Proton which owns the Lotus brand announced a revitalized business plan for its future. At the moment, Lotus produces three models, with the Exige and the Elise considered as hardcore track cars. The Evora without a doubt is a luxury sports ride but is not yet at par with the likes of Ferrari.

The new branding as the sports car of the future is a side step from the idea Lotus have been known for: lightness as the number one factor. Lotus promises to come up with competitive sports car for the luxury segment by 2015 with sticker prices expected to start at $123,000 and going as high as $159,000. Lotus is also making progress on giving the Evora an automatic transmission, a similar moves being done by other sports car manufacturers too.

The upcoming lineup of Lotus will highlight advanced automotive technology like the dual clutch transmission with seven speeds. Another crucial feature will be their active aerodynamics. These two advancements are similar to the technologies being used by the 458 Italia by Ferrari. Lotus will also inject some variable dampers to give the cars a more luxurious feel.

The British carmaker is also planning to introduce green technologies for hybrids and EVs. Right now, the focus of Lotus is move up the ladder and compete with Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, and Ferrari. The brand will still keep their hardcore models like the Exige and the Elise while executing their new business plan.

The Evora 414E hybrid will rely on the power of lithium polymer battery packs powering the electric motors linked to each rear wheel. Each of the electric motor has an output of 207 horsepower so multiply the figure by two and you will see that the name of the hybrid vehicle is derived from that.

The batteries of the hybrid Lotus can last for about 35 miles before the 1.2L gasoline engine will be activated to recharge the batteries. The total range of the car is about 300 miles.

Each motor provides the car with a torque of 295 feet pounds and that explains how the Evora 414E hybrid can blast from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds. Each electric motor utilizes a reduction transmission with single speed but the vehicle assures maximum traction with a torque vectoring system. The car also has a sports mode which simulates paddle shifting to give that car a real good fast ride.

The Evora Hybrid will also showcase the HALOsonic Sound Synthesis which warns pedestrians that the car is approaching. This basically gives the car a sound of a V6, V12 or a rather futuristic propulsion sound depending on the preference of the driver.

The Evora concept seems to have the looks and the technology to make it a hit.

The paper documents the planned specifics of the sales pitch to other carmakers. The Evora platform being licensed for other manufacturers is a long shot though and may be a hurdle high enough to block the flood of affordable Evora-based vehicles.

The 2010 Evora of Lotus is actually depending on a V6 from the Toyota line of DNA that can squeeze out some 276 horsepower. The main lines of the vehicle are designed to cater for both style and performance unlike the more aggressive Exige and Elise models.

The architecture of the Evora follows the Versatile Vehicle principle of Lotus. This entails a modular design which can easily be manipulated to conform to certain purposes. The architecture also favors cheaper manufacturing compared to the riveted and bonded aluminum parts being used by the Elise cars. Replicating the Evora platform is also very easy and cheap.

We are pretty sure that there will be announcements soon if the platform of the Evora will really be licensed for consumption of other carmakers. It is a wait and see game.

The British car manufacturer Lotus assisted in the development of the electric cars of Chrysler and Tesla and there are now assumptions that Lotus aims for a chunk of the market by competing with these brands.

The Lotus electric sports car is yet to be named but company officials share that it will be similar to the Fisker Karma or the Chevrolet Volt. Its batteries will be recharged by an internal combustion engine when they start depleting. Such a design shows the DNA of the Lotus in other EV cars like the Dodge EV and the Tesla Roadster.

The designers also hint of a prototype of the Lotus electric sports car soon.

Upon production the Lotus EV speed monster is expected to be ahead of the pact or among green tech pillars Ruf, Fisker Automotive, and Tesla. Other manufacturers are also spending a lot of money and effort in coming up with good performing EVs like the Mitsubishi iMiEV and the Mini E but they are not primarily built for speed.

Lotus did not reveal details about the car or the engine but discloses that it will go for 300 to 400 miles and it will really live up to the expectations of being one of the best electric cars in the world.

A lot of people are wondering how the car will look like. Lotus is spending around $90 million in lower emission technology and has helped other car companies come up with their EVs. We are sure that Lotus can come up with something exciting— maybe they will just tweak a bit the DNA of the Evora.

I have to say the Evora looks a lot more feminine than any other Lotus I’ve ever laid my eyes on, which will make it a lot more marketable to a new market for Lotus: that of people with an interest to what their (future) wife/girlfriend likes.

Source is Wheeltronix – New Lotus Evora post.