Paris 2010: Lotus Elite Is New Direction for Lotus

The Lotus Elise is a car that has been firmly entrenched in the minds and hearts of enthusiasts over the past decade. The Lotus brand, originally known for its lightweight sportscars, returned to its roots with the Elise.

The result? Spectacular success. Lately, the brand has shown hints of desiring bigger and (depending on your viewpoint) better things.

Bigger and better means a return to competition with exotic supercar manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini, and now McLaren.

In fact, McLaren's goals to enter the roadcar arena again with the MP4-12C could have spurred Lotus' efforts. Past speculation has pointed to two or three cars being unveiled at Paris, and the Elite is one of those.

The unlikeliest of all the speculated-about vehicles turns out to be the one that surfaces first - a front-engined Gran Turismo coupe.

What about the grand reentry into the supercar arena with a new Esprit? No, the Elite is the first out of the gate, at least of the Paris Auto Show releases. That isn't on accident - it is meant to show that Lotus means business.

Lotus says the Elite is "compact yet chic.... elegance incarnate." We would have to agree. While not dramatic, the Elite is stunningly elegant. A more engaging color would provide a nice counterbalance.

The silver was chosen to show off the car's taut, crisp lines. The side profile shows a high level of attention to detail, with a broad rear shoulders and a gently ascending beltline. The overall look is one of balanced proportions and natural beauty. We're fans.

Now comes the surprise - what looks like a well-balanced GT is also a retractable hardtop. Yes, that roofline is retractable, aiming to provide an open-air experience as well.

Lotus used its expertise in design to hide its implementation and provide a lightweight design. The question is whether the implementation will work so well in practice - as in, the production model.

Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus said:  "(The Elite is a) car that we are exceptionally proud of at Lotus and we truly believe that there is nothing else like it out there both in terms of styling and performance. "

"Make no mistake, there's a definite market requirement for the Elite – it's the ultimate sports car feel with comfort and space. There will always be those who believe that Lotus should stick to small sports cars but we didn't take the decision to design something like the Elite lightly, it's based on months of careful research and planning. It's worth noting this sector has been very successful for us in the past and now the Elite raises the benchmark higher still."

The Elite aims to provide an all-encompassing entry into the segment - providing the elements of a GT, luxury 2+2 and retractable hardtop all in one.

The Elite continues Lotus' collaboration with Lexus in its powertrain, utilizing the Lexus unit in the LFA. If you ask us, it finds a much better home in theElite, and is an excellent use of the dollars Lexus poured into the engine's development.

The name? It is almost cliche, being just a little (you think - it is just one letter changed!) too close to Elise for our likes. That is something done purposely though, to stick in people's minds and as part of Lotus' "E" naming scheme.

Now, whether it makes sense for Lotus as a brand isn't certain. The Elite doesn't seem to champion Lotus' brand values of being lightweight - not as in lightweight in general, but for its segment as well. Time will tell if this plan will work.

One thing it likely will hinge on is price. There are rumors this could be in the $180K range. We surmise that a pricetag in that range is far too high.

To get noticed and be a sales success, placing the Elite in the $95-115K range would be perfect. Don't expect to see this on the road anytime soon though, as it has a slated market launch in 2014.