RE: Lotus announces partnership with Mansory

[GFWilliams]

I think a lot of people are missing the point. Mansory are very good with Carbon Fibre and by the sounds of it they're working with Lotus as opposed to taking a lotus and doing what they want to it after. I doubt Lotus would allow them to ruin a car if they're officially partnered.

I saw a Evora GTE a few weeks ago and it was stunning! So I say Lotus + Mansory is a good thing.

[Apretext]

As long as they keep it along the lines of the Evora concept, fine. Great even.

As has been said before, the previous business model doesn't work, there are very few of us that will buy lightweight, frill free, not terribly well built sports cars (although I am one of the unhinged few, not new though), so anything they can do to keep the brand going is fine.

Lets just hope they also do a lightweight edition for the traditional Lotus enthusiasts (there have been talks of a club sport model, lets hope so), standard models for those who would buy a Porsche (and, lets be honest, probably still will), and then the silly special editions for those who have more money than sense, and don't necessarily "get" Lotus as it stands.

[Thorburn]

Posted up the full press release earlier here: http://www.seloc.org/2012/03/lotus-cars-lotus-esta...

For me this bit at the end is key...

Lotus said:

For customers who are seeking Lotus’ principals of speed, innovation and fun, but with added exclusivity, our official customization studio is the answer. The Lotus Evora GTE is a great illustration of what is to come.

If that's the case then we have nothing to worry about.

[Kolbenkopp]

Munich said:

For nearly 10 years I have been living in Italy/France/Germany and I can still count how many locally registered LHD Lotus' I have seen in that time on both hands. I'm telling you, it's a small event for me when I see a German registered Lotus drive past in the street.... I doubt very much that the average car enthusiast in mainland Europe would be able to tell you what Lotus stands for.

Yup, they are a very rare sight. Problem in Germany I think is minimal marketing, tiny dealer network and mostly the pricing. Cheapest new Elise Clubracer here is €39k at the moment and that is just not good value for money -- especially as the typical petrol head also wants a bit of straight line speed for his money (136 PS is seen as a bit of a joke here at that price). Compared to the VX220 (listed at €32.5k 10 years ago) the Elise CR is a bargain, but the market is just to small.

I think they have to build some cars they can make a big margin on to subsidise the core market (which in turn makes the brand image). Not sure in Mansory is the way to do this though -- but if it helps to sell a few Evoras to a Sheik then why not?

[MrToadEsq]

AhoooooooooooAhhhhhh ....man the lifeboats she's going down!

Great to see Lotus, who seemed to have gained some respect and direction over the last several years, team up with a partner who will complement their raison d'etre! Doh ... Has anyone ever seen anything tasteful out of Mansory? ... what were they thinking of? Unbefirkinlievable

[once]

That's okay. The love children of this unholy marriage will be bought by footballers and people whose first name is Sheikh. That will hopefully keep Lotus afloat long enough for a rescue deal so they can make proper cars for the rest of us.

[Ex Boy Racer]

Teaming up with a styling company doesn't bother me that much. What bothers me is that they have chosen Mansory, with complete disregard (or perhaps ignorance) of the reaction this would get from Lotus enthusiasts. It would be like England reinstating Sven as manager - not necessarily wrong but offensive to everyone.
Do they just not care or are they that far away from 'our' mindset that they don't know?

[Chris Harris]

The Crack Fox said:

I hate Mansory tat, but ultimately, what's with all the negativity ? We'll still be able to buy standard Evoras, Elises and Exiges, won't we ? If Lotus need to bling a few up to get them in the black then what does it matter ? They're not pitching these at anyone on here, that's for sure, if a few tasteless Arabs and Footballers buy them I couldn't care less.

Good luck, Lotus

Chris 'PorschePorschePorsche' Harris's tweet contains more emotional nonsense than a Jeremy Kyle episode. As if he'd buy a Lotus anyway !

When the company goes pop after several years throwing money around in the most bizarre manner imaginable, no, you won't be able to buy an Elise.

Is the reaction hyperbolic? No. Not when you suspect how reckless this process has been, how much trouble Lotus is in, and how people who rely on the place to earn a living are looking at an uncertain future. I want the place to work as much as anyone, but more madness emanates from Hethel every week. Clearly none of that matters to you.

Owned an Elise and an Exige. Loved them both. But don't let that get in the way of your stereotyping crusade.

[bobberz]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this might actually work. Many luxury/exotic car manufacturers have personalisation programs already, with R-R being a prime example.

