1,972-HP Lotus Evija Electric Hypercar to Make American Debut at Monterey Car Week

Lotus announced Wednesday that its momentous Evija hypercar will begin a global tour that starts next week with its North American debut in Monterey, California.

Revealed in July to international fanfare, the Lotus Evija is the British automaker's first new model since its buyout by Chinese company Geely, which also owns Volvo. It features a powertrain developed by Formula 1 offshoot Williams Advanced Engineering that'll supposedly generate 1,972 horsepower and 1,253 pound-feet of torque. When you're not busy using all if its nearly 2,000 horses, its battery will be good for a range of up to 250 miles, all of which can be recharged in just nine minutes on an 800-kilowatt feed.

Lotus plans to build just 130 of these multimillion-dollar cars, one of which it confirms will be headed stateside, to an unnamed buyer in Miami, Florida.

The Evija will serve as Lotus' halo car at a crucial time for the historic marque; it reportedly plans to launch two new sports cars next year and a crossover in 2022. Clearly, then, Lotus needs to parade the Evija in front of millionaires the world over, and there's no better place to start than at one of the globe's most prestigious car events. Lotus will present the Evija on American shores for the first time during a press conference on the morning of Friday, Aug. 16 at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering. The following Sunday, the Evija will reappear at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, presumably alongside the long-awaited SSC Tuatara.

"I'm expecting the Lotus Evija to be a huge draw at both locations," said Lotus design director Russell Carr. "They're famous for playing host to some of the world's most rare and beautiful cars, so the Evija will be perfectly at home."