It's a long road to ...MMC

[BiggestNizzy]

I understand why they are going up market, it's to increase profit margins. Take porsche as an example let's face it that is who they are gunning for/going to be compared agianst it costs about the same to make any porsche they just sell them at a greater profit the faster they get. Lotus are going down that route too but you will need something pretty special to shake off the plastic and fragile lotus image and mix it up with the likes of porsche.

[tut]

Actually the last thing an Elise is is fragile.

If you think of the hard work and abuse that many of our cars have been through, some with nearly three times their original power, I think it is a testament to how right they got it first time round. The engine was susceptible to HGF, but those were the cars we heard of, most were fine, N1 was beat up to hell, but still going strong before it was rebuilt. N3 was whacked from behind and the bodywork disappeared over the wheel and jammed up, but wheel off and it just sprang back into place.

Although none of the new models will affect me, nor would Lotus going under, it is something I would hate to see, and is what brought us all together. I fear the direction they are going and ignoring a basic Elise that they could sell in numbers as they did the S1, could be their undoing.

tut

[flip flop]

I think I may have a different take on this but ending up in the same rotten view as others.

If you take the global group main board. Somebody in there has the drive and direction that is ultimately pushing all of these changes. They clearly see that their motor group has cheap (asian market) mass produced cars and not so cheap european mass produced cars. They want a slice of the lucrative high end market and perhaps to build some more kudos into the Global Group Identity.

So how would I do it from scratch (but with plenty of dosh)

1. Lets go racing - build our own pedigree, lets be seen playing with the big boys and by the same principle as guilt by association in a couple of years mixing with mclaren and mercedes and alike we should hopefully start to be accepted as a sports car / engine producer. (remember the global picture here, not necessarily what us uk petrol heads think)

2. Lets buy in some expertise, get some hot designers etc from the existing kingpins of the 100k market. So we have to pay a few euro over the odds to get them, hey ho, whats that in the grand scheme of all our expenditure.

3. Lets buy some pedigree (and some credibility) - lets buy lotus, well known to be one of the best chassis and handling developers in the world.

4 - Current position - so we're developing our racing pedigree, we've bought a credible sports car maker known all over the world for being very good at the important bits, brilliant chassis and suspension set ups. So the build quality and stuff werent perfect, that was when they were a small (relatively speaking) and cash poor.

Now we are cash rich, have all the basics right we'll buy in a shed load of people who developed lambos, porsches, fezzas etc, not just their past cars we'll take guys working on their future cars and engines. Now we look like we can build 100k cars, have the best people whove built the best 100k cars and have shedloads of experience (and know what the next 100k cars are going to be), so guess what, we'll have a great 100k car.


Whilst we on SE might not like whats happening, sadly I believe there are many many more people across the globe that will see the designs, the handling pedigree, the bought in build quality etc and ultimately will see a 100k car and want it.

If they make a good car, which I'm sure it will be, it will sell, I have no doubt.

What about us, the loyal Lotus lovers in the uk, I am afraid they may well see us as a top gear comedy style bunch of jumper wearing , tea drinking oil monkeys that spend our Saturdays in our sheds tinkering or racing round in circles on cold september afternoons (not far away come to think).

Unless they do something silly, like make an erse of the cars or bankrupt the group, or throw out whoever is the driver behind this brand development, Lotus will be moved upmarket, the lucky few amongst us that can afford the new will probably buy, some will wait for second hand and the rest, we'll stay in our jumpers, stay small British and change the forum to Scottish arial/caterham/westfield.com

I know I'll probably get flamed for this whole post, but just as a final arguement as too why i think they are going to do well. The new 2l engine thats going to power many of these cars, seems crazy small for that price tag. Guess what Porsches 2013 911 is going to have under the hood and what one of fezzas bigger budgets is going on at the moment - yip 2l engines.

cheers and sorry for an almighty waffle.

[Sanjøy]

They need a consultant....

[Shug]

No flaming flip - I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head. Whether we like it or not, that's clearly what's going on here.

[Scotty C]

I wonder what Mike Kimberly is thinking?

I bet Mr Chapman is turning in his grave.

[StiflerMR2]

Nice article on Jalopnik about Lotus:

http://jalopnik.com/5652228/lotus-is-de ... live-lotus

For what it's worth I fully understand why they are doing what they are doing. I don't have to agree with it either as they are no longer aiming thier products at a chap like me, which is fair enough as long as the chaps who they are aiming it at get on board with it, then all the best to them.

I am hopeful it drives down the prices of Evoras and I can pick one up in a couple of years time, it may well be the last of the cars to leave Hethel which conforms to the orginal vision of Lotus cars.

[J-Man]

I would also agree with flip & shug.

It all seems rather superficial and somewhat hollow, and I don't understamd their business plan, or at least that part of the iceberg that's above the waterline.

They are showing their proposed dream new model range, that probably bears a passing resemblance to what might be in production in 4 years time. Marketing and brand go into hyperdrive. Let's move up market and pitch at a different (wealthier) segment; no need to provide anything for the existing consumer base, in fact let's distance ourselves far away from that audience, who do not meet our customer profile.

It's always nice to admire the new supercar designs, but the reality is that what many of us look for is something that might just be in reach when we sit down next in the chair of pain with the chequebook. This all seems to be too far away in time, unaffordable, and loses the historical pedigree, which brought us together in the 1st place.

I think we know where we are at the moment, and we can see where we might be in 5=6 years time, with luck and a following wind. But the worrying thing is the black hole in the middle, ie the immediate future.

Word of the day: disenfranchisement!

[Ferg]

Well, I hope that when my boy is old enough to want a poster of a car on his bedroom wall, theres a successful and desirable Lotus to fill the requirement.