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2005 Lotus Elise Preview Update

New Lightweight Sports Car Makes Rivals Seem Obese

Lotus, the famed British racing green adorned brand that instilled fear in the hearts of the majority of its on-track competitors in the 60s and 70s, doesnt sell many cars in North America.

Its Esprit V8, while wonderfully agile in the corners and rakishly exotic to see on the street is decades old architecturally. Whats more, its purveyors are often independent showrooms or garages with little brand identity adorning their establishments.

While stand-alone proprietary dealerships would be nice, the boutique manufacturer isnt

Lotus is poised for a major North American splash with its striking Elise. (Photo: Lotus Cars U.S.A.)

about to invest mega-millions into anything other than product research and development, which is just fine with me. My local dealer does a better job at servicing customers needs than most any premium product company store anyway.

On the subject, Mark OShaughnessy, director of sales and marketing for Lotus Cars USA Inc., said Lotus

Comments from Mark OShaughnessy, director of sales and marketing for Lotus Cars USA Inc. indicate the demand for the Elise has been strong and widespread. (Photo: Lotus Cars U.S.A.)

distribution will be "relatively widespread," with top-tier sports car retailers across the continent offering new cars for sale.

OShaughnessy coyly commented on Esprit sales mentioning that they have been "relatively even nationwide," accentuating his surprise that sales in colder jurisdictions where convertible sports cars traditionally shouldnt sell as well are similar to those in warmer

Helping boost the early demand for the Elise is the rumored low sticker price. (Photo: Lotus Cars U.S.A.)

regions. The comment was a great setup for his follow-up quip, "Wed like to see our performance improve on the West Coast, frankly."

The new Elise should help sales pick up dramatically if priced as low as the rumor mill is reporting. It previewed at the 2004 Los Angeles Auto Show last month, and will certainly do much to enhance the brands image as well.

Lotus, now owned by Malaysian national carmaker Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (Proton), will continue to manufacture the Elise, long since available in

The Elise features a 190-horsepower 16-valve DOHC Toyota 4-cylinder engine. (Photo: Lotus Cars U.S.A.)

European markets, in the brands Norfolk, England assembly facility.

Hardly supercar specifications, the Elise features a 190-horsepower 16-valve DOHC Toyota 4-cylinder engine. While a lightweight compared to the 350-hp Esprit, the North American spec Elise will be more powerful than the international version of the car. Whats more, Lotus is smart to associate itself with what many consider to be the worlds most reliable automaker, breaking the age-old British sports car image of unreliable daily usability.

Lotus announced a goal to sell approximately 2,000 new Elises per year in the United States. Over the space of seven years

The appeal of the Elise also appears to be wide spread, attracting potential buyers both young and old. (Photo: Lotus Cars U.S.A.)

(it became available in the summer of 1996); the European spec Elise has found more than 17,000 buyers.

Of course, a limited number of these European Elises have found their way to North America, but not officially. It has been nearly 14 years since the company has introduced a new model in North America, that being the 1990 debut of the short-lived Elan roadster.

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