Barcelona Motor Show 2009: Lotus

The British firm had a very clear goal for this edition of the Barcelona Show: to gain presence in Spain. And it has a good card to play to achieve it. This is its new model, the Evora, a coupé with an aluminium chassis and suspension that will try to attract new customers by offering a concept very different from the other models in the range, especially the Elise and Exige, which are the most popular.

The Evora was first presented at the London Motor Show last July, and Highmotor was there to bring you all the details and first-hand impressions of the vehicle, which we can again confirm looks even better in the flesh. On this occasion we were able to chat with Alex Omedes, sales manager at Lotus Barcelona, who confirmed that there will soon be a convertible version of the Evora and also that the return of the Esprit is on its way. Nevertheless, more variants of the Evora are also expected, such as a supercharged one.

From the Catalan show we brought back the price list and options the Evora will have in Spain, where it will go on sale this summer. To begin with, we can state that this model will be available in two versions: a two-seater and a 2+2. The first will be on sale for 65,914 euros, while the second will cost 69,770 euros.

At this initial price range, many media outlets have compared the English coupé with the Porsche Cayman, which, although it has a very different style, is close in segment and presumably performance (depending, of course, on the version being compared). However, in Spain the Boxster with 255 horsepower is priced around 10,000 euros less than the British sports car.

The Evora will have three option packs to choose from: Sports, Premium and Tech. The first, at 1,637 euros, includes a sport driving mode, a more precise accelerator, a modified traction control, a higher rev limit, a sport diffuser, titanium exhaust outlets, perforated brake discs and black-painted brake calipers.

The Premium, costing 3,286 euros, consists of a series of elements that improve the quality of the interior and its materials. It includes higher-grade leather available in magnolia, cinnamon, red and black tones. It also adds a centre armrest and decorative lighting.

And finally, the Tech, priced at 3,835 euros, offers a multimedia system developed by Alpine with a seven-inch WVGA touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigation, tyre pressure monitoring, cruise control and rear radar.

Customers can also find other accessories sold separately, such as a sport manual gearbox (1,978 euros), bi-xenon headlights (1,088 euros), electrically folding mirrors (319 euros), rear-view camera (648 euros) and the Imprint sound system jointly manufactured by Alpine and Lotus (1,391 euros). There are also different wheels (from 604 to 3,022 euros) and paint (from 1,088 to 3,007 euros) in various finishes sold separately.

Lotus plans to build 2,000 units a year of the Evora, starting sales this summer, although some units are already being delivered. The United States will receive it next year and, given its characteristics and equipment, it is very likely to increase the number of Lotus followers.

Photos | Highmotor