Lotus - A Cloudy Future?
 

Lotus future questioned as losses speed past £167m
By Christian Sylt7:53PM GMT 10 Jan 2014
Lotus future questioned as losses speed past £167m - Telegraph
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...s_2787681b.jpg
No new model development until the refinancing issue gets resolved.

I was hoping to see the two seat convertible/targa rumored back in 2011 by now.

At least a Photoshop of one superior to the blurriness below.

Dany Bahar confirms Evora convertible is on the way
April 29, 2011
Dany Bahar confirms Evora convertible is on the way | The Lotus Forums
http://cdn.thelotusforums.com/wp-con...1279545090.jpg
I don't recall even seeing an Evora on the road, sat in one a few years ago at a dealership. It was much easier to get in and out of than the Elise/Exige.

That is a seriously boring looking car. It costs HOW much?!

Lotus should of stuck with using the engines/gearboxes of others. They had a good thing going on without even building their own engines. If they do build an engine, do it as a contract that is paid for by someone else - and they get the use of it.

Bring back Offenhauser .
drop the Toy eng.

I have always had a soft spot for Lotus, especially withe the development of the Esprit from a crude 4 cylinder on twin sidedrafts in the '70s to a fire breathing twin turbo V8 in the '90s. My interest waned when the Elise and Exige were announced, even though I know they are really capable cars. I hope they can turn around and make it, maybe the Germans need to buy them?

My neighbor has an Evora S. Great looking car with a decent exhaust note. I still need to drive it, he wants to trade off with my 996 sometime.

Hasn't Lotus been in financial trouble for what seems like ever?

perhaps they should be selling SUVs...

From what I understand the engineering firm has always done great.

The break-off company assigned to making actual cars (starting with the Elise) was doing well until 2008 when like everyone else the bottom fell out of their world.

I would have thought that in the current economic climate they would be doing great. However the purse strings seem to be in a tangle.

EDIT:

Future of Lotus in "significant doubt" after £170m loss
11/01/2014
http://www.pitpass.com/public/print_article.php?fes_art_id=50718
The article doesn't come out and say it, but as others in this thread have hinted, Lotus would have been better off using other people's engines. I suspect most of this research spending is on the new engine.

For Lotus to make it, they have to sell 4x's as many Evora's world wide, than Porsche sells 911's in the USA (please check my math).

If I recall correctly at least half of all Porsche sales are in the US, meaning the Evora would have to outsell the 911 by 2:1 world wide..........................anyone else see a problem here?

Is the picture as dark as I've painted it, or are my numbers really that far off?

Going off the chart below for reference numbers. Note that Lotus is not even on the chart.


05/05/2013 - GOOD CAR BAD CAR
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6vn7AvfozL...April-2013.jpg

I love their cars.....but they've been on the edge of this cliff for a while.
The design budget for my Elan was roughly $55,000,000......they sold shy of 5,000 cars which works to roughly $12,000 in each car before it even began manufacturing. Original price was only ~$20,000
Add in actual materials and labor cost for construction then transit and various related fees and I suspect the took a decent loss on each car.

Here are the actual Lotus sales figures.


Lotus Elise / Exige U.S. Production Figures 2005 to 2011 - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/atta...2.01.35-pm.png

They plan to do as well as they did back in 2005 with the introduction of the Elise.

Maybe not so far fetched.

However, I don't know enough to even start guessing why the sales dropped like a rock from Mars.

1) When I first say their newer line of cars, my first impression was that some 5th grader drew them on his notebook while daydreamnig in english class.
They look like toys, like some strange hot wheels car, too over the top to be taken seriously.

2) The 2 passenger sports car market is tiny and competitive, you can't base an entire company on just that market. It is suicide, it is asinine.
It all adds up to "gee, who coulda seen that coming "

3) Tell em to make a decently reserved 2+2 GT car and maybe they'd sell enough cars to stand a chance.

My understanding from watching a 2-hour long on-line video several years ago is that the current company is a new entity, and started just to build the Elise (post-Elan).

1. The styling is a subjective issue, I counter your dislike with a big like (one for one).

2. All car companies started in my lifetime that I know about have been single model, and most of them sports cars, I recall one being a Land Roverish SUV though. Many car companies have sustained themselves for years on a single model, although I would not say they flourished in the long run.

3. The Evora is a 2+2 and intended to compete directly with the Porsche 911. On-line articles I've read featuring an Evora comparison to the 911 show both cars have their strengths and weaknesses. I haven't polled all the articles out there but my impression is that in the end it's a win win with either one.

Somehow I'm not too surprised by sammy's posts, but I am disappointed.

:confused:

So no one else cares they have a Toyota engine in there line up?
Now i am not saying its a bad engine...it just fks the pedigree up.!
I looked at buying one..its a a lot of cash then to have a Toy engine in there was a deal breaker for me.
A Cayman makes more sense !

It may be Toyota at the core, but they tweak the snot out of their engines.

George, yeah, they 'restructured' when bugatti bought them, but nothing substantive changed.

I care, and I suspect at least half the people (the males) considering a Evora over a 911 would also care.

