German automaker PG has teamed up with automobile designer Michael Fröhlich to create the Elektrus, a Lotus Elise-based electric vehicle that aims to be “an exclusive urbane e-Roadster with a powerful uniqueness factor.”

This futuristic-looking Roadster is supposed to have “above-average driving performance” while offering a range of around 215-miles in a vehicle that weighs in at less than 2,000-lbs thanks to some extensive carbon fiber and composite body components. Powertrain details weren’t mentioned in the press release however but PG claims it’ll hit 62-mph in under three seconds with a top speed of 155-mph and it’s believed that the Elektrus will have around 270-hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.

The Elektrus can have its cells fully charged in about eight hours from a standard household outlet and will come at a hefty price. Based on today’s conversion rates, it’ll be around $367,700 including VAT.

GALLERY: PG Elektrus

Lotus will offer the Exige in 2012 as a track-only car in America, despite killing off the street-legal Elise and Exige due to air bag laws and the discontinuation of the car’s 1.8L Toyota 4-cylinder motor.

The 2012 Exige for North America will be based on the Exige S and get a 3.5L supercharged V6 from the Evora making 345 horsepower. 60 mph comes up in 3.8 seconds and the car is good for a V-Max of 170 mph. Standard equipment should include a roll cage, harnesses, bucket seats, an electrical cut-off switch and other features that will make it legal for competition use.

The Exige is expected to carry a base price of around $85,000-$90,000, but we’ll have to wait for an official announcement from Lotus for more info.

[Source: DuPont Registry]

Lotus‘ Elise is a pretty wicked sports car straight from the factory, but with some creativity one can have a serious street/race car on their hands. This roofless Elise has been floating around the Internet for some time now, supposedly packing 305-hp in a 1500-lb body making it one ultra-lightweight, supercharged, and sequentially-shifted machine. Now its owner is willing to part ways with it for just $28,977.

The highly modified Elise features a long list of modifications, but it is a 2005 model packing just 11,000 miles on the odometer. It has been supercharged with the same Eaton MP62 supercharger Lotus uses, while an EFI stand-alone ECU and Quaife Differential ensures this isn’t your run-of-the-mill Elise. Other performance modifications include a Forced Fed race header and race cat, a ton of carbon fiber goodies from Sector111, and an ACT clutch to get the power to the ground. As options, some of the finest suspension modifications money can buy from Ohlins is available, along with top-of-the-line Alcon brakes.

It also already has a Hypersports SCCA T-1 roll cage, so it’s ready to rock on the track – which is where we believe the most fun could be had with this vehicle. Hit the source if you’re interested, it’s definitely a great price for what appears to be a well built machine.

GALLERY: R Motorsports Roofless Lotus Elise

[Source: Cars.com via Jon Sibal]

The Lotus Cup USA Series will begin its season on September 2nd at New Jersey Motorsports Park, followed by a second round at Lime Rock Park In Connecticut on October 20th.

The inaugural East Coast events kick off the series, which features both open lapping days and a time trial event. The idea is to let Lotus customers experience their car on a closed course, and operate them in the way they were intended to be driven.

Participants will also be able to receive professional instruction behind the wheel of an Evora as part of the aptly named “Evora Performance Driving Experience”.

Lotus has to clear out its hoary old inventory for the future of its “New Era,” and as such, it’s sending the Elise and Exige out of American production with some guaranteed-to-be-rare limited editions.

Production for the Elise and Exige will end August 2011 for America—Lotus cites its difficulty in sourcing Toyota’s 1.8-liter 2ZZ engine as the reason to stop building them. The final cars will be “instantly collectible,” as Lotus cites, and limited to nifty matte-black and color schemes, with supercharged engines and an impressive array of standard features.

The Elise SC Final Edition gets a supercharged 218-hp engine and matte black paint on the hardtop and mirrors. Standard features will be unprecedented for a Lotus: air conditioning, MP3-ready radio, central locking, traction control and iPod connectivity as part of the Touring pack will all be standard, as well as a a limited-slip differential. It will be available in four colors and will start at $57,500.

The Exige gets two special editions: the Exige Matte Black Final Edition gets matte black paint as reflective of its namesake, Alacantara sport seats and body-colored wings and side scoops. The Exige S260 Final Edition, on the other hand, will be available in actual hues—Lotus’s entire Metallic, Lifestyle and Limited palette is available at no extra charge—thus sparing its well-heeled owner of “Lord Vader, your car has arrived” jokes. Both cars get the same 257-hp supercharged engine with a limited-slip differential and Sport/Touring packs standard.

As per any limited edition, production will be kept to comically low examples. The Elise SC will only see 15 examples built, while the Exige Matte Black Final Edition and the Exige 260 will be numbered up to 25 and 30, respectively.

It’s safe to assume that all models have been spoken for, which really leaves this announcement as a tease for budding Lotus fans.

GALLERY: Lotus Final Editions

According to a report from Autoblog North American-spec production of the Lotus Elise and Exige will end in August, leaving the brand with only the Evora to sell as its sole product.

Since its debut in 2004 the Elise, and its hardtop Exige sibling have won accolades from enthusiasts and journalists alike, but have always been a niche product. The end of the Toyota 2ZZ engine, which powered the Elise on our shores, likely contributed to this decision.

