Future of Lotus

[Jeanvm]

With automatic, then I need only 1 arm and leg

[NedaSay]

A fan rendering for the next Exige found on the Lotustalk forum, what do you guys think?

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1175498&stc=1&d=1520572188

[Bibs]

Peter Horbury takes charge of design at Lotus. 

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/autocar/20180328/282806421860827

[Vanya]

Good to hear Carr will still be around. I'd hate for Volvo design language and motifs to appear on a Lotus, no thank you....

[ramjet]

On 3/29/2018 at 13:19, NedaSay said:

A fan rendering for the next Exige found on the Lotustalk forum, what do you guys think?

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1175498&stc=1&d=1520572188

Other than making a mess of the rear spoiler, what did he do?

[Vanya]

Too streamlined. Lotus direction seems to be "add more vents, grilles, vanes, spoilers, detail detail detail!" nowadays.... 

[Sport220]

http://carsalesbase.com/european-car-sales-data/lotus/

Please tell me these are not accurate (Jan. and Feb. European sales figures)

[Escape]

That article still talks of a possible sale of Proton to PSA in 2017, so it seems to be dated. No idea how sales figures for 2018 could be in there...

[NedaSay]

18 hours ago, Sport220 said:

http://carsalesbase.com/european-car-sales-data/lotus/

Please tell me these are not accurate (Jan. and Feb. European sales figures)

It is safe to say it isn't unless they have an insider getting an early number on the 2018 sales is very very hard. Their numbers for 2017 are not inline with the number communicated by the factory however the factory only accounts for sales to dealers and not sales to customers so it is hard to say how many cars have been sold to their final owner since the end of MJK era.

[PAR]

Those figures are based on official released registration, so there’s should be some form of truth in it.

The uk number are down 50% over the first 2 months 24 vs 48 and at the same time we can see on this forum that cars get delivered quite fast (at least the 430 do).

https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/car-registrations/

For 2017, sales were marginally down in the Uk and Europe’s whereas the factory announced a small increase whichever is possible as car outside the European market may have lagged in peak demand considering they get homologated with a bit of lag.

it seems like since the sale to geely, registration have slown down which could be linked to a change of practice with dealers. I would not be surprised if they got big incentives to get stock ahead of the sale (as Lotusy was cash strapped) and that those disappeared since. It could well also be that Lotus is very focused on marketing the 430s (Evora and exige) as there is a lot more money for them in those even if they sell less cars and that at the same time the dealers are offloading inventories already registered for the cheaper cars.

I also suspect something is happenings with lotus reporting of numbers as I was the Evora  numbers don’t seem to make sense. Only 1 sale in November, one in December and none in January and February. It could be that the 430 has a new reg type and that it is falling between the cracks of this website counting (not being reported as Evora). As I ant find the GT430on this forum in the official stats and I assume membership showing picture really have cars, I am quite convinced there is an issue there!

 

Edited April 3, 2018 by PAR

[jonwat]

This week's Autocar has an article on the future of Lotus, apparently there's going to be a new Esprit, due in 2020. 

Also a tribute to the great Jim Clark. 

[Bravo73]

New Esprit in 2020? 🤥

[mdavies]

The article seemed little more than speculative guesswork to me. Doesn't mean its necessarily a bad guess of course. And the "Autocar image" ! Straight from a Hollywood mock up studio.

[NedaSay]

So they are betting on an Esprit? I have to say that the brief for that car is a bit supercar ish, it is supposed to be a range topper and it will have a carbon tub. However JMG did say that it would replace the Eleven first and foremost, at the same time being a little less raw.  During the same interview he said that they needed a bit more time for the Esprit. Regardless I believe an announcement will be made during this year's Goodwood FOS. 

[mayevora]

16 years after the last one left the production line - even if by some miracle it is 2020. Long overdue.

[auRouge]

So two new cars by 2020... and before you all get excited:-

"It’s not a new Esprit. ‘I might need a bit more time for that,’ he said."

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/industry-news/lotus/lotus-ceo-reveals-roadmap-two-new-sports-cars-coming-in-2020-suv-by-2022/

Hedge your bets!

 

[Bibs]

https://www.the-mia.com/Motorsport-to-Automotive-Showcase-of-Capability-at-Lotus-Cars-1122

Lotus looking for new suppliers to cope with demand of new projects. 

[scotty435]

Sounds like good news to me, with very little investment over the last decade, still been turning great cars out, very much looking forward to the next few years, sure Geely are going to make a great success of the brand and could even silence a few of the doubters on here.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

50 minutes ago, Buddsy said:

They might struggle with that.

With the amount of work about at the minute finding a company that would accept 120 days terms may well be a challenge.

