jep Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 Andy Palmer did an amazing job of getting many fools to buy AM on floatation. Incredible salesmanship of glamour, prestige and hope over reality. It was so obviously a smoke and mirrors trick but he pulled it off, well done him. I should have shorted the shares... Back on topic, Lotus is properly invested in by Geely and I'm sure we all hope it works out. Justin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LotusLeftLotusRight Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 6 minutes ago, jep said: Andy Palmer did an amazing job of getting many fools to buy AM on floatation. Incredible salesmanship of glamour, prestige and hope over reality. What happened to the staff Lotus hired to push the brand way upmarket? Those guys with the Sunseeker yacht contacts to whom Lotus were going to sell the 130 Evijas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jep Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 No idea, I haven't really followed the inner details of Lotus business since Geely bought in. I understand Evija from a marketing point of view but not from an ownership viewpoint. I don't understand a McLaren P1 either but they sold well and have good residuals. I don't see how a hybrid supercar can be better than a pure ICE one, especially with the battery costs (£100k + on P1, if you can buy one). A pure electric supercar at the evolution of the technology doesn't make sense to me (to own). Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NedaSay Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 On 01/10/2022 at 07:17, jep said: Geely offered to invest a few months back....Stroll refused, so the story goes. I assume there was a shortfall and Stroll had no choice. I'm pretty sure Aston Martin F1 is not part of this fund raising, it is a separate company that used to be Racing Point/Force India/Jordan. Aston Martin Vanish may be the final road car. Justin Last time Geely made an offer alongside IndustrialInvest, they offered a lot more money and it would have diluted every current shareholder to a minority holding, Geely would have effectively taken other the business. At the time AM said that they overestimated greatly what it would take to take the business to the next stage... Which is funny when you look at the situation now. Aston Martin under Stroll has been in a tough spot for a while. Stroll wants to stay the chairman of the company, he got the support from Saudi, but Stroll probably wanted Mercedes-Benz to step up their investment, yet they have been very hesitant to do so, not committing to purchase beyond 10% of the shares. Which means Aston Martin is still shopping around for the EV platform but also, ICE, and electrical architecture, and when it comes to emission and CAFE regulations, Aston Martin is no man's land as they have no partner to lean on. More problematically sales of Aston Martin have been below expectation in 2020 and 2021, things seem to have significantly improved in 2022 With over 6,000 cars sold, mostly DBX , but the objective was 10,000 units and the goal is 13,000 by next year. So the company is bleeding money to buy everything that cost too much be made in house. Geely has a platform that they are shopping around (SEA), they made it open source so Aston Martin could use it and tweak it just as Lotus did with Eletre. It would give AM a break and I'm sure Geely will be glad to provide the platform for a nominal fee. More than anything they are upping their profile with that kind of move and flexing their muscle a little bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibs Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 11 hours ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said: What happened to the staff Lotus hired to push the brand way upmarket? Those guys with the Sunseeker yacht contacts to whom Lotus were going to sell the 130 Evijas? Phil Popham and Simon Clare? They don't work there any more. 1 1 Quote 88 Esprit NA, 89 Esprit Turbo SE, Evora, Evora S, Evora IPS, Evora S IPS, Evora S IPS SR, Evora 400, Elise S1, Elise S1 111s, Evora GT410 Sport Evora NA For forum issues, please contact the Moderators. I will aim to respond to emails/PM's Mon-Fri 9-6 GMT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post NedaSay Posted October 2, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 12 hours ago, jep said: Andy Palmer did an amazing job of getting many fools to buy AM on floatation. Incredible salesmanship of glamour, prestige and hope over reality. It was so obviously a smoke and mirrors trick but he pulled it off, well done him. I should have shorted the shares... Back on topic, Lotus is properly invested in by Geely and I'm sure we all hope it works out. Justin The plan laid by Palmer for Aston Martin plan relied heavily on an economy in rude health and stable. it did not materialized and he was ousted by Stroll who's plan is still tough to pinpoint. He's tried to bring some rationality to Palmer's plan but without support from a major OEM player he appears to be stuck. Aston Martin is supposed to fight the Lamborghinis and Ferraris of the world. Lotus is poised to hunt on Porsche's territory so sligthly different positioning. So Lotus and Aston Martin could share the stable. However Aston has a problem, Their UVP is not that strong. Right now, despite only having a handful of sales to show for in 2022, Lotus is sitting pretty, with a clear roadmap, a steady stream of money. Lotus Tech is properly geared with a market valuation of over $4B which should prop the type 133 and 134 safely. Type 135 cost will be shared with Alpine and the vehicles architectures are a lock. