Just when it appeared iconic British automaker Lotus was throwing in the towel on the USA street-legal market, they got a second wind – or at least decided they would put smart airbags into their Evora. Lotus was looking at leaving the lucrative USA market after their 12-month exemption to install federally-mandated smart airbags on the Evora officially expired and the company’s engineers who might have been employed to install said airbags will be laid off in a recent announcement of Lotus trimming 25% of their workforce.
But that was last week.
This week though, Lotus decided they will install smart airbags on the Evora after all – it just might take them a bit longer – what, with having 25% fewer workers and all. So the new Evora with smart airbags will not be coming to a dealership near you until 2016, it seems. There will still be no 2015 Evora model for the USA.
After the current stock of 2014 Lotus Evoras has run out, Lotus will only be offering track-only versions of the Elise and Exige in the USA for 2015.