350-hp Lotus Evora SC coming in 2011
Click above for high-res image gallery of the Lotus Evora
When Lotus showed off its new Evora at the LA Auto Show in November, Engineering director Roger Becker made it clear that the car we were seeing was just the beginning. Lotus has never been a company with the resources to develop completely new cars every few years. Instead they design a car and then continually evolve it over the course of 10-20 years. The initial car with a naturally aspirated 3.5L V6 will hit the streets this spring with 276 hp.
A couple of years from now Lotus will stuff a supercharger into the valley between the cylinder banks to pump that up to around 350 hp. That should be enough to boost the top end from 160 mph to around 175 mph. Before that happens, however, the kids in Hethel will be adding something not seen in a Lotus for many years -- an automatic transmission -- specifically for Americans too lazy to shift. A roadster variant is also being developed, and Autocar claims that Lotus will fit the Evora with a retracting hard-top. Given the modest dimensions of Lotus' new 2+2, it'll be interesting to see if they can stuff all that hardware into the coupe without spoiling the Evora's stunning good looks.
Gallery: LA 2008: Lotus Evora
[Source: AutoCar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
kevin 10:35AM (1/08/2009)
Tesla?
Reply
Jj 10:55AM (1/08/2009)
Tesla worked with Lotus on the development of their roadster, including the styling. Some resemblance to the Tesla is not surprising, there was probably some overlap of the two projects in the Lotus design studio.
the vegas style guy 10:40AM (1/08/2009)
Maybe Americans aren't "too lazy" to shift.
Maybe they prefer not to.
Seems to me most manufacturers are switching away from the traditional manual transmission anyway.
Belgians put Mayo on their fries. Would you write "those nasty Belgians served up fries with a disgusting dollop of Mayo on them"? Japanese and English drive on the left, would you say that they are "too stupid to know which side of the road to drive on"?
I'm sick of the America bashing. I'm here for posts on cars and stuff related to cars. If I needed anti-Americanism I would watch Top Gear Tehran.
Whatever it is that Americans are, we are the key to the worlds economy and therefore if we want something (cupholders, airbags, 20" rims, etc) any sane manufacturer should probably provide it.
That one line made me forget all about the Lotus.
Thanks.
Reply
happy_penguin 10:44AM (1/08/2009)
You *arrogant* American!! :P
Eddie 10:44AM (1/08/2009)
I agree with you. I have nothing against shifting, I just would rather not. When I buy a car I want new technology, not old technology. That's why I have a DSG. My dad had a manual car for 20+ years. He will not buy a manual car today, not because he is too lazy. He grew tired of doing it for 20 years.
Will 11:39AM (1/08/2009)
Shifting just gets in the way of my shaving and texting. But seriously, I find as I get older I do indeed prefer less shifting...probably because I drive boring vehicles in boring places.
tankd0g 12:23PM (1/08/2009)
Sorry, no matter how you spin it, a slushbox in a sports car is stupid.
tankd0g 12:23PM (1/08/2009)
Eddie, nothing wrong with DSG, it's not an automatic.
Level 5 1:59PM (1/08/2009)
I for one would not drive ANYTHING RWD not in a manual unless it's an SUV. My left leg gets jealous. If I can't double-clutch when I'm feeling frisky, it's not worth it.
Ken Stamper 2:13PM (1/08/2009)
There are many things about America that are better than any other nation on earth.
But the desire to drive Lotuses with automatic transmissions is not one of them. An automatic Lotus is blasphemy and an affront to the brand's core values. It certainly won't damage them in the US, but it might in the UK (Lotus' biggest market by far), where driving an automatic sportscar is seen as really girly. If Lotus is not careful, this could be the same kind of debacle for them that the 928 was for Porsche.
