Future of Lotus

[Bibs]

https://www.thelotusforums.com/latest-news/lotus-cars-news/lotus-global-retail-sales-up-24-in-best-performance-for-a-decade-/

[jep]

Lotus reports best sales for a decade | PistonHeads UK

[C8RKH]

I'm really pleased for lotus but it is irrelevant really now as we move to Lotus 2.0. We should not compare Lotus 1.0 sales with the future Lotus 2.0 sales but I know they/we will.

[KusaKusa]

I think this sales boost at the end of Elise/Exige/Evora life bode well for Lotus as a brand.  Just my non-professional interpretation, but I think this shows Lotus is definitely more known amongst people than sales would suggest; it's just there isn't a compulsion driving people to choose Lotus over other brands.  I mean this especially for the US in particular, as I've seen US sales bringing into question whether Americans care/know about Lotus and if they can be successful as a brand.  Hopefully this means good prospects for the Lotus SUVs if they're good and well-priced products.

[NedaSay]

12 hours ago, C8RKH said:

I'm really pleased for lotus but it is irrelevant really now as we move to Lotus 2.0. We should not compare Lotus 1.0 sales with the future Lotus 2.0 sales but I know they/we will.

It will be a useless comparison the moment the SUV comes into play.  The numbers are good considering the offering was limited, but dealers were supported by a steady stream of marketing pushes from factory. The buzz around the company also helped loads, as many did not know was still in business, and others were afraid of the company going tits up. It just shows what could have been.

The future bodes well because once again Geely has proven a steady pair of hands ushering the new era without ever rushing things. From 2018 to 2022, almost exactly four years(lotus was officially sold in September 2017) to bring new products to market. It could have gone faster but by Geely's own timetables Lotus is actually right on schedule. 

The only thorn in the side is that the Lotus NYO moniker had to be kept in Chine where Lotus will remain known as not a Lotus flower but a musical instrument. but maybe NYO will morph into NIO  because of the recent joint venture Lotus Technology. They have been very quiet on the new dealer front but i think there is a very good reason to that.

 

Future looks electrifying really!

[MJON]

Didn’t realise that Lotus are now part of an organisation this Big! As long as the cars perform I’m  sure their future is pretty secure 👍

”Geely Auto Group is one of the six verticals of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, comprising Geely Auto, Link & Co, Geometry, Proton, Lotus, and smart brands. Zeekr is a new addition to this business division. Geely Automobile Holdings and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group will jointly own it in a 51:49 ratio. According to the official announcement, Zeekr is “a new electric mobility technology and solutions company.” It is one more addition to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s complex structure, which looked like this before its announcement”

[Bibs]

Lotus Tech Creative Centre: a new design hub to drive forward global transformation

• LTCC leading design on Type 132 and other all-electric lifestyle cars from Lotus
• Head of studio is Ben Payne, overseen by Peter Horbury and in close collaboration with Russell Carr
• Creative philosophy inspired by progressive start-ups and design agencies
• Based in Warwickshire, in the UK’s automotive heartland

(Hethel, UK – 12 January 2022) – From the start of 2022, the Geely design studio in Warwickshire has a new name – the Lotus Tech Creative Centre Limited (LTCC).

It is already playing a key role in the ongoing transformation of Lotus from a UK sports car company to a global performance car business and brand.

The LTCC team continues to be led by highly experienced designer Ben Payne in the role of Managing Director / Head of Studio. He commented: “More than just a traditional automotive design studio, the LTCC philosophy is inspired by the mindset of start-ups and creative agencies – open, progressive, and pioneering. Our vision is to nurture a culture for diverse creative minds to meet and empower each other beyond the classic automotive structures and processes.”

Based in the UK’s automotive heartland, LTCC is a world-class automotive design facility delivering the complete range of disciplines – design strategy, exterior and interior design, user interface and user experience design, visualisation, studio engineering, digital and physical modelling, plus colour, materials and finish. It has everything to support Lotus’ expanding design workstreams.

Under Ben’s guidance, the LTCC team has taken the lead on creating a highly desirable range of all-new, all-electric lifestyle cars for the next generation of Lotus customers.

