Future of Lotus

[Barrykearley]

I’ve been lucky enough to drive a real IQ - 🤭- to be fair it was fantastic fun but it only had a little engine.

[C8RKH]

The badge apparently made up for the little, errm................................................engine.

I think Lotus future is looking very bright to be honest. The Emira was a well executed launch and the car looks superb.  I guess, rather selfishly, my issue is will this be at a cost to the "community" feel of being a Lotus owner?  I get that Lotus needs to be profitable and drive numbers. I really do. But I guess I'm just being selfish.

[exeterjeep]

35 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

I guess, rather selfishly, my issue is will this be at a cost to the "community" feel of being a Lotus owner? 

Do we know any Porsche owners of their SUV's - do they feel part of the Porsche community? Any owners on here?

I would certainly like to get rid of the wife RR and have a Lotus SUV instead.

[C8RKH]

41 minutes ago, exeterjeep said:

I would certainly like to get rid of the wife RR and have a Lotus SUV instead.

Well the Lotus would certainly be more reliable!  Especially the Petrol V6 supercharged model

[jimichanga]

Future is bright for Lotus as a business for the first time in a long time, great for them but it comes at the cost of virtually everything I liked about their unpopular, unprofitable cars. I get what's happening and why it's happening but I don't have to like it. Emira is a huge disappointment to me, given what Lotus are capable of and electric SUVs are of no interest whatsoever. I wanted them to sign off the petrol sports car bloodline with a driver's car for the ages, a super Exige, a Porsche GT3 crushing Lotus F40 and then let the SUVs do the job of ramping up volume. For a company steeped in racing success and innovation, for too long being held back from beating their rivals by budget (or lack of), the last petrol Lotus should have been a final active suspension FU to the whole car industry before they had to grow up and behave like a big dim-witted corporation led by focus groups. An innovative lightweight electric sports car might still be terrific especially with the freedom to make their own platform from scratch but dumping lightweight engineering and innovation seems to have worked out well for Lotus already so it's unlikely to be anything like an electric Elise. Future is bleak for all devotees of combustion engine sports cars, certainly not Lotus' fault but the Emira is does not represent the big budget petrol Lotus pinnacle it could have been. I know that's not what they were shooting for and it may yet evolve into something much more special and exciting but they really don't have long to do it.

[DarrylV8]

@jimichangabut they really don't have long to do it. Why don't they have long?

[exeterjeep]

I think we are talking the end of petrol/diesel sales, so any last version Emira's need to be very special.

[DarrylV8]

unless the Eco-warriors get their way Lotus have about 5 years possibly longer to bring out the hot versions; don't they?

[C8RKH]

Hope so. A carbon clad, lightweight Emira CUP with a V6 and manual box would be a great 60th present for me!

Edited August 9, 2021 by Bravo73

[MJON]

2 hours ago, exeterjeep said:

Do we know any Porsche owners of their SUV's - do they feel part of the Porsche community? Any owners on here?

 

Yes, on my fourth Porsche, 987, 991, last two are Macan’s Turbo & GTS. The Porsche community is a large and varied group from very active to no interest at all. With track cars, family wagons to garage queens. The long standing 911 traditionalists of course exist but Porsche we’re saved by the intro of the Boxster (25 years now), followed by what became their biggest seller the Cayenne. Highest volume sales now through Macan, they just launched their final I.C version that will stay alongside a new EV version hitting UK in 23. Porsche are the most profitable ( by vehicle) car company in the world, without the intro of the SUV’s their original business model would have long seen them disappear. 

Lotus community due to the model line up are clearly true enthusiasts, that will over time become broadened as at long last Lotus are in a new ascendancy. I can totally understand why they are adding an EV-SUV and personally would much prefer them to prosper by appealing to the broader market and will certainly be taking a close look at it when launched. Shouldn’t  stop one enjoying their cars past, present and Future 👍

[PaulCP]

2 hours ago, C8RKH said:

Well the Lotus would certainly be more reliable!  Especially the Petrol V6 supercharged model

and from my experiences the Lotus after sales service will be better by far 👍

[exeterjeep]

JLR have been fine, but still waiting for a Lotus part - on order since last august ish..

[PaulCP]

Well since this is a Lotus forum I won’t bore anyone with my JLR car problems and after sales experiences, although TBF it tends to be JLR dealers who are the biggest problem but JLR themselves come a close second.

[Barrykearley]

We’ve got friends whom have rejected one Discovery and another whom has bought another car while he’s awaiting parts on back order for his Range. Back order isn’t unique to lotus - and it’s all Covids fault 🤦‍♂️

[ADF]

Covid : not just a pandemic but also turns out to be the perfect excuse for just about anything.