The Elise will continue to be sold in Europe with a new 1.6L four-cylinder engine until a replacement arrives in 2015.

[Source: Autoblog]

With the new Lotus models looming on the horizon, current Lotus owners may be looking for new ways to spice up their ride before the new model range kicks off in 2015. Tecnocraft, an American manufacturer of carbon fiber products, seems to be listening to the demand, developing a program for the current model Lotus Elise and Exige.

No actual details have been released from Tecnocraft on the products that will be available, but these photos may be provide some hints. Clearly replacement carbon fiber seats will be available, saving some weight in an already svelte vehicle. The exterior meanwhile looks to get some carbon fiber inserts on the hood.

[Source: GTspirit]

GALLERY: Tecnocraft Lotus Carbon Fiber Parts

Of all the automakers that offer winter driving schools, Lotus seems like the worst fit. With their famous British reliability and bare metal cabin surfaces, the prospect of driving a Lotus in freezing temperatures strikes us as a task fit for British masochists like Max Mosley.

But with Lotus’ re-branding, a new emphasis on the “lifestyle” aspects of the company and the Evora’s actual inclusion of fabric and leather interior trim pieces, taking one of the mid-engined supercars out for a jaunt in the snow may not be so punishing anymore.

At their new Finnish facility 60 km south of the Arctic Circle, guests will learn to deal with understeer, oversteer, steering and throttle techniques and also be able to partake in activities like ice fishing, snowmobiling and “reindeer driving”. We’d gladly pay the $2895 entry fee for that activity alone.

[Source: Lotus]

Yesterday Lotus Cars began what the storied British automaker is calling a “New Era” launching an entire lineup of vehicles at one auto show. A total of five new models graced the Lotus stand, including the new Esprit, a second-generation Elise, the flagship Elite and even a 4-door model called Eterne. Details were scarce, but Kevin Smith, head of publications for Lotus Cars USA has shed some light on each of the five models.

Smith says the automaker is confident it will bring all five models to market, based on the same versatile vehicle architecture used for the current Evora and with a funding commitment from Lotus parent company Proton.

First to market will be the Esprit, with an on-sale date set for the Spring of 2013. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber it will be a true exotic, using a supercharged version of the Lexus 5.0-liter V8 making 542-hp in standard trim and a whopping 612-hp in R-spec trim. As Lotus Cars CEO Dany Bahar said at the introduction of the Esprit concept, “The icon is back.”

Following the Esprit will be the Elan, launching in the Fall of 2013 as a coupe, with a convertible model set to follow. As a competitor to the Porsche 911, Smith guarantees it will be a true rival. Using a 4.0-liter version of the Toyota-sourced V6 found in the Evora, the Elan will be 200-lbs lighter. An R-Spec model will also be offered, boasting 450-hp. Both it, and the Elise, will use a combination of aluminum and composite materials to keep weight to a minimum. In addition, Lotus will offer both the Esprit and the Elan as a hybird.

The flagship for the new Lotus will follow six months later in the Spring of 2014, with a standard trim making 612-hp. A hybrid option will be offered and this grand touring exotic comes exclusively with a retractable hardtop.

Spring of 2015 will see the launch of the second-generation Lotus Elise. Gaining size and weight over the current car the new Elise will come in at between 2,300 and 2,400 lbs and Smith promises will be easier to get into than even the new Evora model. Power will come from a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with forced induction (either a turbocharger or supercharger), making a total of 316-hp. That should be enough to deliver a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds. Plus, those in search of a fuel efficient sports car will be able to get it with the new Elise as Lotus also plans to offer a hybrid option. Unlike the rest of the hybrids in the Lotus lineup, the Elise will be a mild hybrid (like the Honda system) and feature start-stop technology. And while Lotus looks to expand and grow as an automaker, it also wants to retain its core customers with the next gen Elise, with Bahar commenting at the Lotus press conference that it would retain its, “cheaky charm.”

Completing the new Lotus lineup is the Eterne 4-door sports sedan. Again, based on the same architecture, its designed as a rival to the likes of the Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte, but wont hit the market until the Fall of 2015.

In addition to these, Lotus is also considering a city car, but that is very much up-in-the-air at this point says Smith. The goal with the five concepts shown is to expand Lotus production and sell between 7,500 and 8,000 vehicles annually.

Often production models don’t live up to the hype of the concepts, but Smith reassured us that the models on display in Paris are 90 to 95 percent representative of the planned road cars.

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar noted that the current Elise has been on sale for nearly 15 years, and we couldn’t but help wonder if it really needs replacing. In our minds, the Elise could go for another 15 and still look timeless, like the Citroen DS or Acura NSX.

According to Bahar, the current Elise must evolve into something more in line with Lotus’ anticipated customer base. The bare-bones roadster thrills are out, and the new geometric styling regime is in, along with a 320 horsepower 2.0L Toyota four-cylinder engine. A 6 speed manual and a (gasp) paddle shift automatic are available, with the car tipping the scales at 2,409 pounds – light by today’s standards, but nearly 500 lbs more than a current Elise, for the hefty price of $55,000.

If this car will help save Lotus, then so be it, but deep in our hearts, the one true Elise will always be the one that made you trip and fall whenever you tried to enter or exit the car.

Gallery: Lotus Elise Concept