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Lotus reveals new LMP1 at Le Mans

Lotus is at Le Mans this week where it has unveiled its new LMP1. Only it's not racing at Le Mans. And it's not really a Lotus, either.
The prototype belongs to an independent German team that ran a Lotus chassis in the LMP2 category last year, but was granted license by the FIA and ACO to step up to the top-tier LMP1 category to dice it with the front-running hybrids from Audi, Porsche and Toyota this year. Unfortunately, the team - which licenses the Lotus name from the automaker, much as the F1 team does - faced some setbacks. Not the least of those delays resulted from a mid-stream switch in engine suppliers from the Audi-sourced, naturally aspirated V8 it was originally set to use to a new turbocharged V6 from Advanced Engine Research.
As a result it wasn't ready for the Silverstone race that kicked off this season's World Endurance Championship in April. Nor was it ready for the second round at Spa in May or not for the headline event this weekend at Le Mans, but it aims to be on the track at the next round in Austin.

Lotus getting into the motorcycle business

Lotus founder Colin Chapman is famously quoted as saying something to the effect of "Simplify, then add lightness." We're a bit amazed that it took this long, but someone appears to be taking that message to heart at the British marque, losing a couple of wheels, a clutter of bodywork and a whole mess of weight. No, Lotus isn't planning another spindly Seven-style trackday racer, it's getting into motorcycles.
Well, sort of. As an automaker, Lotus apparently isn't directly behind this two-wheeled effort, but it does appear to have officially lent its brand and logo to a new company, Lotus Motorcycles, which counts former Volkswagen Group designer Daniel Simon, Germany's Holzer Group and auto racing team Kodewa among its partners. The latter builds and races Lotus' T128 Le Mans Prototype in the World Endurance Championship series.
The new company is touting an as-yet unseen motorcycle, a racing-inspired "hyper bike" called C-01, releasing only the image above - a carbon fiber fuel tank trimmed in Lotus' trademark black and gold livery. Details are tough to come by, but the project is said to include a powertrain good for around 200 horsepower and construction involving titanium, carbon fiber and aerospace-grade steel.

Lotus CUV sets sights on Macan

The idea of a minimalist sportscar brand like Lotus actually building a crossover, as opposed to its APX concept, is still a bit hard to comprehend. But survival in the modern automotive landscape isn't easy, and a higher-volume model could do a lot to keep the lights on. Hot off the debut of the feather-light 3-Eleven at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, company CEO Jean-Marc Gales is now divulging some more details about the future model. At the moment, Lotus plans to launch the crossover in 2019, and the company has some rather specific targets in mind. "We want to get SUVs to be light and fast. The nearest rival will be the Porsche Macan – but ours will be better," Gales said to Auto Express. Rumors suggest the use of aluminum and composites with the goal for a weight as much as 400-500 pounds less than Porsche's smaller CUV. The model will be exclusive to the Chinese market at launch. While the Lotus crossover is under serious planning, actual development isn't underway yet. According to Auto Express, the company and its Chinese joint venture partner are still waiting for a license to build cars there. Once that comes, they intend to kick things into high gear. Gales also suggested that a Toyota-sourced powertrain, possibly a hybrid, was in the cards.