Lotus Europa Getting the Axe by Year's End
Lotus will cease production of the slow-selling Europa model later this year. Designed as a more refined option to the Elise and Exige twins, the Europa was also based on the same chassis. Introduced in 2006, it essentially filled a slot in the Lotus lineup until the Evora was introduced, filling a spot for a more comfortable and luxurious model. Proof that even Lotus execs thought it didn’t do a very good job as a placeholder was the fact that the British sports car maker never brought the car to North America.
According to a report by Autoblog, European Lotus dealers have stopped taking orders for the Europa, with the plant completing the current lineup of orders before the model is quietly dismissed.
As a “replacement” the Evora brings an all new and more civilized chassis to the Lotus lineup that is more likely to appeal to buyers of more traditional sports cars – like Porsches. It’s also larger, more luxurious and more expensive. After decades of offering niche market products, Lotus now appears to be ready to target a larger audience with more mainstream products. In fact, in a recent discussion with one Lotus exec, we were told that even the new Evora represents the “old Lotus.”
Read our review of the all-new Evora below
[Source: Autoblog]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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Unfortunately the Europa will always be remembered for being "not quite an Elise". Basing it on an Elise but without the raw power, aggression and bare-bones appeal that makes the Elise so successful has clearly proven to be a mistake. It's just a shame the Europa wasn't judged purely on it's own merits: a great looking, affordable and seriously fun-to-drive sports car. It will be interesting to see how the Evora fares, it is far less affordable than the rest of the Lotus line-up and its price tag places it squarely against some seriously stiff competition.
Remember the ill fate 968 CS? Porsche ceased production of this not-so-powerfull but great handling model after only four years or five years. It could never step out the 911 shadow but hey, try to find one of these light weight cars today. In other words, give the Lotus Europa SE some years and people will finally understand it's concept and potential.