LOTUS will launch a long-awaited EV sports car priced at £75,000 although fans were hoping for something else.
The iconic new motor will be an “essential” part of the Lotus line-up and is due to go on sale in 2027, according to company bosses.
© 2019 Bloomberg Finance LPA badge is seen on the front of the Lotus Evija electric hypercar[/caption]
The new motor is the successor to the Lotus Elise
The successor to the Lotus Elise will arrive in just years using a mid-engine-style platform, according to Autocar.
Codenamed Type 135, the new two-seat sports car will replace the Lotus Emira, the firm’s final combustion-engined car.
The Type 135 will join the Evija hypercar under the Lotus Cars umbrella and be built in Norfolk.
It is understood the EV will be the fourth and final model of Lotus’s Vision80 project.
Mike Johnstone, the Lotus Group’s chief commercial officer, told Autocar that the Type 135 was an important part of their future,
He said: “We call it the bullseye. At the very centre [of the brand] always has to be that lightweight sports car.
“That gives you the credibility to build other products that have sporty characteristics.
“We’re not naive enough to say that the Eletre is going to feel like an Elise. It won’t. But it has a lightweight feeling, and we think it’s the best-handling SUV you can drive.
“We need the bullseye of the brand, which has to be that two-seat sports car.
“Otherwise we’re just a brand with a Lotus badge. The sports car is an essential part of our future.”
Lotus presentations revealed the $95,000 target price for the US market, equivalent to £75,000 at current exchange rates.
But fans of the motor were not all that impressed.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Lotus fans were quick to weigh in with their opinions in the comments.
One said: “Looks to fat and heavy. Gonna buy an S1 Elise instead.”
“Didn’t Tesla already do this?” said another.
While a third wrote: “So not an Elise at all then, just another mid engined Lotus.”
Lotus’s first electric car was the Evija hypercar – still the world’s most powerful production EV, according to the company.
However, it is only just entering production now and just 130 derivatives will be sold for £1.7m apiece.
It comes as Maserati revealed it is bringing an EV version of a supercar owned by David Beckham to the UK – and it’s so powerful it’s likely to blow your socks off.
Maserati also has further plans to develop its EV range in the coming years.
A new all-electric large SUV – thought to be based on Stellantis’ STLA large platform – which is expected in 2027 as well as an electric Quattroporte in 2028.
Meanwhile, a Bentley once owned by a beloved comedy legend went on sale for £150,000.