#elise

Lotus is definitely working on a new crossover, but it’s not abandoning sports cars.

Don’t expect to see a revolutionary new Lotus Elise when the next-generation model bows in 2020.

Lotus sold 2,015 cars last year, marking a big increase over its performance in the previous fiscal year.

New Lotus owners will be able to take delivery of their vehicles in the U.K.

Titanium, it’s both light and strong… and pretty expensive. But the benefits may out-“weight” the tradeoffs for Lotus, as the premium sports-car builder is exploring the dusty silver-hued metal for use in its vehicles.

With rumors of a future for Lotus swirling, the company will live on as its new owner DRB-Hicom has signed off on a three-year plan to fund the British sports car maker.

Lotus is recalling 546 of its sports cars in North America because of a problem with an oil cooler line that could become detached.

Lotus Elise and Exige sports cars manufactured between June 1, 2004 and November 30, 2006 are subject to replacement of a faulty oil cooler line, which may be prone to leak oil or suffer from the line detaching completely. If attention isn’t given at a timely matter, the defect can cause slippery oil to coat the tires, smoke, or even fires.

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.

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.

Lotus has officially announced that Lotus is opening dealerships in China. Lotus China Symphony will be appointed as the official distributor for the British sports cars in China. The dealership will be based out of Beijing and will offer a full range of Lotus sports cars including the Evora, the Elise and the Exige.

Lotus has plans to improve both the Elise and Evora with a list of 150 items. Improvements are centered around the Evora, and are designed to boost dwindling sales and bridge the styling gap between the current car and the next wave of Lotus’ due 2013.

The Lotus Elan has been put on hold indefinitely, reportedly due to the rather obvious fact that the concept was too close to the brand’s current Evora model. Previously, rumors had indicated Lotus was taking a close look at both the Esprit and Elite models, which share many of the same components and have similar style, in order to further separate two two vehicles.

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.