This will allow those who desire it to customise their Lotus to their tastes with bespoke interior fittings etc. They're not going to force anyone to buy a "Mansory-Lotus".

I think the cars pictured in the article actually look fairly tasteful. I, for one, will wait to see what they come up with before passing judgement on something that doesn't even exist yet.

[Exoticaholic]

A beautiful marriage. I can't wait.

[peter450]

Chris Harris said:

The Crack Fox said:

I hate Mansory tat, but ultimately, what's with all the negativity ? We'll still be able to buy standard Evoras, Elises and Exiges, won't we ? If Lotus need to bling a few up to get them in the black then what does it matter ? They're not pitching these at anyone on here, that's for sure, if a few tasteless Arabs and Footballers buy them I couldn't care less.

Good luck, Lotus

Chris 'PorschePorschePorsche' Harris's tweet contains more emotional nonsense than a Jeremy Kyle episode. As if he'd buy a Lotus anyway !

When the company goes pop after several years throwing money around in the most bizarre manner imaginable, no, you won't be able to buy an Elise.

Is the reaction hyperbolic? No. Not when you suspect how reckless this process has been, how much trouble Lotus is in, and how people who rely on the place to earn a living are looking at an uncertain future. I want the place to work as much as anyone, but more madness emanates from Hethel every week. Clearly none of that matters to you.

Owned an Elise and an Exige. Loved them both. But don't let that get in the way of your stereotyping crusade.

In fairness at least something is actually happening at lotus these days, they have not really been profitable in years, and something clearly had to give, Proton had to either offload them, put some serious money in, or maybe just let things drift another 15 years and underwrite the loss's

The takeover of proton is what has really thrown everything into chaos yet again, lotus really do lurch from one crisis to another and have done since the 80's, but what is to be done??

Everyone says they are doing this wrong and that wrong, yet whats right? flogging Elises and Exiges clearly does make enough money if the past 15 years are to go buy, so other than make more expensive cars i dont really see were they had to go.

The elise gets less and less competive vs rivals as time goes on, look at the current 1.6, barely quicker than a 2 litre Mx5 and a lot more money, it's taken no were near the same strides forward as the Mx5 has from the one competing against the Elise 15 years ago

Maybe the firm has finally run out of time after being passed around from owner to owner always struggling to make a profit, people give Danny B a lot of stick, but the task he faces in turning around a company that has constantly struggled to stand on it's own financially for 30+ years is a massive one, perhaps dare i say it even an impossible one

[Tuna]

GFWilliams said:

I think a lot of people are missing the point. Mansory are very good with Carbon Fibre and by the sounds of it they're working with Lotus as opposed to taking a lotus and doing what they want to it after. I doubt Lotus would allow them to ruin a car if they're officially partnered.

I saw a Evora GTE a few weeks ago and it was stunning! So I say Lotus + Mansory is a good thing.

Given the work you do with so many top marques, it's really heartening to hear a strong, positive comment about the GTE.

Sadly it sounds that some people would only be happy if Lotus' were made out of cloth caps and whippets by untrained turnip farmers. A few others are just desperate for any sign that Lotus might not be succeeding.

Bad news guys - as the Ginetta thread is showing, the UK isn't the number one car market any more. As customers, we don't have the money and increasingly there's a danger we're getting out of touch.

[Panayiotis]

It may be people's opinion that Mansory have no taste (although this could be argued against because the taste is their customers), but one thing you cannot dispute is the quality of their work....something that Lotus isn't renowned for....this could possibly be a good thing.

Silver lining and all that....

[andy_s]

Chris Harris said:

When the company goes pop after several years throwing money around in the most bizarre manner imaginable, no, you won't be able to buy an Elise.

Is the reaction hyperbolic? No. Not when you suspect how reckless this process has been, how much trouble Lotus is in, and how people who rely on the place to earn a living are looking at an uncertain future. I want the place to work as much as anyone, but more madness emanates from Hethel every week. Clearly none of that matters to you.

Owned an Elise and an Exige. Loved them both. But don't let that get in the way of your stereotyping crusade.

It was going to go pop anyway wasn't it - when did they last make a profit on the car side?

Is it madness to diversify their product - after all, they are only partnering for 'Mansory' edition versions and 'customers wanting to customise' in this case. OK, we in middle England don't like the gaudy results, but obviously some people do - how much investment do Lotus have to make to spruce up (or down) a Mansory car - not much I'd hazard.

As I say, if they have to punt out a 'Glitterball Jazz' version for Shanghai and they sell then where is the problem, with the caveat of them still trickling out good cars, (as the V6 should be), for us string-backers...

