Future compact mid-engine sports car in jeopardy? – AutoRAI TV
Pressure from government stepped up
There is increasing pressure from governments to reduce average CO2 emissions. For this reason, more and more mid-engined compact sports cars are dying. Is there any hope in the future?
Vanished icons
You have to get your CO2 average right as a manufacturer if you want to be able to release something with slightly higher CO2 emissions. Of course, there are exceptions, but that many models have disappeared is evidenced by the following. The Lotus Elise, is no more. Lotus Exige, ditto. Even the Alfa Romeo 4C has already disappeared from the market.
Future compact mid-engine sports car in jeopardy? – AutoRAI TV
Lotus Emira
Er if we look at the current market situation we come to the conclusion that very few remain. Completely new is the Lotus Emira, but that Lotus is also the last of its kind. A successor to that Emira will be electric.
Alpine A110
An alternative to the Emira is the Alpine A110, nice and light and as a GT or S version yet nice and strong with 300 horsepower. Totally the Alpine A110 GT may well be the ideal daily driver for the Dutch market.
Porsche 718 Cayman
Perhaps the most successful compact sports car today is the Porsche 718 Cayman. A coupe brother of the Porsche 718 Boxster, the 718 Cayman is available in a variety of trims. Driving can start as low as 93,600 euros for a normal 718 Cayman. Then you have 300 hp, a nice counterpart to the Alpine A110 GT or S so, as well as the Emira, although that Lotus already has considerably more power in the base. There will be a weight difference. The Alpine kicks in at just 1,100 kilograms, where the Lotus Emira is already heading toward 1,400 kilograms. For a Lotus, quite heavy.
Ultimate 718 Cayman
At Porsche, you can really go particularly crazy when it comes to the 718 Cayman. Because as mentioned, there are several flavors available. For some time, Porsche has been pulling out all the stops to make the most ultimate 718 Cayman ever. That has become the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS. It has the powertrain of the Porsche 911 GT3, but with the necessary modifications. A monster, but also extremely pure. The test car driven has a price tag of over 280,000 euros. You have four A110s for that.
Stupid coincidence
Coincidentally, the future of the Lotus Emira, Porsche 718 Cayman and Alpine A110 is already set. The successors will all be all-electric. So soon it will really be done with these types of cars. Of course, mid-engine cars will remain in higher segments, but in the class of the Emira, A110 and 718 Cayman, things are changing. The gasoline engine will soon be a thing of the past there. So prepare yourself in advance: all this beauty with still real gasoline power and roaring engines is going to disappear in the future. Successors are bound to be faster, but also heavier due to battery packs.
Photography: YN – Automotive Photographer