Together they have taken the core principles and Lotus DNA from more than 70 years of sports car design and evolved them. The result – which will receive its world premiere in the spring – is the first ever performance SUV from Lotus, the Type 132, and it will be followed by a four-door sports coupe (Type 133) and a smaller SUV (Type 134) in the coming years.

LTCC is working in close collaboration with the design team at Hethel, led by Russell Carr, which will continue to spearhead Lotus’ global sports car programmes. The Type 135, the first EV sports car from Lotus, is already in development.

Overseeing the work of both design studios is Peter Horbury, appointed Senior Vice President, Executive Advisor, Design at Lotus last September. He commented: “LTCC and Lotus Design at Hethel are now aligned as creative centres of excellence to develop and deliver the Lotus design vision. They are already collaborating closely with the other Lotus facilities around the world, such as Lotus Tech HQ in Wuhan, China, and Lotus Tech Innovation Centre in Raunheim, Germany.”

[hedgerley]

Confirmation again of the "four door sports coupe" Type 133, contrary to some reports saying it was an SUV coupe, whatever one of those is 😏

[KusaKusa]

Interesting that sports car design and lifestyle vehicle design for the same brand are under different studios.  The sports car almost functions as a halo or advertising arm for the lifestyle sales.  I wonder if this is the ideal organization structure for Lotus product strategy, or if this is a result from acquiring the existing Lotus Cars and Geely respecting them maintaining some autonomy (like they did with Volvo).  Well anyway, I'm glad because I trust Russell Carr with the great work he's done with Evija and Emira, and I was initially worried learning months ago that Peter Horbury would be overall lead of design over Lotus.

[NedaSay]

Just checked out the DRIVEN video on  the Lotus type 62 coachbuilt by Radford as  we are supposed to call it. and at 9'16" into the video we can see a new construction on the Hethel campus, I seem to remember this specific location  was dedicated as a short term outdoor storage for cars. But now there's clearly a new Concrete fondation laid. The area appears to be partially fenced up to shield the brand new factory. Have they finally started building the Customer experience centre? or is it the new control tower?

 

[Bibs]

It's a variable surface area for durability testing of suspension components I believe.

[Bibs]

https://www.am-online.com/news/manufacturer/2022/01/18/lotus-uk-makes-agency-model-retail-switch-ahead-of-emira-deliveries

Lotus UK has completed the switch to an agency model agreement for its 13 franchised car retail sites ahead of the arrival of the new Emira coupe in showrooms.

The Hethel-based, Geely-owned hypercar and sports car manufacturer said that its dealerships – operated by Bell & Colvill, Caffyns, Hendy Group, Endeavour Automotive, JCT600, Oakmere, Parks Motor Group and Rybrook – had adopted the new model.

And it said that a further 10 open points would be filled by new retail facilities “soon”, with North London, Manchester, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Milton Keynes, Sussex, Newcastle and Sheffield all set to gain a franchise point.

The changes come as part of a Vision80 strategy which has brought the introduction of the £2m Evija hypercar, the forthcoming Emira sports car, the introduction of a new retail corporate identity and the development of a new £100m manufacturing facility at its Hethel headquarters and Technology Centre at Warwick.

Geoff Dowding, Lotus’ executive director for sales and aftersales, said: “This UK network restructure marks a watershed moment for Lotus as the transformation of the business and brand continues.

“We now have the right partners in the right locations with the right business model, and again Lotus is pioneering. We are the first OEM to have an agency agreement in place right across the UK network.”

He added: “This is an exciting development and it’s just the start: we will be announcing several more in the coming weeks and months.”

Back in 2019, as Lotus unveiled its plan to accelerate its growth through the Vision 80 strategy, Dowding said there would be "no palace structure" of the retail network.

Outlets serving the largest cities will naturally reflect the strength of their marketplace, he said, adding that there is still a place for the “small, amazing little businesses” within the network now that are willing to grow with the brand.

Lotus’ wholesale switch to an agency model comes as mainstream OEMs Stellantis, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz prepare the new contract type for their retailers.

