Lotus Esprit - Axed (Spy)

[Touareg 2.5]

Lotus has finally given the green light to a replacement for the Esprit, a model that will have an essential role in boosting the Hethel firm’s brand image.

Key elements to the Lotus strategy have emerged weeks before new CEO Danny Bahr is due to reveal his seven-year plan for the company.

A Lotus source said the new supercar (known as Esprit internally, but it could get a different name) would be an “essential brand image builder” and a “high-status purchase”.

Lotus is targeting a power-to-weight ratio of 275-325bhp per tonne for its new flagship; an Audi R8 V10 has 319bhp per tonne.

Our source said the company 
is planning a three-tier line-up, with the four-cylinder Exige, 
Elise and Europa all falling into one group and the bigger V6 Evora in the other. He said there would always be room for an Esprit-like car. “It will be the ultimate expression of the brand,” he added.

As part of its business plan, Lotus has also been pitching the Evora platform technology to other companies. The Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) can be adapted to create almost any type of vehicle, from a sports car to an SUV.

As an example of VVA’s flexibility, Lotus has provided an illustration showing the Evora platform with an electric powertrain, although a source said the firm would not be building an electric car.

However, Autocar has learned that the company is working on eight hybrid and electric projects for other firms.

VVA is being offered predominantly to small companies for niche products, and Lotus can supply either an Evora chassis or a bespoke platform.

“If manufacturers want to do niche vehicles easily and effectively, this is the way to do it,” said our source.

autocar.co.uk

Han deciso di farla .

[superkappa125]

Ottimo, veramente ottimo. Probabilmente Evora ha avuto il successo che si aspettavano...

[luc@]

Sperando che ci mettano un motore degno.

[Regazzoni]

Pare che questo sia un muletto della Esprit, almeno secondo AUTOCAR.

[fabrizio79]

è davvero imbarazzante il ritardo con cui Lotus presenta i nuovi modelli , l'ultimo modello discreto presentato è la Evora mentre l'Europa è davvero pessima e credo anche un aborto dal punto di vista commerciale.

Per questa nuova Esprit non sono molto fiducioso , se partono ( come si dice in giro per il web ) con un propulsore Toyota da circa 400/500 cavalli e con la scarsa affidabilita e qualità solite della casa , credo sia impossibile rivaleggiare con Ferrari 458 , Lamborghini Gallardo e McLaren mp4

[nicogiraldi]

Una mia personale considerazione.

L'auto cosi configurata è molto molto simile al muletto verde (pure le pinze posteriori ap racing) , che fù da base per il thread EXIGE V6.

Poi non capisco (eventualmente) il senso di testare una meccanica su un telaio 1-11 quando si sà che la futura esprit sara basat sul talio vva, quindi un muletto di evora mi pareva più adatto.

Non sarà un immagine di una "ipotetica" exige V6?

[Beckervdo]

The Paris Auto Show is always a showcase for some of the most impressive, desirable luxury and performance cars each year. This year, it looks like Lotus will be adding to the mix with a full trio of new concepts ahead of plans for 2012 and later launches.

Lotus has already confirmed at least one new car will be coming to Paris, and speculation that it's the new Esprit is already rampant. A new report out today says three new cars are expected: the all-new Esprit, a new roadster, and--breaking from the Lotus mold--a front-engined grand touring car. While the roadster may fit the Chapman profile of light-yet-quick sports cars, the Esprit and the new GT are expected to reflect a new strategy.

Lotus insiders often joke that the brand's name is actually an acronym, meaning "Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious." Those days are largely behind the company thanks to the brilliant Elise and Exige models, but despite the good work the Toyota-powered models have done for the Lotus brand image, the company is planning to move away from its hardcore, lightness-focused performance duo and more toward luxurious, full-featured cars.

Why? To target the luxury market rather than solely the performance market, where there are more buyers with more cash to spend--and where cars are purchased more frequently. The ultimate goal is to drive total production up from the current 2,000-2,500 cars per year toward the 7,000-car mark--roughly tripling total sales.

We'll have to wait until Paris this October to see if the reports prove true, but we await the date with mixed feelings: excitement over three new Lotus models, but trepidation over what they may become.

[Auto Express]

Esprit, Roadster e GT con motore centrale: tutto prestazioni e lusso, senza perder di vista il peso.

IMHO saranno volatili per diabetici

[blando]

Io aspetto l'erede della mia Exige, e Lotus per tutta la vita.

[nicogiraldi]

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forse..

[superkappa125]

Sembrerebbe una Gallardo in salsa Lotus. Bruttina e piuttosto anonima, però c'è da dire che nel segmento non è che ci siano tutte ste gran bellezze (Ferrari in primis).