The Lotus Cars Community banner
  • Hi there! Why not register as a user to enjoy all of the benefits of the site? You may register here. When you register, please pick a username that is non-commercial. If you use a name that appears on any search engine commercially, you must pick another name, whether it applies to you or not. Commercial usernames are for supporting vendor use only. If you want to become a supporting vendor and grow your business, please follow this link. Thanks!

New Lotus CEO: The Esprit Is Dead But We Could Do A Crossover

5K views 61 replies 29 participants last post by  mavila 
#1 ·
New Lotus CEO: The Esprit Is Dead But We Could Do A Crossover

Not sure what I think here. I get they need to make money but I was really hoping they would build at least the Esprit or something new. Sticking to the Evora, Elise and Exige makes sense but only the Evora is coming to the USA it seems which is lame. (No offense to the Evora owners, I just want a V6 Exige at the least)
 
#5 · (Edited)
That would be nice, but...they would sell 1000 to 1500 first year, if that. To taper dramatically year to year thereafter...and we're back to where we are now.

Most of the people on this forum do not want to pay top dollar from a dealer. A V6 Exige would retail pretty high. Most would rather wait to buy used. Which of course does nothing for Lotus or dealers (can I get it serviced at a Toyota dealership?).
 
#9 ·
I don’t think a cross over or SUV is the answer, but I do think Lotus should consider the electric car market. First of all, they have already built an electric Elise – the Tesla. Second, it’s a small niche market, which is perfect for Lotus production numbers. Third, there are generous state and federal rebates on electric vehicles which Tesla and Fisker has taken great advantage of to help with the production and sales of their vehicles. It’s obvious the weight advantage of a Lotus chassis can help offset the heavy batteries in an e-car. Since Tesla has stop making their Lotus variant – there is a vacuum in the e-sports car segment, sans the BMW i8 – which starts at $135K with a year-long wait list. Plus the fact that Elon Mush has given Tesla’s patents to the public domain there won’t be any additional licensing costs. Imaging the potential performance of a 300 plus horse power DC motor in a mid-engine configuration; but isn’t that what the Exige S V6 has that we can’t buy?
 
#10 ·
Lotus isn't known for creature comforts, interior quality, and a smooth ride. I don't see how they would do well in the SUV market where they have never dabbled and they don't have a parent company to give them a loaner platform (Porsche with the Tiguan).

I agree with the post above. They should target a more greenfield market like Electric.
 
#12 ·
I remember the 12 month plus wait list on the Tesla-Lotus at $100K - which jump started the successful Tesla Motors we see today. Or, a Lotus hybrid using the F1 hybrid design; MGU-H, recovering energy from the exhaust and the MGU-K recovering energy from braking, but that maybe too expensive. The e-Lotus is a proven federalized design.
 
#14 ·
I may have used the name Tesla-Lotus loosely, but here's what's on Wikipedia:
"On 11 July 2005, Tesla and British sports car maker Lotus entered an agreement about products and services based on the Lotus Elise, where Lotus provided advice on designing and developing a vehicle as well as producing partly assembled vehicles,[43] and amended in 2009.[44] helped with basic chassis development. The Roadster has a parts overlap of roughly 6 percent with the Lotus Elise."
 
#16 ·
Lotus has never to my knowledge produced an electric vehicle. Providing some parts and advice to Tesla certainly doesn't make your statement "The e-Lotus is a proven federalized design" correct, as there was/is no e-Lotus.

San
 
#15 ·
According to everything Gales said (read the original article and not Jalopnik's mishmash of it), they won't be building a full-size SUV to compete with the Cayenne. I would guess it will be something more Macan-like. And that's in the future after they re-do their current lineup.
 
#17 ·
There was the LOTUS EVORA 414E HYBRID
"The Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid concept showcases new developments in plug-in, range-extended electric propulsion, new electronic technologies to enhance driver involvement, the adaptability of the Lotus Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) that underpins the Evora 414E Hybrid and a dramatic new roof system and interior concept from Lotus Design."
 
#21 ·
San, go check out a Tesla roadster, it's just a stretched Elise with an electric drive train and some nice CF bits.

From Wiki: "Tesla ordered 2,500 gliders from Lotus, which ended supplies in December 2011 when their contract expired. The Roadster shares roughly 6 percent of its components with the Lotus Elise; shared components include the windshield, air bags, some tires, some dashboard parts, and suspension components."

What I'm saying is that it wouldn't take much for Lotus to do an electric car based on it's current models and be able to get into a new market segment with governmental subsidies.
 
#22 ·
I've seen them in person and a local was an engineer for them.

Lotus provided Tesla a rolling platform, but has no experience direct experience with building a production electric car.

I think you're underestimating the engineering that would be required to go from bolting up a Toyota drivetrain versus an electric drivetrain, especially for a company that hasn't done it before.

Government(al) subsidies? What government?

I for one wouldn't be standing in line for an electric Lotus. I wouldn't stand in line for a supercharged internal combustion engine from Tesla either.

San
 
#26 ·
Maybe it's the optimist in me, but where in this article does Mr. Gales say that the Esprit is dead? What he does say is that they won't be building the "Bahar cars".

"If you're asking whether we're going to pick them up and launch these cars, the answer is no."
 
