In what has already been the most challenging year of our lifetime, the malaise surrounding 2020 isn’t getting going away anytime soon, at least not for Lotus. The British automaker had planned to showcase the Evija hypercar by the latter of the year, but those plans have since been scuttled because of circumstances beyond the automaker’s control.

The culprit? The COVID-19 pandemic. Repeated delays in the development of the Evija have forced Lotus to move the car’s highly anticipated debut to the first of 2021. It’s rough news for all those who have been waiting earnestly — us included — for the Evija’s arrival to at least bring some measure of excitement to what has so far been a crappy year. Unfortunately, this pandemic has no regard for our feelings as it continues to wreak havoc all over the world.

When was the original unveiling scheduled

All things considered, the Lotus Evija was supposed to be unveiled later this year. It would’ve been the crowning achievement of Lotus’ return to prominence and would’ve made 2020 one of the most important years in Lotus’ 72-year history as a car brand.

Every automaker has been affected — and continues to be affected — by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s been especially difficult for Lotus with regards to the development of the Evija.

Are the current conditions in Europe better for testing the Lotus Evija?

It remains to be seen as the Lotus boss said that the company remains in “catch-up mode” and that testing schedules are still moving targets with no set time or location.

Fortunately, the automaker isn’t sitting idly by and wasting precious time. It’s already invested in extra resources, mainly in terms of engineering, to get the Evija ready for production. That’s a good sign if you’re waiting for the Evija to arrive. With some aspects of development still in flux, Lotus is making sure that the development of the hypercar doesn’t completely stop, particularly when it comes to the things that it can work on to speed up the process.

Improvements to the Evija’s aerodynamics and downforce were two things that Lotus successfully worked on in lieu of all the canceled on-road tests. The automaker also found out that the Evija’s overall output exceeds 2,000 horsepower, a far cry from the 1,973-horsepower output it revealed during the model’s public debut last year.





FAQ

Q: How did the pandemic affect the Evija’s development?

Speaking with {Autocar}, Lotus boss Phil Popham laid out all the elements that came into play that caused numerous delays in the Evija’s development. According to Popham, the Evija’s delay was caused by all the lockdowns that happened all over Europe because of the pandemic.

The travel restrictions didn’t help, either, as did all quarantine requirements that a lot of people were subjected to. All these elements prevented Lotus from testing its prototype models in the conditions that the Evija needed. All told, Popham said that Lotus lost {“five months of testing, mainly in continental Europe.”}

Q: Is the Lotus Evija debuting in 2021?

That’s Lotus’ new goal and the company is working hard to hit that target. That said, Popham also made it clear that further delays could still happen because of the evolving global situation brought about by the pandemic.

{{In the meantime, Lotus is already proceeding with marketing events that were canceled earlier this year because of the pandemic}}. A world tour to show the Evija to potential customers was scrapped in March, but that event is already being reorganized by the automaker.

As this disaster of a year continues, let’s hope that its last months offer a hopeful glimpse into a future that’s markedly better than our current situation. This doesn’t just go out to automakers like Lotus, a lot of whom have suffered in many ways because of the pandemic. This goes out to everyone whose lives have either suffered or irrevocably changed because of the pandemic.