Lotus unveiled the stunning Evija yesterday, but a number of fans had an important question – where are the replacements for the aging Elise, Exige and Evora?
Lotus CEO Phil Popham is now providing the answer as he talked about the company’s future with Autocar. He explained, the automaker believes “that if you want to make ripples, you have to make a splash.” As a result, the first all-new Lotus unveiled under Geely’s ownership was the eye-catching Evija.
While model costs a staggering £1.7 ($2.1 / €1.9) million, Popham confirmed the company’s core models will start in the mid £50,000 ($62,176 / €55,394) range. They’ll also go up to well over £100,000 ($124,352 / €110,777).
Once all 130 units of the Evija have been built, the company will focus on their core lineup. Popham didn’t go into too many specifics, but confirmed a new “combustion-powered sports car” will be introduced late next year. It will go on sale in 2021, but there’s no word on what it is at this point.
The upcoming model will have a petrol engine, but Popham said vehicles that arrive later will be available with an electric powertrain. The executive also suggested the company could skip hybrids altogether, but that’s not a certainty at this point.
Little is known about the upcoming sports car, but it will likely resemble the Evija as the company has previously said the car “signals the start of a contemporary new design language” for Lotus. The automaker also revealed the design will “evolve and reappear on future high-performance cars.”
Also Read: Lotus Evija Debuts With 1,973 HP, Will Become World’s Most Powerful Road Car
Lotus vehicles are a relatively rare sight, but that could change in the future. Popham noted the company sold 1,700 cars last year, but has the capacity to build over 5,000 units on a single shift at their Hethel plant. He went on to say two shifts could increase their annual production capacity to 10,000 units, but he believes Lotus could “outgrow” even that.
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