I too wish them luck, in all sincerity, but my gripes wouldn't be about a partnership with a custom house that doesn't cater to my custom.


If you're talking about the whole Bahar process, well, you have a good point about how the money has been spent, but that's an argument for another page.

[Chris Harris]

peter450 said:

Chris Harris said:

The Crack Fox said:

I hate Mansory tat, but ultimately, what's with all the negativity ? We'll still be able to buy standard Evoras, Elises and Exiges, won't we ? If Lotus need to bling a few up to get them in the black then what does it matter ? They're not pitching these at anyone on here, that's for sure, if a few tasteless Arabs and Footballers buy them I couldn't care less.

Good luck, Lotus

Chris 'PorschePorschePorsche' Harris's tweet contains more emotional nonsense than a Jeremy Kyle episode. As if he'd buy a Lotus anyway !

When the company goes pop after several years throwing money around in the most bizarre manner imaginable, no, you won't be able to buy an Elise.

Is the reaction hyperbolic? No. Not when you suspect how reckless this process has been, how much trouble Lotus is in, and how people who rely on the place to earn a living are looking at an uncertain future. I want the place to work as much as anyone, but more madness emanates from Hethel every week. Clearly none of that matters to you.

Owned an Elise and an Exige. Loved them both. But don't let that get in the way of your stereotyping crusade.

In fairness at least something is actually happening at lotus these days, they have not really been profitable in years, and something clearly had to give, Proton had to either offload them, put some serious money in, or maybe just let things drift another 15 years and underwrite the loss's

The takeover of proton is what has really thrown everything into chaos yet again, lotus really do lurch from one crisis to another and have done since the 80's, but what is to be done??

Everyone says they are doing this wrong and that wrong, yet whats right? flogging Elises and Exiges clearly does make enough money if the past 15 years are to go buy, so other than make more expensive cars i dont really see were they had to go.

The elise gets less and less competive vs rivals as time goes on, look at the current 1.6, barely quicker than a 2 litre Mx5 and a lot more money, it's taken no were near the same strides forward as the Mx5 has from the one competing against the Elise 15 years ago

Maybe the firm has finally run out of time after being passed around from owner to owner always struggling to make a profit, people give Danny B a lot of stick, but the task he faces in turning around a company that has constantly struggled to stand on it's own financially for 30+ years is a massive one, perhaps dare i say it even an impossible one

Agree something had to change. Margin on the Elise family was always tight and it's way too extreme for volume sales. Knowing that I - and I think most people - were willing to sit and watch before passing judgement.

Since that freak-show at Paris in 2010 what have we seen that's tangible? I'm the first to accept that Lotus had to change, and if that meant marginalising the hardcore of its past customers, then so be it. Better to have a functioning, perhaps even flourishing Lotus making stuff geeks like me find a bit unpalatable than no Lotus at all.

But who is the new Lotus aimed at? Where's it going? None of it adds up.

The only good things so far appear to be the Elise Club Racer (just the type of car they want to move away from), the Evora GTE (no idea if it exists yet) and Kimi back in F1. Or he is he actually driving a Renault?

[Irish]

It is like TVR but without the hope........

The sales figures tell the story. The sugar daddy is losing interest. Cannot end well, and may end soon.

[PascalBuyens]

Chris Harris said:

Since that freak-show at Paris in 2010 what have we seen that's tangible?

That was one of my first thoughts when they presented the whole new range of cars at once... all nice marketing, but to say that in two years time they'd have them all five on the road, and then to hear that they want to scrap the type of cars that has been keeping them alive for the past ten years...

Something's not right there, and due to that, it'll take a LOT for me to get back in a lotus....

[RichTBiscuit]

Agree with CH. They need to start building proper cars that people can buy. Teaming up with Mansory and swizz beats is just a chintzy side dressing to the main course. Focus the money and effort into Building some CARS.

[andy_s]

Chris Harris said:

Kimi back in F1. Or he is he actually driving a Renault?

As an aside, I understand they didn't pay anything to have their name on the side of the Renault/Genii, Genii wanted a name that would attract sponsorship and Lotus were a good one. Ironically, Genii expressed an interest in buying out Group Lotus from DRB-Hicom last month...
(I reserve the right to be spouting drivel though).

Anyway, here's a good one - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/John-Player-Team-Lotus-M...

[Thorburn]

PascalBuyens said:

But to say that in two years time they'd have them all five on the road

They never claimed that. The first car was scheduled for late 2012 and the last for 2015.

Think the Esprit is pushed out to next year and some have been cancelled now though?