RE: Geneva 2012: Lotus Exige Roadster
Discussion
RTH said:
They sold just 329 cars in Britain in 2011 so very few people are buying new Lotus cars in UK even at £28000.
Yes, 2011, the year all the fast versions of the small cars were banned thanks to European emissions law. Excellent year to pick as a bench mark for sales. This year the 220bhp Elise SC is back, and they have this nice shiny new Exige and Exige Roadster to sell (which has 400+ orders). Then there is the Evora GTE. If 2012 sales are down something very wrong has happened.Itsallicanafford said:
Look, if porsche have taken 50+ years to put together a sustainable 5 car line-up, why does Louts think it can be done in 5 years. I'm guessing the Evora is not a great seller, isn't this sounding massive alarm bells for their viability in this segment. Look at McClaren, a name with triple A status in motorsport, and a profitable business...why are they not developing 5 cars?
Point 1 - Porsche didn't spend 50 years putting together a sustainable car line up. They spent 50 years evolving one car, then brought out an SUV and a cheap two seater. Then a few years later bought VW with the profits.Point 2 - insightful industry analysis is more believable if you spell the names of the company correctly.
highway said:
Fact remains if it had been priced better they would have sold more.
Isn't that always true of every car product ever produced by anyone, though? It's not much good selling thousands of cars if you make no profit on them. I don't see what's really comparable with the Exige that isn't considerably more expensive either? Are there any other mass-produced(ish) 300bhp/tonne+ cars on the market for under 70k? Of course we'd all like it to be cheaper, but I don't see how one can call it "over priced" if it's a damned slightly cheaper than anything comparable?
I think more important is that they sort out their rather pathetic assembly quality and all the stupid design flaws that have blighted their cars for decades.
Edited by kambites on Thursday 8th March 08:43
eyebeebe said:
DJRC said:
£52.9k
Not 55 or 56 or 57.
Lotus-West are quoting CHF 93k for the hardtop Exige S on their website. Looks like there could be quite a saving to be made by importing one. I reckon it could be done for CHF 70k (allowing for VAT differences). I'm very tempted... Shame I can't get down to Geneva to have a poke around, as I'm sure it will be a long time before there is a demonstrator over here.Not 55 or 56 or 57.
Uk VAT - 20%, Swiss VAT - 8%...instant 12% discount. Hurrah
DJRC said:
eyebeebe said:
DJRC said:
£52.9k
Not 55 or 56 or 57.
Lotus-West are quoting CHF 93k for the hardtop Exige S on their website. Looks like there could be quite a saving to be made by importing one. I reckon it could be done for CHF 70k (allowing for VAT differences). I'm very tempted... Shame I can't get down to Geneva to have a poke around, as I'm sure it will be a long time before there is a demonstrator over here.Not 55 or 56 or 57.
Uk VAT - 20%, Swiss VAT - 8%...instant 12% discount. Hurrah
Lotus needs to start looking forward instead of relying on history for sales its like they have no leader with fingers in more pies than they know what to do with developing little things here and there for other manufactures but struggle to design anything for themselves.
The real problem is outside UK Lotus have a terrible reputation on par with MG Rover as bad quality product and its heritage is tainted even worse.
The real problem is outside UK Lotus have a terrible reputation on par with MG Rover as bad quality product and its heritage is tainted even worse.
RTH said:
They sold just 329 cars in Britain in 2011 so very few people are buying new Lotus cars in UK even at £28000.
Getting in and out , cabin noise,quality, reliability, dealers, as well as price are all issues.
Well I bought one last week :-)Getting in and out , cabin noise,quality, reliability, dealers, as well as price are all issues.
Granted it is a bit noisy and getting in and out takes a little practice but I'm not using it as a milkfloat, so that's not a biggie. The dealer has been brilliant in a no-bulls
t way I've never experienced from so far up their own arse German brands. Nothing wrong with the quality nowadays either...when did you last look? And they have a 3 year warranty too which may not compare with a Kia, but I know what I'd rather drive and possibly need to call the AA out in.milesr3 said:
Well I bought one last week :-)
Granted it is a bit noisy and getting in and out takes a little practice but I'm not using it as a milkfloat, so that's not a biggie. The dealer has been brilliant in a no-bullst way I've never experienced from so far up their own arse German brands. Nothing wrong with the quality nowadays either...when did you last look? And they have a 3 year warranty too which may not compare with a Kia, but I know what I'd rather drive and possibly need to call the AA out in.
