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Lotus Showcases New Elise at Los Angeles Auto Show

Lightweight Lotus Zips to 60 in Less Than 5 Seconds

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 garages with little brand identity adorning their establishments.

The upgraded version of its Elise sports car that previewed at the 2004 Los Angeles Auto Show last week will certainly do much to enhance the brands image. This much-anticipated model will be

The much-anticipated Lotus Elise will be available on this side of the Atlantic by late May, 2004. (Photo: Lotus Cars USA)

available on this side of the Atlantic by late May, 2004.

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

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

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 the worlds most reliable automaker, breaking the age-old British sports car image of poor 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 (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

It has been nearly 14 years since Lotus has introduced a new model in North America. (Photo: Lotus Cars USA)

since the company has introduced a new model in North America, that being the 1990 debut of the short-lived Elan roadster.

On the subject of succeeding in the states, Mark OShaughnessy, director of sales and marketing for Lotus Cars USA Inc., commented to Reuters just before the unveiling, "I think its a question of being able to offer the right product."

OShaughnessy offered that the new Elises target buyer would most likely be both older men looking for what he dubbed a "fun machine," along with younger people capable of spending a higher price for "style and performance."

And just what kind of performance can be expected of 190-hp? Being extremely lightweight, thanks to its bonded and extruded aluminum chassis, the Elise will zip from zero to 60 mph in less than five seconds

Lotus distribution will be "relatively widespread," with top-tier sports car retailers across the continent offering new cars for sale. (Photo: Lotus Cars USA)

and top out at a maximum speed of 150 mph.

Dont attempt to find a stand-alone Lotus dealer, as expected sales still wont warrant a major investment by retailers. But just the same OShaughnessy said Lotus 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 regions. The comment was a great setup for his follow-up quip, "Wed like to see our performance improve on the West Coast, frankly."

A price for the Elise has yet to be announced, and is not expected until sometime in the first quarter of 2004 to correspond with a dealer launch of the new car. More information about the Elise can be found at the companys U.S. website at www.lotuscars.com.

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