On the one hand, it's great to know that Lotus isn't dead and a revival plan is shaping up. The Evora may disappear from the US market for one model year, but at least it'll return with improvements. As part of the shakeup, Lotus will also probably lay off nearly 25 percent of its workforce. But hopefully there's light at the end of the tunnel, and current CEO Jean-Marc Gales believes there is. In an extensive interview given to Auto Express, Gales goes into some detail about what we can expect from Lotus in the next few years.

For starters, we can forget about the reborn Esprit, a project which began under former CEO Dany Bahar's watch. Why? Gales didn't give specifics but it's fair to assume it's simply too expensive to develop. However - and this is where any Lotus enthusiast should get angry - an SUV/crossover is very much being considered. Gales believes that a Lotus-developed crossover (as well as a sedan) "can combine Lotus brand values… (and that both) will be light, performance-led and it will have outstanding looks." Hey, if it worked for Porsche, then why can't an SUV and sedan be cash cows for Lotus, too?

Gales does make clear, however, that we "won't see a two-tonne animal somewhere wearing a Lotus badge," thus preserving Colin Chapman values such as "light is right, agility, pure driving." Lastly, the Elise, Exige, and Evora still have "a lot of life left" and performance, handling, and general usability enhancements are all in the pipeline.