Following Lotus’s recent restructuring program that will see impending job losses, there’s more bad news coming from the States. According to Car and Driver, the company’s street-legal production model, the Evora, is going to be withdrawn from sale in the USA.
The problem reportedly comes down to air bags. Lotus was granted a temporary exemption from fitting the latest-generation smart airbags to the Evora, but that exemption is set to expire at the end of the year. And once it does, Lotus apparently has no plans of developing and fitting the proper equipment to allow it to continue selling the Evora in the United States.
Once the Evora is gone from their market, Lotus will be reduced to selling only track-bound versions of the Elise and Exige in the U.S, which means the possibility of owning a new Lotus in the U.S is second to none. Expect its used values to rise significantly though.
Recently, our local press reported that the company is mulling the possibility of entering new market segments by developing an SUV and a D-segment sedan. Even if this rumour turns out to be true, it will be a long wait before Lotus introduces any new regular-production models for sale in America.
Source: Car and Driver, Autoblog
