Lotus was supposed to unveil the Esprit's successor by early 2010, but latest reports from the company said the launch will be delayed until early 2011 as the car will be totally redesigned. Also there are very big chances for the car to get hybrid, using a mix of Lotus and Toyota technology.

Company boss Mike Kimberley said he wants to offer “guilt-free, high performance motoring” and admits the company is “working on something”.

The future Esprit (he name is not actually confirmed yet) will be built on the same chassis platform as the new Evora, and will be made wider and longer and with a new rear structure designed to accommodate a longitudinally mounted engine.

Also the company is working on more versions of the newly launched Evora, including a two-seater, a convertible and an automatic. And work is also advancing on S3 versions of the Elise and Exige.

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