Lotus has decided to stop production of the North American-spec Elise and Exige models from August. The lightweight terror pushed the automaker back on the map in the States in 2004, but a federal exemption for a lack of "smart" airbags on the sports cars is about to run out.
The production for UK and the rest of Europe will continue with the new 1.6-liter four pot until the next Elise arrives in 2015. We can expect at least one or two more market-specific versions to roll out of Hethel before the taps are officially turned off.
