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Type 131

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 11:28 am
by ed

Re: Type 131

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 11:34 am
by Shug
Love Auto Express lazily using a Bahar render (cos obviously there's no images yet) but not actually saying that anywhere that I can see, so folks will start debating the looks of a years old dead concept again :)

WRT the story? Seems a really odd niche, unless you subscribe to the Evora being the 911 segment car in the Lotus line up, making something smaller a Cayman/Boxter competitor. Perhaps reinventing the Elise is proving too tough, so upsizing a bit to slot a new car in before letting the Elise/Exige platform stumble on until regulations see it having to be killed off?

Interested as always, when something a bit more concrete comes along.

Re: Type 131

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:59 pm
by C7Steve
Looking forward to see what’s coming out next after the Evija. :D


Steve.

Re: Type 131

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:40 pm
by scott_e
So the last combustion engine Lotus is a model that sits between an Exige and Evora ..... isn't that what an Elise is for :?

This is supposed to be one last carbon based hurrah for the Lotus range. Very little to get excited about so far.

Hope it doesn't look like the rear of the concept car, that does not work IMO but jury out until we see proper images.

Re: Type 131

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:26 pm
by robin
It's going to have a Volvo 5 cylinder turbo diesel with an automatic box. They will launch for sale just in time for diesel to be banned ;-)

Re: Type 131

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:56 pm
by rawsco
robin wrote:
Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:26 pm
It's going to have a Volvo 5 cylinder turbo diesel with an automatic box. They will launch for sale just in time for diesel to be banned ;-)
Production run of 1

Re: Type 131

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 3:46 am
by campbell
robin wrote:It's going to have a Volvo 5 cylinder turbo diesel with an automatic box. They will launch for sale just in time for diesel to be banned ;-)
Lol

You been smoking again!

Re: Type 131

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 8:18 pm
by cjm
A direct Cayman/Boxster rival with Evija looks sounds like a great car. I assume it would replace the Exige and Evora pretty quickly.

Re: Type 131

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 8:42 pm
by campbell
Agreed. That would be quite something.

I’m sure the Drawing Office is very busy...

Re: Type 131

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:33 pm
by Mikie711
First up should be the Elise replacement.

Re: Type 131

Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:13 am
by rossybee
Mikie711 wrote:
Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:33 pm
First up should be the Elise replacement.
:withstupid

Re: Type 131

Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 10:22 pm
by j2 lot
I just wish there was something new now, I guess COVID will delay any new launch, the Evija should be with buyers now but potentially still a year away so the real world new car is probably a good way off yet. ‘ Impatiently drumming fingers’

Re: Type 131

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 9:33 am
by Shug
Mikie711 wrote:
Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:33 pm
First up should be the Elise replacement.
I'm beginning to doubt there will be a direct one (as I said above) Hopefully I'm wrong, but I don't see how you engineer a world car with the dimensions of an Elise now and move it towards the more sophisticated luxury tastes of car buyers in the £50K+ bracket, which is where I think you'd have to start. They trickle out now, I think the market has had enough of them.

Genuinely feel this new model, sub Evora size and bigger than Elise is really happening to get people used to it, let the Elise platform struggle on till regs kill it, then be at peace with that. I think the business has established that they'll only make money by pushing upmarket with higher margin products (why else come up with a £2.2m halo car to reposition the brand image) and I don't see how an Elise sized/feel car can command the margins.

Re: Type 131

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2020 12:51 pm
by cjm
I can't really see them ever producing a direct Elise replacement, and if they did everyone would say the end result was too heavy, too expensive and too slow. It's not as if the market is shouting for that car either, what are the sales numbers for the Elise Vs. Boxster/Cayman Vs. GT86/A110?

Re: Type 131

Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:16 am
by Mikie711
I have no doubt it will be bigger in physical size and have a higher trim level than the current car but the elise has essentially gone unchanged for years. Yes the trim has improved and it runs a different engine than original but if you strip off the clams and look the fundamental architecture hasn't moved on a great deal. It has survived 20 odd years on tweeks and incremental changes, the only other car I can think of that has done that is a Land Rover defender.
I agree that they are positioning Lotus higher up the ladder and are now aiming at a completely different market segment than previously. That's great for the company if it works but a death nail for the majority of enthusiasts as the cars will be much more expensive.