Cropley's Geneva: Lotus APX

'Here’s our Geneva Show star! The secret weapon of this racy-looking people-carrier, designed and built by Lotus in Norfolk — but never to wear a Lotus badge — is its chassis. It is the first fully-working prototype to use Lotus’s VVA (for Variable Vehicle Architecture) system of chassis design, which allows vehicles of all formats to use remarkably similar exterusions and stampings, linked by four die-cast aluminium corner “nodes” which dictate every major dimension in the car.'

'Thus this front-engined, rear-drive people-carrier has underpinnings closely related to Lotus’s forthcoming mid-engined Esprit, another car to use VVA.'

'The APX, which Lotus hopes will attract customers needing a niche car to be made at up to 50,000 units a year, also displays a new, lightweight, 300 bhp V6 engine, the result of a programme to cut engine bulk. It’s a worthy winner…'

Steve Cropley

Don't miss the ultimate Geneva show round-up in the March 7 issue of Autocar magazine.