Evora Wins Car Magazine's Coveted Performance Car Of The Year

The Lotus Evora beat strong competition from 29 other cars to win the title of Performance Car of the Year 2009. The prominent competition included cars from some of the greatest Marques in the world such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin.

The 2009 Performance Car of the Year comprised 30 cars, and included exhaustive subjective and objective testing. The feature incorporated testing on some of the greatest driving roads in Britain, with objective testing at the Rockingham Motor Speedway, where Darren Turner, a Le Mans winning racer, put the cars through their paces.

Chris Chilton, Assistant Editor at Car Magazine was so taken with the Lotus Evora during the first drive activity in Scotland that he said he would eat his Apple Mac if the Evora didn't win this year's Performance Car of the Year.

In saving his Apple Mac, Chris commented, "There are executive saloons that don't ride this well, supercars that don't turn in so crisply, and surely no car on the planet steers like this". To further safeguard his constitution, Chris added, "Lotus has managed to transfer everything that we love about the Elise to a bigger, more refined, more grown up platform...It couldn't really be much better to drive - the Evora is nigh-on perfect. A winner on every conceivable level".

Roger Becker, Vehicle Engineering Director said that "It is very rewarding to win the well established Car Magazine, Performance Car of the Year award against such tough competition. I am personally very pleased that Chris Chilton so accurately informs on the character and performance that we set out to achieve in the Evora: They are all you would expect from a modern everyday Lotus. The Evora is a great ownership proposition, offering the great Lotus driving experience in a very comfortable, practical, refined and efficient package."

He added "It is a great validation of the expertise at Lotus to win this title against incredible competition from such a highly regarded publication and very pleasing to continue Lotus' outstanding record in this competition".

Lotus Evora: 205 g/km CO2

32.5 mpg (8.7 litres / 100 km) - Combined Cycle

22.8 mpg (12.4 litres / 100 km) - Urban Cycle

43.5 mpg (6.5 litres / 100 km) - Extra Urban Cycle

NOTES

For more details about Car Magazine's, Performance Car of the Year feature check out the Car Magazine and www.carmagazine.co.uk .

About the Lotus Evora

The Evora enters the sports car market as the world's only production mid-engined 2+2, and provides a tremendously rewarding driving experience; the mid-engined layout gives exceptional agility and the Lotus engineered suspension ensures incredible ride, handling, and steering performance. Powered by a Lotus-tuned 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 280 PS/ 206 kW / 276 hp @ 6400 rpm, and weighing just 1382 kg, the Evora delivers an exhilarating experience true to the Lotus DNA characteristics.

With the zero to 60 mph sprint taking just 4.9 seconds (100 km/h in just 5.1 seconds) a top speed of 162 mph (261 km/h) and an Official European Combined Cycle fuel economy of 32.5 mpg (8.7 litres / 100 km) and emissions of 205 g/km CO2 the Evora stays true to the ethos of performance through light weight. The other economy figures are Official European Urban Cycle of 22.8 mpg (12.4 litres / 100 km) and 43.5 mpg (6.5 litres / 100 km) for the Official European Extra Urban Cycle.

Production of the Evora is currently ramping up to a build rate of 2000 cars per year, which is forecast to be achieved in November 2009, and will mean that total production of Lotus vehicles will be over double that of November 2008.

About Lotus

The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Limited, which has two operating divisions - Lotus Engineering and Lotus Cars. Lotus Engineering is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy based in Norfolk, UK. Global facilities include those in Michigan (USA), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), China and offices in Germany and Japan.

Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world's OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, offering a full engineering service from initial concept and project design through development and integration of the complete vehicle to meet all worldwide market and customer requirements to full production. This includes third party 'niche vehicle' engineering and manufacture worldwide.

Lotus Cars builds world class, prestige, high performance sports cars for sale in 37 countries. These include the iconic Lotus Elise, Exige, Europa and Lotus' latest model, the Evora. Lotus is a global high-tech company, expanding rapidly and committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.

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