This is the current status of Lotus Cars
I'll provide a detailed recount of recent events which have shaped the latest rendition of Lotus.
We've all heard of Lotus; they're the original lightweight sports car manufacturer with a racing background and some incredible driver's cars in their repertoire. There have been a series of recent changes within the company and with the release of their new and final internal combustion powered sports car (the Emira), I found myself at a loss recounting how they'd got to that position with 2020 being a year in which I struggled to keep up with the more light-hearted automotive news. So, I thought it'd be a good idea to systematically explain the events that have shaped the new Lotus and what their plan is moving forward.
Lotus' history
I'll start with where Lotus began; it was the vision of a man named Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman who started his career by modifying Austin cars to compete in local race trials. Eventually he created the Lotus Engineering Company and began to produce race cars. One of his first cars was the Mark VII which was meant to be a road going formula race car. It lives on today with a similar form in the shape of the Caterham 7. From then on he moved up in the racing world competing in Le Mans and having great success in F1.
The company grew into a successful car manufacturer and racing team with advancement in technology and general growth with multiple factories until they found their most recent and spiritual home in Hethel. They produced many of their own vehicles and had brand integrations with the likes of Ford with its Lotus Cortina; legendary racing drivers such as Jim Clarke, Jochen Rindt and Ayrton Senna drove for them. The brand grew with the production of vehicles like the Elan and Espirit (which famously appeared in the James Bond franchise).
Then, tragedy struck - in 1982 Colin Chapman died of a heart attack at the age of 54 - his sudden demise did not deter the company; they continued to produce their famous designs and prided themselves on their innovation. Until this day they still produce driver focused cars with the driver's experiences being at the forefront of their ambitions. Chapman's vision of "simplify, then add lightness" still continues but may be challenged by the current plans for electrification as batteries are much heavier than combustion engines.
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
The Geely takeover
In late 2017, Lotus announced that Chinese automotive giant Geely had bought a majority stake in the company with 51% ownership of Lotus Cars; they share ownership with Malaysian company Etika. The new investment catalysed a series of decisions and appointments to managerial positions which would go on to shape the car brand's future. Geely is a very wealthy and world renowned company owning corporations such as Volvo and Lynk&Co. A new injection of money and resources into the company will continue to Lotus' productivity and advancement.
The company very quickly saw a rise in profits and introduced new renditions of their current line-up such as the Exige 430 Cup. They began to announce steps to make the company more profitable and correct with the times with new models being announced including their electric Evija Hypercar.
New growth and investment
With new owners came new investment; a £100 million plan to upgrade and improve the production facility in Hethel boosted Lotus and they began recruiting 250 new employees on top of the 670 that came in since the 2017 takeover. These engineers have developed a medley of new products which will be released as part of their plans in the near future.
These plans are hugely significant as they will dictate how Lotus becomes a more mainstream company with mass production and increased profitability. They aim to begin to compete with larger rivals and I think what they do now and in the near future is fundamental as to whether they will succeed or retreat back to their small scale role of old which is not financially viable in a larger and much more fast paced climate where the market is changing. Consumers are turning away from ICE (Internal Combustion Engined) sports cars in favour of SUVs/Crossovers and with a whole host of new legislation which restricts the sale of Combustion cars, electric power is going to become more popular and Lotus must adapt their thinking and products.
The Evija
2019 saw the announcement of the Lotus Evija. It is a fully electric Hypercar meant to be a halo car for the company's transition to a new form as a mass producer. For starters, it's fast - it carries a whopping 2,000 horsepower dispensed through an electric motor in each wheel. The limited run of 130 cars is still a little while away from production but the current statistics and specifications are appealing. The carbon fibre monocoque accompanies aerodynamic styling with air tunnels running from the rear fenders out of the car which creates the Venturi effect; there is an active diffuser and hydraulic rear wing, all of which work to create downforce and suck the 1700kg car to the ground. With the use of electric motors, the Evija is much heavier than any other Lotus but it makes up for it with it's power (which is rather hypocritical of Colin Chapman's original ideals where weight should be reduced but these are different times). The EV will supposedly produce a sub 2 second 0-60 time and a top speed of over 200MPH.
The only models driven currently have been prototypes which were limited performance wise but I'm intrigued to see what this £2 million car will do once development has finished. It is supposed to still feel like a Lotus and even though it does away with the yell from a V6 and a gearbox I think that judging by reports they might have accomplished their goal. This car is the first to use an electric powertrain to fill the void which will be left by the banning of Internal Combustion Engines. Lotus intends for it to propel them forward into their new vehicle line-up as they move away from ICE cars and follow the trend to entirely electrify or hybridise their range of vehicles.
The end of the current line-up
The last 25 years saw some iconic cars come out of the Lotus factories - the most notable of which being the Elise, Exige and Evora. They ranged from 2+2 GT cars to track car titans and all gained notability amongst most journalists and even racing drivers such as Jenson Button. It is widely known that they promise a pure and uncompromised driving experience and it was a sad day when Lotus announced the end of the trio as they redirect their efforts to new projects such as the Emira.
They primarily used supercharged V6s and I4s and utilised a lightweight design with a rear wheel drive and mid engined layout. The line-up is going out with a bang with the release of the final editions of each car. They have revamped the current generation vehicles with special design details and new features building on top of the current models; it's a respectable farewell to a car that made quite an impression as they brought Lotus into the 21st century. Now it is their new vehicles which will carry on the brand.
