- Design to be heavily inspired by the Lotus Evija.
- Power will come from hybrid V6 sourced from Toyota.
- Could be ready for 2021.
Few nameplates at Lotus are better known than Esprit. Thank James Bond and the 70s super-super sports car’s incredible styling for that. A few years ago, Lotus announced plans to revamp their lineup and it seems as though they are going ahead with the plan. Whether it will be called Esprit or not, this new Lotus car will set the tone for the British car company’s future.
This new Lotus will be built on the Evora’s extruded aluminium platform and will not replace the latter. The Evora, despite being 12 years old, should continue on for a short while. This new “Esprit” would sit above it in Lotus’ portfolio and bring with it styling cues introduced with the Evija. Powering the new car will be a Toyota-derived hybrid V6 which will be fitted with hybrid technology based on Geely’s other holding, Volvo. Output could reach beyond 500-horsepower.
In Autocar’s story, we learn that Lotus is also actively developing a new rivet-bonded platform which could revive the Elan name in time. Rumours of a Lotus SUV are still alive and well, as is Lotus.
