Auto For Speed

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar confirmed that the Proton Emas and Lotus City Car concept cars have been given the go signal production. These small cars will be developed by three companies (Proton, Lotus and another manufacturer that has yet to be named) and are expected to arrive in Asian markets in late 2013. The Emas will be made exclusively for Asian customers, while Lotus will make a sportier variant and the other company will build a standard version for the European market. It is rumored that this third company is Nissan and that its V platform will be featured. With the support of a large carmaker such as Nissan, it’s expected that the future city car will have a smooth development.

It’s also not certain yet if the name “Emas” will be used for the factory-produced model as well. The supermini is progressing slowly as Lotus is building five other sportscar models and Proton’s attention is devoted to its SUV and sedan models. Proton released a trio of concept cars at the Geneva Motor Show named the Emas, Emas Country and Emas3. These cars are all meant to be frugal city cars powered by cleaner engines. The names mean gold in Bahasa Malaysia and stand for Eco Mobility Advance Solution.

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In a move that would have impressed Harry Houdini, Lotus has made one thousand pounds of vehicle mass seemingly disappear – yet we still know it’s there. We’re high in the mountains above San Diego, challenging corners in the 2010 Lotus Evora, and the larger and more luxurious two-plus-two is emulating the moves of its lightweight race-ready Elise and Exige siblings.

What gives the Evora its supernatural powers? How does the all-new Evora fit into the Lotus lineup? And, most importantly, is this the first Lotus you can park in your garage without having to explain it to the neighbors?

Lotus has become synonymous with lightweight, no-frills sports cars thanks to its ass-kicking Elise roadster and Exige coupe – arguably two of the world’s best driver’s cars. Yet, despite their impressiveness on the track, the Lotus Elise and Exige are about as practical as a gutted Spec Miata when it comes to daily drivers.

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Lotus plans to develop an extended line of Evora versions, the majority of that will be launched by the year 2011. “We’ve already had a blown version of the V6 engine running on a bench,” a source within Lotus told Autocar. “It delivered 350bhp and 290lb ft of torque [up from 252lb ft in the standard car without any modifications at all.” Read the rest of this entry »

The Lotus Sport 2-Eleven GT4 Supersport race car asserts itself at the pinnacle of the 2-Eleven range, combining race winning pedigree with unparalleled handling and balance.

Building on the success of the 2-Eleven road and track variants, Lotus Sport has developed this GT4 Supersport race car to compete in the European SRO GT4 Supersports category. Read the rest of this entry »