Lotus-Elise-S-2012-Car

Photos & reviews of Lotus Elise S 2012 with 220HP and Elise SPS Autos: The most popular car in Lotus’ lineup is up for its annual model year upgrade with the presentation of the Elise S that features a new supercharged four-banger and the Elise SPS that utilizes a new lightweight, robotized automated manual transmission. Starting with the Elise S, it replaces the Elise SC with a new 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder engine generating 220-horsepower. According to the British firm, the Elise S is more fuel efficient and delivers lower CO2 emission than the outgoing Elise SC. Lotus has not yet released any specific performance numbers or fuel economy figures.

As for the Elise SPS, it combines the 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with a robotised automated manual transmission that allows the driver to switch between manual and automatic driving modes via paddles fixed to the steering column.

Photos Lotus Elise S 2012 with 220HP and Elise SPS Autos:

Lotus-Cutting-Australia-Car-2010

List prices of Lotus Cutting from $10,000 to $18,500 in Australia: Following the Australian government’s move to reduce import duties earlier this year, Lotus Cars of Australia has announced significant price reductions across the model range, with savings of up to $18,500.
Lotus Cars Australia Managing Director John Startari explains: “The government’s import duty reduction at the start of 2010 has offered some assistance, whilst favorable foreign exchange rates have been a further catalyst to these announced price changes.”

The British automaker’s range starts with the facelifted 2011 Elise, formerly known as the Elise S, that’s priced from AU$69,990. The 2011 model year Elise R and SC as well as the Exige S and Cup 260, all see a AU$10,000 base vehicle price reduction, while the 2-Eleven, an AU$18,500 drop.

The Evora flagship sportscar is also reduced by $10,000, in both 2+0 and 2+2 versions, and now starts from AU$139,000.

Furthermore, Lotus’ Australian arm has also announced adjustments to retail pricing for all Option packs, stand-alone Options and Metallic, Lifestyle and Premium paint throughout the Lotus Elise and Evora platform.

images of Lotus Cutting autos in Australia

Lotus-Evora-414E-Hybrid-Debuts-Autos-2010

New autos 2010: Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Debuts at the Geneva Motor Show: Lotus is officially throwing its hat into the “hybrid sports car” ring. Hot on the heels of Porsche, the British featherweight world champion is going to be debuting its own plug-in racer based on the Evora’s Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) platform, the Evora 414E. In their own words, they consider it a “high performance technology demonstrator”. Sounds cool.

The purpose of this 414-horsepower hybrid is to showcase the latest in Lotus hybrid tech, something the 414E does in spades. First off, those 414 horses come from two electric motors powering each rear wheel (at 207 PS / 204 hp each).

Next, the torque: 295 lb-ft. Per wheel. Each motor sends torque through its own single-speed transission (the two are combined in one housing), while the power is stored in the only place Lotus would ever store a battery pack: dead center in the car, for balance’s sake. Now you can see that Lotus is serious. But how is it a hybrid?

On pure electricity, the car will zoom around for 35 miles, and that’s just plain no fun. After those 35 miles, the Lotus Range Extender engine kicks in (if you’re thinking Volt, you’re spot on) offering a total driving range of 300 miles or 480 kilometers.

An 85-kilo 1.2 liter 3-cylinder that puts out 48 PS (47hp / 35 kW), its only purpose is to charge the motors (meaning it never directly drives the vehicle). When the batteries need to be charged, it’ll be an overnight process.

As for performance, Lotus claims that the Evora 414E Hybrid can sprint from standstill to 60mph (96km/h) in less than 4.0 seconds.

The best part: all that tech isn’t just the power/drive train. There’s so much more cool stuff. For the car’s look, Lotus Design has put together a unique copper-tinted paint scheme to evoke the idea of “electrical systems”. Neat, but how does it feel different than a Lotus-derived Tesla? Glad you asked.

First, there’s the previously-mentioned one-speed transmission. A computer system synthesizes the feeling of driving a pseudo-manual transmission; to the driver, it’s going to feel like driving a paddle-shifted seven-speed DCT.

Then there’s a system called HALOsonic (co-developed with Harman International) which supposedly simulates the sound of various engines (V6, V12, “futuristic”, etc.) to the driver and people outside the car.

The Lotus Evora 414E: a hybrid sports car that offers people to adjust how it sounds and feels. An automotive mood ring. The way of the future? Who knows…

Pictures of New autos 2010: Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Debuts: