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British sports car specialist Lotus has mounted a worldwide publicity campaign to remind go-fast enthusiasts that making cars lighter and more fuel efficient is nothing new - Lotus has been doing it since day one.
It says the global shift in manufacturing since fuel costs have soared, emulates the philosophies and production Lotus founder Colin Chapman put in place 60 years ago.
The company says that one of the benefits of the 68kg aluminium chassis in the Elise as well as the Exige sports cars is their lightweight footprint on the environment.
A knock-on effect is a high-performance car that sprints from zero to 100km/h in about six seconds, produces a combined fuel economy figure of 8.3 litres/100km from its 100kW 1.8-litre engine and a CO2 output of 196gr/km.
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