Paris 2010: Lotus Elan Concept

Lotus has been surprising everyone with its introductions at the Paris Auto Show. The front-engined V-8 Elite led the introductions when it came out prior to the auto show, followed by the mid-engined Esprit supercar revival.

The Elan adds yet another new mid-engined car model to Lotus' arsenal, and it represents an extremely exciting new entry for the company.

Lotus fans and car aficianados will recognize the Elan name, a curious choice. The new car bears no resemblance to the Elan of yesteryear, which was a small front-engined convertible.

Despite the name, it is the product that counts, and the Elan is a model with an even bigger potential than the Esprit. For one, in design there is very little differentiation between the Esprit and the handsome Elan.

It all comes down to the value proposition afforded by its price tag. The pegged price has it at $118,500. That gets you a car with an extremely impressive list of attributes.

Mid-engined layout, 4.0-liter supercharged V-6 making 450 horsepower, all with a very Lotus-like low weight of just 2,880 pounds.

That is good enough for a 0-62 miles per hour time of just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 193 mph - all for $118,500. Now that is what we call a value proposition and something that could get Lotus back on the map in a very big way.

Lotus says a model with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) system will be available as well, but expect that to cost a pretty penny.

The promise of the Elan has us salivating - an entry that looks and performs the part of an exotic for $118,500. For those looking for more visual drama, we are sure tuners will be happy to oblige.

The Elan is slated for production in 2013, and it appears to be farther along than Lotus' other cars, as interior images were released as well.

Lotus seems to be really staking their claim with the new Elan. Other than perhaps Elise, we could see this being the biggest seller in the new Lotus lineup.