Thanks to tight regulations, Lotus currently sells only one road-legal car in the US – the Lotus Evora, and even that has stumbled into issues now thanks to increasingly tight safety regulations in the country. The Elise S Cup R and Exige V6 Cup R are sold in the country for track usage only.
There will be no 2015 model year Evora, because Lotus isn’t allowed to sell one as it does not meet strict airbag safety standards. However, the company has a limited number of 2014 model year cars to last the entire 2015, and cars fitted with a new improved airbag system would be ready for 2016.
Lotus previously had an exemption from complying with the airbag regulations up to March 8, 2014. This exemption has now expired. The regulation in concern is FMVSS No. 208 S14.7.
The regulation calls for the airbags to be validated in a 56 km/h belted crash to work with multiple crash test dummies. This previously required a 50th percentile male crash dummy but was then updated to include a 5th percentile female crash test dummy as well.
Before this update to include the female crash test dummy, the Evora was fully compliant with FMVSS No. 208. After the update, the Lotus Evora required an exemption from this regulation for the front passenger seat (fully forward seat position) to be on sale.
Now that it no longer has the exemption, Lotus has to change the seatbelt buckles, switch to a new airbag ECU, and resubmit the Evora for type approval. The current airbag ECU does not have the capability to monitor whether the seat belt is buckled, and the buckle supplier does not have a suitable buckle switch.
A buckle switch would allow the ECU to fire only the first stage of the air bag inflator for buckled occupants while firing two stages for unbuckled occupants, allowing the stiffness of the air bag to be different for belted and unbelted occupants.
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Typo guys… 2nd para, line 1.
Proton better sell off Lotus lah.
But..but… what about all those hot rods with no safety standards at all.. *facepalm*
The regulation applies to vehicles sold in 2015 only. If those hot rods or any other family car we sold before that, the regulation does not applies to them. I know, right. that’s just how it works.
America. Sometimes they just can’t be understood.
Meanwhile in BOlehland, no regulation acquire, a lot of unregister car (AP’s permits) sell without know all the safety features are still work properly or not. Port authorities-custom-car showroom-Puspakom-JPJ-Sold.
Not really a problem. They only need to switch to a newer buckle type and better ECU.
This is silly.
They should have mandated that the Airbags DO NOT FIRE at all if the ECU didn’t detect the seatbelt use. :p
Dear Paul,
It is number of cars, not amount of cars. Amount is for things you cannot count, like sand.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/amount
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/amount
According to online dictionaries, the word “amount” can be used for countable things as well. They are merely synonyms for the same meaning.
I think he amended the article already as I cannot find the word “amount” anymore. Damage already done.
ini macam punya interior, tabuli ini machem.
even hyundai got better interior.
If u want a comfortable interior, then Lotus is not a car for u.
if you want this type of interior, then porsche / lamborghini or you name it is not a car for you.
Never though that airbag can be that complex. Wonder which airbag regulation that proton comply
i rephrase:
Wonder which airbag regulation that [put any brand here] comply
Meanwhile in Malaysia, 2 airbag Axia can get a 4 star ASEAN NCAP rating. Please Perodua, buck up.
Apparently nobody gives a shit about new Lotus cars in the US anyway: http://jalopnik.com/if-lotus-died-in-america-would-anyone-really-care-1638194455
“A quick check of AutoTrader.com reveals that there are just 61 new Lotus Evoras available for sale in the entire country, and a shocking 18 of those – nearly 30 percent – are actually leftover 2013 models. ”
“In 2012, Lotus sold less than 1,000 vehicles in the entire world.”
close shop la lotus..just continue doing what’s best from you; tuning proton’s handling..haha
the car name sounds like EXORA….
boring la…change the name pls..
I thought Lotus Exora… :)
I just don’t understand why is it if anything related to Malaysia will surely be condemned. You people not Malaysian kah? What kind of mentality is this?
i think Lotus car’s design r superb! pls Lotus, don’t close shop.. i hope Lotus will succeed.
Proton can sell in the US ah?