The new Lotus Europa S, a Grand Tourer (GT) inspired two-seater will provide Lotus customers with a spectacular sportscar with significantly enhanced levels of touring and cruising capability. It will provide drivers with higher levels of practicality and refinement to complement the simplicity of the Lotus Elise and Exige models.

The Lotus Europa S follows the core Lotus philosophy of performance through light weight enabling this refined and very high performing GT car to weigh just 995 kg. This low weight has been obtained through the clever use of advanced and high tech materials including an extruded and bonded aluminium chassis, composite body panels and a very advanced composite energy absorbing front crash structure.

When compared to the award winning Lotus Elise, the Europa S has a larger boot and easier cabin access, resulting from lower chassis sides and a higher roof line. Coupled with luxuries such as full leather interior, driver and passenger airbags and carpets all as standard, Lotus has developed a “Business Class” driving experience.

However, the Europa S is not a derivative of the Elise or the Exige and has been allocated a separate Lotus type number of Type 121 - the Elise and Exige are both Type 111.

The new mid-engined coupe will deliver high levels of performance from a high torque (263 Nm or 194 lbft at 4,200 rpm) 2.0-litre turbo engine producing 149 kW (200 hp or 203 PS) at 5,400rpm. The Lotus Europa S achieves around 90% of its maximum torque at only 2,000 rpm to give “super car” levels of acceleration from low engine speeds, propelling the car from 0–96 km/h (60 mph) in around 5.5 seconds, and 160 km/h (100 mph) in around 14 seconds. Maximum speed is approximately 225 km/h (140 mph). Being a Lotus, the Europa S has a phenomenal power to weight ratio of 201 hp/tonne (204 PS/tonne or 6.68 kg/kW).

Tony Shute, Head of Product for Lotus Cars explains the concept behind the new product: “The Lotus Europa S has allowed Lotus to exploit its extensive capabilities in developing a sophisticated GT car which successfully complements the range of existing cars. The ‘Grand Tourer’ concept underpinning the Europa S provides the driver with a refined environment, incorporating innovative styling features which do not compromise the superior performance and handling that is synonymous with the Lotus marque.”

Describing the Lotus Europa S, Russell Carr, Chief of Design for Lotus says: “The form of a design should reflect the spirit of the car, and the Lotus Europa S is no different. Where the rebellious track-focused personality of the Exige is characterised by shrink-wrapped athletic forms communicating agility and power, the Europa S has a more fluid, understated language reflecting its more sophisticated persona.”

The introduction of a GT car, represents both an important and unique addition to the Lotus product range, as Clive Dopson, Managing Director of Lotus Cars, explains: “The launch of the Europa S re-affirms our position as an innovative player in the highly competitive sportscar marketplace. It allows Lotus to extend its product appeal beyond our traditional customer base, and provides yet another demonstration of the key Lotus brand attributes and high levels of quality for which we are particularly proud.”

Production of the Lotus Europa S is scheduled to commence in July 2006 at the award winning and world leading Lotus manufacturing facility at the Lotus Headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk, UK. The Europa S will be sold in all markets where the Lotus brand is present, except the USA and Canada.

Australian availability, pricing and full specifications will be announced at a later date.

2006 Lotus Europa S Click the image for a larger, clearer view

Audi's Capital Expenditure To Remain High
19th December, 2005
Audi is to invest considerable capital in expanding its model range significantly over the next few years. The company plans to invest a total of EUR 10.8 billion between 2005 and 2010 ..... more

Mazda RX-8 Revelation
19th December, 2005
Mazda’s latest addition to its sports car line up is a limited edition RX-8. Known as the RX-8 Revelation, it exudes luxury and exclusivity, with the added enticement of only 100 vehicles available in Australia ..... more

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in a Class of its Own
19th December, 2005
It isn’t often that a car is made that is so superior that it is deemed to have no competition at all, but this year, the Automobile Journalists of Canada declared the Corvette Z06 to be just such a car ..... more

GM Engines Named Among Industry’s Best
18th December, 2005
Two of GMs newest engines – the 2.0-litre Ecotec Supercharged and 2.8-litre V6 Turbo – have been named among the industry’s 10 best engines of 2006 by Ward’s Communications ..... more

