We knew that, in addition to the Evija electric hyper sports car, Lotus was developing a new sports car, the Type 131 , to stand out above the Evora and with significant historical potential — there are several rumors that it will be the last Lotus with an internal combustion engine.
Now, we see the first teaser of the new model and… surprise. It is not one, but three models that are being anticipated, identical in volume, but differentiated by their luminous signatures.
According to the official statement from the brand, the Type 131 will be a “new series of sports cars” — plural. Will they take the place of the three Lotus currently on sale? Or will it be three different new models? We will have to wait a few more months...
Simultaneously with the announcement of the Type 131, Lotus announced the end of production this year of all its models currently on sale, namely, the Elise, Exige and Evora. Nothing says the end of an era more than finishing production of its entire range at once.
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Besides the image, little or nothing else Lotus advanced on the Type 131 — whose final name should start with an “E”, as is the brand's tradition. What we know comes only from rumors and the observation of test prototypes that are already circulating, camouflaged, on public roads.
The or the new sports cars will maintain the Lotus architecture we know today, that is, the engine will continue to be in a central rear position, but will debut a new platform, still of the aluminum space frame type, technology introduced with the first Elise in 1995 .
What engine will it have? At the moment there is only speculation. The first rumors indicated a hybrid model, positioned above the Evora, that would marry a V6 (is it still of Toyota origin?) with an electric motor. But now we see three models that, if they come to directly replace the Elise, Exige and Evora, will have different positions and, therefore, different engines.
vision80
The development and launch of the — or the — Type 131s is just one part of the Vision80 plan, outlined in 2018, following the acquisition of Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering by Geely (Volvo owner Polestar, Lynk & Co and will develop and produce the next generation of Smart) in 2017.
In addition to the Type 131 and the well-known Evija, the Vision80 plan will also involve an investment of over 112 million euros in Lotus' facilities in Hethel, where the new sports cars will be produced, giving the British brand the possibility to handle higher volumes of production. 250 additional employees will be hired, which will join the 670 already hired since September 2017.
Goodbye Elise, Exige and Evora
Finally, this plan also indicates the end of production of the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora. As brilliant as they are at delivering a unique driving experience, they are even considered benchmarks in many respects, but they are out of date for the challenges facing the automotive industry in this period of transformation.
Until they leave production, Lotus expects the three models to reach, together, an accumulated production of 55 thousand units (since launch). During this year we will see several activities by the brand to celebrate these three models, starting, as Lotus says, with the “older, the iconic Lotus Elise”.