In a guest opinion article for AM ICDP managing director, Steve Young, said that both dealers and OEMs recognised that agency “requires a fair and sustainable remuneration model for dealers, to replace the traditional margin and bonuses”. 

He added: “As some of our own dealer interviewees put it, ‘it all comes down to the numbers’.” 

Lotus’ switch to an agency retail model comes just a month after the end of production of its long-standing sports car line-up of Elise, Exige and Evora models, the restructure coming ahead of the start of production of its new Emira in the coming months.

Lotus UK said in a statement issued this morning (January 18) that its 13 franchised car retail sites and three authorised repairers will soon feature the exterior signage elements of the new Lotus retail identity – launched last year.

New interior elements of the CI will be added throughout 2022, it said.

Trevor Weller, Lotus’ director of global retail development, said: “We are extremely close to finalising new retail agencies in North London, Manchester, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Milton Keynes, Sussex, Newcastle and Sheffield.

“These new showrooms will enable Lotus to maximise coverage across the whole of the UK, and provide an excellent platform for us to promote the new product range that starts with the Lotus Emira sports car later this year.”

 

Lotus UK’s new franchised retail newtwork is comprised of:

Lotus Birmingham: Rybrook, Hockley Heath, Birmingham

Lotus Bradford: JCT600, Bradford, West Yorkshire

Lotus Bristol: Rybrook, Cribbs Causeway, Bristol

Lotus Essex: Endeavour Automotive, Colchester, Essex

Lotus Exeter: Hendy Group, Marsh Barton, Devon

Lotus Glasgow: Park’s Motor Group, Hamilton, Lanarkshire

Lotus Kent: Caffyns, Ashford, Kent

Lotus Nottingham: Central Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

Lotus Prestbury: Oakmere, Prestbury, Cheshire

Lotus Poole: Hendy Group, Poole, Dorset

Lotus Silverstone: Silverstone, Silverstone Race Circuit, Northamptonshire

Lotus Southampton: Hendy Group, Eastleigh, Hampshire              

Lotus Surrey: Bell & Colvill, West Horsley, Surrey              

Lotus UK authorised repairers:

Lotus Cheshire: Oakmere, Northwich, Cheshire

Lotus Norwich: Stratton, Long Stratton, Norfolk

Lotus Surrey: Bell & Colvill, Guildford, Surrey

[exeterjeep]

27 minutes ago, Bibs said:

are extremely close to finalising new retail agencies in North London, Manchester, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Milton Keynes, Sussex, Newcastle and Sheffield.

These sound a bit like 'show' stalls/shops at some well known retail shopping centres?

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

That’s what I thought. Post delivery you’ll probably have nothing to do with these new places and still have to liaise one of the existing dealers for servicing, warranty claims etc. Not saying that’s a bad thing, since it spreads the gospel to a whole new congregation. The existing dealers will still be picking up all the increased after sales business. I guess it’s an interim solution until the increase in EV sales dictates a much bigger UK dealer network.

[DaveC72]

Repairer?  Is that good England (sic)?

Not sure what that even means... I mean, I can guess... does make me a little nervous though.

[exeterjeep]

54 minutes ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

Post delivery you’ll probably have nothing to do with these new places and still have to liaise one of the existing dealers for servicing, warranty claims etc.

I even wonder if the 'retail agencies' possibly in shopping/city centres will actually have cars for test drives, might get directed to the 'proper local' retailer for a drive, then back to the shopping centre to configure one if you want new. Or stick to the real retailer/dealers for a s/h one.

 

[Kevin Wheeler]

1 hour ago, DaveC72 said:

Repairer?  Is that good England (sic)?

Not sure what that even means... I mean, I can guess... does make me a little nervous though.

Never mind "newtwork" - wonder what they do there?

