Norfolk, United Kingdom –Lotus hit the 40,000 small cars production mark with the Elise, a vehicle released in 1995.
The small car platform is defined by the various models including the Elise, Exige, Europa, 2-Eleven, 340R, and racing variants.
In being the first carmaker to use extruded and bonded aluminum, Lotus revolutionized the industry and it has become a method that is being widely adopted amongst the rest of the motor industry. In the meantime, Lotus continues to refine and develop its own lightweight structure currently weighing just 68kg.
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO Group Lotus plc, says “The small car platform was a landmark development in 1995 and developed at the right time in the company’s history. Yet, in an environment of continuous improvement, while a correlation exists between today’s platform and the first of the lightweight, bonded and extruded aluminum structures, it has altered radically. It remains a benchmark in light weight and efficiency and is as advanced and market-leading today as it was 20 years ago.”
The small car platform underpins the current Elise and Exige models, with the same aluminum extruded and bonded technology used in the new Lotus Evora 400.
Jean-Marc Gales continues, “We are especially delighted that the 40,000th version of our small car platform will underpin, appropriately, an Elise 20th Anniversary model, the latest Elise model that celebrates our landmark achievements.”
Source: Group Lotus plc