01 Mar 06
Its the Lotus MPV-crossover: a seven-seater with four-wheel drive and a supercharged 300bhp 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine.
The APX is not a production car, however, but a demonstration of just how versatile Lotus Engineerings Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) construction system really is. This is the structure which will form the basis of the upcoming Lotus mid-engined sports car, the new Esprit, seen here in a very different type of vehicle.
The APX is described as a 5+2 seater with an occasional row of tiny back seats; its engine is conventionally front-mounted. Its trump card, however, is the relatively light weight of its structure, which is mostly made from stamped and extruded aluminium and bonded together using adhesives, self-piercing rivets and flow-drill screws, reducing the number of welds and mechanical fixings needed and thus also reducing its cost to build. Weighing 1,570kg, it can return 32mpg yet accelerate 0-60mph in five seconds and achieve a top speed of 152mph not bad for a hefty-looking, high-riding large family vehicle.
APX is said to be a feasible prototype close to production and Lotus reckons it could make up to 30,000 a year. Its unlikely to launch the car on its own and to market it as a Lotus, but is in discussions with clients for whom it could build the vehicle: the APX could also surface under the brand of Proton, Lotuss parent company.
The 3.0-litre V6 engines a dead cert for production, though: it is expected to appear in the new Esprit, to be launched in 2008 and it may also be supplied to Lotuss clients.
