Press Release from Lotus, Lotus Elise Hits USA Rental Fleets

[ivan1]

Originally Posted by LW Elise

Is it going to be people who go straight to the track, ala the new Hertz Ford Mustang GT500?

GT-H, no?

[LARRY]

Originally Posted by zvezdah1

Larry, are you trying to tell us you don't think this is a good idea?

Yeah. No kidding.


As I said, there are people all over the place taking pictures of exotic cars crashed by the side of the road. They publish these pictures all over the web

How will it affect Lotus to have pictures of their "rental" Elises smashed up by the side of the road after people rent them and crash them?

Renting Lotus Elises and Exiges is a terrible idea.

[LW Elise]

Originally Posted by LARRY22331

Yeah. No kidding.


As I said, there are people all over the place taking pictures of exotic cars crashed by the side of the road. They publish these pictures all over the web

How will it affect Lotus to have pictures of their "rental" Elises smashed up by the side of the road after people rent them and crash them?

Renting Lotus Elises and Exiges is a terrible idea.

I think it is a matter of survival. I think that once all of us nutcases purchased our Elises, and Exiges, the buying pool dried up for this level of car from Lotus for a while. They need to dump out their inventory of Elises and Exiges in order to finance the next car they bring out which will have more horsepower, easier ingress/egress, and be better tailored to an aging baby boomer purchasing segment in the US. I've owned my Elise since June, and have 1300 miles on it. I live about a mile from work, so I end up getting in and out of the car a lot. Come a rainy winter, that will get very old, very fast. Lotus is smart to turn our cars into cash, and to come up with a 3/4s of an Esprit car that someone like me can move up to.

While I agree that people will thrash rentals, and keep the Lots of Trouble, Usually Serious moniker alive, it will help with cash flow for development, and keep the company going.

[zen garage]

Larry, I thought we covered all this already in this thread.....

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28252

I am the guy who owns the car rental company that posts here. I posted most of my thoughts in the aforementioned thread.

[ivan1]

personally I don't think it will have ANY major effect on our beloved cars as a whole. maybe some people will buy one after they rent one. maybe some people won't buy one after renting one, instead of maybe buying one, ending up unhappy, and then selling it shortly thereafter much to the dismay of many on this board. will some of them get wrecked? of course. will there be some banged up elises driving around. yup. and mine will look that much better

zen - best of luck with your endeavor, hope it works out for you, and if not, at least you (And a lot of others) will have had fun trying....

[raggedy1]

Good. Rather than dumping the unsold 05 and 06 cars on the market they'll dump them privately to rental fleets.

Clever idea.

[fishguy]

next car i rent will be this,................i knew it was a bad idea to ask if i could sit in it when i saw it at the track last weekend. i ended up late for a drivers meeting and had no really good excuse. i know its just planted a thought in my head that wont go away. i couldnt fit into the yellow one, but this one was perfect. i was almost laying down in the car, and I saw what they did on the track.

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by pete k

When Hertz rented out the original Ford 350 GT's, burned clutches and other problems cursed the plan.

For the record, the '60s Shelby GT-350H (H for Hertz) were all automatics to prevent the possibility of burned out clutches. That and the paint job was the only significant difference from a regular Shelby GT-350.

But yes, I lot of them ended up on the drag strip and race tracks...

[LARRY]

Originally Posted by zen garage

Larry, I thought we covered all this already in this thread.....

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28252

I am the guy who owns the car rental company that posts here. I posted most of my thoughts in the aforementioned thread.

Yeah this one was started at about the same time. Again, sorry for going crazy.

Good luck with your company.

[zen garage]

Thanks Larry, I appreciate it.

[slasherx]

Originally Posted by Serebo1

Three words: Lift throttle oversteer. Seriously, this would be my concern...hope no one gets hurt.

I think if you rent a sports car like the elise you realize it's rear wheel drive and won't lift (hopefully). I'd like to rent one out to really entice me even more. I would actually like a passenger ride too before I'd commit, especially on the track. I love my s2000, but the elise has always been so appealing.

[Randy Chase]

Update from Lotus-

Lotus Cars USA, Inc



PRESS RELEASE



LOTUS CARS’ “RENT-A-DREAM” PROGRAM

ACCELERATES WITH ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR



ATLANTA – October 12, 2006 – Lotus Cars USA, Inc., the exclusive distributor for Lotus sports cars in the United States and Canada, announced today the addition of Enterprise Rent-A-Car contracting for an initial fifty (50) Lotus Elise exotic sports cars. These particular vehicles are being targeted for the following markets: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and select South Florida locations.



In response to the extraordinary popularity of the stunning Lotus Elise exotic sports car here in the USA, rental fleets across the country have, for the first time ever, begun ordering cars for their customers under various exotic car rental programs.



