World's most powerful production car to be built in Norfolk

The first fully electric British hypercar, the all-new Lotus Evija, will be manufactured at the company’s headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk.

As a name, Evija (pronounced ‘E-vi-ya’) means ‘the first in existence’ or ‘the living one’. The car marks the start of a new chapter in the history of the iconic and British sports car brand.

It is the first hypercar from Lotus, and the company’s first model with an electrified powertrain. It is also the first completely new car to be launched under the stewardship of Geely – the global automotive group.

Only 130 will be produced, and the car is priced at £1,700,000.

Hethel, close to the historic city of Norwich in the east of England, UK, has been the headquarters of Lotus since 1966, and the new hypercar has been designed and engineered there. The company has confirmed production of the Evija will begin in Hethel during 2020.

Speaking at the unveiling in London, Lotus Cars CEO Phil Popham said: “The Lotus Evija is a car like no other. It will re-establish our brand in the hearts and minds of sports car fans and on the global automotive stage. It will also pave the way for further visionary models.”

He added: “This is another amazing moment in the history of our company. The Evija is a true Lotus in every sense – it has been developed with an unwavering passion to push boundaries, to explore new ways of thinking and to apply ground-breaking technologies.”

Russell Carr, Design Director, Lotus Cars, said: “We studied how Le Mans race cars use air flow creatively to go over, under and around the vehicle, but also through it. This concept of ‘porosity’ is key to the Evija and has enabled us to create a timeless design with exceptional amounts of downforce.”

The Evija signals the start of a contemporary new design language for Lotus, which will evolve and reappear on future high-performance cars.

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The hypercar is the first Lotus road car to feature a one-piece carbon fibre monocoque chassis. The cabin, from the fully adjustable race-style seats to the multi-function steering wheel, is motorsport-inspired design and technology.

At the heart of the Evija is an ultra-advanced all-electric powertrain. It has been developed by technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering, known in motorsport, from Formula One to electrifying the first four seasons of Formula E.

The battery pack is mid-mounted immediately behind the two seats and supplies energy directly to four powerful e-motors. This highly efficient system is the lightest, most energy dense, electric power package ever fitted to a road car. With a target weight of just 1,680 kg, it will be the lightest pure electric hypercar ever to go into series production.

Lotus www.lotuscars.com