Lotus Type 131 - The Rumour Mill

[brightoncorgi]

3 minutes ago, Frickin_idiot said:

The Dealer network in the U.K. needed a major overhaul in quality and quantity.
 

The dealer local to me has ditched its Lotus franchise - I presume that the level of sales didn’t justify the expense of renovations.

Maybe that's why they are going with mall stores like Tesla?  Foot in the door is a lot less than greenfield building.  Plus, it attracts new buyers who may not have considered a Lotus before.  Sign up at the mall and go somewhere else or they come to you for a test drive?

[Frickin_idiot]

The problem that Lotus have is visibility. I’m convinced that a fair few people don’t even know that Lotus continue to exist, certainly, many are not aware that Lotus has (had) offerings other than the Elise.

The amount of positive feedback I get from people about my Evora 400 shows me that some of the problems Lotus have faced relate to my initial point. I have no doubt that a mix of shopping malls and traditional dealers are the way to go.

 

[DaveC72]

9 hours ago, Frickin_idiot said:

The problem that Lotus have is visibility. I’m convinced that a fair few people don’t even know that Lotus continue to exist, certainly, many are not aware that Lotus has (had) offerings other than the Elise.

The amount of positive feedback I get from people about my Evora 400 shows me that some of the problems Lotus have faced relate to my initial point. I have no doubt that a mix of shopping malls and traditional dealers are the way to go.

 

This is spot on.  The number of people who comment that they either didn't know Lotus still existed, or that that they made anything other than the Elise is a real challenge for the brand.

It always surprises me -  and then I remember that Motoring Forums in general, certainly the more specialist ones, tend to be a microcosm where the inhabitants forget that pretty much the rest of the universe base their choices and decisions on the popular view and perceived wisdom.  This more than anything has to be the hurdle that Lotus needs to clear.  

We can get bent out of shape that Lotus is losing it's purist ethos (I don't think it is), and we can rattle on about how other Manufactures are or aren't this or that, but at the end of the day Lotus really has no choice but to shake it up in order to survive.

I really, in my heart of hearts, love my Evora.  It's by no means perfect, yet there's something about it.  There are plenty of other cars from other manufacturers that have also won my heart, most of which would be dismissed out of hand on here.  None of them have put a big shit-eating grin on my face the way the Evora has, though.

We can (as a community) defend the brand to our last breath, and it certainly deserves this.  We do also need to realise that we're a tiny, slightly insane (some more than most), slice of the market that's not enough to keep the Marque alive.

Lotus really needs to attract new buyers.  A lot of them.  As benevolent and committed as Geely seem to be, they will want a return on their investment.

Many, much cleverer people than I, have attempted this in Lotus' 70 year plus History.  I was genuinely impressed (albeit I did want more on the 131) with the presentation on Tuesday and, having re-watched it a couple of times now, genuinely feel that there's a bunch of people who will make the necessary changes needed to take Lotus in the right direction, however painful that might feel for some of us.

Sorry for drifting off topic there, mods.

There is a lot of speculation going on which is great (that's kind of the purpose of the thread, right?), but for me, the 131 sounds like a really exciting development.  Personally, cylinders count doesn't really matter (mostly).  The 4 cylinder Lotus cars of the 70s and early 80s are the posters of my youth - and still an itch I need to (and hopefully will) scratch - after all. 

I've driven some great auto's of various flavours over the years.  And a fair share of howlers, too.  A great auto can be epic.  A shit manual can be woeful.  It's horses for courses.  I'd prefer a manual, but I'm more than capable of getting over myself enough to settle for a great overall package, as opposed to getting bent out of shape because I'm unable to have everything I want (after all, that Natalie Portman/Uma Thurman/ Monica Belucci/ Salma Hayek thing still hasn't happened, goddam it).

The renderings and discussion on here are great for debate.  My only real horror is the ridiculously oversized wheels in most of the renderings.  They make me clench.

An AMG engine sounds pretty damn exciting in a lightweight Lotus built chassis.  If I can make the man-maths work, I'm in.   In a suitably lurid colour.  Interest registered.  Tickets booked for GFOS.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

One thing I wanted to mention is that the teaser car seems to be silver or metallic grey. I hope they display one in a lurid colour as well at the GFOS launch. I think the Evija in that vivid yellow looks even better than the silver launch colour.

