Lotus MPV

It’s Lotus’s light show!

British firm reveals weight-saving study, result is improved economy for minimal outlay

The future is light for Lotus! The Norfolk firm’s engineering arm has created a flyweight concept, demonstrating how its weight-saving philosophy can be applied to passenger cars of the future. And the results are startling.

For only a three per cent increase in production costs, Lotus claims it can achieve an astonishing 38 per cent weight reduction. That’s enough for a 23 per cent improvement in fuel economy while retaining all key interior and exterior dimensions.

The process was completed by stripping out and noting every component in a Toyota Venza – a US-only MPV – to pinpoint where lighter, stronger materials, or fewer components, could be used.

This study investigated two potential scenarios: a car which would be feasible to put into production in 2017, and a more extreme example that would be ready to roll in 2020.

The former is designed to be assembled in existing factories. Improved materials and fewer parts reduce its weight by 21 per cent (powertrain excluded), while it costs two per cent less to build. The 2020 model slashes weight by 38 per cent, yet is only three per cent more expensive to produce.

Steel is replaced by aluminium, magnesium and composites to cut the unpainted body from 382kg to 221kg. The doors and tailgate also use strong but light metals to weigh 41 per cent less. Lighter suspension and brakes can be fitted, while intelligent driver and passenger control modules mean there is no traditional instrument cluster. Windows will be fixed in place to allow thinner glass.

Dr Robert Hentschel, director of Lotus Engineering, explained: “Lighter vehicles are cleaner and more efficient. We believe this approach will be common in the industry for future vehicle design.”

The idea is nothing new for Lotus, which makes a priority of low kerbweight. This is mainly to aid handling, but emissions are boosted, too. For example, the 876kg Elise covers 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds, yet returns fuel economy of 45mpg.