 

2 hours ago, Bibs said:

Lotus UK’s new franchised retail newtwork is comprised of:

 

[Bibs]

That was posted by AM Online, you can pop a message to them here...

https://www.am-online.com/the-team/

[rudolphwolven]

*****

https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/lotus-completes-agency-sales-restructure-of-uk-dealership-network/252279

NEWS

Lotus completes agency sales restructure of UK dealership network

Full agency agreement now in place at all 13 of Lotus’s UK sites

Lotus is first OEM to have agency agreement across whole of UK network

Restructure is part of ongoing transformation

New retail agencies are poised to open in 10 locations

 

 

[jimichanga]

What does that actually mean for dealers and what difference does it make for customers?

[exeterjeep]

Lotus cars web site still has...service centres listed ....

LOTUS LITTLE SODBURY   ie Williams Bristol

LOTUS NORTH ACTON   ie HR Owen Acton N London

LOTUS HENLEY    ie Henley Hofmanns

They are not mentioned in the article, so wonder what future they have.....

But have all had their 'names' updated on the lotus web site.

[CocoPops]

I'm not sure they know...

[exeterjeep]

Williams have 3 Lotus vehicles on Autotrader , Hofmanns have a couple.

Have no idea how active HR Owen has been with lotus these days, they took over some servicing when London Lotus closed in around 2002/3.

[Frickin_idiot]

I contacted Williams Bristol shortly after the 400 was launched expressing my interest. They didn’t have the courtesy to respond to a mail or phone call. Needless to say I went elsewhere and ended up with a new 400. 

With the Emira order I registered with Silverstone despite it being a 2.5 hr drive from my home (Bristol 30 mins). 
 

[KusaKusa]

Bloomberg: Lotus Explores Electric-Car Battery Partnership With Britishvolt

This isn't a commitment by Lotus at this point since it's just a memorandum of understanding, but it could be feasible.  UK sourcing of batteries for UK automotive manufacturers is important due to high tariffs on imported batteries.  Britishvolt says their first factory will start operations in late 2023 and will be fully operational for 300,000 car batteries per year by 2027, so even with potential delays, their timeline matches up with Lotus' first commercial EV (Type 135 in 2026).  

But I can't really tell if Britishvolt is vaporware or at least not cutting edge.  They announced their first factory in January 2022, but they haven't started construction I think (their website shows cleared land but has a 3D rendering of construction).  They only really need money for construction, and according to them at least, it isn't difficult for them to acquire funds.  They have very little detail on their competitive advantage and battery chemistry from what I've searched.  For example, here's an article from February 2021:

Quote

Will Britishvolt batteries have a competitive advantage? How will they be different from the competition?

We are reimagining the manufacturing process, so it is much easier for us to adapt to new technology and new manufacturing processes. There has been something of a step change in battery technologies recently, and some of the things that were not possible in the past now are, and so we can start looking to adopt those new technologies to give us an uplift in performance in, for instance, the energy density and therefore the range of electric vehicles, which is the headline figure.

We are also looking at the low-cost, low-cobalt materials development. Traditionally, that has been lithium ferrophosphate (LFP), and while this does provide some answers, it is still not quite enough in terms of energy density and range to be useful in a lot of applications. We are therefore looking at the next steps and at adopting them into our manufacturing strategy so that this solution can be offered to those vehicles that are going to take care of the aspirant purchases.

Yet while saying this, promo photos of their battery cells are at the 21700 cell size, which is current gen on the Tesla Model 3.  The next gen battery size at 4680 has some definitive energy density gains, as bigger cells equal more battery and less packaging, but really only Tesla and Panasonic (one of Tesla's largest suppliers) are exploring usage of that size.  Also, Britishvolt announced partnerships to source cobalt, and while use of cobalt doesn't necessarily mean their chemistry is bad, it does mean it's not some crazy cutting edge next-gen chemistries that have been floated around.  They haven't really demonstrated/shown any batteries or released any specs.  They do have working relationships with universities in the UK and there seems to be a push to keep the UK competitive in the EV space, so hopefully there's a lot of collaboration for cutting edge tech there.  And the UK government has a ton of subsidies to support EVs in the country.

Well, hopefully Lotus has more information on stuff like that as an actually interested customer, and Lotus is pretty knowledgeable in that field from sourcing batteries for Evija, setting up their own battery test equipment/facilities, and working with Polestar.  

 

 

Edited January 20 by KusaKusa