London - Lotus is planning to unveil an eco-friendly version of the Elise sports car with a holistic approach showing that a car can be built with sustainable materials at the London Motor Show in July.

While other manufacturers are mainly looking at zero-emission drive concepts, the Eco Elise comes with a body and trims built from sustainable materials such as hemp, wool and sisal.

Most of the 100 per cent biologically degradable materials can be found in the seats and carpets, according to the car maker. The paintwork is water based and non-toxic.

In addition, the use of special lightweight alloys and the especially light alpine sound system reduces weight by 32 kilogrammes compared with the production Elise S.

With the help of a green gear change display the driver knows when to change gears for the best possible fuel consumption. (dpa)