Obvio!, Lotus to create multifuel, microsports cars

By Chris Tutor   Date Dec,26,2006

 

It's really easy to get excited when you hear Lotus is teaming up with a Brazilian carmaker to produce a small (89" wheelbase), light (1,648 lbs), three-seat sportscar called the 012. Then to hear it gets 40 mpg on the highway from its 1.6L 4 cylinder and offers a choice of paddle-shifted CVT or 6-speed manual and it's starts to sound very interesting especially when the list base price is only $28,000! And there's more? Sportier models offer 170 hp, and 250 hp Tritec engines. With that power to weight ratio, you'll be the Autocross king! My god, that's better than the GT3, the Sport Exige and even better than the Caterham

R400! Those numbers, according Obvio, the company planning the 012, are attained while running ethanol or compressed natural gas. Pump good old gasoline into the tank and see a 10% boost!

If only you didn't live in the lawsuit-happy U.S.A . With luck, you'll get to drive it on your vacation to Brazil next summer.

Cancel the trip, because ZAP!, the company importing the first Smart cars into the States, has signed a contract with Obvio to buy 50,000 of their little funcars over three years beginning in 2008. There will also be an electric plug-in version of the car, with 0-60 times in the 4.5 second range, a top speed of 120 mph and a starting price of $59,000.

If you like your sporty economy cars to look more econ than sport, check out the Obvio 828 and more details on both models after the jump.