Lotus will cease production of the slow-selling Europa model later this year. Designed as a more refined option to the Elise and Exige twins, the Europa was also based on the same chassis. Introduced in 2006, it essentially filled a slot in the Lotus lineup until the Evora was introduced, filling a spot for a more comfortable and luxurious model. Proof that even Lotus execs thought it didn’t do a very good job as a placeholder was the fact that the British sports car maker never brought the car to North America.
According to a report by Autoblog, European Lotus dealers have stopped taking orders for the Europa, with the plant completing the current lineup of orders before the model is quietly dismissed.
As a “replacement” the Evora brings an all new and more civilized chassis to the Lotus lineup that is more likely to appeal to buyers of more traditional sports cars – like Porsches. It’s also larger, more luxurious and more expensive. After decades of offering niche market products, Lotus now appears to be ready to target a larger audience with more mainstream products. In fact, in a recent discussion with one Lotus exec, we were told that even the new Evora represents the “old Lotus.”
Read our review of the all-new Evora below
[Source: Autoblog]