Gus82

I agree - I like the look of the surfacing and design details, but it looks too long and heavy at the back. A shorter rear overhang and roofline might have made it sportier and less like the Citroen C5X. An EV SUV Lotus was always going to be controversial and I wonder if they would have been better rolling out the lower saloon or more compact SUV first, although presumably this will be the better option from a sales/profit perspective. Reading the great first Emira reviews, does make me question how "Lotus" this will be. Fingers crossed they have found construction or battery innovations to keep the weight down a little.

These IP images from Oz look convincing.... https://www.ixforums.com/threads/lotus-type-132-designs-revealed-by-australias-ip-office.384/

The main image with the thin wide lights? There is an image below it of the often published mash up of the 3-Eleven and 70's Elite which has been circulated and reimagined lots over the years. However, the drawing in the main image is not one I've seen before. The more I look above at the Lynk & Co Zero, it does look a lot like that with a longer front, Emira esque bonnet and the vents at the front ahead of the wheel arches (but ditching the main middle grill unnecessary for an electric vehicle). Even the shape of the recessed door handles matches the Lynk & Co car. The main thing which makes me think it could be some sort of patent image for the real car is the wide thin lights and the strong horizontal line across the front. The original image was also not on the website, as if it had been taken down but there was a cached image saved by Google. I could be wrong though 😉

I posted a description of this on the thread with the latest Lotus announcements earlier. I came across a curious picture when searching for the "new Esprit" in Google images prior to the Emira launch. Not seen this elsewhere and there are a few lines around the nose which make me wonder if this could be a patent image of the new Lotus SUV. https://photos.app.goo.gl/sNLmQ4LNjzVL31h57 Some similarity to the first SUV in the image released today in terms of the lights perhaps? However the image I captured does have door mirrors instead of cameras. Apologies if this has been posted before or I've missed that it's an already well known vehicle!

Interesting! Glad they are doing a low slung 4 door as well as the SUVs. I accidentally came across a picture when looking for any leaked Emira photos that partially ties in with the first silhouette. Looked like one of those patent images that sometimes leaks. Not sure I should share! Also could be something unrelated as the vehicles in the Autocar images don't have wing mirrors and the vehicle in the picture I have does. To describe though it has a longish low bonnet and cab rearward stance with a kickup over the rear wheel arch. Simple but elegant, and could be lifted with clever surfacing and detailing. Back to the news - the tie up with Nio is a surprise, but clearly they will need a lot of upfront investment to make this happen.

Yes, I think launching the DS range was his idea

Toyota would be my first choice too, IF they purchased Lotus completely. Any situation that involves a financial player such as Aston has can be unstable as they'll want big profits in return or to be able to sell at some point to get something back for their investment. Lotus can be profitable but maybe not at the level required for such a solution to work. Can I make the case for PSA given there are suggestions they could be the most likely suitor? Carlos Tavares has turned PSA around from a huge debt situation in a relatively short space of time. He is a hard headed business man first and foremost, reducing head count at PSA and rationalising product plans. He is also a car enthusiast who is into club sport racing and championed the relaunch of Alpine before he left Renault, with the idea of a group of lightweight sportscars, supported by an SUV. He is interested in expanding PSA more globally, including finding ways of getting back into the North American market with niche projects. As well as making more profits the cars produced by PSA have subtly improved during his watch. Is it just me or does that not sound a lot like what JMG has done at Lotus? I would be very surprised if JMG wasn't consulted in relation to whatever proposals were sent by Proton to his former employer. I hope Lotus is not stuck with the Goldstar deal. JMG's soundbites about the SUV vary from him being very excited to him saying it may be a China only "opportunity". PSA's EMP2 platform could provide some componentry and tried and trusted production facilities to produce any passenger Lotus vehicle that is essential to the companies future, and also the option of petrol or electric drivetrains by the end of the decade. An electric Lotus to rival Porsche's production Mission E could sell well in North American markets such as California and parts of Europe. Or rather than a full SUV how about a compact family hatch back with rally car inspired styling (PSA own the Sunbeam name still don't they?) priced about £35K? This platform would still need a lot of Lotus-ification such as composite panels to reduce weight and expensive components to improve steering feel etc. Most importantly I think Carlos Tavares and JMG would share a very similar vision for Lotus, so its less likely there would be any major upheavals at a time when things are going well.