Audi To Compete With Diesel At Le Mans
14th December, 2005
Audi will become the world’s first car manufacturer to fight for overall victory with a diesel-engined sportscar in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours ..... more

Audi On Target For New Record
11th December, 2005
Audi sold almost 767,000 vehicles worldwide between January and November, an increase of 8.8 percent on the corresponding prior-year period ..... more

Nissan Releases the 2006 350Z
11th December, 2005
Nissan's iconic 36-year-old flagship sports car, the 350Z, has been released with new features including a more powerful engine and enhancements to its exterior and interior ..... more

Porsche Enjoys Continued Growth
9th December, 2005
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG enjoyed continued growth in fiscal year 2004/05 (to 31st July). The manufacturer of sporty premium vehicles once again succeeded in selling more vehicles ..... more

Peugeot 407 Coupé – 5 Stars for Euroncap
6th December, 2005
Elegance, power and outstanding handling and dynamics, the 407 Coupé is also distinguished by its high levels of passive safety ..... more

Safer car design has cut road casualties
4th December, 2005
Car makers deserve real credit for dramatic improvements in safety trends over the last 10 years ..... but there are duds, such as Landwind, a Chinese import into the EU ..... more

Morgan 4/4 70th Anniversary Model
3rd December, 2005
In 2006, the Morgan 4/4 celebrates its 70th Anniversary and to mark the occasion, the Morgan factory has come up with a unique Anniversary version of the iconic 4/4 model ..... more

Peugeot Round Australia Trial 50th Anniversary
3rd December, 2005
In April 2006, to mark the victory of a Peugeot 403 in the first Ampol Trial in 1956, Peugeot Automobiles Australia will sponsor the Peugeot Round Australia Trial 50th Anniversary Re-run ..... more

Volkswagen dominates "Auto Trophy"
1st December, 2005
This year's "Auto Trophy" produced some remarkable results: Volkswagen Group products were voted onto the podium 23 times by the readers of "Auto" magazine ..... more

Morgan "drive-away" Prices
30th November, 2005
Consistent with the ACCC’s desire for “drive-away” car prices to be advertised, prices of all Morgan cars have been adjusted to reflect the “drive-away” price in Victoria ..... more

Cayman S is now at German Porsche Dealers
29th November, 2005
The new Cayman S is revving up its engine: the sporty two-seater, developed from the Boxster series as a mid-engine coupé, started arriving at the 85 German Porsche dealers over the weekend ..... more

Audi A6 TDI Is Australia's Best Luxury Car
23rd November, 2005
Audi’s A6 3.0-litre TDI has won ‘Best Luxury Car over $57,000’ at the annual Australia’s Best Cars awards. This is the third consecutive year that Audi has won ‘Best Luxury Car’ ..... more

New 2.0 TDI Engine For Audi A4 Range
21st November, 2005
Audi’s new A4 2.0 TDI with 7-step multitronic, priced at $56,990, is now available in Australia ..... more

Cadillac Wins Manufacturers’ Titles
18th November, 2005
With a total of four victories, two pole positions and nine podium finishes, the CTS-V racers of Team Cadillac claimed a clean sweep of both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT series ..... more

New Volkswagen Passat Clinches Prestigious Award
17th November, 2005
Upholding the tradition of all its predecessor generations, the new Passat again takes the honours as winner of the Bild am Sonntag newspaper’s “Goldenes Lenkrad” (golden steering wheel) award ..... more

Ford Invention Wins Award
17th November, 2005
The UK's Autocar magazine has presented Ford with the "Idea Of The Year Award" for its Easy Fuel Concept, a simple device that prevents drivers from accidentally filling their diesel car with petrol ..... more

Porsche Again Makes A Record Profit
17th November, 2005
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG turned in the highest profit in its corporate history during the 2004/05 fiscal year ..... more

Green Light For New Audi R8 Sports Car
17th November, 2005
It’s official. The new 2007 sports car from Audi has been named the Audi R8 ..... more