An engine of their own is the only way they could even come close to reaching their projection numbers. I for one don't want a Toyota engine in my sports car. I could live with a Subaru engine though, not sure if I can explain my perception or preference differences.

The Evora has already been out several years, it needs a game changer to keep pace with Porsche and a new engine may do that.

I'm not saying it was money well spent or well invested (the research funds), but if they were shooting for the 911 as reported, then they better be using some darn good ammo.

In for a dime, in for a dollar is an expression which comes to mind.

Play to win or don't show is another.

It needs at least a BMW engine , not one from japan! It is like mixing dehydrated water with sand, not a very fresh drink......

Oh, I can think of a few other appropriate power plants.

Jaguar F-Type - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Like I mentioned..."at least"....At least one from Europe or Ford...they did (maybe still do?) have a relationship.

55mill and that's all they could come up with? Seriously!?!?

When I was at the Lotus dealership several years ago looking at the Evora the sales guy hinted that a Crosworth could find it's way into the car in a few years.

Cosworth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Lotus powered by a MAHLE would be interesting, but they should change the name back to Cosworth.:cool:

Really sid, more bashing a car you've likely never seen in person, much less driven ...

The engineering that went into it is quite incredible, from the Lotus signature backbone frame to the unique differential they devised to counter torque steer.

Lotus and Cosworth team up for high performance engines
By Sam AbuelsamidRSS feed
Posted Mar 4th 2010 5:31PM
Lotus and Cosworth team up for high performance engines - Autoblog
http://www.lotuscars.com/gb/racing/evora-gte
Now I have to say "Toyota Cosworth", just shoot me now.


Lotus and Cosworth Partner on Race Engines, Possibly More?
March 3, 2010
http://blog.caranddriver.com/lotus-and-cosworth-partner-on-race-engines-possibly-more/
http://issuu.com/lotuscars/docs/lotus_racing_brochure/22

EVORA GT4
http://www.lotuscars.com/gb/racing/evora-gt4

As the owner of an Elise and someone who has driven an Evora, here are my thoughts:

For people who don't like the Toyota Engine, in a car so light weight (as the Elise) it is perfect. In fact it is one of the only things that consistently works.

The electronics in these Lotuses are horrible. My Elise has had the electronic odometer that skipped from 50K miles to 200K miles in one year. Lotus is unable to fix the problem unless I want to replace the whole unit. This sets the mileage to 0 and requires a sticker on the car indicating the odometer was tampered with.

The Lotus dealer gave me an Evora to drive as a loaner for the day. The battery had been unhooked. It took 30 minutes after start up for any electronics to work. That included the tach, odometer, speedometer, radio, etc. I never got the paddle shifters to work at all.

The locks on these cars work intermittently.

Now, with these issues, why own a Lotus? Of all our cars, the Elise is my favorite. That little car, with it's Toyota engine, will scoot and taking a corner, wow. I can't stop smiling while in this car.

The Evora's interior is spectacular. Every square inch is leather. It is a blast to drive but not like the Elise. It feels huge comparatively.

I hope Lotus gets things worked out. I think it would be a shame if they were to go under.

Having had some seat time at a few different tracks as well in an Elise, yes, even with the Toy engine it is fun, but not enough legs for VIR's straights, but still a fun car, but the pedals are pretty close together which can make things interesting if you have big or wide feet.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1392584480.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1392584510.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1392584718.jpg

I do agree, large feet, beware. :)

Oh, and for those who don't know: the Evora is not a 2-seater. It does have a back seat, a small 911 style seat but it is there.

The Elan used GM electrics so they aren't that bad and replacements are available and reasonably priced.

The pedals are quite close together as noted.

Like PG said, with the way it handles you can't help but smile.

The roughly 180hp my elan makes doesn't sound like much, but when you couple it with excellent aerodynamics and superb balance, it feels just right.

Lucas ,Prince of darkness !

+1 I love idea of the early Elise and hope to own one someday. ( Not ready to sell my 911SC to get one though...)

Yep.

2009 Lotus Evora - Elise vs Eagle Package Drawing - 1920x1440 - Wallpaper
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-20...-1920x1440.jpg

I think the name Eagle as seen above was used in-house before Ebola, I mean Evora was selected.

UPDATE: 03/20/2014


2015 Lotus Esprit V8 Not Dead Yet
Gas 2 | Bridging the gap between green heads and gear heads.
A quote from a "brand manager" in New Zealand................is that anything like a quote from a cars salesman in New Guinea?

Obvious problem with the Evora picture above - the back seats are only suitable for women with pointy boobs and no legs.

I assume you would sit sideways (legs over) like in the back seat of a 911.

the newish v6 exige is one of the most favorably reviewed cars I have seen in a while. Some european authors said it is better than a gt3 (before 991 though). Its a shame its not available here.


The toyota drivetrain (yamaha motor actually), is one of the cars best attributes for me. I can get parts easily and cheaply. The elise/exige motor is quite spirited actually. 8500rpm redline.

I don't really get the evora. In a vacuum it would be a great car. In the real world it is a direct offset for the cayman S which is one of the best all around sports cars made by the absolute experts of the genre.

Joking, I was joking....