Here's Why Lotus Discontinued The Elise
The much-lauded Lotus Elise was discontinued in 2021 along with the Lotus Exige and Evora, bringing an end to an eventful journey that began in 1996 with the introduction of Lotus' Elise Series 1. The British automaker had stopped selling the Elise in the United States in 2011 (alongside the Exige) after Toyota discontinued the 2ZZ-GE four-cylinder engines used in them, so those closely following car trends likely expected this, especially as automakers continue to move away from gasoline and diesel engines amid the growing focus on electrification.
In its day, the Elise was hailed for its imposing good looks, low center of gravity, and silky-smooth engines, as well as a high-end aluminum chassis and lightweight, compact fiberglass design that added to its balance, and fantastically supple ride — and this enthusiasm for the road gained it recognition as one of the best Lotus cars of all time. In fact, it wasn't just lauded among Lotuses — British newspaper The Daily Telegraph named the Lotus Elise one of the best cars ever made, period.
[Featured image by Thierry & Didier Descouens via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]
Why was the Lotus Elise discontinued?
Lotus Cars ended production of the Elise to shift production toward electric sports cars. In a news release announcing the automaker's decision, the Elise's architect, Richard Rackham, said the company was prioritizing its new Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture, an in-house modular chassis platform that would underpin its future electric vehicles. The Elise's discontinuation was also linked to Lotus' decision to upgrade its paint shop to an automated one — a move managing director Matt Windle observed would enable the automaker to ramp up production and improve product quality in general, per Road & Track, but that wasn't compatible with the way the Elise was designed.
In the Elise's stead, Lotus revealed in 2021 that it would offer the Emira with a choice of either a Mercedes-AMG or Toyota engine. The Emira will be the last Lotus sports car to use an internal combustion engine. Current base price: $126,900.
[Featured image by pyntofmyld via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]
What kind of car was the Lotus Elise?
The Lotus Elise was a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car based on the company's small-car platform. It was introduced as a replacement for the Lotus Elan, with production spanning three generations, powered by either a 1.8L Rover K-series inline-four engine or a range of Toyota inline-fours. The first-generation Elise models were powered exclusively by the Rover K-series engine, which despite making only 118 hp still propelled the 1996 Lotus Elise to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds, due in part to the Elise weighing just 1,598 pounds.
For the second Elise generation, produced from 2001 to 2010, Lotus offered three inline-four engine options, all displacing 1.8 liters. At the beginning, it retained the Rover K-series engine, but starting in 2004 the Elise S2 switched to Toyota 1ZZ-FE inline-four and Toyota 2ZZ-GE inline-four engines. The most powerful of these, the Elise Series 2 SC, offered a supercharged 2ZZ-GE producing 218 horsepower.
For the third and final Lotus Elise generation, made between 2010 and 2021, the manufacturer offered only Toyota engines: a 134-hp 1.6L 1ZR-FAE inline-four, a 1.8L Toyota 2ZZ-GE inline-four (available in both 190-hp naturally aspirated and 220-hp supercharged flavors), and a 218-hp 1.8L supercharged 2ZR-FE inline-four.