, how about making the headlight bulbs accessible without an hours worth of work. A simple redesign of the wheel liner could solve this. Keep the body as is but just continue to improve. Clams that open would be fantastic! But, I would prefer a simple redesign to fasten a plastic bumper on the front. They already have a seam there for no reason. REDUCE THE BODY REPAIR COSTS!!! You can offset the extra weight of the fasteners by reducing the weight of the next exhaust system.