Lotus

If you fell in love with the De Lorean in the Back to the Future movie series, the good news is that in 2013, you'll be able to buy a real one again. It won't have a flux capacitor, won't time-travel and it'll still be a thirty year-old design (albeit styled by Giugiaro and structurally redesigned by Colin Chapman of Lotus fame after De Lorean himself screwed up the first design), but it will have a 200+ bhp electric motor (the original had an asthmatic V6 producing 130 bhp) and those awesome gull-wing doors and it'll be … errr ... really cool. No, really! It won't be called the DMC-12 any more either, because the 12 stood for its new price at launch - US$12,000. The new one will cost you between US$90,000 and US$100,000. Read More

There have been a number of contenders for the title of world's coolest police car featured on gizmag over the years, among them a number of Lotus models. This time the British marque is venturing away from home soil and into the heart of sportscar land where it will join the Italian Carabinieri. Read More

Dale Vince, founder of British green power company Ecotricity, decided two years ago that he wanted to create a flashy, fun, fast automobile, that ran on nothing but electricity created by his company's own wind turbines. Vince and his team proceeded to buy and gut a used Lotus Exige, outfitted it with two electric motors, and after 18 months ended up with the Nemesis – a one-of-a-kind 170 mph green machine that reportedly eats V12 Ferraris for breakfast. Read More

It looks like the folks at Lotus were busy in the lead up to the 2010 Paris Motor Show with the company unveiling no less than five new concept models taking center stage at what was the most crowded press conference at the show. Under Malaysian Proton ownership since 1996, the group seems to be ready to revive the name globally with the five new concepts all set to go into production and be released over the next few years. Read More

When you think Lotus, you think diminutive, somewhat stripped-back sportscars, but the company is signaling a new direction with the roll-out of the Elite production prototype at the Paris Motor Show later this month. The 2+2 Elite GT is, well, bigger – more room, more comfort, more weight (at 1650kg it's almost 300kg heavier than the Evora) and a front-mid positioned 5.0-litre V8 engine delivering up to 456kW and 720Nm of torque. There's also a hybrid technology option with Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) on offer as well as a retractable hardtop version. The promised performance specs are impressive – 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in around 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 315 km/h (195 mph). If you're in the market for a supercar in the US$180K price range you'll have to be patient though, the Lotus Elite isn't scheduled for production until 2014. Read More

Lotus Engineering has announced plans to develop its Range Extender Engine for series production. First shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Range Extender is a 1.2 liter, three-cylinder engine designed specifically for series hybrid vehicles. Read More

Lotus rolled-out this carbon fiber clad Evora showcar alongside its 414E Hybrid plug-in concept at the 80th Geneva Motorshow. Retaining the same aluminum chassis of the production car, the Evora Carbon Concept mixes exposed carbon fiber panels - including a structural carbon fiber roof - with white pearlescent paint and diamond cut forged 19” alloy wheels. Read More

Set to debut at the 80th International Geneva Motor Show, the Lotus Evora 414E concept is a hybrid plug-in technology demonstrator that uses a 1.2 liter, three-cylinder engine and independent electric motors for each of the rear wheels. The result is 0-60 mph (97 kph) in under 4 seconds and power output of 414 PS (306 kW). The claimed range of over 300 miles (483 km) and glass engine cover are also impressive, but one of the most interesting aspects of the car is its sound system. To address concerns about pedestrian safety raised by the arrival of near silent EVs and hybrids, Lotus has worked with Harman International to develop "HALOsonic", a "noise solution" that works externally to alert pedestrians and internally to give you the fun of real engine sounds. Read More

A new hybrid-electric concept car from PROTON featuring a Lotus Engineering drivetrain will debut in Geneva next month. Lotus has designed the entire drivetrain for the plug-in hybrid city car, combining the 3 cylinder, 1.2 liter Lotus Range Extender engine unveiled in Frankfurt last year with a single-speed transmission electrical drive system. Read More