More than 26 years after its launch, the Lotus Elise has just ceased production. Its derivatives Exige and Evora interrupt their careers at the same time. It is therefore the end of a cycle for the British brand which is preparing to market its latest thermal sports car, the Emira.
Would the Lotus brand still exist if it had not launched the Elise in 1996? Nothing certain, as the situation of the British manufacturer appeared precarious at the time. But after more than 26 years of career, three generations built on the same basis and 35,124 cars produced, the time to turn the page has come. The last copy of this small featherweight roadster has just come off the chains of Hethel, which had hardly changed since 2000.
Respectively manufactured at 10,497 and 6,117 units, the Exige and the Evora, which used the same glued aluminum chassis, were discontinued at the same time. The first was first related to a kind of Elise coupe close to the competition versions, before emancipating itself further in 2012, by swapping the four-cylinder against a V6 3.5 Toyota. A mechanism that we had discovered in 2009 in the Evora, heavier and more GT-style with its optional small rear seats.
>> Discover the history of Elise, Exige and Evora in pictures <<
A base also used by Opel and Tesla
Lotus is not the only one to have used this fairly flexible base. Tesla also used it for its very first model, the Roadster. A 100% electric sports car that only found 2,515 buyers, a far cry from the success of the Model 3 sedan. As for Opel, he had used it for one of the most spectacular models in its history, the Speedster, also called Vauxhall VX220 across the Channel. Unfortunately, with mixed commercial success, only 7,200 units had been assembled. If we add the 340R, Europa, 2-Eleven and 3-Eleven “specials”, 56,618 cars were built on this platform, including 51,738 with a Lotus logo. This represents more than half of the brand’s production during its 70 years of existence. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily enough today to ensure the viability of the brand, which since 2017 belongs to the Chinese giant Geely, also owner of Volvo and shareholder of Mercedes.
Lotus changes gear in 2022
Next spring, the manufacturer will unveil its very first SUV, only available with 100% electric motors and currently known under the code Type 132. A hell of a challenge for a brand so enamored of lightness since its inception. It is also in 2022 that should finally begin deliveries of the Evija, this hypercar of nearly 2000 hp, also devoid of any heat engine. But Lotus will also launch a sport a little closer to the Elise, Exige and especially the Evora, despite a minimum weight of 1405 kg which may shock purists: the Emira, available with an AMG four-cylinder or a Toyota V6. in rear central position. It is also in order to be able to manufacture this coupe from spring 2022 that the assembly lines of its predecessors will be dismantled. They will give way to much more modern tools, capable of ensuring production of up to 5,000 copies per year on a single line.