Of course, we all have different tastes, but it would be nice to see some different colours from the very start to appeal to all tastes.

[DaveC72]

27 minutes ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

One thing I wanted to mention is that the teaser car seems to be silver or metallic grey. I hope they display one in a lurid colour as well at the GFOS launch. I think the Evija in that vivid yellow looks even better than the silver launch colour.

Of course, we all have different tastes, but it would be nice to see some different colours from the very start to appeal to all tastes.

Absolutely.  Leave the silver and grey launch nonsense to the others.  These should be statements!

[brightoncorgi]

Boutique mall stores and displays will really broaden the appeal & presence of Lotus.  Think of all the brands and stores you would've never had heard of if you weren't at a mall.  In regions where there may be competing Lotus franchises, the customer can be allocated to the closest dealer based on their zip code.  I hope Lotus can organize Cars and Coffee's through the States and bring on some brand ambassadors who'll really put in an effort to promote Lotus. 

If a few retired American racing legends like Jeff Gordon, etc... promoted Lotus it would do a so much for brand.

[Bibs]

I popped those images released the other day into Lightroom and upped as many levels as I could! 

 

The 'U' in the first pic could have done with a clean before they took the snaps

[jimichanga]

Unprecedented usability means good rear visibility so expect a large glass panel next to that engine air vent pictured. It also must mean good rear 3/4 vision so expect a good glass canopy. Could be a good think, works for me on McLaren 720S.

One of the big questions is EPAS or hydraulic steering. Geely will want EPAS for sure, it allows for much easier integration of the tech, alllows for lane keep assist, active parking assist and other such modern features that are deemed beneficial for daily useability. Gavan Kershaw on the other hand might want to insist on hydraulic steering for the last word on feel. It's a big decision but somehow he managed to keep hydraulic steering and brakes for the Evija, can't have been easy. Very interesting to see where they go with that.

[DaveC72]

2 hours ago, brightoncorgi said:

Boutique mall stores and displays will really broaden the appeal & presence of Lotus.  Think of all the brands and stores you would've never had heard of if you weren't at a mall.  In regions where there may be competing Lotus franchises, the customer can be allocated to the closest dealer based on their zip code.  I hope Lotus can organize Cars and Coffee's through the States and bring on some brand ambassadors who'll really put in an effort to promote Lotus. 

If a few retired American racing legends like Jeff Gordon, etc... promoted Lotus it would do a so much for brand.

Agreed, and in addition

THEY MUST TAKE IT RACING

Not in some brand/model cup, but proper multi-brand international stuff.

[Likuid]

The car appears to have some major haunches on the back. So far everything of the teaser images looks great IMO. Looks weren't my major concern though as Lotus has rarely made a car I thought was ugly. I know those test mule images of the Evora with the fender flares makes me think the Emira may be wider than the Evora? I wonder if that means wider tires, which means more power. I know I have been somewhat negative with the information I have heard, but I am still excited to see what the Emira brings to the table. I have put of my future car shopping until then.

[Bravo73]

1 hour ago, DaveC72 said:

THEY MUST TAKE IT RACING

THEY ARE:

😉

[NedaSay]

1 hour ago, DaveC72 said:

Agreed, and in addition

THEY MUST TAKE IT RACING

Not in some brand/model cup, but proper multi-brand international stuff.

Looks like it may happen : https://www.autosport.com/gt/news/lotus-gearing-up-for-return-to-international-sportscar-racing/6273942/

RML is a serious motorsport company, able to run a full works program. But if GT4 then it will be mostly privateers. As the Emira is poised to be another giant killer in top spec form maybe they will go GT Le Mans for factory + GT4 for GT WC.

They are testing the waters with the Lotus Engineering JBXE Racing and experiment and that puts the name out but Geely group is pro motorsport Both Volvo and Lynk & Co have had major international programs in the last few years. I'm confident we will see the brand come back to racing in a near future.

[TomE]

...and Polestar was a racing team before Volvo acquired it and Volvo/Geely decided to use the name for an electric performance brand.  The racing team changed their name to Cyan Racing but are still Volvo-backed, and Polestar Engineering still works on performance tuning. 

[brightoncorgi]

11 minutes ago, NedaSay said:

RML is a serious motorsport company, able to run a full works program. But if GT4 then it will be mostly privateers.

