Future of Lotus

[jonnyboy]

Well I really hope that we see even 20% of this would be good. 

SUV is of no interest to Western buyers but if they find a market for it over there that funds stupid cars for us to have here that would be pretty sweet. 

[NedaSay]

5 minutes ago, jonnyboy said:

Well I really hope that we see even 20% of this would be good. 

SUV is of no interest to Western buyers but if they find a market for it over there that funds stupid cars for us to have here that would be pretty sweet. 

Uh you mean SUV is of no interest to European buyers or english buyers... Because we in North America seem to like our sporty luxury SUVs quite a lot. I see a lot more Maccans turbos than Boxters and Caymans, I see a ridiculous amount of Cayennes and Mercedes "M" with AMG trims... 

Edited July 17, 2018 by NedaSay

[jonnyboy]

Yes another crowded market the buyers for whom won't even know who Lotus is. 

[C8RKH]

Only @mericans could take a vehicle the size of a bin lorry, add a clump of chrome, 20" or larger wheels,  add 5 or 7 seats, put a monster truck engine in it and enough electronics to put a man on Mars just to keep it all on the road and call it a "Sports" vehicle. FFS. Really.

Only total idiots would then pay twice the price to buy a European branded equivalent to show they had "class".

It's a 'ute. It's a utility vehicle. The only SPORT it is good for is the sports goods you load in the boot, on the tow bar or on the roof.

Sorry, but it makes me cry to hear of the BMW X6 Sports utility vehicle tuned by Alpina, or the Mercedes Tiger tank panzerwaggen tuned by AMG.  Company's with a real sporting heritage "tuning" overweight, bloated, willy waving, tassel spinning, vans.  And the biggest travesty, their drivers believe they are Ayrton Senna in a lightweight and nimble F1 car and so drive like complete cocks.

Yes, i know. I need to go and see my therapist.

I have no idea what new models Lotus will launch, but I fear my current Evora 410 could be the last new Lotus that I buy IF they follow the crowd down the hybrid route. an iLotus is not for me I'm afraid.

[jonnyboy]

An NSX type hybrid would be good I understand that's the angle. Only problem is nobody bought the NSX but only because it doesn't steer well. This shouldn't be an issue for Lotus. The Esprit name carries weight and is possibly one of the best cars they gave to play. 

SUV for us over here it's just a concept that was recognised and exploited by Porshce in 2003 and is a totally mature market really. The Mrs is a consumer in this area and she would be hankering after a Velar or the new Ipace. JLR are already starting to struggle with the pace of change in terms of hybrid/diesel so another shrinking market. 

[ByJoveByJingle]

25 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

Only @mericans could take a vehicle the size of a bin lorry, add a clump of chrome, 20" or larger wheels,  add 5 or 7 seats, put a monster truck engine in it and enough electronics to put a man on Mars just to keep it all on the road and call it a "Sports" vehicle. FFS. Really.

Only total idiots would then pay twice the price to buy a European branded equivalent to show they had "class".

It's a 'ute. It's a utility vehicle. The only SPORT it is good for is the sports goods you load in the boot, on the tow bar or on the roof.

Sorry, but it makes me cry to hear of the BMW X6 Sports utility vehicle tuned by Alpina, or the Mercedes Tiger tank panzerwaggen tuned by AMG.  Company's with a real sporting heritage "tuning" overweight, bloated, willy waving, tassel spinning, vans.  And the biggest travesty, their drivers believe they are Ayrton Senna in a lightweight and nimble F1 car and so drive like complete cocks.

Yes, i know. I need to go and see my therapist.

I have no idea what new models Lotus will launch, but I fear my current Evora 410 could be the last new Lotus that I buy IF they follow the crowd down the hybrid route. an iLotus is not for me I'm afraid.

Would your therapist be American? 🤡

[C8RKH]

7 hours ago, ByJoveByJingle said:

Would your therapist be American? 🤡

Probably. That's their biggest market isn't it?  Hahaha......

[ByJoveByJingle]

15 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

Probably. That's their biggest market isn't it?  Hahaha......

Undoubtedly. Two hundred and fifty years trying to recover from the source culture leaves a lot of psychological scarring to work through. 

[EGTE]

Bit harsh on the Irish, that.

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, ByJoveByJingle said:

Undoubtedly. Two hundred and fifty years trying to recover from the source culture leaves a lot of psychological scarring to work through. 

After 250 years I'd have expected you to grow out of it and move on. We have. After all none of it happened to this generation, or the last, or the one before that.

 

 

[Spinney]

11 hours ago, C8RKH said:

Only @mericans could take a vehicle the size of a bin lorry, add a clump of chrome, 20" or larger wheels,  add 5 or 7 seats, put a monster truck engine in it and enough electronics to put a man on Mars just to keep it all on the road and call it a "Sports" vehicle. FFS. Really.

Only total idiots would then pay twice the price to buy a European branded equivalent to show they had "class".

It's a 'ute. It's a utility vehicle. The only SPORT it is good for is the sports goods you load in the boot, on the tow bar or on the roof.

