2005 Lotus Elise Review

New Lightweight Sports Car Makes Rivals Seem Obese

Lotus, the famed British racing green adorned brand that instilled fear in the hearts of the majority of its on-track competitors in the 60s and 70s, doesnt sell many cars in North America.

Its Esprit V8, while wonderfully agile in the corners and rakishly exotic to see on the street is decades old architecturally. Whats more, its purveyors are often independent showrooms or garages with little brand identity adorning their establishments.

While stand-alone proprietary dealerships would be nice, the boutique manufacturer isnt about to invest mega-millions into anything other than product research and development, which is just fine with me. My local dealer does a better job at servicing customers needs than most any premium product company store anyway.

On the subject, Mark OShaughnessy, director of sales and marketing for Lotus Cars USA Inc., said Lotus distribution will be “relatively widespread,” with top-tier sports car retailers across the continent offering new cars for sale.

OShaughnessy coyly commented on Esprit sales mentioning that they have been “relatively even nationwide,” accentuating his surprise that sales in colder jurisdictions where convertible sports cars traditionally shouldnt sell as well are similar to those in warmer regions. The comment was a great setup for his follow-up quip, “Wed like to see our performance improve on the West Coast, frankly.”

The new Elise should help sales pick up dramatically if priced as low as the rumor mill is reporting. It previewed at the 2004 Los Angeles Auto Show last month, and will certainly do much to enhance the brands image as well.

Lotus, now owned by Malaysian national carmaker Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (Proton), will continue to manufacture the Elise, long since available in European markets, in the brands Norfolk, England assembly facility.

Hardly supercar specifications, the Elise features a 190-horsepower 16-valve DOHC Toyota 4-cylinder engine. While a lightweight compared to the 350-hp Esprit, the North American spec Elise will be more powerful than the international version of the car. Whats more, Lotus is smart to associate itself with what many consider to be the worlds most reliable automaker, breaking the age-old British sports car image of unreliable daily usability.

Lotus announced a goal to sell approximately 2,000 new Elises per year in the United States. Over the space of seven years (it became available in the summer of 1996); the European spec Elise has found more than 17,000 buyers.

Of course, a limited number of these European Elises have found their way to North America, but not officially. It has been nearly 14 years since the company has introduced a new model in North America, that being the 1990 debut of the short-lived Elan roadster.

On the subject of succeeding in the American market, Mark OShaughnessy, director of sales and marketing for Lotus Cars USA Inc., commented to Reuters just before the unveiling, “I think its a question of being able to offer the right product.”

OShaughnessy offered that the new Elises target buyer would most likely be both older men looking for what he dubbed a “fun machine,” along with younger people capable of spending a higher price for “style and performance.”

And just what kind of performance can be expected from 190-hp? Being extremely lightweight, thanks to its bonded and extruded aluminum chassis, the Elise will zip from zero to 60 mph in less than five seconds and top out at a maximum speed of 150 mph.

Road-holding should be exemplary due to a combination of its rigid extruded and bonded aluminum chassis, which in itself weighs only 150 pounds, and the resulting ultra-light curb weight of less than 2,000 pounds - the average towing capacity of a car-based SUV.

A slightly heavier Elise is expected to arrive in North America with everyday features such as dual front airbags, ABS, climate control, carpeting, a Blaupunkt audio system and power door locks. Purists should be able to opt for a lightweight version which deletes the air conditioning and audio system while lowering the price.

Weekend warriors can reportedly opt for a sport package at about $2,500, with a touring package for those that appreciate the finer things in life said to include sound-deadening materials, leather interior seats and trim, plus an upgraded stereo.

While a final price is yet to be announced, it is expected to be in the mid-fifty to low-sixty thousand dollar range, with dealers already taking orders. The much-anticipated model will be available on this side of the Atlantic by late May, 2004. For more information about the Elise, check out the companys North American website at www.lotuscars.com.

No doubt, just like it has in Europe the new Lotus Elise will rewrite the book on affordable sports car performance in North America, making new fans of the revered brand in the process.