It was at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show that Lotus first unveiled its current Exige S, and now, three years on, the British automaker has announced that it has just built the 1,000th example. It’s a significant milestone for a company that’s been through a lot these past few years, including having its CEO fired and a quarter of its staff let go.

The good news is that Lotus finally appears to be on the right path, which means we can look forward to some exciting new sports cars in the near future. We're expecting a significantly updated Evora for the 2016 model year, and Lotus has just announced that the Exige S can now be ordered with an automatic transmission, though sadly the car still doesn’t comply with U.S. regulations meaning road-going versions can't be bought here. A track-only version can, however.

In case you’ve forgotten, the Exige S is based on the former Exige but features a much wider track to accommodate its supercharged V-6 engine. The engine is the same one featured in the larger Evora and keeps its 345-horsepower rating, which is enough to rocket the Exige S from 0-62 mph in just 3.9 seconds.

“We have just recorded our strongest October since 2009 for sales which demonstrates the demand for Lotus cars,” Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales said in a statement. “There is incredible potential for growth in the Middle East, China and ASEAN countries, where the automatic option for the Exige is anticipated to stimulate customer demand further.

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