Britain's Lotus Group, a unit of national carmaker Proton, plans to expand its presence in the US market with the launch of a new sports car next year, a report said today.

Lotus would introduce a special version of its Lotus Elise in the United States in mid-2004, The Star said.

The Elise was being adapted to meet US regulations but it would retain the "benchmark performance, handling and dynamics that have proven so popular in Britain and Europe," a company spokesman told the daily.

Production of the current Lotus Esprit sports car would cease at the end of this year, he said, but a new Esprit model was likely to be launched in a few years' time.

High demand

The company makes about 150 Esprit a year, most of which are sold in the US for about US$89,000 each.

Lotus Cars USA president and chief executive Arnie Johnson was quoted as saying that market studies had "overwhelmingly confirmed demand" for a small, lightweight and high-performance sports car like the Elise.

Lotus, which has been owned by Proton since 1997, is helping the Malaysian carmaker develop its own engine and a common chassis to prepare for market liberalisation in 2005 under a regional free trade agreement. AFP