lotus

Lotus knows a thing or two about car technology. It's responsible for building the Tesla Roadster, it had a hand in creating the electric Rolls-Royce 102EX, and there are now two teams in Formula 1 bearing its name.

Sadly, none of this tech knowledge seems to have trickled down to the company's special edition Elise Club Racer. It has about as much tech inside as an Amish barn.

Read the full post at CNET UK

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IBM announced today that nine hospitals across Russia have switched from paper-based medical systems to electronic medical records using IBM Lotus Notes.

Designed to provide fast electronic medical record (EMR) exchange and unified access to many types of health care data, while at the same time meeting stricter medical information requirements and more secure access to patient information in Russia, the automation system was developed by IBM and Complex Medical Information Systems.

"It provides a single electronic tool for control, accounting and planning which leads to improved operation and higher quality of service," says Roman Novitsky, CEO of … Read more

With a mix of new models and concept cars at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, automakers showed off some fine sleds. We found a lot of cars we wanted to jump in and drive away right there on the show floor. Being a European show, names such as Jaguar, Lotus, Audi, and BMW stood center stage with drool-worthy vehicles.

Some of the cars touched an aesthetic nerve, works of automotive sculpture such as the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento. The Ford Focus ST looked like affordable fun, and had us eager for the U.S. launch. While the Jaguar C-X75 tweaked our … Read more

We just returned from the press preview of the 2010 Paris Motor Show, which is open to the public from now until October 17, where we saw a hybrid turbine car from Jaguar, iPads in a BMW, a scary Lamborghini, a compact SUV from Land Rover, and every car Lotus will build up to 2015.

Jaguar C-X75 concept Jaguar's C-X75 is one of those concept cars we wish was in production right now. An innovative hybrid powertrain using micro-turbines means it hits 60 mph in about 3.4 seconds yet gets about 36 mpg.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento concept Lamborghini'… Read more

Current Lotus models the Elise, Exige, and Evora look nothing like the company's cars from a decade ago. And five years from now, Lotus' cars won't look anything like the current line-up.

Under chief designer Donato Coco, formerly of Ferrari, the Lotus is launching an ambitious plan of not only changing the styling of its cars, but reaching into new segments populated by the likes of Lamborghini and Aston Martin.

Lotus showed off five new concepts at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, all vehicles with full production intent behind them. These models include three sports cars and two … Read more

For weeks, Lotus has been teasing us about the cars, and the new direction for the company, that it intends to unveil at the Paris Motor Show. Today Lotus unveiled the Elite, a new model that will be on display in concept form.

The Elite is a GT-type car with 2+2 seating, continuing a trend within the company to go bigger. The Elite is almost a foot longer than the Evora, the company's newest 2+2.

Lotus styling is clearly evident in the body of the Elite, and it will embody Lotus values of light weight and superb … Read more

Not long after we experienced the 2010 Evora, Lotus announces two new variations on the Evora to be launched at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. One model, the Evora S, gets more power and makes the optional Sport package from the original Evora standard. The other model replaces the standard six-speed manual with an automatic, a move sure to cause dismay among Lotus purists.

The Evora S uses the same 3.5-liter V-6 as the standard Evora, but gets 69 more horsepower, going from 276 to 345. Likewise, torque in the S model is up at 295 pound-feet versus the … Read more

A Lotus engineer told us that the reason the cars handle so well is because the company has gone through so many twists and turns. This sort of candor seems to be the rule from one of the U.K.'s few remaining car companies.

We spent a day with Lotus staff while driving the latest model, the 2010 Evora, around the track at Laguna Seca and through the serpentine roads in Monterey, and learned to expect honesty from the employees of this idiosyncratic organization.

Probably the greatest expression of honesty is in the cars themselves. Lotus has no tricks up its proverbial sleeves; the company makes pure sports cars through simply good engineering.

Take the 2010 Lotus Evora. It uses a unique extruded aluminum chassis, a center tub with bolt-on front and rear pieces. Along with its composite body panels, that structure keeps the total weight down to just over 3,000 pounds. It also results in a stiff body structure that ensures the Evora exhibits the same sort of handling prowess that marks the Lotus Elise and Exige.

But where the Evora differs from Lotus' other models is in its cabin space. Because Lotus concentrates on building small, lightweight cars, its earlier models require the limberness of a yoga instructor to enter and exit. One of the guiding principles in the development of the Evora was that it should accommodate a 6-foot-5-inch driver. It was also designed for 2+2 seating, although the rear seat is actually an option. … Read more