The Emira
One such new model was announced just a few weeks ago. The Emira is the latest addition to the brand with a modern take on the Lotus formula; it is also the last Internal Combustion Engined car they will make. The familiar setup is blended with new and expensive technology to make the lightweight sports car a genuine rival for the likes of the Porsche Cayman and the Alpine A110. This is aimed for mass production with a new factory being built for the construction and distribution of their new models; the first Geely funded car brings with it lots of new advancement.
Jenson Button - F1 World champion“It’s exceptional and I’m a big fan”
The lightweight bonded aluminium chassis which first graced the world with its presence in the original Elise is back with new dimensions. The design is sleek and aerodynamic with cues taken from both the Evija Hypercar with a similar front end and the original Elise with an integrated rear spoiler - they play on both their heritage and their new development. It is offered with two engine options: the supercharged V6 from Toyota which was previously used in the Exige and Evora as well as a new addition; an Inline-4 from Mercedes AMG is also available with a power output ranging between 355BHP - 395BHP. There is a semi-automatic and manual transmission on offer with the V6 but the I4 is exclusively automatic.
It is meant to be more of a Grand Tourer so carries a more useable and comfortable cabin with a touchscreen and digital instrument binnacle as well as high quality materials and better storage. The two suspension setups further highlight the intent with this car as they are offered in both Tour, which is on the softer side for comfort, and Sport which is for more sporty, track orientated drivers. I hope that their mass production goals are met and their new investment can propel them into the bigger market to challenge bigger companies.
Lotus teaser image released in January 2021
Future plans and models
The times are changing and that means that smaller companies like Lotus have to adapt to fit into the new markets. Large investment by the likes of Geely means that they can lay a solid foundation to become a mass producing company in the years to come. With the likelihood that most brands will be switching to electric or hybridised powertrains soon, Lotus must show that they can handle a drastic direction change to move away from ICE sports cars and diversify their models. They have taken many steps to do so and with several new announcements, we can lay out a basic roadmap for their development over the course of 2022 and beyond.
Their first entry into their master plan was the Evija and I think it is certainly a step in the right direction for a company who don't normally handle hugely powerful, rare and expensive products; it's a message to the public that they can do electric cars, and if the prototypes show us anything, they can do them rather well. The Emira then takes its place as the final car of a soon to be bygone age - their final internal combustion engined car stays true to Lotus' original formula whilst weaving high quality, modern technology into the vehicle. It's a delight to see the more modern rendition of the Elise send off the engines and ethos we've all come to love in a reasonably affordable package of speed and comfort.
New plans that have been teased and rumoured show that Lotus intends to use an SUV as their flagship model to boost sales and become a globally recognised brand. This car is expected to be fully electric and will likely debut later this year or early in 2022. An image released by Lotus in January of 2021 showed the Evija in the foreground with three coupe-looking cars in the background under covers. One was later revealed to be the Emira but two others are yet to be shown; it is likely that a larger GT car similar to the Espirit will join the Lotus range as well as a Crossover.
A joint partnership with Renault's sporty subdivision Alpine was recently announced and it is said that the two companies are working together in a number of ways, the most important of which is to develop a successor to the Alpine A110 which is going to be replaced as Renault becomes a fully electric company. The electric Alpine will help both companies as it will provide a new lightweight EV platform for their sports cars but it will be cheaper to create and manufacture with the backing of both Geely and the Renault Group. It'll be interesting to see how the two companies (both of which focus on lightweight designs) offset the weight of electric batteries and whether they will need to increase the power to balance out the power to weight ratio.
I hope you've enjoyed this rundown of Lotus's recent exploits and that it was helpful to show what exactly is going on within the Hethel production line. Personally, I'm not against their move into mass production and bulky sales as I think it will push them to diversify their range and will show us what they are capable of with the resources of Geely at their disposal. No, electric cars aren't where any of us want a lightweight sports car developer like Lotus to go but with changing times and legislation it is inevitable; so, let's embrace their new path and wait eagerly to see what they come up with. Maybe they might produce some form of lightweight battery in conjunction with their work with Alpine - only time will tell. One thing that I'm sure everybody would like to see is the Lotus name being more prominent in the racing scene which could be supported with their new backing and development. What do you think about their new approach? Tell me in the comments below and I'd love to know if you'd like me to do more of these articles where I focus on the recent events surrounding specific manufacturers. Please follow me here and on Instagram and It'd be great if you would check out my most recent work which will be linked below.
Join In
Comments (43)
Not really impressed with Lotus’s direction. I understand what they are trying to do but they are moving away from the traditional Lotus ethos. And the fact that they are now a Chinese company means that we should all be boycotting them anyway.
What's wrong with China?
Evil empire bent on world domination at all cost and must be countered at every opportunity. That means taking every opportunity to avoid buying their products. So no Lotuses or Volvos for me. Sometimes it’s hard to avoid buying Chinese...
Read moreI’m a traditionalist so naturally I would prefer Lotus to make lightweight petrol sports cars forever, but if making sports cars for a wider audience is the only way they can survive then so it be. I just don’t want them to turn into MG, just making electric SUVs
That’s exactly the way I feel, I just hope that their models are as diverse as the rumours suggest otherwise we risk losing another iconic brand to the SUV market. Fingers crossed we’ll see plenty more sports cars yet 🤞
That’s where they are headed. Sports cars really don’t work in the EV world. Luxury vehicles do.
beautiful cars, if I had the money, I'd buy one.
The Emira is a fantastic value for money though. Would rather have that rather than a Porsche
I like the red esprit the europa and the old exige cup
I wish they made a supercar that competed with the hurucan before they went electric 😭
That would have been so good! 😭
Plus I think making an SUV is a bad idea...they should make a hatchback or a sedan instead
Remember the Lotus Carlton and the lotus sunbeam?