#exige

Despite being unveiled last year, the Lotus Exige S Roadster has been missing in action ever since. That will all change this summer, as the British automaker has confirmed it’ll be heading to dealerships – at least in Europe.

Unveiling its first new vehicle in over 70 years, the resurrected Detroit Electric car company debuted the SP:01 in the motor city last night.

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 Racing just announced a series of first public debuts during the 2013 Autosport International Show in Birmingham, U.K.

MINI’s Nurburgring-burning John Cooper Works GP hot hatch is almost here and will cost $39,950 including $700 for delivery.

Goodwood is this weekend and will feature British sports car manufacturer Lotus, a highlight for the brand’s year after company CEO Dany Bahar was dismissed only to rebut with a lawsuit. 

Truth be told, the majority of us are anxiously awaiting the release of the next generation of Lotus vehicles. But until the British automaker releases the new range, we’ll have to settle for the new Exige S Roadster. Or rather we won’t, since it won’t even be making its way to American shores.

Lotus Racing has formally announced its motorsports program for the 2012 season, where we’ll see the highly anticipated Exige R-GT make its race debut in the FIA European Rally Championship. In addition, the British automaker will enter this year’s European Le Mans Series in an Evora GTE and will also be supporting drivers in the CIK-FIA Under-18 Kart World Championship.

Lotus Motorsport achieved a couple of major milestones recently, firing up their first ever IndyCar engine while also giving their Exige R-GT Rally car its first shakedown runs – both of which occurred within 24 hours.

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.

So what is Lotus to do with the Exige now? Simple answer, make a V6 version with the engine out of the Evora. But it is no easy swap. The Toyota-sourced V6 engine is bigger, so Lotus has been running a test mule with a wider track and a longer wheelbase.

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.

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.