New Audi S4 Launched in Australia
16th November, 2005
The new Audi S4, now in its third generation, is instantly recognisable thanks to a completely new exterior design and a dynamic front end dominated by the brand’s formal design idiom, the single-frame grille ..... more

Peugeot Welcomes UK Bio-Fuel Initiative
13th November, 2005
Peugeot is keen to make customers aware that their HDi diesel cars are already capable of operating on this environmentally friendly fuel ..... more

UK Requires 5% Renewable Fuel By 2010
13th November, 2005
The UK's Transport Secretary has announced new measures to make transport fuels 'greener' by requiring 5% of all fuel sold on UK forecourts to come from a renewable source by 2010 ..... more

UK Crackdown On The Uninsured
11th November, 2005
In the UK, tough new enforcement action to crackdown on uninsured drivers has been unveiled. From yesterday, police forces across the UK can use automatic number plate recognition cameras to spot and ultimately seize and destroy cars being driven without insurance ..... more

Audi: Sweaty Overalls Off, Italian Fashion On
11th November, 2005
Following a gruelling season of the German Touring Car Masters series (DTM), Audi drivers swapped their sweaty racing overalls for renowned Italian fashion label, René Lezard ..... more

Prince Andrew Visits Bentley Motors
11th November, 2005
Bentley Motors welcomed HRH Duke of York to their factory yesterday, in his capacity as Special Representative for UK Trade and Investment ..... more

Europe's VW Touareg W12 Sport Edition
10th November, 2005
A sporting look and dynamic performance with outstanding comfort. The Touareg W12 Sport Edition with an extensive package of equipment is available now in Europe ..... more

Strong Demand For Boxster In North America
6th November, 2005
Porsche’s sports cars posted another considerable increase in sales in October 2005. The strongest rise in Boxster shipments was recorded in North America ..... more

Peugeot’s Carbon Sink in the Amazon Forest
5th November, 2005
The CEO of PSA and the Director of France’s Office National des Forêts (ONF), traveled to the São Nicolau tree farm in Brazil for a review of their experimental carbon sink project ..... more

The Last Rover
5th November, 2005
The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust has discovered the mystery surrounding the very last car built at the MG Rover Longbridge plant in Birmingham ..... more

Audi Hits 4,000 Units in Australia
3rd November, 2005
Following the company’s 10th consecutive month of record sales, Audi Australia has leapt the 4,000 units year-to-date hurdle following October sales results ..... more

Ford GTX1 Roadster At SEMA
2nd November, 2005
With the 1966 Sebring-winning Ford GTX1 roadster as inspiration, Ford SVT's Kip Ewing unveiled his take on that legendary racer at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas ..... more

4MOTION For New Volkswagen Passat
27th October, 2005
The new generation Passat can now be ordered with permanent 4MOTION four-wheel drive in Europe ..... more

Caterham Dominates Monte Carlo 2005
26th October, 2005
One of the ultimate tests of endurance and reliability, the Monte Carlo Sports Car Challenge, has been dominated by the legendary Caterham Seven ..... more

Porsche Sells 3,000+ Vehicles In Japan
26th October, 2005
Porsche announced at the Tokyo Motor Show, that customer deliveries in fiscal year 2004/05 (to 31st July) increased to 3,045 units ..... more

All-New Jaguar XK – The Full Story
25th October, 2005
Next year's launch of the all-new Jaguar XK marks a new era for Jaguar in terms of both design and engineering ..... more

Scottish Sports Car Of The Year
24th October, 2005
The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers has voted the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX as Sports Car of the Year 2005 ..... more

Audi Shooting Brake Concept For Tokyo
20th October, 2005
An Audi sports car of the future may possibly have just started the journey from drawing board to driveway in the shape of the Audi Shooting Brake Concept, a convention-challenging, technology-laden design study destined for the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show ..... more

Volkswagen Wins Grand Challenge 2005
20th October, 2005
Volkswagen won the American Grand Challenge 2005 with a Touareg TDI ..... more

Nissan Unveils the GT-R PROTO
20th October, 2005
With the launch of the production model just two years away, the development of the new GT-R has moved ahead again with the revealing of the GT-R PROTO ..... more

