Paris 2010: Next-Gen Lotus Elise Faster, Heavier, Complicated?

Lotus has been keeping busy this year, it seems.  I can't remember the last time a single manufacturer rolled out so many distinct concept cars, much less a small manufacturer like Lotus.  But so far at the Paris show we've seen a bucket full of new Lotuses that will fit into the whole "chasing Porsche" theme.  The range-topping V8 mid-engine Esprit, supercharged V6 mid-engine Elan, Ferrari California-esque front-engine V8 Elite, and the "I don't quite get it" Eterne hybrid sedan.  This isn't the Lotus we know and love, but a brand has to stay afloat somehow, right?

For years, the core of Lotus' business has been the lightweight mid-engine Elise and it's various (and I do mean various) derivatives.  With the current generation having been around since the beginning of the last decade, it's replacement is perhaps long overdue even if everyone still loves the current one.  The final prototype that Lotus displayed at the Paris show today was the third-generation Elise, and there are things to both rejoice and cry about.

First, the rejoicing - unlike the seemingly randomly-named Elan, the Elise stays true to it's forebears and retains it's transverse-mid engine four-cylinder layout with but two seats.  The styling retains the last-generations insectoid lines, but with more creases and less organic curves - it fits in nicely with the rest of the upcoming lineup's styling traits, but it's still readily identifiable as an Elise.  It's sort of flat and squat looking, but perhaps it's appearance will be more acceptable in the flesh rather than in press photos.

Like all the rest of the upcoming Lotii, the Elise continues to use modified Toyota powertrains- in this case, a turbocharged 2.0L I4.  Lotus pegs power output at a healthy 320 horsepower, which is 60 more than the strongest current Elise derivative makes. Transmissions include a six-speed manual or an optional paddle-shifted automated gearbox (great, just what the Elise needed.)  With the new engine, the Elise will scream to sixty in 4.3 seconds.

The interior isn't quite as spartan and featureless as the current Elise, but it's still pretty pared-down compared to most sports cars out there.  I like the plaid inserts in the seats as well as the architectural-looking shifter housing, but all the digital gauges and electronic controls feel out of place to me.  An Elise is a sports car, not a video game.

As for the bad news - with all these goodies, the Elise will balloon in both price and weight.  Lotus says the Turbo Elise will weigh in at 2,409lbs, or almost 400lbs more than the current model.  While the need to meet crash and safety regulations can't be ignored, seeing a car that's revered for it's light weight gain an entire Rosie O'Donald wasn't really what we had in mind.  The price tag will also get a little heavier, with the Elise retailing in the $55,000 dollar range.  I suppose if you're chasing Porsche, you're going to have to charge Porsche prices.  Presumably there will be less complicated, heavy, and expensive versions of the Elise further down the road - I'd imagine they'll offer a naturally-aspirated version as well.

Lotus is staking out it's claim in the ever-more cutthroat automotive landscape, and while we might not all agree with their philosophy, a company has to do more than create crude niche sports cars to survive.  Hopefully Lotus can survive their self-inflected brand dilution, because it's not like there's a shortage of expensive, heavy, overly-complicated sports cars on the market.  Like, say, Porsches.