Future of Lotus

[KAS-118]

2 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

If it is a proper 2+2 then what you are asking for is akin to an Elite/Eclat or Ferrari Mondial.  Nothing at all to do with an Evora/Exige in my opinion but a separate class of car. 

I wasn't aware I mentioned the Exige? 

I agree that the Evora isn't a 'proper' 2+2, however, it was conceived as a 911 rival - which can get adults in the back - so yes, given the age of the Evora, the fact that the new Esprit is supposed to be the Hailo car, if Lotus wants a model line up to match Porsche (which apparently Geeley do) then the Evora replacement would seem the candidate to be the 2+2 whatever it ends up being called 🙂

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I'm going to say that any new Lotus 2+2 coupé needs to be front-engined and rear wheel drive like an Excel. And this is coming from someone who has both an Evora 2+2 and a Ferrari Mondial 2+2 in the garage. I love mid-engined sports cars and have a wife and two kids, whom I need to bring along. However, history puts me in very much a miniscule new car sales demographic.

My eldest child is already topping out in the back seat of the Evora. The Mondial is relatively spacious, primarily because it is a cabriolet, but I imagine the coupé version is also pretty much a no-no for adults, with the associated headroom and ingress difficulties.

The Evora engine is already unfashionably located transversely and almost over the rear axle, so I don't see how a mid-engined 2+2 coupé that is spacious enough for 4 adults and yet still posess the dynamic qualities of a premium mid-engined sports car could be designed.

On a side note, that original design sketch of the Evora showing 4 adults sitting comfortably in the car still makes me laugh!

[NedaSay]

Building a new Elite would not or will not be the most difficult thing for Lotus to do. They just need to make a business case for it and I don't think it would be hard for Popham and Co to convince Quinfeng and the higher ups at Geely to bankroll it, if the SUV delivers on its target. They have a design that is not so old: 

And Polestar  is about to release the 01 which in its own right is a very appealing 2+2 coupe

I could see Lotus using some modules of the 01 to expedite the development of a new Elite in a few years time. The Lotus line up should look a lot different and a lot wider in 2030. Remember JMG's product plan, it did include the 3 current sports cars in redux form + one  then two SUVs and a sport luxury sedan. With the firepower of Geely group Lotus can execute that vision with up to date tech.

Edited September 20, 2018 by NedaSay

[Advantage]

 

All that needs is some Hyundai or Kia badges. 

[Nathan Pitman]

Not seen that before - that nose is very Lotus 7 isn't it!

[NedaSay]

5 hours ago, Nathan Pitman said:

Not seen that before - that nose is very Lotus 7 isn't it!

Really !?!

Donato Coco's Danny Bahar era Lotus Elite intent prototype presented in Paris in 2010. alongside this : 

[KAS-118]

Here's the video of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZTW9zKLiTk

[ramjet]

On 19/09/2018 at 04:05, Vulcan Grey said:

The Lotus patent images remind me of the new Acura RDX dash

Why has it got a touchpad for crying out loud?

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

2 hours ago, KAS-118 said:

Here's the video of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZTW9zKLiTk

That's perfect. Where do I sign? 😉

[electro_boy]

Video description says its to be released in 2014, so there must be few secondhand ones kicking about on auto trader 😉

@ramjet I think thats just s a display not a touch screen?  Well thats what I would hope so, as they've positioned it so far back I'm not sure my arms would reach that far?

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I used to have a pop-up sat nav display identical to that in an old year 2000 Jap import Subaru Impreza WRX.

Unfortunately it only had the Japanese maps installed, so that wasn't much use in Northamptonshire.

[ramjet]

17 minutes ago, electro_boy said:

Video description says its to be released in 2014, so there must be few secondhand ones kicking about on auto trader 😉

@ramjet I think thats just s a display not a touch screen?  Well thats what I would hope so, as they've positioned it so far back I'm not sure my arms would reach that far?

Down the bottom of the console. Not the top. Little bit in front of the cupholders.

If you don't have gimballed cupholders in a sports car, won't you just get your expensive Soy Latte Frappachino sploshing out of the cup and onto your gentlemen or lady parts?

[Bibs]

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/standard-freeholder-cornwall/20180920/281651076020342

 

[electro_boy]

oh now I see it, like a laptop touch pad to control the mouse.  Whats that all about? 

[NedaSay]

6 hours ago, ramjet said:

Why has it got a touchpad for crying out loud?

Screen is too far from both driver and passenger's reach so touch pad. Because rotary dials and buttons are so yesteryears and you want to scroll and click on a touch pad while driving at speed.

[Advantage]

You must think in Russian.

 

[Vulcan Grey]

7 hours ago, ramjet said:

Why has it got a touchpad for crying out loud?

Those touchpads are really bad!  I tried a Lexus NX200t and it had one of those... Seemed totally impossible, but it was a short test drive.

Read a review of the Acura RDX, and that was one huge complaint.

Though the knob systems are really bad as well.  Hate the Audi MMI.

I added a touch screen Pioneer Appradio to my old Acura, and am very used to it.  I do prefer a glass capacitive touch screen (like a phone) to a knob system for navigating through thousands of songs on my phone/iPod.  I just added a iPod adapter to my old 2004 Porsche PCM2 system, and you use the knob and several other buttons to select songs.  Talk about a huge distraction!  But it's about the only way to add an AUX input or iPod to the old car.

[hedgerley]

13 hours ago, KAS-118 said:

Here's the video of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZTW9zKLiTk

You beat me to it. Any excuse, any thread, however tenuous the link, I post links to the Bahar Elite concept and, I believe, a market Lotus should address seriously i.e. me in a few years when my knees and hips have gone and I can't cope with the Esprit anymore...... 

 

[DarrylV8]

Think you need to be looking at E400 before your too old to enjoy?

[Shuck]

The roof didn’t fit in the boot.

[KAS-118]

27 minutes ago, hedgerley said:

You beat me to it. Any excuse, any thread, however tenuous the link, I post links to the Bahar Elite concept and, I believe, a market Lotus should address seriously i.e. me in a few years when my knees and hips have gone and I can't cope with the Esprit anymore...... 

 

It would have been a great car 👍 I can't help but think Aston copied it a bit with the DB11

 

[NedaSay]

http://gulfbusiness.com/lotus-cars-returns-dubai-brand-new-showroom/

After a first "again" new showroom in Dubai Lotus and Adama are plotting another one in Abu Dabi... The offensive is real.

[silverfrost]

Very nice showroom some very unique eye catching colour schemes .   Fingers crossed the new location could also stir a re entry in F1 at some point maybe

Did not know Geely owned Daimler, just had to look up what products they do after a 9 billion purchase lol.  Quite a decent portfolio they own, obviously Lotus been the best purchase in my eyes.  They certainly have the cash flow to take Lotus to the next level,  I  just do not like the idea of  Lotus having an SUV  but well understand the sales stratergy from their perspective. 

Fingers crossed we see some fat tyres on the F1 grid with a Lotus badge on it soon in Abu Dabi  

 

[NedaSay]

 

Uh Geely doesn't own Daimler, Geely's Chairman Li Shifu owns a 10% share that makes him the biggest single shareholder into the company.

And I'd personally beg them to steer clear from F1 for as long as F1 doesn't have their shit figured out.  A return to motorsport should be a sensible affair,  ACO or FIA/SRO GT is the way to go, LMP1 would be a natural fit to display their incoming hybrid tech, FE would be ok if they find a team partner to display their EV tech. F1 has no idea where they are going.

[silverfrost]

Ah misread the page you listed it reads 9 billion stakehold in Daimler  ?   Li Shifu must be a very wealthy chap indeed