Even for students of history and those with really long memories, it’s been a long time since any automobiles built by Detroit Electric plied the world’s roadways. But today, the company (whose name was last affixed to a new vehicle in 1939) announced that it will be working with Malaysia’s Proton to build a lineup of pure electric cars, with the first one rolling out worldwide by the end of 2009.

Currently, Detroit Electric has implemented its drive systems into the Lotus Elise (the British sportscar maker is owned by the Malaysian concern) and a pair of Proton cars, the Persona and Savvy. There is no confirmation at this point of which cars will be released in what markets (and when), but DE is looking to put 30,000 of its powertrains on the world’s roads by 2010. According to Paul Tan of PaulTan.org (who managed to snag an invite to Detroit Electric’s press conference and test session at their test circuit in Shah Alam, Malaysia), Detroit Electric is actually talking with three different manufacturers about integrating DE drive systems into their vehicles. Proton appears to be the only named company at this point, although Tan says that the other companies are American and German, respectively.

Click on the link below to read more from PaulTan.org (including some limited drive impressions and photos), and check out Detroit Electric’s official press release below.

+ PaulTan.org: DRIVEN: Detroit Electric’s electric Lotus Elise

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The long-followed Lotus Eagle program has finally come to fruition this morning, with the brand new car being christened Evora at the 2008 British Motor Show in London.

The Evora promises to be the most user-friendly Lotus ever with a 2+2 configuration (thought the +2 in question will have to be mighty tiny), a seemingly plush interior, and even a navigation system. The British company has still managed to keep the weight down to a reasonable level though, saying that the car will end up at an eminently sane 2,976 pounds.

Nearly 3,000 pounds is still on the far end of the heavy-set side for Lotus, but the car still looks to be anything but sluggish in hauling its heft. A 3.6-liter V-6 engine can be found amidships on the Evora, producing 276 horsepower and propelling the car from naught to 60 miles per hour in an estimated sub five-second span. The top end will be somewhere around 160 mph. Despite those sparkling performance numbers Lotus estimates that the car will still be good for 30+ miles per gallon, adding another nice touch of usability to the Evora.
Evora has been designed to meet or exceed safety and emissions standards globally which is great news for the U.S. market. Slightly more daunting is the yearly production target of just 2000 units from the Hethel factory. Better raise your hand early.

Check out a full gallery of Evora images above or read the complete Lotus press release below.

Lotus is holding a birthday bash for over 15,000 of its closest friends this year, in celebration of 60 years spent executing founder Colin Chapman’s philosophy of “performance through lightweight.

The whole premise of an underwater car is wacky enough - so why stop there? Frank Rinderknecht, the brains behind Swiss tuner Rinspeed, didn't for the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. To properly showcase his diving sQuba concept, he decked out the stand with fake lobsters, fishing nets and models wearing wetsuits (not fishnet stockings).

Lotus has announced that it will be bringing yet another version of its highly regarded Exige sports car to the Geneva Motor Show, this one serving as a test bed for sustainable, synthetic alcohol fuels.

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Love Caterham's (nee Lotus) Seven, but disappointed that the maximum power the factory can provide is a "mere" 260 horsepower? Partnering with RS Performance, Caterham's launched the new RST-V8 - a Seven designed to answer those with such a (death)wish.

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While photographic evidence of the upcoming Lotus 2+2 sports car the Eagle has been, for the most part, blurry and uninspiring, the parka-clad super-spies over at KGP Photography have managed to get some nice new shots.

Lotus Engineering has created a new Research and Development group dedicated to electric and hybrid vehicles.

The ridiculous – albeit, glorious – Rinspeed sQuba Concept is set to make a splash at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.