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Production of U.S.-spec Lotus Exige and Elise to end in August

Thu, 09 Jun 2011

The end is near for production of U.S.-specification versions of the Lotus Elise and Exige sports cars.

Lotus said on Thursday that it will pull the models from the United States because the airbags no longer meet safety standards. Rules require cars to have smart airbags, which adjust deployment for the speed of impact.

Additionally, Toyota has stopped production of the 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine used in the Exige and the Elise--but not before Lotus built a few U.S.-legal cars with Final Edition badging.

The last Elise coming to our shores will get the Toyota four-cylinder, producing 189 hp. The more powerful Exige makes either 240 hp or 260 hp.

A redesigned Elise is set to arrive in the United States in 2015. Lotus unveiled the new car at the 2010 Paris motor show.

In the meantime, we have the Evora and the Evora S to keep us busy while we wait for the Elan and the Esprit vehicles to show up.




By Jake Lingeman