Future of Lotus

[C8RKH]

Land Rover as a brand is being ditched. They'll reel it out for heritage stuff but the future brands will be Range Rover, Defender, Discovery, all with a distinct identity and target demographic, with different models to appeal to different people - e.g. Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Vogue.

 

[C8RKH]

Autocar reporting today that Lotus has slashed EV sales target by 78% due to US tariffs, down from 55,000 to 12,000. For 2025 the is down from 76,000 to 30,000.

The EV market is absolutely crowded. Manufacturers that sprung up, have sunk and gone to the wall. Traditional manufacturers are pulling out and pushing back their investments, reducing model lines, etc.

I can't see that changing in the next 12 months, so 2025 may well be a year for enduring.

[tim_marra]

20 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

The EV market is absolutely crowded. Manufacturers that sprung up, have sunk and gone to the wall. Traditional manufacturers are pulling out and pushing back their investments, reducing model lines, etc.

Governments need to wake up and smell the coffee, cars are not the driving (sic) force of climate change. Have a look at Flight Radar and Marine Traffic to see where a bigger transport problem lies. Then there's all the fossil fuelled power generation world wide, but hey, lets hit the hapless motorist again, the bastards 

[C8RKH]

Unfortunately @tim_marra I do not truly believe this has anything to do with driving or cars.

The attack on the motorist, and the shift to electric, is, in my very humble opinion, as much to do with Governments wishing to "control" our movements, than it is to do with the environment.

Just think about the raft of legislation, driven by the Bureaucrats in Brussels and some Technocrat billionaires, who actually want to monitor your movements, and control your roaming.

Geofencing. Automatic speed limited cars. Autonomous vehicles.  GPS and black box data recording of every mile you drive and how you drive it. The ability to track your movements in real time, and past time. The ability for cars to be remote controlled (and remotely taken over) by authorities. In car and external car cameras recording not just pictures, but sound too.

As the "masses, we have had 100 years of relative freedom of movement and control over our movements. As we move deeper into the digital age, the level of monitoring, control, and influencing of what we do, what we say, and how and when we move around is being ever more restricted and subtely controlled.

Tim my friend, the bastards are not out to destroy your enjoyment of driving, their out to  control, manipulate and "guide" you to be what they want you to be, where they want you to be, and when they want you to be there.

All of the tech spoken about above is developed. Much of it has already been implemented. Some of it is coming when the authorities believe we have been duped, or made docile enough, to just blindly accept it without question.

[tim_marra]

OMG Andy, that is some scary stuff there. I have a few nieces and nephews with very young kids, and at times I do feel concerned about the world they will grow up with. Whilst I hope you are wrong, I fear you are so right.

Depressing times bud, maybe we should all move to the IoM  

[C8RKH]

Absolutely Tim. IoM for the win. Derestricted roads. 22% top tax rate. Full Autonomy from Westminster and her muppets!

I'm not a tin foil hat conspiratist, but have worked in IT for near on 40 years, and know what can be done.

Also consider that in Scotland there is a network of specialist cameras on the roads. They have ANPR and they have super high resolution lenses to catch images of all vehicle occupants. These cameras record ALL vehicle movements, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, and all data and images collected are kept, indefinitely.

So what we might think. But what might we think when we learn that Police Scotland have confirmed the above as true, but have refused to divulge anything else, including any of the cameras locations, denying FOI requests and any other public oversight.

Enemy of the State. Fantastic film with Gene Hackman and Will Smith. JJ Nolan's wonderful Person of Interest TV series. Both worth a watch as everything they show re tech surveillance is now in operation, to some extent, in the UK. The latter show, is frightening in its depiction of how AI will bring together all the digital streams that monitor us.

The younger generations will be safer. But they won't have the freedoms that we and our parents enjoyed. I'll be astounded if Labour have not pushed through legislation for electronic ID cards by the end of their first term. Labour has always veered toward leftwing ideology that the State needs to "nanny" their subjects, after all.

[Bibs]

Aaaand back on topic. 

[C8RKH]

Given that all that tech is in the electric Lotus cars it's hardly off topic.

Anyways, https://www.motor1.com/news/731781/lotus-financial-results-first-half-2024/amp/

[EuropaSman]

Could Lotus follow Volvo at some point?  This was posted on the BBC News website today. It will be interesting to see if they do.

 

[Kimbers]

Beat me to it! I was going to post the same but from the telegraph!

yeah, could a whole new world of opportunity open up with a Hybrid or Plug in Emira? Maybe a smaller sports car, light and efficient?

[exeterjeep]

Lotus August UK registrations are 85, so ytd 886.

McLaren registered just 3 UK cars in August, for a 112 ytd total.

[Bibs]

Lotus Robotics Selected to Supply to a World-Class Japanese Tier-One Supplier

Sep 16, 2024

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lotus Technology Inc. (“Lotus Tech” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: LOT), a leading global intelligent luxury mobility provider, today announced that its intelligent driving arm, Lotus Robotics, has been selected to supply to a world-class Japanese tier-one supplier, marking a vital step for Lotus Tech to enter into the Japanese market through its cutting-edge intelligent driving technology.

The selection by the Japanese tier-one supplier relates Robo Galaxy, the solution including tool software and data collection hardware developed by Lotus Robotics which enable businesses to improve the efficiency of development of intelligent driving solutions. Lotus Robotics provides comprehensive intelligent driving solutions, including advanced intelligent driving platform software, cloud toolchains, integrated hardware and software development, and intelligent driving operation solutions.

As previously announced, Lotus Robotics has provided end-to-end intelligent driving solutions to both Lotus-brand intelligent vehicles and other global leading OEMs such as Lynk&Co and Farizon Auto. In addition to offering its solutions to OEMs and tier-one suppliers, Lotus Robotics is seeking to extend its intelligent driving technology to major telecommunications companies in Japan.

“The entry into the Japanese market is a significant step forward in our journey to becoming a global leader in luxury vehicles and intelligent driving solutions,” said Qingfeng Feng, CEO of Lotus. “By partnering with key stakeholders across various industries, we aim to drive the future of intelligent mobility and continue providing cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving needs of our clients.”

Lotus Tech recently started the deliveries of its Eletre model, the intelligent hyper SUV, in Japan and Korea, the established markets for luxury consumption which are also recognized for their welcoming embrace of advanced technologies. As Lotus Robotics continues to expand its technology services to global clients, the Company expects this intelligent driving business to further diversify its business portfolio, generate high-margin revenue and accelerate the Company’s growth.

[Chillidoggy]

I can’t help but wonder whether the Japanese tier-one supplier has read the Eletre threads here on TLF.