Don�t know what the general feeling about the new Lotus range was on here, but from what I read else where, the general idea was that people seemed to really like the new look range�
Personally, I couldn�t have been more underwhelmed, to me they all seem wholly generic and rather soulless� the kind of thing you�d expect to designed for a 3year old computer game
Anyway this is the first bit of anything I read that I really agree with. Sorry I can�t post the link (classic driver) my phones really not as smart as it professes 
It is a natural development in the automotive business, says Chris Hrabalek, and arguably in any business, that the appointment of a new CEO usually leads to a gigantic domino wave, where all the top-management pieces crumble, one after another, only to be replaced by new ones.
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The launch of Lotus�s new models at the recent Paris Motor Show should, therefore, not have come as completely unexpected news, given the change in strategic and design direction. What did come as a surprise, though, was the sheer number of models that were launched � and how similar and historically non-coherent they all appear. It�s a bit like pulling a series of Russian dolls out of a magic hat, when everyone only really expected (and wanted) a bunny.
Quite why Lotus then had to stick with such historic names as �Elan�, �Elite� and �Esprit�, and re-use the contemporary �Elise�, is beyond me.
I�m sure I�m not alone when I say that it took more than a second to realise that the Lotus line-up was not a presentation of a �New Celica� with different colour and trim options, but a whole new product range. I dare anyone, bar the guy that had to paint them, to instantly spot the difference. It�s a bit like having triplets and giving them all the same name. And as for the contemporary Elise owner, when confronted with the successor to his current model � it must be like going to bed with a supermodel wife and waking up next to the neighbour�s couch potato. Although I must admit that I find the volume and proportions of the yellow one nice, and appreciate the graphic details of the white one.
Nevertheless, I can�t stop thinking that they feel like a significant mutation of Lotus DNA. One could argue that the constant re-heating of the Elise formula or the daily launch of yet another special edition couldn�t have been a long-lasting solution either (and that previous incarnations, such as the current �Europa�, were inexcusable), but one must respect the previous management�s ability to make the most out of a no doubt very limited budget.
Which leads me to my next point. The enormous cost of launching five new models � six, if you count the new track-only 125 � and, even more importantly, the investment needed to actually develop them and take them to production, must be proportionally similar to the VW Group going to next year�s Geneva Salon with 101 new concept cars, all intended for the road.
Text: Chris Hrabalek
Photos: Newspress
David