Lotus hunting Ferrari

The British sports car brand is planning an upscale push and will reveal the first details - an all-new concept car and two spin-offs from its Evora - at the Paris Motor Show in September.  Lotus is running a countdown clock to the show on its official website under the headline 'The future starts here'.

The Lotus concept car is still secret, although inside sources point to a revival of the Esprit supercar as a potential rival to the Ferrari F458.
But the Evora updates have emerged through a leaked Lotus email which reveals there will be a go-faster Evora S and an automatic model, which are both already being tuned through track testing at the Nurburgring in Germany.

The change at Lotus comes following a major management reshuffle under former Ferrari honcho, Dany Bahar. He has hired a string of other ex- Ferrari executives in a move to boost the brand and provide the talent - design, engineering and sales - to go after the Italian brand.

Lotus Cars is having a busy time with limited-edition models of the mainstream Elise, an Evora hybrid concept and even a Formula One-style track car for wealthy owners.

In Australia, Lotus is heading for a revamp of the business that will bring it under an Asia-Pacific umbrella for the first time. Details are expected to be announced before the end of the year.