As Lotus Cars prepares for the production of its first electric hypercar Evija, I catch up with design director Russell Carr to understand the “Evija effect” and how he sees the halo car and Geely’s huge investment help shape the British heritage sports car brand.
took ownership three years ago. The Chinese auto giant has big plans for the British marque - investing around $100m at the historic site in Hethel, near Norfolk in England to include, opening in August 2021, a new production centre for making sports cars.
NB: The Evija is a brave and exciting product in terms of technicality, engineering, materials and design. You must be pleased with what you’ve achieved. RC: The combination of the tub and powertrain has huge advantages - it opens up all sorts of possibilities. The classic Lotus aluminum chassis simply wouldn’t have been flexible enough for the Evija; it’s great, but you are limited to what you can do in terms of design. To optimize the aerodynamics of the car, you need to create space between the elements, but when you have a bespoke tub and a flexible powertrain you can be adaptable with the basic packaging, which was the case here.
RC: We always set ourselves objectives to guide and inspire the team. We look at aviation, nature, our history and our brand philosophy of low weight, aero efficiency and driving dynamics. Design, naturally, has to support all this but also, as you say, express it visually. You could argue that you can go back to the basics of designing sports cars, but we wanted to create something visually intriguing.
RC: They need to be creatives, of course, but I’m looking for people with lots of ideas, sketches in biro on pieces of paper drawn in a pub, for instance, rather than flashy renditions. They need to be passionate about sports cars, be interested in other forms of design, take what they do seriously and have a sense of fun.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dolly Parton Wrote “I Will Always Love You” About a Professional Breakup, Not a Romantic OneThe Real Story Behind Why Dolly Parton Wrote the Song “I Will Always Love You”
Read more »
Kim Kardashian West Unveils Trailer for 'Justice Project' Doc SeriesIn 'Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project' -- airing April 5 on Oxygen -- the star will speak with prison inmates recounting their stories of landing behind bars.
Read more »
The True Story Behind the Royal Love Quadrangle on 'The Crown''There was a quite a lot of bonking going on and not too many scruples about who with,” says royal biographer Penny Junor.
Read more »
Sophie Turner on the Story Behind Her Louis Vuitton Gown at the SAG AwardsThe Game of Thrones star documented her getting-ready process for Vogue.
Read more »
Tesla moves a step closer to opening first European factory with German property dealU.S. electric car pioneer Tesla has agreed to buy a property on the outskirts of...
Read more »
Oscars: Will 'Star Wars' Repeat Wins 40 Years After the Original?'The Rise of Skywalker' is nominated for its score, sound editing and visual effects.
Read more »