Coupled with wanting to pay the least possible...They just dont have a great reputation (at least locally) of valuing suppliers something they might need to change if they want to find new ones.

 

buddsy

Fair point. Also the advertised volumes aren't exactly enticing for a new supplier. 1600 units per annum split over three model ranges. Unless you're intent on suppyling large valuable components,  there doesn't seem to be much money to be made. Perhaps they should have marketed the event more as a potential way on to the Geely established supplier list (eg. for Volvo), where the volumes would certainly be interesting for new suppliers.

Either way I wish them well and it's good to see Lotus at least trying something new.

[Loquacious Lew]

I'm confused by what the future powertrains will look like, especially if talking about a supercar.  The Volvo 4 pot can likely be tweaked for more Lotus style character in the smaller cars but what's the supercar spec? Like the new NSX?  I've driven the NSX and it certainly has the verve but it's very heavy.  Not like a Lotus, although it feels very, very nice in its own right.    I think an Evora replacement using a four banger would make me reluctant to trade the car I have now.  

 

 

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, scotty435 said:

and could even silence a few of the doubters on here.

Calm down Scotty - don't be getting your dilithium crystals out of synch. The doubters are too much for you, she cannae tak't it Cap'n!     :)

 

[NedaSay]

10 hours ago, Loquacious Lew said:

I'm confused by what the future powertrains will look like, especially if talking about a supercar.  The Volvo 4 pot can likely be tweaked for more Lotus style character in the smaller cars but what's the supercar spec? Like the new NSX?  I've driven the NSX and it certainly has the verve but it's very heavy.  Not like a Lotus, although it feels very, very nice in its own right.    I think an Evora replacement using a four banger would make me reluctant to trade the car I have now.  

 

 

As far as we know the upcoming car will not replace the Evora but complement Lotus offer at the top end. The car that I think will be replaced is the Exige

They could crazycharge the 4 cyl like Polestar did and triple turbo the thing:

This thing was was able to churn 450bhp in 2014, with a Lotus update for 2020  this could mean 500bhp. They could just use the same engine with only 450bhp and add the hybrid element for an extra 80bhp and a total of 500bhp+

They could/would change the layout of the engine bay and install the GR-FE longitudinally and twin turbocharge it, which could push the thing to 600bhp+ at 7200 rpm.

They could do the same kind of thing with Geely's own V6 and go to town on it, with specific heads, forged pistons, the lot ...   Doing so they would stop paying the Toyota restocking fee and reestablish the company as not only a chassis tuner but an engine specialist

For the sake of everything that is holy...They could source a V8 from somewhere... The new owner is a shareholder of a V8 making company after all, He could ask nicely. 

At the end of the day it is all transitory until the world switch to 1000 miles range EV motors with battery pacsk that are going to  beas light as feathers thanks to graphene technology or something else ...Future is exciting.

[NedaSay]

12 hours ago, Bibs said:

https://www.the-mia.com/Motorsport-to-Automotive-Showcase-of-Capability-at-Lotus-Cars-1122

Lotus looking for new suppliers to cope with demand of new projects. 

I'm really curious as to what kind of suppliers they are looking at ? And for which specific area of the car?

The volumes don't have to be large for the margin on supplied products to be significant, it just has to be suitably high tech and high value. At least one of the two new sport cars will be a very high value product  so there will be more room for expensive componentry. 

[NedaSay]

So we had a Geely R&D chief appointed CEO with the aim to facilitate integration of Geely Group technology in Lotus cars, I'm curious as to whether that tech will come to the current crop or if we'll have to wait another year and a half to have a preview

Also congrats to Bibs for this  very nice aerial picture.

 

But hum, what is that new building being built south of Classic Team Lotus... I don't think it is a Group Lotus estate  is it?

 

[Winter]

In 2010, after several promises of its imminent arrival, I gave up waiting for the replacement Esprit and sold my V8SE.  I bought a Ferrari F430F1.  I was surprised by just how much of a step-change the F430 represented.  Last October, I sold the Ferrari and bought a McLaren.  That was another step-change.  During that time, the Ferrari has been superseded by the 458 and now 488.  The McLaren is but one of several models with, notably, at least some input from Lotus by way of engineers who work now in Woking rather than Hethel.  I am curious to know the marketing rationale Lotus has taken and more importantly, what it intends to do.  It is now some 46 years since the company attempted to move upwards via the Elite, Eclat and Esprit models.  Many of us were raised on the Elan, Europa and +2 - some, the original Elite - and we still own at least one Lotus but, and it is a big but, we have been attracted by the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche, because they have the types of car we seek to buy.  And Lotus doesn't.

Edited June 16, 2018 by Winter
Omitted "Porsche".