This is a joke, right?

[ronin]

So you've said several times.

I'm no fan of this Swizzy stuff either as you can probably tell from my posts but in the big scheme of things is bothers me no more than giving me something to laugh at and take the pee out off.

Realise that the companies market is varied, that people who can run the company are running it and get over it. Why so get heet up over someting that really doesn't matter?

Bibs you are right.

No sweat off my brow, it's just the internet and the fact that we can see what fools we are played for by the suits that run things....

I won't buy another Lotus and I doubt there are many here that would buy any of the over priced bling to come out of the New Lotus, as a matter of fact the traffic was so slow at the Lotus booth I doubt if Lotus will be around much longer here in the US, here in LA their largest market in the US the two Lotus dealers don't even have a Lotus sign hangin outside to tell people they are a Lotus dealer, now add two more years of that and Lotus are a distant memory....Silly prices for road cars that can't be driven on the road is the joke this management has become. To look at their Largest market as a bunch of fools makes them the fool..

Edited December 14, 2011 by ronin

[Guest surferphil]

Swizz is definitely not my style Guru but for some I guess he is. Personally I liked the look of the Launch edition Evora best with the new improvements on power and comfort, there is a lot to choose from which is a new thing in it's self for Lotus.

I want to like it and I do like the 124 a lot, but I realise now that trying to pick the Evora as my next car or even one to save for in future just isn't going to happen. It just doesn't have the wow factor for me and I need that to commit that sort of money, I doubt any of the new cars will be on my list, as none of them do it for me (except the Elite, which is way beyond my means).

Obviously for some the Evora is it, as I have seen quite a few on the road recently, a lot more than Exiges (of any age) and getting more common seeing them, which suggests they are selling and they are for a different market, a market that want to drive the car regularly, not keep it as a toy and that is the market I'm in, I was never in the Elise Exige market which is why I stuck with the Elan M100, despite it being old and entering that difficult age of higher maintenance vs poor parts supply, I chose it over the Elise I had at the same time.

The conclusion is that the Evora is not the product for me and should I be looking for a brand new car in the near future I think it will probably be the Jaguar CX16 (if it makes production), because there is nothing close to it as a package at that price. I'd rather go to the used market if not the Jag then it will be Aston, Masserati, XK or my faveourite: the Esprit final edition or Sport 350. The tradgedy with Lotus is the break from 1995 to today of a new desireable product for everyday use and the Evora should fill that gap, it's just not good looking enough for me, the Elan and Esprit are beautiful and that I feel is where Lotus has gone wrong with the Evora.

Even if I feel it when I eventually drive one, I just can't see £50k in that car.

[oneshot]

To look at their Largest market as a bunch of fools makes them the fool..

Hmm

Got any figures to back that up? I think you will find the USA isn't the centre of everything. The largest market currently is China to the extent that Rover and JLR have been in discussions with Birmingham airport about putting on direct flights to China in order to aid business. They had a big PR event at the airport.

[mangel]

Only just seen this as was lifestyling in Italy in August and only have one comment

Product placement sells product, if you can get your product out in the public eye then people will buy it. If teamingup with rapper who can provide video opportunities for the cars then thats good publicity. Think Bond!! Colin chapman actually had some of the maddest marketing ideas out there!!!

[dodgey_rog]

.....and cigarettes? Wasn't it he who turned his cars into flying fag packets?

Surely a crazy idea at the time?

[ronin]

Hmm

Got any figures to back that up? I think you will find the USA isn't the centre of everything. The largest market currently is China to the extent that Rover and JLR have been in discussions with Birmingham airport about putting on direct flights to China in order to aid business. They had a big PR event at the airport.

Just ask anyone at Lotus where the most cars were sold up until this year and then ask them where the bulk of the unsold Evoras were shipped from.... You do know they are not baged Lotus in China right ?

Shipping a few cars via air for display in China is nothing to sing about .....

Those Lotus I spoke about are on the "slow boat to China"...

[Bibs]

Who cares?

Lotus sold an armful of their most expensive ever car to China, it was the bigger ever transaction in a single go they've ever done, cash too!

Ask anyone at Lotus if they give a toss and they'll just be happy they sold a tonne of cars!!

(null)

[rogerch]

That sale was to the distributor, logistically and lead time wise it was not that bigger order. The challenge is to get them through the dealerships and into private ownership.

[Bibs]

Why?

Lotus don't sell cars directly, they sell them to dealers. Dealers dont buy cars, especially not 120+ if they dont have customers lined up.

£10m worth of Lotus, not that big an order

[rogerch]

No it's not that bigger an order, and untill a second order is placed, bearing in mind lead times and volumes, one must asume that not all "120+" are yet sold.

The second order is the interesting one since it will likely be replenishment of those sold. Then you have time and volume, and start to get a feel for actuals and the success of the project.

[Guest surferphil]

Who cares?

Yeh, who cares about how may Evoras went on a boat to China, who paid for them and why, what happened on this thread? It's gone really strange.

[ronin]

Bibs is gettin a little defensive I guess after having a free ride for a while.... The sad thing is once those cars sit for a while in China where do they go next North Korea.....?

These will be the highest mileage new Lotus on the market..

Has anyone looked into a clutch replacement for an Evora yet ? I think the cost of out of warrantee labor will make a few eyes water....

[Bibs]

I'll treat your comment with the contempt it warrants. To suggest I don't have my own opinion doesn't go down well, not a pleasant thing to say and untrue.

