Scottish Elises

Still think the whole idea of a Lotus SUV is an abomination which would have Colin Chapman turning in his grave, but purely from a business point of view I'm sure it makes sense.

I agree but it's probably a necessary evil to keep the company afloat. Just not sure that a lightweight stripped down SUV will catch on. Part of the appeal is the luxury that SUV have especially in the higher performance variants. To make it lightweight you will have to loose a lot of the toys. And putting it up against a Mucan is a big ask.

ryallm wrote:Still think the whole idea of a Lotus SUV is an abomination which would have Colin Chapman turning in his grave, but purely from a business point of view I'm sure it makes sense.

I agree from the POV of Chapman's focus on added lightness, however, I think he would see the business opportunity / requirement in going into this market. He was quite the business mover and shaker as well as being a clever engineer. I think he would have done it sooner. Just my 2p of course

As long as it's not just a makeover of a Proton SUV it has promise. I don't understand why it's taken so long for Lotus to branch out into wider markets, particularly given their expertise in vehicle dynamics. A hybrid /electric Lotus is surely long overdue too.

Sanjoy wrote:

Thankyou for contacting Autocar photoshop department. We are on annual leave this week, but have attached a generic photo in case anything gets announced while we're away.

Actually disagree. Chapman was an opportunist & money minded. He ditched the simple sports cars the brand was founded on when he saw the market changing. If anything, I'd bet he'd have been faster to market with an SUV.

woody wrote:Actually disagree. Chapman was an opportunist & money minded. He ditched the simple sports cars the brand was founded on when he saw the market changing. If anything, I'd bet he'd have been faster to market with an SUV.

And then bits would have indiscriminately fallen off each one because the components had been engineered to within a baw hair of intended tolerances to minimise said weight [flawed genius!]

vet111s wrote:

woody wrote:Actually disagree. Chapman was an opportunist & money minded. He ditched the simple sports cars the brand was founded on when he saw the market changing. If anything, I'd bet he'd have been faster to market with an SUV.

And then bits would have indiscriminately fallen off each one because the components had been engineered to within a baw hair of intended tolerances to minimise said weight [flawed genius!]

He engineered his sport/racecars to be über light because that is beneficial to the end product. A Chapman SUV would have been fit for purpose and then some.

woody wrote:Actually disagree. Chapman was an opportunist & money minded. He ditched the simple sports cars the brand was founded on when he saw the market changing. If anything, I'd bet he'd have been faster to market with an SUV.

cough...

Dominic wrote:

ryallm wrote:Still think the whole idea of a Lotus SUV is an abomination which would have Colin Chapman turning in his grave, but purely from a business point of view I'm sure it makes sense.

I agree from the POV of Chapman's focus on added lightness, however, I think he would see the business opportunity / requirement in going into this market. He was quite the business mover and shaker as well as being a clever engineer. I think he would have done it sooner. Just my 2p of course