Lotus Debuts 2015 Elise

Yeah, seems a bit early to show a 2015 model to us as well.

In Paris, Lotus showed off their entire upcoming line - as much to telegraph the vision they have for themselves as a company as anything else.

Of interest to most Lotus-philes is the new Elise - the replacement for the core of their current line.

What we've been shown now is a brand new styling theme for the brand (less cosmic insect, more sophisticated sports car contender) - but also that even the super-lightweight Elise will end up putting on almost 20% more weight...likely so the interior appointments can stack up to buyer expectations (while disappointing the folks who like to see no-frills structural members as 'styling' elements).  It remains to be seen how this affects overall dynamics of the car and its appeal to the core Lotus demographic.

Power will come from a 2.0l four with 316hp.

Sales should begin as early as 2014 for likely a bit more money than you'd plunk down on a current generation car (and if you prefer yours with no-frills - get 'em while they still make 'em).

Lotus Shows Off a Smart Done Right

One major criticism of the Smart ForTwo is that for a roller-skate of a car, it doesn't really deliver the high-economy numbers you might expect...well that and a driving experience that falls seriously flat (in no small part due to its poorly developed automated manual transmission).

Lotus looks to resolve all of these issues with a concept they are calling the City Car.  It has the standard microcar 2-seat configuration, but packs a Chevy Volt-like series hybrid powertrain.  Range on electric only is projected at 37 miles with a 3-cylinder range extender, developed by Lotus, providing electricity from that point on.

Differentiating the City Car from other offerings in this segment are Lotus styling - with a wide and aggressive stance, as well as a 4-seat configuration (trumping the Smart's 4 and the 3-ish seats of the Toyota/Scion iQ)

Expect the City Car to hit the streets in 2013.  Availability in the US is anyone's guess - though tighter CAFE requirements likely make it a sure thing.

Performance is on par in the segment with 0-60 times of about 9 seconds and a range of over 300 miles.

If this allows Lotus to maintain some independence and continue to produce their wonderful line of sports cars - bring it on.