Lotus

The British International Motor Show planned for 2010 in London has been cancelled because of the global slump in demand for cars, according to the U.K. Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. “The economic downturn and the unprecedented challenges facing the industry, both in the U.K. and around the world, have made it impossible for exhibitors to commit to a 2010 event,” the trade group said today in a statement. The event has attracted an increasing number of visitors and the decision to cancel was “extremely difficult,” SMMT President Paul Everitt said in the statement. The move followed a thorough consultation with the industry, the group said. The SMMT is pressing the U.K. government to boost aid to automakers, including direct incentives to trade old cars for new ones. Carmakers across Britain have slowed production in response to declining demand. […]

People planning on buying a car in the new year may want to hang on until the Lotus Evora arrives in showrooms across the UK, after it was given the thumbs up by British vehicle enthusiasts. The model scooped the title of Overall Most Rated Car of 2008 in a poll of iMotor Magazine readers. Some 95 per cent of participants chose to rate, rather than slate, the vehicle. Mike Kimberley, chief executive officer of Lotus, said the award was particularly impressive considering the car did not go on sale in the UK until next spring. Commenting on the popularity of the Evora, iMotor editor Mat Watson said: “Its … score of 95 per cent is truly impressive and enough to see it beat brilliant machines such as the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 and Nissan GT-R.”

According to the Economic Times, the new Lotus Evora is the best car to ever roll out of a Lotus factory. After thirteen years Lotus has finally added a new model to its existing line-up of exotic machinery like the Elise roadster which came in 1995 and the Exige, which was a coupe version of the Elise. The new model is called the Lotus Evora and the British car-maker has been working on this project for past five years. It is the only mid-engined 2+2 sportscar currently in production and it is the first model out of the three that the company plans to launch under its five year strategic plan. The bosses at Lotus have been extremely excited about this new car and some of them also commented that this is the best car ever to roll out of […]

It looks like a regular Opel (Saturn) Astra, but the car that’s pictured is completely different. This vehicle is Lotus Engineering’s first attempt at creating a hybrid vehicle, and represents the launch of a branch of the British firm dedicated to engineering and developing hybrid and electric vehicles. Underneath its hood, Lotus Engineering has fitted a small 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine featuring a turbocharger that’s mated to a mild hybrid drivetrain system. The 12 kW electric motor adds power, but not at the cost of fuel economy, and because it isn’t a full hybrid system that allows the car to run on pure electrical power, it poses a price advantage. Lotus has also taken a load off of the main engine by switching over the water pump and the fuel pump to items that are purely electrical, a change that […]

When you were a kid and you got a radio-controlled car, didn’t you imagine how cool it would be to be the size of GI Joe and able to climb inside and drive it? That feeling is what the new crop of Lotus sports cars is like. It’s just as cool as you imagined it would be, and it’s a good way for GI Joe to meet Barbie, too. We recently got to climb inside and drive the new 2008 Lotus Exige S 240 and the fabulous new 2-Eleven track car, which would make GI Joe leave Barbie far behind, pouting and wanting to drive it. It seemed only a few years ago that Lotus was about to drive off the edge of the map in the U.S. market, but the company now offers seven models to American customers. All […]

The first production Lotus Elise-based, $98,000 battery-electric Tesla Roadsters will be exported to the U.S. from Lotus Engineering in March, now that Tesla Motors has received all regulatory approvals to import the first production Tesla Roadster (“P1”) for sale. Initially at a limited rate pendng the supply of a redesigned single-ratio transmission, series production is scheduled to begin on 17th March. Transmission problems have delayed series production, and early production units will be equipped with an interim transmission that meets durability requirements but limits acceleration to 5.7 seconds from 0 to 60 mph. Tesla Motors engineers have designed a permanent solution for mass production that supports the original specification of 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds. The planned solution is said to offer some very positive benefits. Instead of a complex two-speed transmission design, Tesla will achieve the original […]