That is exactly how they should launch it - stylised trailer and lotus track car behind it. A version with rally car cues could potentially look great too! I'm glad they are talking about something relatively compact, low slung, light and distinctive. Jmg has done well so far so I'm going to trust that he produces a car worthy of the Lotus badge. At least they aren't rushing it!

I guess Lotus needs to risk the Ip issue, but they also need to make sure they keep full control of the brand. They made mistakes with that in the past... Just spotted this autoexpress article with comment from Jmg. It states that existing Lotus cars will be exclusive to Hethel: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/lotus/91205/new-lotus-cars-to-be-built-and-sold-in-china

I doubt Lotus' current range are going to be big sellers in China, and while in industry terms the investment isn't massive - it does suggest they have more ambitious plans than only assembling a relatively small number of sportscars.

Anyone seen this? http://europe.autonews.com/article/20150417/ANE/150419885?template=mobile02&X-IgnoreUserAgent=1 Could this be the relationship that allows Lotus to build a saloon or SUV? Wouldn't be a fan of the SUV unless it was essential to secure Lotus' future. Mention of building engines doesn't seem quite right either as Jmg had said they wouldn't go down that route

As someone who was sucked into the Bahar thing because I wanted to see a new Esprit (even though I would never have been able to afford it), I think they should keep things simple. Think they will struggle with the Evora or anything bigger more expensive. However a new Elise and Exige that are: fractionally bigger without putting on much weight easier to get in and out of have more user friendly and attractive interiors (perhaps use his connections to borrow the touch screen and digital display from the new Citroen C4 Cactus - that might sound like a joke but these could easily be mounted in a minimalist, but sexy interior, that uses the quality lessons learnt on the Evora) Price against the Boxster/Cayman (aiming for less sales but with a product that is a little cheaper to develop and produce) Design the cars for global sales Use F1 better to promote the cars Do a deal with another manufacturer to provide the engines and sell the cars through their dealers for a halo effect on their range (Toyota, Honda, Kia?) Whatever the appointment seems to be a positive move. Someone called Ettore posted this on the Pistonheads forum: He's a good guy (there was on overall Group CEO at PSA during that time) with decent experience at Mercedes and VAG - importantly he was the key sponsor for the Peugeot Le Mans effort (cancelled when he left). I wish him the best of luck, he's well networked and a good sales and marketing leader who's also a proper "car guy". More of a car guy then than might have been thought at first!

I agree with this. I was a huge supporter of the Bahar plan as it seemed so incredible but convincing at the time. Now I feel Lotus needs to concentrate on a single drivetrain that they can re-engineer for a series of different models and customers. Many of the engine parts will most likely have to be bought in. I get that V6 and V8 cars naturally sound better, but with clever engineering four cylinders can also produce a fantastic noise! Apart from the late 90's Esprit 4 cylinder engines have dominated Lotus' past after all. The Alfa 4C and up coming Caterham/Alpine twins are Lotus' natural competitors, so in my opinion they need a new Elise, Exige and a 2 seat Esprit to replace the Evora, with a price range of £40K to £70K (excluding limited run halo models and racing versions). If Lotus tries to directly take on the 458 on a limited budget it will be a disaster despite the know how Lotus has sadly, and engineering dates quickly. If the Esprit hasn't been worked on much for the past two years they'll need to spend a fortune to make sure that it has a reasonable shelf life after launch. £10 million won't go that far in the modern era.

Would love to see Lotus revealing even a little of their plan, like Caterham has on Skiddmark: http://skiddmark.com/2013/03/caterham-cars-exclusive-a-look-into-the-future/ Plan seems credible, especially with the Renault JV. Would people accept a Lotus sportscar developed via a JV and would they also accept Lotus if they had a couple of 'core' sports cars and then SUVs and mini cars aimed at developing markets? I would have been horrified at the thought not so long ago, but now I could imagine a new Elise, a production version of the Ethos city car concept and some form of small sporty Evoque rival strangely appealing. Its also interesting to see the projected price is just below £50,000 and therefore similar to the pricing of the Alfa 4C. Could the next Elise sell for similar money and a new Exige for Evora money.

Cheerier article on Skiddmark - http://skiddmark.com/2013/03/lotus-moves-to-dispel-another-careless-whisper-wstatement/