• Home
• News
• Features
• Classifieds
• Forums
• Members
• Calendar
• Shop
• Sell your car

The new chief exec of the Lotus Group Dany Bahar was responsible for Ferrari's global and F1 marketing until a couple of months back, so we're pleased - and not at all surprised - to hear his latest comments about taking Lotus back to the top table.

"Lotus was mentioned in the same sentence as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati in the 1970s to 1990s," he says. "Then it got closed into a corner. We believe it's the right time to bring Lotus back to where it was."

According to reports from within the company, Bahar has cooked up a five year plan to bring Lotus back on a par with Ferrari in terms of product and prestige - with the new Evora being described as the turning point for the brand.

Lotus group managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir (yes, really!) has also spoken to Malyasian media on the subject.

"We believe Lotus's potential is in the branding. If you go across the globe, the brand recognition is very strong but we have not lived up it," he said in an interview with members of the Malaysian media in conjunction with the visit by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin (Malaysia's Sultan) and Tuanku Nur Zahirah (the Sultan's squeeze) to the Lotus plant in Norwich recently.

There's no word from Hethel about how long they had to spend practising those names... but if anyone from PH was there, do let us know!