Lotus Confirms Production of Smart Car Competitor For 2013
It would appear, unlikely as it may seem, that the bottom is falling out of the small car market. Just a few years after overzealous buyers were burning their Escalades and Hummers in an effort to avoid making payments, the car buying public has once again flocked to large trucks and SUVs in droves. Sales of even the best contenders in the small car marketplace have lagged way behind their expected levels, and small-car only manufacturers like Smart are struggling to deal with the issue.
Which makes the news that Lotus is considering the production of just such a vehicle all the more confusing. Combine the market’s lackluster sales with Lotus’ self-proclaimed desire to square off with Ferrari and Lamborghini, and you’d forgive the automotive press for not paying more attention to the Lotus City Car concept when it was unveiled alongside various other more exotic concepts at the Paris auto show this year. But, according to a recent interview given to the UK’s CAR magazine, Lotus head Dany Bahar is quite eager to see the diminutive concept through to production.
Riding on a platform intended for an extended-range electric hybrid vehicle, the car’s underpinnings are already quite close to production ready. With a 1.3 litre gasoline engine serving as a generator for three electric drive motors, Lotus intends to produce three versions of the City Car; one for Asia, one for Europe, and a third sportier model for an as-yet unnamed market. Chances of any of the vehicles making it to North America are slim to none.