And yes, Evora clutch change times aren't a revelation, you've seen the price of tyres too, right? What's that got to do with this thread though or just another random slur thrown in the mix?

[ramjet]

If I remember correctly, this was about Swizz getting a job as VP of Marketing and Design. When did it end up about whether or not Lotus has or has not made a decent sale to China or the price of work on the Evora?

My esprit is one of those that did not sell in Malaysia and ended up discounted in Australia for sale.

So what.

Lotus have moved 120 cars. Good on them. If Swizz had something to do with that, good on him as well.

We all want Lotus to continue, so why are we getting all bent out of shape when they manage to sell cars?

I don't understand. The jury is still out AFAIC on Swizz's appointment, but I'm not in marketing, so I would not know a good idea possibly if it came up and bit me on the arse.

Back to Swizz's appointment folks. We now return you to your regular program...

[bftd]

Swizz is not just a rapper, the guy produces music for other artists http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swizz_Beatz_production_discography

Also is a painter (artist), fashion designer, shoe designer and brand promoter.

He's job is to promote the brand in the celebrity circles, so the cars get featured in films, music videos and much more. Think about it, you see one of the current darlings of Hollywood owning say the new Esprit rather than the usual supercars, people who never heard of Lotus will start to take note of the brand. It's nothing more than trying to gain brand awareness on a larger scale.

[hopo]

Yep.... exactly what he said... bob on

[Guest surferphil]

Well said!

[Kimbers]

He's job is to promote the brand in the celebrity circles,

And if they think of him what virtually everyone I've spoken to does then he will turn more off than he sells.

[Bibs]

Which celebrities have you spoken to?

[ronin]

Me..

Hey if I was invited to Lotus and given the tour along with use of an Evora S I'm sure I'd be telling my celb friends about it....and everyone else...

[bftd]

Looks like some of you guys are catching on.

I understand that the Lotus community will not get why they chose Swizz, I thought it was a wrong decision at first.

Looking on the net, this guy is pretty big in the celeb circles. The other bonus is Alicia Keys also becomes involved, she also owns a Evora.

Talking to the Lotus community will surely give negative feed back on the guy, what do you expect when most of the community are of a older demographic. Most of us have no interest in the modern celeb scene or the latest music. Think about it for 2 secs, Lotus need to appeal to the new generation of Lotus buyers. Most of the younger demographic will have some clue of Swizz or Alicia Keys, who's job it is to get the Lotus brand out to the younger generation. Lotus need to get the name and brand into the minds of everyone, not just the enthusiasts.

I have talked to younger people about Lotus and many of them have never heard of Lotus, never mind the cars they build. When I was a kid Lotus was a big name, that name has faded away over the years.

[ronin]

Yeah younger guys need to know who Lotus is and it seems that old farts like myself are doing just that, have a look at this http://www.youtube.c...ge?feature=mhee and then have a look at the number of views not to mention all the links viewing those videos and then google ronin exige and count the pages and see how us old geezers are spreading the word about Lotus...

Swizzle and his wife posin with a free Evora may have 5 celebs drivin around, oh wait they can't drive around in the non-US aproved Evora GTE they ordered at silly money in the US.

Seriously this Swizzle stick move is a joke, gettin rear ended is the way to sell cars..

Edited December 15, 2011 by ronin

[Moxie]

I doubt any of the new cars will be on my list, as none of them do it for me (except the Elite, which is way beyond my means).

Ditto on both counts. I like the Elite prototype quite a bit, but I'm interested to see what the new cars ultimately look like since they're being refined beyond the design prototypes. What is it about the Elite that caught your attention? I just like it because I love the DB9 Volante and see the Elite as a serious contender.

I think you will find the USA isn't the centre of everything.

Would you mind please telling that to most of my fellow citizens? To quote Eddie Izzard (to an American audience), "Do you know there's other countries?"

And by the way, it's spelled "center", dammit!

[Bibs]

Yeah younger guys need to know who Lotus is and it seems that old farts like myself are doing just that, have a look at this http://www.youtube.c...ge?feature=mhee and then have a look at the number of views not to mention all the links viewing those videos and then google ronin exige and count the pages and see how us old geezers are spreading the word about Lotus...

I think Frank, that's more about spreading the word about you. You're openly slagging off pretty much every aspect of Lotus on forums all over the world, saying you'll never buy another and that your car is no longer a Lotus. Not sure how that's spreading any word apart from 'Ronin'.

I love what you've done to your car, it's mental and you love it as do many others but if you started a car company selling your car you'd struggle. Lotus sell cars, they're still here after 60+ years and they're trying to make a profit. Remember 1,800 people directly rely on them for jobs and thousands more in the supply chain, dealer networks etc throoughout the world. One guy with a canyon eater he can throw money at is a different proposition to what Lotus are achieving, rappers or not.

[Moxie]

Bibs is gettin a little defensive I guess after having a free ride for a while....

Actually, I highly recommend a free ride with Bibs at the helm since it makes a Skip Barber class seem like Driving Miss Daisy, and four out of five doctors agree that even being a passenger qualifies as a cardio workout. Also, gimme a friggin' break about his integrity. Bibs has been nothing but straight-up about his assessment of the car and personally pointed out several flaws and areas that have been improved on the MY12 cars just last Monday while we were frightening the locals in Kent. I take his word over all the magazine articles combined.