[jonwat]

Lotus: A New Dawn Channel 4 well worth watching 

[jimichanga]

Looks like they're leaving it up to Radford to make the cars that Lotus dare not make.

Why not fit the 500bhp motor with DCT to a wide body Exige? They only need do a handful of them to make a statement. A pinnacle petrol sports car based on the performance through lightweight ethos. Show some respect to the bloodline and race pedigree before they tarnish the badge further with SUVs.

[NedaSay]

3 hours ago, jimichanga said:

Looks like they're leaving it up to Radford to make the cars that Lotus dare not make.

Why not fit the 500bhp motor with DCT to a wide body Exige? They only need do a handful of them to make a statement. A pinnacle petrol sports car based on the performance through lightweight ethos. Show some respect to the bloodline and race pedigree before they tarnish the badge further with SUVs.

Until Geely came around Lotus did not have the legs to get the DCT and do the internal work on the engine past prototyping. and with the exige not being a global car the reach of that vehicle would have been limited. Could they have done it, yes probably but at what cost. Radford is in different little league, that car will compete with the Singer's engineered and other high end tuners of this world, they pass on the cost to a select few who do not car if the car is 500k.

[mdavies]

A while ago I wrote in this thread about how “quite ordinary” electric cars could, should their drivers wish, potentially embarrass those of us driving what we have thought of as pretty quick, enthusiast's machinery. Sub-McLaren that is. Particularly regarding the “you won’t overtake me” types needing only brief bursts of acceleration in the 40 to 60 mph region to do that in often short overtaking stretches.

To any Moderator this is about I.C. drivers dealing with EV’s, not about EV's as such, and is intended for enthusiast I.C. drivers like me. So please do not move it to an EV thread where many of us may not see it - I wouldn’t there. (Sorry, a battle last time!)  And  the immediate “future of Lotus”, the Emira, is one I see as open to being embarrassed by EVs.

Yesterday I walked by a stationary little VW ID.3. It was L-plated and emblazoned with words about some “Automatics Driving School”. (No comment!)  From the driving seat someone was seemingly explaining things to a passenger. I reached a busy roundabout and the ID.3 came up silently beside me. It was a modern small roundabout with much of the centre only marked by a slightly roughened surface. The flow from the busy road on the right mostly drove straight over that in almost a straight line at a good speed. Almost no gaps for the ID.3.  But no problem - it suddenly disappeared from beside me into a tiny gap and up to the speed of the main flow - apparently near instantly. That burst of acceleration beat “launch controlled” I.C. take-offs I’ve experienced! Just a slight scrabbling of tyres the only drama. Material leaving shovels - no comparison. Some driving lesson!

If those bursts can be used at higher speeds, I’ll only be using peak-power approaches to overtaking “little ID.3s”.

Edited August 14, 2021 by mdavies

[Bibs]

That post belongs in the EV thread as it's related to them and not Lotus any more than it involves a performance car, it could be any (sub McLaren) performance car you referenced. 

Can you imagine the ID3 driver parking up and looking back at his car, carving up a B road and knowing next time he can go a little faster around the corners, taking it on track and having all the fun they could ever want in a car, etc, etc? No, that's why sub-McLaren performance cars still have a place. 

Point in case...

vs

No-one falls in love with a sh1tbox car, no matter how fast it can accelerate.

[mdavies]

47 minutes ago, Bibs said:

Can you imagine the ID3 driver parking up and looking back at his car, carving up a B road and knowing next time he can go a little faster around the corners, taking it on track and having all the fun they could ever want in a car, etc, etc? No, that's why sub-McLaren performance cars still have a place. 

Absolutely agree with that anyway, Bibs.  No Lotus EV for me whatever its performance! Hopefully a manual Emira will fall into my buying range one day.

[NedaSay]

The return of the LOTUS SPORT  brand is now official at least on instagram, the Lotus Sport insta page will centralise all sport activities related to Lotus Extreme E, GT Racing, Cycling...

https://www.instagram.com/lotussportofficial/

[Bibs]

Shame he's not headed back to Norfolk...

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry-news-corporate/aston-martin-chassis-guru-becker-set-take-new-role-mclaren

[Arregueti]

Indeed. I was secretly hoping he would now return, given the new situation at Lotus.

[scotty435]

Seeing no other car manufacturer as overtook Lotus when it comes vehicle dynamics especially when it comes to steering feel, one would say Gavan Kershaw as not been doing a bad job.