#29 ·
I for one wouldn't stand in line so to speak for a Lotus SUV. I want Lotus for what it is, performance. They have never been in the sport utility market and they don't build cars with stellar interiors so why start? And why join a market that's already saturated? An E-car on the other hand is the most likely future and I think Lotus could pioneer lightweight high performance e-cars since there is no one in the space. Imagine a real sports car that has a balanced weight, steering feel, and a connection to the road that is Lotus. I'd be interested.

SUV's are way too boring to bear the Lotus emblem.
 
#31 ·
I am for whatever make the company profits and keeps it alive.

Worked for Porsche and BMW, right?
 
#32 ·
E cars are still very much niche market. Lotus is nearly dead because it is already a niche market car manufacturer making cars for a very small niche that doesn't want to buy new cars.

The last thing Lotus needs is another niche car no one will buy.

The whole thought behind a performance crossover SUV or a sports sedan is to get a vehicle that could sell in volume, so that lotus can have money, so it could later go back to keeping alive niche toys like a new esprit, a v6 exige, or an electric sports car. But you can't build toys when you can't afford to eat.

when you are drowning in debt the last thing you want is another product you might sell 500 of. Porsche is alive and insanely well today because they are putting soccer moms and suits in Cyannes, Macans, and Panameras (prety much VWs with a Porsche logo on it) which allows them to keep making 911's, baby 911s, and an electric 911 (sorry 918...eleven).
 
#35 ·
I would have guessed the Cayenne had a higher profit margin.
 
#38 ·
huh.

Porsche Makes More Money Per Car Than Audi, Bentley, Or Lamborghini


Volkswagen's shareholders love Porsche.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Porsche makes $23,000 on every car it sells, for a profit margin of 18 percent. That's more than fellow Volkswagen Group properties Audi, Bentley, and Lamborghini, and well above the group's non-luxury brands.

In an annual report, Bentley wasn't far behind the German brand, with over $20,000 in profits per car. VW considers Lamborghini a part of Audi, and the two brands managed just $5,200 in profits per vehicle. In comparison, the Volkswagen brand itself made just $850 per car-- a 2.9 percent profit margin.

The fallout from the Great Recession is still affecting sales of mainstream models, but expensive luxury and exotic cars are selling quite well. Their wealthy buyers simply weren't affected by the stagnant global economy so--unlike the typical Jetta or Passat customer--they aren't hesitating to make new-car purchases.

Upscale brands also have less direct competition: There aren't as many makers of premium sports cars as there are of midsize sedans. Buyers are also more likely to make their choices based on subjective qualities, rather than objective metrics like fuel economy, interior space, or price.

However, all of those factors apply to Bentley, Lamborghini and--to a lesser extent--Audi. So why is Porsche the profit leader?

One reason may be Porsche's position in the VW Group hierarchy. Its products are definitely exclusive, but they're produced in larger numbers than anything from Bentley or Lambo. There's also more parts sharing between Porsche and the more mainstream brands, which brings costs down.

Case in point: The Cayenne. It's still considered the spawn of Satan by many a Porsche fan, but this SUV has been the brand's best-selling model for years. Its price and performance put it a level above the Audi Q7, but the Cayenne still shares a platform with it and the Volkswagen Touareg.

It's also just the kind of car people want to buy. Even members of the One Percent need to haul kids and groceries, and it's hard to do that in a 911. Porsche is successful because it has both models in its showrooms.

Porsche Makes More Money Per Car Than Audi, Bentley, Or Lamborghini



About 50% of P's sold were Cayennes last yr.

Here it says the key is having available mass-market platforms on which to build.

Is This the World's Most Profitable SUV?
 
#39 ·
There's already an SUV with the Lotus name, thanks to Proton and the Youngman connection, derived from the APX with near identical dimensions.
Youngman T5 SUV showcased again at Shanghai 2013
Lotus itself could have done better, though. We have a Range Rover Evoque and love its performance and style, and our city's crawling with them. A Lotus crossover could easily compete in the same vein. The original design parameters of the APX would have been class-leading. Case Study: APX | Lotus Cars
Combined with the Lotus Venza study, Group Lotus has plenty of engineering acumen with SUVs, if that's where they want to go.
 
#43 ·
I've seen the pics of that youngman/proton a while back and think its a very inoffensive looking SUV and I like it. It would be a good basis to dip their toe in the water with, however Im sure the Chinese grade plastics and fit and finish might leave a bit to be desired.......

Why not slather the interior with leather (ie hide the cheapness), you know the handling will be good, put a decent US engine in it (evora s engine), give it a bazillion year warranty (like the Koreans did) and price it around 50 and they may have a winner.

Saying that the fit and finish has to be up to par to the price or potential customers will be put off.
 
#40 ·
I did not know about the APX. However, the styling looks like a Hyundai or Kia. Definitely not styling of a car I'd pay a premium for.
 
#41 ·
Building an SUV to sell profitably so that the rest of the company can survive is perfectly consistent with Chapman's philosophy...his BUSINESS philosophy.

Remember, by and large he got seriously into manufacturing road cars primarily to finance his auto racing and aviation interests...not because he wanted to be a car manufacturer.

It was a means to an end.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top