I won't be getting another, then!

General General Lotus Talk
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Copied from Pistonheads:

[color:#000099] LOSS-MAKING LOTUS PLEDGES 5 YEAR TURNAROUND
New product plan promises premium competitors for Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche.

Dany Bahar will shift company focus…Lotus will be transformed from ‘a track car specialist’ to a premium competitor for Porsche and Ferrari, under new plans revealed by its owner Proton.

The news has emerged from Malaysia, where Proton bosses have been briefing journalists on their latest plans for Group Lotus, saying the aim is to make the company profitable within five years.

Proton’s group managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir told reporters yesterday that the main focus of the new five-year plan was to do battle with Porsche and Ferrari.

…so expect less of this sort of thing!"Group Lotus is targeted to have the best car in class products across the key luxury sports car segment with unparalleled brand experience, sales and after-sales service, efficiency and high quality product.

“It also targeted to increased product volume to 8,000 units per annum by 2015 from the current 2,000 units per annum,” he said according to a report by the Malaysian National News Agency. Apparently the average cost of a Lotus will rise to between �80-�110k, with a new emphasis on high technology instead of the classic Lotus attributes of simplicity and light weight.
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Oh dear… :frowning:

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So, move away from what they’re good at, into a fiercely competitive market selling to discerning individuals (the type that care about panel gaps etc) at a high price during a recession.

Genius

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I’m sure someone from Lotus stood in the paddock at Snetterton, surveyed the histcoric legacy of track-biased lightweight machinery and the hordes of fans and owners representing the heartland of their business and thought…nah sod these weirdos, let’s build us some exotica :wink:

I know that many of us don’t represent good customers for Lotus because we bought a car years ago and intend to keep it, but you’d thought they’d want to build on their strengths. What do I know anyway…I guess there’s a Powerpoint Deck somewhere in Hethel that makes it all perfectly clear :confused:

Maybe if they build a rapido saloon Ferrari 412 stylie I might be interested :wink:

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Well, if I had that sort of that money to throw at a car, it certainly wouldn’t be at any of the “usual suspects”, or a Lotus - I’ve now actually gone off my previous favourite, the 911 GT3RS.

I honestly can’t think of any other car, which would give me greater “ownership pleasure” than my own S1 Exige.

PS For anyone interested, as well as the Exige, the car I now lust after is a Morgan Aeromax. More gravy, please Nurse!

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What a brilliant idea Proton!.. So after they’ve implemented that who do we think will be the next owner of Lotus? Does the bigwig just want a car big enough to fit his personalised plate on?!

I’m totally with Rob on this that there’s nothing currently on sale that could separate me and my S1. Saw an Aeromax on the M40 earlier this week too and it looked great - save me a space on the loony ward Pesk!

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From Bloomsberg, & given the background of the top brass at Lotus, things don’t look good:

[color:#000099]Malaysia’s Proton aims to turnaround Lotus by 2015

Malaysian national carmaker Proton said Tuesday it plans to turnaround its loss-making British sports car unit Lotus in five years under a major revamp to bolster the group.

Proton Managing Director Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said a new management team including former top executives from Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin have been appointed since October to revive Lotus as a premium sports car maker.

Proton will also deepen collaboration with Lotus with plans to jointly develop a small car – a five-door city car for Proton and a three-door sports city car for Lotus – in the next few years, he said.

“This is the start of a new era for Lotus…that will complement and strengthen the group. It will help accelerate the creation of a sustainable, competitive and profitable business,” he told reporters.

State-owned Proton bought Lotus in 1996 to bolster its technological know-how but losses at Lotus have bled the company.

Chairman Nadzmi Mohamad Salleh said Proton has invested “quite a far bit” on Lotus but declined to give details nor say how much it will invest in the new revamp.

This was not the first time Proton has sought to revamp Lotus. In 2007, it said it spent 27 million ringgit to restructure its British unit.

“Lotus is not for sale. There are many synergies between the two companies so we have to turnaround the company. We hope to make some profits in five years,” he said.

With this, Proton can leverage on Lotus strength to build better cars, improve brand awareness globally and tap new markets in Europe and U.S., he added.

Lotus new Chief Executive Dany Bahar said the company aims to raise sales by more than threefold to 8,000 cars by 2015, from around 2,500 now.

He said the aim is to transform Lotus from a track car maker into a high-end sports car maker comparable to Ferrari and Lamborghini. Lotus will unveil new surprises at the Paris Motor Show in October that will “define our future,” he said but decline to give details.

Proton returned to the black in the financial year ended March but is under pressure to bolster exports for its long-term survival, but analysts said it would need to find a global partner if it wants to survive in the long-run.

Earlier this month, it said alliance talks with Volkswagen AG collapsed for the second time as the Germany carmaker has other priorities.
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Oh dear, oh dear - more chianti and favor beans please :slight_smile:

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A rather nice Rioja it is for me tonight, Mr English :wink:

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Colin turns in his grave!

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Although, I guess as Lotus cars have generally been to highlight its engineering capabilities for other manufactuers (big Elise chassis for Aston, front drive Elan, etc) they need to move with the technological times and prove they can do more than great ride and handling.

Messers Becker & Kershaw are probably in for some fun!

Ian :confused:

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Only one I’ve seen - at Prescott Hill Climb:

This photographer was there too (Any relation of Benja’s?) :smiley:

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Prototype “up market jobbie” spotted at Snetterton by Laird AlButch of Nyloc:

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Is that one of SeanB’s detachable roofs? :slight_smile:

Think they need to sort the extra passenger seating layout too, can’t see Porker owners buying into that…

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Maybe we should all club together and help Junks and or Clive Chapman make a bid for the remnants that might be left after this final nonense.
RIP Lotus if they really try this…what would the super rich buy a Mclaren or a Lotus??? based on past history …sorry but no contest. sad sad

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[quote=Admin5]So, move away from what they’re good at, into a fiercely competitive market selling to discerning individuals (the type that care about panel gaps etc) at a high price during a recession.

Genius [/quote]

Yes… but we are no longer in a recession!..

AND Ferrari/porsche/Lambo/Bugatti etc are all in the midst of a massive increase in demand and sales.

Just because there has been a ‘market strategy’??? by Lotus to date (and it has not really set the world on fire!), perhaps this new direction (on the back of the re-entry into F1) is a very wise move indeed.

Decisions like this are made by some very clever peeps well above my pay grade… time will tell but I reckon this could be the renaissance of the Lotus marque.

All IMHO of course! :slight_smile:

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So I purchased the correct nectar after all at Xmas then :wink:

It’s a long way a way 2015 and I can’t see them dumping all the nolstalgia just like that despit what’s been written. I guess in the end they’ll go on to make a mix a half decent highish end models and half decent (that’s maybe harsh) track day tools with little or no dealership support and inevitablly pull out of F1 becauce they wont have the budget…all due to a lack of focus rather than commitment.

I’ve scene 1 Evora on the road in the last 12 months btw…is that cool or not cool :confused:

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Morgan Aeromax gets my vote as well … must be getting old :crazy:

You have to look past the European market to see where Proton are coming from … spend some time in China these days and see the money that is being spent …
Also look at what cars are being churned out in the East now … and how BMW / Audi etc are setting up manufacturing over there for the higher end vehicles… everyone wants to exploit the current bubble in the East … combine that with the fact that even the joke Panamera is selling quite well and you trip over Cayennes in China you can see thier focus.
Who wants a customer base of few moaning Western car freaks when you can exploit the new money in the East ?

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You’re right Andy - Europe is rapidly becoming a relatively small market for car makers etc.

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Commercial suicide.