Sorry, but it makes me cry to hear of the BMW X6 Sports utility vehicle tuned by Alpina, or the Mercedes Tiger tank panzerwaggen tuned by AMG.  Company's with a real sporting heritage "tuning" overweight, bloated, willy waving, tassel spinning, vans.  And the biggest travesty, their drivers believe they are Ayrton Senna in a lightweight and nimble F1 car and so drive like complete cocks.

Yes, i know. I need to go and see my therapist.

I have no idea what new models Lotus will launch, but I fear my current Evora 410 could be the last new Lotus that I buy IF they follow the crowd down the hybrid route. an iLotus is not for me I'm afraid.

Somebody from McLaren recently said they will never build an SUV for 2 very simple reasons, 1 they aren't 'Sporty' and 2, they aren't 'Utilitarian'. I used to be of a similar mind to that and must confess to being just a tad disappointed when my son, who moved over to the USA last year, announced he was buying a Ford F-150 truck. He then told me it was the 'Raptor' version with 'effectively' the turbocharged 3.5L V6 engine from the then new GT.

That softened the blow somewhat and then when I was over there in May this year, I tried it and boy oh boy did it blow away all my European preconceptions. It was a total hoot to drive, with acceleration in spades and a wonderfully smooth 10 speed auto box. Being the extended cab, it is very practical from a passenger viewpoint and, of course, the covered load area at the back allows you to carry pretty much anything on it. The 4 wheel drive means it has great traction in most slippery conditions and it is huge fun when you go off road with performance to overcome any steep climb.

So, I've changed my mind, you can do 'Sport' and 'Utility' in the same package albeit the F150 is a truck rather than a minibus, so not a true SUV in the accepted sense.  

Edited July 18, 2018 by Spinney

[Bibs]

https://good-speedcars.com/lotus-under-geely-whats-the-plan-automotive-industry-analysis/82824/

[Spinney]

37 minutes ago, Bibs said:

https://good-speedcars.com/lotus-under-geely-whats-the-plan-automotive-industry-analysis/82824/

So despite what some naysayers would have you believe, it's interesting to read there may still be an Elise class of car in the lineup. 

Oh and I'm sure ACBC would have approved of the proper Lotus size of the new CEO. It's not often you see a chap in an Elise cockpit with room to spare!

Edited July 18, 2018 by Spinney

[NW76]

Glad I have one of those loss producing, lightweight, extreme, enthusiast cars... 

[JG220]

On 29/06/2018 at 10:49, silverfrost said:

Very good call !  Aston Martin have come on leaps and bounds in the past few years financially.   Definitely a step in the right direction bringing in folks like this.

Heard lots of positive noises (won't detail them on a public forum) about the appointment and the at the immediate actions he has taken. 

There is a real buzz around the factory at the moment, you can really feel it (probably helped by my own feeling of seeing my car on the line). 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

With regards to that good-speedcars article, it doesn't seem to have been written with any great intelligence. As an example, he states that next year will be the tenth since Lotus launched a new model, presumably referencing the Evora. I don't buy that. Surely the V6 supercharged Exige of 2012 was a new model? It was pretty much all-new wasn't it compared to its 4 cylinder predecessor. More recently we've also had the 3-11. Even the Evora itself is quite a different beast today, compared to the 275 bhp NA of 2009. Just because the model range name remains the same, doesn't mean that the car does too. Just ask Toyota about the Corolla, or VW about the Golf!

[tim_marra]

Or Pork about the 911 

[DarrylV8]

On 17/07/2018 at 21:14, jonnyboy said:

Yes another crowded market the buyers for whom won't even know who Lotus is. 

Jonny, have you still got your Porker?

[jonnyboy]

No I sold it late last year. Replaced with an Evora 410. 

[CocoPops]

On ‎16‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 15:34, CocoPops said:

A120E0167F

 

On ‎16‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 15:38, Bibs said:

ETA 23/7/2018. 

In stock yet?

 

[KAS-118]

Latest article in Car Magazine - although frankly I can't see anything new....🤔

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/spy-shots/lotus/lotus-suv-crossover/

[NedaSay]

20 hours ago, KAS-118 said:

Latest article in Car Magazine - although frankly I can't see anything new....🤔

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/spy-shots/lotus/lotus-suv-crossover/

Hum is that what happens when journos have nothing to write about?

In other news Lotus parent company Geely auto just unveiled their new C-segment sedan based on their new BMA platform, and they just revealed the interior of the car and hum it seems Lotus already had an impact... This interior feels like they wanted to simplify and add lightness.  

This is not a rendering this is what the finish on a production prototype is.

Looks suitable to the Lotus ethos don't you think. this dashboard is very simple and clean and does remind me of what Carr and the design team had  in mind when the drew the Evora cabin.

 

In other news this fan rendering for a new Esprit just popped up on the interwebs

Edited August 9, 2018 by NedaSay

[C8RKH]

I like the simplicity and cohesiveness of that interior. Definitely European influence there.

[SFO]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-09/geely-is-said-to-mull-1-9-billion-revival-plan-for-lotus-cars

[mayevora]

£1.5 Billion!! - Nothing historically has come even close to that figure. World wide  Lotus car sales will need to be huge to recoup.