The Lotus Elise offers a formidable performance package and a reminder of what it’s really like to drive a true sports car. The Lotus Elise rental program opens up a world of nostalgia for some who remember the classic open top British sports cars of the 1950’s and 60’s and a world of discovery for those who are yet to experience a car whose styling is pure fashion, whose reactions are immediate and whose performance is so effortless that exhilaration comes standard!



“The adoption of the Lotus Elise by the rental companies is a strong confirmation of the desirability and durability of our car,” commented Lotus Cars USA, Inc. President and CEO, Robert A. Braner. “We know from discussions with our dealers that they have had numerous requests to rent exotic cars and the Elise is right there at the top of the list, having Lotus cars in rental fleets nationally will give many more people the chance to experience a truly amazing automobile.”



Due to limited availability, the first group of cars are to be available only in the following states: California, Florida, Nevada. On a national rollout basis, more states will be added in the coming months.



The award-winning Lotus Elise is a driver’s delight – an open-topped, two-seat, 190 horsepower roadster weighing less than 2000 pounds. This lightweight allows the Elise to be extraordinarily fun to drive with nimble steering, agile cornering, stout braking and snappy acceleration. Combine these unrivaled driving dynamics with stunning, sleek design and you have the seductive Lotus Elise.

[mgreenbl]

Originally Posted by rgk

I'm not sure I agree this is a wise move. I think it cheapens the brand to have Elises dumped in rental fleets. This is a dangerous way to move unsold inventory.

You don't see Boxsters, Caymans, Z4s, TTs or even Corvettes populating major rental car fleets because there is sufficient demand for those vehicles. Farming out vehicles to rental fleets diminishes the exclusivity of a premium brand and ultimately cheapens the product. What's so special about any car you can rent from Hertz or Alamo?

Ford was forced to dump its selling X-Types in rental fleets. Ditto for Chrysler with the Crossfire (even selling some through overstock.com). Neither of these vehicles even remotely benefited from their presence in the rental car parking lots. In fact, their presence in the rental fleets ultimately underscored the undesirability of those vehicles.

The Hertz Mustang is the sole exception to the general rule that the best cars don't show up as rentals. The Hertz Mustang trades on the nostalgia and novelty of the original 350H and is primarily intended to serve as a halo to the garden variety Mustangs at the Ford dealership lots.

Lotus needs to bite the bullet and take the hit on its excess inventory and then adjust its production numbers to meet the annual demand. And as we know, that annual demand is plainly significantly less than the numbers sold in the Elise's maiden year.

I don't agree. when my lotus was in the shop, I was very happy that a mini cooper was available to rent at enterprise. besides that, they had a mercedes clk, slk, amongst others. the presence of nice/cool cars did not affect my perception one bit. I was just happy that thet had cars other than fords and gms and that they had a car that I thought I might enjoy. (i did not end up enjoying the mini cooper. very hard to follow an elise.)

mark

[Eye Candy]

I still feel bad about renting a Jaguar XK8 last year to drive at Sebring. How was I to know it would only have 12 miles on it when I picked it up?

My wife passed a guy in a turbo Porsche with the Jag on the track (it's nice how Chin Motorsports lets you share a car, talk about a cheap vacation.) We met him later at the Chateau Elan pool, and he confessed over a dacquiri his instructor exclaimed as she went by "You just got passed by a chick in a family car!"

A less fortunate guy rented a Grand Am and melted the plastic hub caps the same weekend.

I would post pictures but I am now in the witness protection program.

[DragonRider1]

....resale.. what the heck is about to happen to our already plummetting resale? Have we just matched Ford & GM in using rentals as a clearinghouse? (without them those two would have likely folded ages ago..)

<sigh>

[solar]

Originally Posted by zen garage

I turn these cars back to Lotus in 10 moonths and they buy them back at a set amount. I will revive this post than and let you know if this was a utter disaster or a stroke of genius.

Do you know what Lotus' plans are for the cars after you turn them in?

[solar]

Originally Posted by ivan1

hopefully they will use them in a Lotus Driving school program here in the US

...at their new test track in North Carolina.

[Spd_dmn]

It only took a second to find out. Enterprise Rent-a-Car is renting them. The number I got for Los Angeles is 866-4-LUX-CAR.

They're charging $200/day with 100 miles, and I have to use my own insurance. They won't let me use theirs.

They said they have a bunch of colors. I'm excited - I think I'm gonna rent one this weekend!

[Surferjer]

Next time I'm out of town I'm going to rent a sedan and finsd a local autox and run it just for yucks.

[babak]

Originally Posted by Surferjer

Next time I'm out of town I'm going to rent a sedan and finsd a local autox and run it just for yucks.

A fellow etalker has done that before . What cracks me up are the guys that show up to the Heartland Park open track events in cars with dealer plates .