Skeptics said it was a pipe dream, but flamboyant CEO Dany Bahar kept insisting that the future product portfolio on display -- an intriguing mix of front- and mid-engine sports cars designed by Donato Coco (who, like Bahar, had defected from Ferrari) -- and the required U.K.-based infrastructure updates were fully funded. Six months later, however, facts had caught up with fiction. It was clear by then that the implementation of the proposed lineup would take much more time. Lotus would have to turn the Elise and the Evora (which originally were unloved by the new management) into vastly improved lifesavers, and the available funds would at best cover only one new product, namely the Esprit that's due to be unveiled at the 2013 Geneva show.
To reduce expense and complexity, all models share a similar aluminum spaceframe, the same cabin and cockpit layout, a standardized driveline configuration, and a closely related control-arm suspension. R&D chief Wolf Zimmermann expects the parts commonality to be in the area of 50 percent across the range. "We are going with a choice of steel or carbon-ceramic brakes by Mov'it, a push-button parking brake by Continental, electronics by Bosch, lithium-ion batteries by A123, a multifunction steering wheel by Sparco -- the list is long. Together with these suppliers, we are working hard to keep the weight down and to improve overall efficiency. Are we getting there? I think so."
The base Esprit should consume no more fuel than its chief competitors, is said to achieve about 24 mpg as a hybrid, and should be good for a planet-saving 48 mpg in plug-in-hybrid form. As befits a proper sports car, battery power not only turns the new Lotus into a part-time full-electric model, its instant torque provides a strong acceleration boost.
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