Apparently, the death of the Lotus Evora has been greatly exaggerated.
With the end of the 2014 model year, the exemption that allowed Lotus to sell the sports car in the U.S. despite its lack of smart airbags no longer applies.
Consequently, it seemed like the Evora would be withdrawn from the U.S., leaving Lotus with no road cars to sell here.
However, Lotus says the Evora isn’t going anywhere. The company said it will skip the 2015 model year, but an updated version will arrive for 2016.
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In the meantime, Lotus will continue selling leftover 2014 models. That means cars will be in short supply for at least the next several months; Lotus didn’t say when the 2016 model will go on sale.
Lotus will also continue parts support and service during the period between the 2014 and 2016 model years, even though it won’t be selling any new, street-legal cars.
The company also sells track-only versions of the Elise and Exige in the U.S., but these cars are not street legal. Lotus actually added three dealers in the last 12 months, despite its truncated product range.
What Lotus will do after revamping the current Evora is still unclear. It will need to launch some new models soon, and perhaps even expand beyond the sports car realm to stay afloat.
For now, though, it’s nice to know that a legendary brand and one of the purest sports cars still in production aren’t going anywhere.
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