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post webfoot Posted October 22, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 erm..... https://www.volvobuses.com/gb/news/2022/oct/new-mcv-evora-buses-receive-high-praise-from-one-of-the-uk-s-old.html 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibs Posted October 27, 2022 Report Share Posted October 27, 2022 https://www.thelotusforums.com/latest-news/lotus-cars-news/ben-payne-appointed-chief-creative-officer-for-lotus-technology/ 1 Quote 88 Esprit NA, 89 Esprit Turbo SE, Evora, Evora S, Evora IPS, Evora S IPS, Evora S IPS SR, Evora 400, Elise S1, Elise S1 111s, Evora GT410 Sport Evora NA For forum issues, please contact the Moderators. I will aim to respond to emails/PM's Mon-Fri 9-6 GMT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mg4lotus Posted October 27, 2022 Report Share Posted October 27, 2022 Unusual photo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrylV8 Posted October 27, 2022 Report Share Posted October 27, 2022 Looks like an architect Quote Darryl & Sue Proud to drive and own since new a true British supercar the Evora GT430 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted October 27, 2022 Report Share Posted October 27, 2022 I wondered what he was sitting on when that pic was taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mg4lotus Posted October 27, 2022 Report Share Posted October 27, 2022 The pose, the positioning and the framing must be trying to tell a story but I can't work out what that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdavies Posted October 27, 2022 Report Share Posted October 27, 2022 (edited) My guess is that it's a lifestyle photo, to suit the corresponding cars - not that I understand anything about those either. Maybe they will only come in black. Edited October 27, 2022 by mdavies 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimichanga Posted October 27, 2022 Report Share Posted October 27, 2022 I happen to like the Eletre for what it is but please Lord no more about ‘Lotus DNA’. Means nothing to your more usual SUV buyer and is a complete insult to the intelligence of a clued-up Lotus fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KusaKusa Posted October 28, 2022 Report Share Posted October 28, 2022 I think the Eletre has nice individual design elements, like the rear taillights and holes, and I look forward to them being consistent motifs. But I think Russell Carr's team has done a better job making designs come together better as a whole with the Emira and Evija vs the Eletre. Maybe it's just difficulty designing around an SUV. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisJ Posted November 2, 2022 Report Share Posted November 2, 2022 Bit of "old" Lotus news, JMG has been appointed the new CEO of Motive Fuels Ltd - clicky (disclaimer, I have shares in ITM Power - which have been a bit crap of late). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jep Posted November 2, 2022 Report Share Posted November 2, 2022 On 28/10/2022 at 08:57, KusaKusa said: But I think Russell Carr's team has done a better job making designs come together better as a whole with the Emira and Evija vs the Eletre. Maybe it's just difficulty designing around an SUV. Russell Carr is head of sports car design at Lotus. So not involved with SUV. Justin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KusaKusa Posted November 3, 2022 Report Share Posted November 3, 2022 9 hours ago, jep said: Russell Carr is head of sports car design at Lotus. So not involved with SUV. Justin Sorry I meant I like Russell Carr's team's work through Emira/Evija vs Ben Payne's through Eletre, and maybe some credit should be given to Ben since SUVs are hard. I can see how what I said could be confusing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jonwat Posted November 7, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 7, 2022 Matt Windle interview 3 Quote Cheers, John W http://jonwatkins.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LotusLeftLotusRight Posted November 24, 2022 Report Share Posted November 24, 2022 What, if anything, do we think would happen to Lotus if China launched an invasion of Taiwan in the coming years? Western companies are already having problems getting money out of China due to COVID and their relatively poor growth figure. If economic sanctions were also invoked, where would that leave Hethel? Of course the West’s trade with China is vastly bigger than our trade with Russia, so simply slamming the door shut would be much more difficult. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mg4lotus Posted November 24, 2022 Report Share Posted November 24, 2022 (edited) Assets owned by Geely would still be owned by Geely but might be put into holding? Current live vehicles in the UK would be shelved? The people and skills would move to other businesses? The people and skills would start up a new business? Lotus v3.0? Edited November 24, 2022 by mg4lotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mg4lotus Posted November 24, 2022 Report Share Posted November 24, 2022 It's a bit extreme, but who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mg4lotus Posted November 24, 2022 Report Share Posted November 24, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, mg4lotus said: Current live vehicles in the UK would be shelved? I should probably clarify this statement to avoid confusion - The production of the Emira and Evija would get shelved in the UK (Not the cars owned by you and me). The production of Eletre in China would continue as we wouldn't have any influence over that. Future models 133 and 134.... Still at the pre-manufacture stage and probably owned by Geely. I am only guessing at this and have no factual knowledge. We are thinking about Lotus but Volvo and Polestar are probably in a similar situation. Edited November 24, 2022 by mg4lotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibs Posted November 30, 2022 Report Share Posted November 30, 2022 2 Quote 88 Esprit NA, 89 Esprit Turbo SE, Evora, Evora S, Evora IPS, Evora S IPS, Evora S IPS SR, Evora 400, Elise S1, Elise S1 111s, Evora GT410 Sport Evora NA For forum issues, please contact the Moderators. I will aim to respond to emails/PM's Mon-Fri 9-6 GMT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KusaKusa Posted November 30, 2022 Report Share Posted November 30, 2022 Nice. A few people were asking for something similar for the Emira, and this can help bring confidence in LTCC vs the traditional Lotus Cars team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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