Paris: Lotus Shows off New Elan, Begs the Question: What will Happen to the Evora?

Next up on our Lotus debut circus is the Elan, a small 2-seater (with an optional 2+2 layout) sitting somewhere between the Evora and the Esprit. Looking very similar to the Esprit (and in the rest of the new Lotus coupes), the Elan gets its power from a high-output Toyota-sourced V6 and, also like its new big brother, optional KERS and hybrid systems. Scroll on down for all the Lotus-certified facts.

The big question here is what the Elan's task truly is. Could it be here to be a slightly different, higher-end Evora, or is it simply meant to replace it?

With that mid-mounted V6 and optional 2+2 layout it easily could be a replacement, but the 450 horsepower and £75,000 [equal to about US$119,000] starting price indicate the car is more of an addition to the lineup.

Though, by the time it comes out in the Fall of 2012, Lotus may have decided to ace the Evora in favor of attracting wealthier 2+2 buyers. We shall see.

Lotus CEO is extremely proud of the Elan, saying "The Elan will convert people to Lotus. I would challenge people not to become addicted to driving it. It will also go a long way towards dispelling the old misconceptions about this class, that in order to have high performance you must sacrifice usability – those days are gone." Sound like them's fighin' words. Porsche? Response (other than another 911)?

By Phil Alex

____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Paris Show: Lotus Unveils New Esprit, Elan, Elise, Eterne Sports Sedan and Concept City Car

Possibly one of the biggest surprises of the 2010 Paris Motor Show, was the unveiling of six new models from Lotus. Aside from the Elite GT (see here) that we've already told you about, the British sports car maker revealed not one, not two but five more new models and concepts!

We'll bring you more details and pictures of each car separately, but here are the key highlights:

2015 Lotus Eterne: Following in the footsteps of other sports car makers, Lotus is getting ready to enter the luxury sports sedan segment with the Eterne. Scheduled for a possible release in 2015, the Eterne will rival the likes of Aston Martin's Rapide. Like all future Lotus models, the four-door sedan will make use of a Toyota/Lexus sourced engine, in this case, a 5.0-liter V8 unit supercharged to deliver around 620-horsepower.

_______________________________________________________________________

2013 Lotus Esprit: The firm's flagship sports car will make a return in 213 and will be powered by Lexus-source 5.0-liter V8 producing 620-horsepower. A less powerful base model with 550-ponies is also said to be offered.

___________________________________________________________________

2013 Lotus Elan: A new mid-engined sportscar that will be available as a two-seater or optionally, as a 2+2. Aimed at Audi's R8, it will feature a 4.0-liter version of the Evora's Toyota-sourced V6 with output ranging from 400 to 470 horsepower, depending on the version.

____________________________________________________________________________

2015 Lotus Elise: Set to replace the current Elise in 2015, Lotus' new lightweight and compact-sized sports car will benefit from a Toyota-sourced 2.0-liter four banger helped by a turbocharged to deliver somewhere around 320-horsepower.

_________________________________________________________________________

Lotus City Car Concept: Alongside its sport coupes and sedan, Lotus also showed a concept for a small city car based on Giugiaro's Proton EMAS study shown in Geneva earlier this year. There are no current plans to introduce a production version of this car - at least not yet...