The Lotus Type 12 was the first car the company raced in Formula 1. Chassis #353 was driven by Graham Hill at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. Bonhams estimates that it could sell for over $400,000. Lotus is one of the legends of F1, winning seven Constructor Championships and six Driver Championships between 1963 and 1979. But they all have to start somewhere, and for the legendary British automaker, that’s here. This 1957-58 Lotus-Climax Type 12 Formula 1 was the first car the brand ever entered in a Grand Prix. To make its provenance even more impressive, it also happens to be the first c ..read more

The Lotus Eletre will arrive in the United States late this year with a base price of $107,000. The entry-level electric crossover has 603 hp and can hit 62 mph in 4.5 seconds. The range-topping Eletre R costs $145,000 and boasts 905 hp. The Lotus Eletre is coming stateside and will arrive in the fourth quarter. When it does, the electric crossover will be priced from $107,000. Lotus was surprisingly coy on equipment details, but the entry-level model features LED headlights, gloss black accents, and 22-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires. Customers will also find an expansive c ..read more

Lotus is launching a new personalization division with the new Chapman Bespoke. Named after Lotus’ founders Colin and Hazel Chapman, the new division will offer three main services – tailor-made, collection, and one-off. It will be initially available for Chinese customers, followed by other markets. The British carmaker is no stranger to special and limited editions but now, it takes personalization a step further, in line with the desires of its expanding customer base. The tailor-made service will offer a wider selection of colors and finishes for the exterior and interior of Lotus produ ..read more

Taking Lotus Tech public wasn’t the success story Geely may have hoped for. After two weeks, shares on the Nasdaq have plummeted by nearly 40%, from $13.80 at listing on February 23 to $8.37 at publication, dipping as low as $5.75 last week. In fact, it’s been the latest in a string of disappointments for the Chinese automaker, whose previous IPOs have been met with similar results. Share prices for Volvo Cars, Polestar, and ECARX have all fallen since opening, and these previous failures likely influenced the decisions of potential investors in Lotus. However, for parent Geely, it could be ..read more

The Lotus Emira has been certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and deliveries of the mid-engined sports car can finally commence in the United States. Lotus has already shipped hundreds of Emiras into the United States but they had been stuck at dealerships waiting for emissions approval. While there are just 14 states in the U.S. that follow CARB standards, Lotus was holding back deliveries of the Emira across the entirety of the U.S. to ensure buyers in those states didn’t flip their vehicles to those residing in CARB states. In January, Lotus stated that some final checks ..read more

The fact that Lotus has already launched its new Emeya sedan in China is a two-pronged reminder of how important that market is to luxury car brands and that the legendary British sports car firm is now owned by China’s Geely. But now it’s time for Lotus to roll out the Porsche Taycan fighter in the West. The configurator is live and European prices are out (U.S. prices come later), giving us a chance to see how it stacks up on paper against its German nemesis. Standing proud at the top of the Emeya line, at least for now, is the £129,950 (€150,990) Emeya R. That price and the R’s 905 hp (91 ..read more

Lotus Technology and L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp have finalized their merger and the all-electric car manufacturer will commence trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ‘LOT’ on February 23, 2024. The public listing will value the company at approximately $5.5 billion and comes despite ongoing uncertainty with EVs across much of the industry. Renault recently canceled plans for an IPO of its Ampere division and Volvo revealed it will stop funding Polestar after what has proven to be a tumultuous life on the public market for the EV startup. Lotus has raised more than $880 million ..read more

After spending three years trekking across 15 countries and two continents, Lotus has finished the testing and development program of the all-electric Emeya sedan. The Emeya follows in the footsteps of the Eletre SUV as the brand’s second battery-electric vehicle and was most recently taken to the Arctic Circle in Ivalo, Finland for a grueling test regime that saw temperatures drop to as low as -25 degrees Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit). While in Finland, Lotus’s engineers focused on fine-tuning the suspension, steering, brakes, and traction and stability control systems. In addition, work was don ..read more

A new all-electric sports car from Lotus will be unveiled next year before the first customer deliveries begin in 2027. The new model will serve as the successor to the Emira, although there could be some overlap, and is currently codenamed Type 135. Underpinning the Type 135 will be the same Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture (LEVA) as the successor to the Alpine A110. Unlike most other EVs out there, the Type 135 probably won’t have its battery pack in the floor and it will most likely be located just behind the front seats in a mid-engined-style layout. This will enable Lotus to de ..read more

The Lotus Emira is one of the most anticipated sports cars of the year. For American buyers, that anticipation is turning into impatience, as difficulties with emissions approval mean that their new toys are just out of reach. Lotus was expecting to start being able to deliver Emiras quite soon. Some customer examples of the Emira are already in the country, sitting on dealer lots. But they can’t be delivered yet, because Lotus is still awaiting approval from the California Air Resources Board. The automaker initially expected to have the necessary emissions approvals in place by the end of ..read more