Lotus plans new high-end supercar and more

The fact that Lotus will be building a replacement to the Esprit supercar is no secret. However, Lotus USA boss Mike Kimberly has confirmed in a recent interview the Esprit will not headline the model range. Instead, Kimberly said that a new supercar worthy of being the ‘jewel in the crown’ is currently being planned for 2010 onwards. If built, such a car would be able to propel Lotus to competing head-to-head with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini.

Kimberly also discussed his ambitious plans to almost triple Lotus’ output from 2,875 cars last year to 8000 in the medium term. The key to gaining such figures is a car codenamed Project Eagle, a 2+2 GT coupe that is expected to be shown at the next British International Motor Show in mid-2008 and go on sale by 2009.

Old school Esprit fans will be saddened to know the revival was delayed by powertrain issues that required the engine to be changed and subsequently pushed back the release date by a year. It’s now on track for a 2010 debut, Kimberly confirmed in Lotus’ official newsletter.

Fans will also remember Lotus collaborated with various mainstream marques to build go-fast versions of their models including the Ford Cortina and Vauxhall Carlton. Kimberly claims shareholders are in favor of building such versions with cars from Proton, its parent company, but more consideration needs to be given to the market segment such a car would fit in.