Lotus shopping Evora chassis to other automakers?

Lotus shopping Evora chassis to other automakers?

Filed under: Technology, Lotus



Back in the Nineties, shortly after Lotus introduced the original Elise, the company made it known that its new sportscar platform was designed to be easily adapted to different applications - including different powertrains. Companies that were interested in a platform for a niche products using their own powertrains were welcome to contract with Lotus for use of the Elise's underpinnings. Over the years, it spawned several race and concept cars, to say nothing of the production Opel GT, Vauxhall VX220, and of course, the Tesla Roadster.

Now that Lotus finally has its first all-new car in 14 years and several hundred Evoras have been delivered to customers, the same offer is again on the table. In fact, this time the presentation from Lotus Engineering even shows the Evora chassis carrying an electric powertrain.

The versatile vehicle architecture is made largely from aluminum extrusions which can be cut off in different sizes, allowing the chassis to readily be adjusted for length and width as needed. To date, no company that we're aware of has adopted the Evora's architecture. However, given Tesla's relative success in using the Elise as a starting point - and the increased size of the Evora - it should be even more attractive to potential customers. You can check out the full presentation after the jump.


Gallery: LA 2008: Lotus Evora



[Source: LotusEnthusiast]Continue reading Lotus shopping Evora chassis to other automakers?

Lotus shopping Evora chassis to other automakers? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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