New Lotus Evora Priced from $149,990 in Australia

Lotus has confirmed Australian pricing for its all-new Evora sports car a few months ahead of the coupe's market launch scheduled for the third quarter of 2009. The entry level two-seater version of the Evora will be priced at $149,990 AU (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges) which is about $119,000 US or €85,000. Bizarrely, there seems to be some kind of a new law in Australia that prohibits official websites from publishing new car prices -we're not kidding- so unfortunately we can't compare the Evora's price to other sports cars sold Down Under.

Along with the Evora 2+0, Lotus will also sell a 2+2 seater version of the coupe that will be priced from $156,990 (again, recommended price before statutory and delivery charges). Rear seats aside, this version adds a host of luxury appointments both standard and optional including Alpine audio system, reversing camera and cruise control.

Both models are powered by a Toyota sourced 3.5-liter V6 engine producing an output of 206kW (that's 276 in good ol' horsepower) and 342Nm of torque. The naturally aspirated V6 is matted to a 6-speed manual gearbox while Lotus also offers a sportier, close-ratio transmission. For those that insist on buying a sports car for all the wrong reasons, an automatic version is in the company's future plans.

With the stick shift, the Evora goes from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in just over five seconds while returning an average fuel consumption of 8.7l/100km (combined highway/urban cycle).

VIDEO: Lotus Evora V6 3.5 276HP Test Drive in Scotland

Here's one of the first videos of the Lotus Evora sports coupe that was filmed during the official press launch event in Scotland earlier this month. The first truly-new Lotus in almost 15 years is powered by a mid-mounted, Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V6 that cranks out 276HP at 6,400 rpm and 252 lbs-ft or 342Nm of torque at 4,700 rpm launching the coupe from rest to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 260 km/h or 162mph.

Priced between the Porsche Caymen and the 911, the Evora is offered as a strictly two-seater as well as a 2+2. European sales are set to start in late May with North America following in early 2010.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com