IOMTT 2:53PM (1/08/2009)
As long as I can still opt for a full manual box it will be OK. I have yet to be able to execute downshifts in a car ( heel-toe ) as well as I can on a motorcycle. In most vehicles, the pedals do not like the size or shape of my feet. The best vehicle I ever owned for heel-toe...1966 Ford F100 three on the tree!!!
firstplace 5:27PM (1/08/2009)
DSG is now wide spread enough you would think any sporty car would have it as a traditional manual alternative. I currently have a regular old manual but next car I get will be dsg or some variation thereof. Philly traffic sucks without it.
Gene 9:34AM (1/09/2009)
Great post. Maybe Lotus will put some fur on the dashboard just for you.
RamblinReck89 10:44AM (1/08/2009)
What? A Lotus with a slush box? Blasphemy!
Reply
Koosh 10:57AM (1/08/2009)
saying that Americans are too lazy to shift is not necessarily "America" bashing, it's a fact. our roads, traffic density, driving habits, etc. make most people unwilling to buy a manual because they don't want to do the extra work probably for the same reason most people are unwilling to exercise... something typically referred to as laziness. how's that not true?
anyway, i love America, i love the Evora, and i would love to have one with a manual. until SMG-style transmissions all have dual-clutches, predictable shift-programming (such as on the GT-R), and lower prices, i'll row my own gears. if i want a driving experience solely operated from my right foot, i'll just do that in my daily driver.
Reply
freckles 11:31AM (1/08/2009)
if i want a driving experience solely operated from my right foot, i'll just do that in my daily driver.
I couldn't agree more. going 20 mph in rush hour traffic is no fun at all; but on the weekends when it's leisure time i am more than happy to shift my own gears.
jv2k 11:34AM (1/08/2009)
It isn't really laziness, it's just necessary. In Europe and other countries manual cars are more common because they allow owners to squeeze more power out of their tiny engines and they allow for better fuel efficiency. Besides that they are also cheaper.
In the automatics are cheap and plentiful. Naturally the majority of the population(who see cars as an appliance) wouldn't want the option that is harder to drive. Honestly I feel the same way. Manual would be for a fun car,and an automatic for a commuting car.
Big Rocket 7:02PM (1/08/2009)
@Koosh, Sam Abuelsamid, and anyone else who claims Americans are too lazy (to shift, or do anything else):
Here is the truth about the so-called laziness of the American public.
Year 1997:
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/1999/29.htm
"US workers put in the longest hours on the job in industrialized nations, clocking up nearly 2,000 hours per capita in 1997... The long working hours of US and Japanese workers... contrasts most sharply with those of European workers, who are logging progressively fewer hours on the job, particularly in the Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Sweden where hours worked in 1997 were, respectively 1,399 and 1,552 per year... In Germany (Western), the annual total of working hours was just under 1,560 in 1996..."
Circa Year 2006:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/lazear20060713.html
"Productivity growth in the United States exceeds that of the other G-7 countries and is among the worldwide leaders... the average number of hours worked in the United States exceeds that in most European countries by a good margin. For example, a typical worker in the U.S. works one eight hour day per week more than the typical worker in France and Germany."
Circa Year 2007:
http://www.startribune.com/168/story/913900.html
"we [American workers] work 16 percent more hours a year than Europeans do -- roughly an extra seven weeks."
As the facts show, Americans are too "lazy" for manual transmissions, because we are too busy working longer hours on the job. Those of you who whine about "lazy" Americans, were simply to lazy to check the facts.
Jj 11:29AM (1/08/2009)
I have no problem with an automatic being availible. I would think/hope that it's actually a DSG style paddle shift with an automatic mode (and hopefully dual clutch like the DSG)
Reply
Quan 11:30AM (1/08/2009)
The car's nice, but I wouldn't say it has "stunning good looks" personally. Also, automatic transmission bashing in car circles gets really annoying. I'm perfectly capable of rowing my own gears, but much of the time I just don't want to. That doesn't make either transmission better or worse than the other. They're just different. The elitist "I can drive a manual" mentality really should stop.
Reply