The New Audi S8
19th October, 2005
Distinct sports appeal and supreme comfort – these are the two defining characteristics of the Audi A8. At the time of its market launch three years ago, this large saloon shot straight to the top of the luxury segment thanks to its dynamic qualities. The brand with the four-ring emblem is now unveiling a sporty top model of the very highest calibre in the luxury segment: the new Audi S8 ..... more

Japan's Mazda RX-8 'Sport Prestige Limited II'
19th October, 2005
Mazda Motor Corporation has announced the launch of two upgraded versions of its RX-8 sports car in the Japanese market ..... more

Start Of Building For New Porsche Museum
19th October, 2005
With the installation of an unusual construction site sign, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, started construction of its new museum ..... more

Toyota Infringement Of Antonov Patents Update
19th October, 2005
Update: The case received its preliminary hearing on 22nd September 2005 having previously been postponed by the company to allow further negotiations with Toyota ..... more

Avanti Takes A Big Step With New V-6
18th October, 2005
Georgia (USA) based independent car maker, Avanti Motor Corporation, is introducing the first Avanti built with a 210 horsepower V-6 engine ..... more

FPV Shifts into Top Gear with New BF Range
18th October, 2005
Ford Performance Vehicles unveiled its bold new range of high-performance vehicles at Sydney's 2005 Australian International Motor Show ..... more

New Baby quattro for Audi
16th October, 2005
The 2005 Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) marks the local introduction of Audi's smallest quattro model – the A3 Sportback 2.0 TFSI quattro ..... more

Holden's Wild Hot Rod Brings FJ Back to Life
13th October, 2005
A wild 21st Century hot rod reinventing one of Australia ’s most famous cars, the FJ Holden, was unveiled today at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney ..... more

New Audi A4 2.0 TDI Now Available
13th October, 2005
The 2005 Australian International Motor Show will mark the Australian launch of Audi's latest hi-tech turbo diesel engine for the best-selling A4 ..... more

New Audi S4 Makes Its Australian Premiere
13th October, 2005
Audi's new S4 will be unveiled for the first time in Australia at the Australian International Motor Show, ahead of its mid-November 2005 launch ..... more

New World Blind Land Speed Record
12th October, 2005
England's Mike Newman and his Speed of Sight team have rewritten the Guinness Book of World Records, again! ..... more

Aston Martin wins 2005 Luxury Briefing Award
11th October, 2005
Aston Martin was recognised in the annual Luxury Briefing Awards with the 2005 ‘Award for Excellence’ in the luxury arena ..... more

Porsche Secures Stake In Volkswagen
11th October, 2005
After already purchasing 10.26 per cent of VW’s common stock, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has now secured another 8.27 per cent of the common stock of Volkswagen AG ..... more

America's Avanti For 2006
10th October, 2005
The legendary and resilient Avanti Motors will make its mark this month with the redefined and redesigned coupe and convertible models ..... more

The 100,000th Audi Cabriolet
2nd October, 2005
The 100,000th Audi Cabriolet was produced at the company’s Karmann facility last week ..... more

2007 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible
30th September, 2005
The Ford Shelby GT500, one of the most anticipated and powerful cars for America in 2006, just got hotter with the announcement that a convertible version will join the Ford line-up ..... more

FPV Sets New GT Record
27th September, 2005
Ford Performance Vehicles has developed the most successful GT Falcon of all time ..... more

Bentley Announces Stunning New Convertible
27th September, 2005
Bentley Motors has announced the pending introduction of the Continental GTC. The new luxury 2+2 convertible completes the Bentley Continental model range ..... more

Grand Challenge 2005 in the USA
26th September, 2005
The countdown has begun for what is perhaps the world’s most unusual car race ..... more

Porsche Scores Record Sales In Germany
22nd September, 2005
Porsche posted another record for new registrations in Germany in the last financial year 2004/05. Overall, a total of 16,926 Porsche vehicles were registered ..... more

I'm Always Dreamin'
20th September, 2005
Codenamed ‘Project Tempest’, development work on a core range of affordable, high performance cars, is now at an advanced stage ..... more