I too believe or at least it makes the most financial sense is put in a real support effort to privateers.  Make the Emira a compelling choice with the factory behind it.  If Lotus continues with best of breed components, it'll be a racing hit.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Slightly OT, but I remember parking up my GTE on a side street in Wellingborough a few years ago. When I came back to the car, an old retired gentleman was poring over it. We got chatting and he told me he used to work for Ray Mallock and was seriously impressed with the aerodynamics and carbon fibre parts and in particular the Gurney flap integrated into the rear wing. He said it makes a real difference to downforce.

[findinfo]

Well, Lotus is well known for aerodynamics and such right? I mean they even had Elan perform well. I also remember

reading that when different cars, including botth front engined and mid engine sportscars, were actually

tested in the wind tunnel by third party, cars from Lotus matched stats announced from Lotus themselves

better than other cars. I think the car tested was Exige.

And having Emira enter racing series could definitely help. Actually, if you think about it,

every car Emira will face all can be found in different racing series in different capacity

so perhaps they would have to make more efforts. And it would be great if road going versions of such

cars were introduced as well.
 

[Cdm2018]

Is this Emira going to produced as a 2+2 version ? Trying to work out on those images it’s hard to configure if the shape will allow it ? 

[Bibs]

No, 2 seater. 

[rallyesax]

5 hours ago, Likuid said:

The car appears to have some major haunches on the back. So far everything of the teaser images looks great IMO. Looks weren't my major concern though as Lotus has rarely made a car I thought was ugly. I know those test mule images of the Evora with the fender flares makes me think the Emira may be wider than the Evora? I wonder if that means wider tires, which means more power. I know I have been somewhat negative with the information I have heard, but I am still excited to see what the Emira brings to the table. I have put of my future car shopping until then.

Bigger tires do not always mean more power 😉. A McLaren 540c weights about the same as an Evora 430, its front and rear tires are 19/20 inches like the Lotus but they are more narrow despite 100 more HP. 

Concerning Emira, we will see. As long as it's light, I don't care about its power 😁

[DarrylV8]

@jimichangait’s hydraulic steering 

[jimichanga]

Makes a lot of sense to carry over one of the Evora's best attributes. I hope that's the case but it will limit some of the tech applications that Geely are so keen on. EPAS is essential for stuff like self driving - something that would deliver against the promise of unprecedented usability. Geely were talking a lot about autonomous driving tech back at the 70th Anniversary event at Hethel in 2018. Their ambition was to be world leaders in it.

[Barrykearley]

Wonder how the pop up headlights are gonna look.

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

On 28/04/2021 at 17:59, C8RKH said:

 

The argument is really based on fashion - a dual clutch box has become "fashionable". People want one because they have been taught that just like ABS, TC and other acronyms the "best" cars need to have DCT. It is perpetuated by journalists who know better but are pandering to the trends, or the pointers from the respective manufacturers.

Just my view.

Interesting perspective. My first semi-auto, flappy paddle box was on my Evora S, at first I started to question my decision but eventually it grew on me. The past few years with McLaren's double clutch system is something else though. I've never experienced gear shifts like those before, seamless, blindlngly quick and yet I don't feel I'm missing out on any engagement with the car, quite the opposite in fact. That box is part of the nature of the car, it's vital to the enjoyment and the experience of really driving it, in comes alive in Sport mode, it's nothing sort of brutal in Track mode, yet makes the car so easy to live with on a daily basis in normal mode. I honestly don't miss stiring a box of cogs while pumping away on the clutch with my left foot, least of all on the M25. If Lotus can build a box as engaging and exciting as McLaren's I don't think many people would miss a manual box. I'm very excited about the Emira, 12 years since Evora, I'm sure a lot will have changed...

Edited April 30, 2021 by Stirling_Villeneuve

[C8RKH]

16 minutes ago, Stirling_Villeneuve said:

I honestly don't miss stirring a box of cogs while pumping away on the clutch with my left foot, least of all on the M25

Yes, but then unlike you I am very fortunate to live in a rural part of Scotland, close to the mountains, valley's and Loch's with empty roads that wind and twist up and down and around. As a result, EVERY drive in my Evora is an adventure even more so when i use the excuse to go "food shopping" as that round tripe is very rarely less than 120 miles! 

You can keep your semi-auto on the M25. That scenario is not for me!  

 

[21gg]

Has it been officially confirmed as a coupe only or just 'quoted' as?