The evidence of a successful car company is to sell enough cars each year to stay in the black, without that you have nothing and will go under.Granted it is a bit noisy and getting in and out takes a little practice but I'm not using it as a milkfloat, so that's not a biggie. The dealer has been brilliant in a no-bulls
t way I've never experienced from so far up their own arse German brands. Nothing wrong with the quality nowadays either...when did you last look? And they have a 3 year warranty too which may not compare with a Kia, but I know what I'd rather drive and possibly need to call the AA out in.They need to be selling thousands per year , not hundreds for the company to stay in business. I have owned various Lotus models continuously for the last 35 years and I still do and I have had an Elise.
Have a look on the SELOC forum to see components owners have to change after far too little mileage or years.
What distresses so many people, rightly , on here , is that they are not doing the right things to secure survival. There are not enough dealers people might have a hundred mile round trip to find a dealer.
3 years warranty is now a basic minimum. Have you driven a current Kia? the most improved brand in many years, now totally competitive in their own sectors, Vauxhall are offering a warranty to cover your whole lifetime with the car, these are not £50,000 cars either.
RTH said:
The evidence of a successful car company is to sell enough cars each year to stay in the black, without that you have nothing and will go under.
They need to be selling thousands per year , not hundreds for the company to stay in business. I have owned various Lotus models continuously for the last 35 years and I still do and I have had an Elise.
Have a look on the SELOC forum to see components owners have to change after far too little mileage or years.
What distresses so many people, rightly , on here , is that they are not doing the right things to secure survival. There are not enough dealers people might have a hundred mile round trip to find a dealer.
3 years warranty is now a basic minimum. Have you driven a current Kia? the most improved brand in many years, now totally competitive in their own sectors, Vauxhall are offering a warranty to cover your whole lifetime with the car, these are not £50,000 cars either.
Wow a genuine paid up Lotus fan with real ownership experience who doesn't have blinkers on, I didn't think such a thing existed!They need to be selling thousands per year , not hundreds for the company to stay in business. I have owned various Lotus models continuously for the last 35 years and I still do and I have had an Elise.
Have a look on the SELOC forum to see components owners have to change after far too little mileage or years.
What distresses so many people, rightly , on here , is that they are not doing the right things to secure survival. There are not enough dealers people might have a hundred mile round trip to find a dealer.
3 years warranty is now a basic minimum. Have you driven a current Kia? the most improved brand in many years, now totally competitive in their own sectors, Vauxhall are offering a warranty to cover your whole lifetime with the car, these are not £50,000 cars either.
This man speaks the truth, Lotus need to get the small details right before making ill concieved Swizz Beats connections and announcing their 5 car world domination plans. I think Bahar and his gang are going about things ar*e about face tbh but then what do I know.
I will say however that this car is the first bit of sense I have seen come out of Lotus for a while even if it has the wrong name
Captain Muppet said:
Itsallicanafford said:
Look, if porsche have taken 50+ years to put together a sustainable 5 car line-up, why does Louts think it can be done in 5 years. I'm guessing the Evora is not a great seller, isn't this sounding massive alarm bells for their viability in this segment. Look at McClaren, a name with triple A status in motorsport, and a profitable business...why are they not developing 5 cars?
Point 1 - Porsche did spend 50 years putting together a sustainable car line up. They spent 50 years evolving one car, and offering cars like the 914, 924, 944, 928. Then they brought out an SUV and a cheap two seater. Then a few years later tried to buy VW with the profits, but had to borrow a lot of money to do so which they couldn't re-finance, and ended up being bought by VW instead.Point 2 - insightful industry analysis is more believable if you spell the names of the company correctly.
Guvernator said:
Wow a genuine paid up Lotus fan with real ownership experience who doesn't have blinkers on, I didn't think such a thing existed!
Plenty of us realise this. No-one in their right minds could defend all (or even most) of the decisions that Lotus have made over the years, and no-one could possibly consider their cars (or any car come to that) flawless. I think part of their problem is that they can't make up their minds what they want to be. It's clearly possible to survive and indeed thrive as a small-volume niche car manufacturer; plenty of companies are doing exactly that. However, for years Lotus seem to want to greatly increase their turnover without actually focussing their products at non-niche markets sectors. They produce cars that they tell us compete with a Porsche, which drive 20% better than that Porsche but do everything else 50% worse and wonder why no-one will pay the same amount of money for them.
If Lotus are going to leave the niche markets, they've got to realise that handling is somewhere around the middle (at best) of the priority list of the average sports car buyer.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Moogle said:
"combined with an appropriately Lotus-like 1,100kg kerbweight".
I'm confused?
20% lighter than the Evora.I'm confused?
I'll stick with my Elise thanks. Much purer handling .... 0-60 in 5 secs .... and I still think it looks better than this new "Exige". That tan leather steering wheel is the most hideous bit of a generally hideous interior. It's like a fecking tart's boudoir. Also agree with others that the rear view is particularly horrid.
A triumph of bad taste and marketing over function and value.
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