Lotus City Car
The Lotus City Car – a range-extender 1.2 litre 3-pot – will go on sale in 2013.
At the Paris Motor Show back in September Lotus arrived with more ‘New’ cars than any other car maker – much to everyone’s amazement. There was everything from the mid-engined Lotus Esprit to the Rapide-challenging four-door supercar that was the Lotus Eterne.
In amongst the supercar-fest – that included the aforementioned Lotus Eterne and new Lotus Esprit – was the Lotus Elite, a new Lotus Elan and a new new Lotus Elise, a total of five new Lotus cars designed to turn Lotus in to an East Anglian Aston Martin.
The trouble is – despite Lotus having a £770 million borrowing facility available to achieve their plans – the only one of the Lotus Sports cars actually under development is the Esprit. And that’s been planned for about the last decade.
But there is one other Lotus actively being developed and which was also at Frankfurt – admittedly with a much lower profile – and that’s the Lotus City Car. And it’s the Lotus City Car that is now confirmed for 2013 according to Car Magazine.
Lotus plan on building two versions of the City Car – one for Europe and one for Asia – with a 3-pot 1.2 litre range-extender petrol engine charging batteries which drive the electric motor. Lotus also plan a sportier version of the City Car.
However, we’re not certain this City Car will be a Lotus. Lotus are not actively working on the City Car – they’re at capacity with current models and the Esprit – so Proton and “another OEM” are developing the car, and the plan seems to be to complete development – and start production – overseas.
Lotus, Proton or whatever badge it gets, the ‘Lotus’ City Car will arrive in 2013.
Have your say - leave a comment