Self-shifter for Lotus Exige S
Coupe and roadster versions of hardcore Lotus to be offered with optional six-speed auto gearboxLotus will be bringing an automatic transmission version of its potent mid-engine Exige sports car to Australia next year – and it reckons the six-speed slushbox version will account for sales equal to those of the existing six-speed manual Exige.
Against the background of claims that the auto version of the $126,990 Exige is actually faster, both in zero to 100km/h acceleration and in lap times around the company’s test track in England, the company hopes to extend the appeal of the hard-core lightweight to new buyers in 2015.
According to Lotus importer Ateco Automotive’s Edward Rowe, there’s no anomaly in offering an auto version of the Exige: "This is a market that actually likes self-shifters" he said. "Not only are we expecting sales of the automatic version to be incremental to existing manual-transmission sales, but we expect around 50 per cent of Exige S buyers will opt for the automatic."
The Exige auto is not the first self-shifter in the Lotus range. The flagship Evora can also be had with essentially the same automatic transmission as that to be offered in the Exige S – where it is hooked up to a 206kW/350Nm normally aspirated version of the Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 engine. According to Rowe, the automatic accounts for the "vast majority" of Evora sales.
The paddle-shift automatic Toyota gearbox used in the 257kW/400Nm Exige S is a “more developed” version of that used in the Evora.
The company is unable to say at this point what the price penalty for opting for the auto transmission will be, but it would be reasonable to expect an impost similar to the $9000 that applies to the automatic version of the Evora.
Speaking of which, the company has recently simplified the Evora line-up, with the automatic transmission now playing an even more significant role in the model range.
Last year, the Exige S accounted for 21 Lotus sales nationally, which put it behind both the Elise model (42 sales) and the Evora (25). Year-to-date in 2014 however, the potent Exige, at 25 sales compared to Elise (19) and Evora (8), is ahead of both models and is expected to continue that lead into 2015.
"Lotus sells every car it brings into Australia," Rowe said, "largely because of the strength of our dealers."
The company hopes to ramp up production next year, with more cars allocated for the Australian market including the automatic variants of the Exige S.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
