First up is the 2015 Lotus Elise; a car described in the company’s press release as “a sexy, agile beast”…hmm. Stylistically, the new Elise concept inherits some of its predecessors’ bold body lines and marries them with more contemporary touches such as the Evora’s centre-cinched profile, as well as a futuristic face featuring narrow, slanted headlamps and a bold trapezoidal air dam.
The Elise will be offered in both coupé and cabriolet guises, effectively spelling the end of the Exige nomenclature, and the new design now sits on a longer aluminium chassis – the upshot of which will be a cabin layout that doesn’t entail the entry/exit gymnastics required of the current car.
Power is provided by a 2,0-liter four-cylinder engine with start/stop technology developing 238 kW and 330 N.m of torque. Mated with a choice of six-speed manual or DCT transmissions, Lotus claims a 0-100 km/h time of 4,3 seconds for the 1 095 kg Elise.
Next up is the company’s spiritual successor to the flying wedge of the late 70’s that was the Esprit. Set for a 2013 production date, the new Esprit eschews the previous car’s angular styling in favour of a more fluid design with a nose very similar to the first Lexus LF-A concept. The interior is a typically Lotus affair, being largely minimalist and only punctuated by a digital instrument cluster.
The Esprit gets its power from a supercharged 5,0-litre V8 engine developing 405 kW and 720 N.m of torque. A DCT transmission sends power to the rear wheels and lotus claims a 0-100 km/h time of 3,5 seconds on the way to a 330 km/h top speed. Lotus will also offer an R variant developing a massive 456 kW.
Perhaps the most unusual model on Lotus’ Paris stand is the Eterne – a svelte four-seater, mid-engined saloon also set to go on sale in 2015.
This 1 800 kg car will be powered by the same engine as the Esprit, but will also be offered with the option of a Hybrid gearbox with integrated electric motors and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery) system. The rear wheel drive model (all wheel drive is optional) will reportedly hit 100 km/h from standstill in just 4,0 seconds and have a top speed of 315 km/h.