In this week’s Autocar confidential, we speak to the man in charge of Lotus about how to deliver an EV that sticks to the firm’s lightweight ethos, and find out when Citroen changed its tune on diesel. But first, what can Cupra do to stand out from its VW Group siblings?
CUPRA MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE
How will Cupra make its Volkswagen-based electric cars sporty? CEO Wayne Griffiths believes that it’s about more than trick styling. “We adapt the chassis and suspension and add different brakes and steering,” he said, adding that small EVs need to “feel like a go-kart”. The Spanish brand will maintain a focus on driver engagement, which is great news for us – although, Griffiths acknowledged, “not very democratic to passengers”.
LIGHT WEIGHT STILL KEY FOR ELECTRIC LOTUS
The replacement for the Lotus Elise being an EV was always going to upset some, but Lotus boss Matt Windle is confident that the Type 135 will deserve the hallowed emblem. He said: “I know some people won’t like it, but we’ve always been innovative and looked for the best solutions. There’s a lot of references to what Colin Chapman would have made of it. He was pretty agnostic to powertrains; he just wanted the one that gave the best performance, and that’s what we will do. These cars will be fun to drive and will be a premium product which moves Lotus into a different era.”