RE: Jean-Marc Gales exits Lotus
Discussion
suffolk009 said:
BTW Nic, the rest of the world seems to call the new CEO Mr Feng QingFeng or Mr Feng Qing Feng.
Mr. Feng Qing Feng has been the President of Geely Automobile Research Institute at Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd since April 24, 2013 and Zhejiang Geely Automobile Research Institute Limited since April 23, 2013. Mr. Feng joined Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Company Limited (Geely Holding) in 1999. Mr. Feng has extensive experience in the fields of automotive research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing and management. He served as Vice President of Geely Holding since January 1, 2012. Mr. Feng served as the General Manager of Geely Holding, responsible for the Emgrand product line, he was one of the senior management members leading the development, manufacturing and supply chain operations of the Emgrand EC7 model of the Group. Mr. Feng holds a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Chemistry from the East China University of Science and Technology.
otolith said:
John145 said:
However we have an Evora now with no active systems and a higher curb weight than a Cayman.
But lower than a Porsche with 2+2 seating, which would be a better comparison. It's not particularly light, though, I agree.Wayoftheflower said:
John145 said:
Great news that Gales has gone. Clearly Pistonheads sees him as some messiah figure for some unknown reason. Gales wasn't a developer, he simply wound down technical competence for short sighted profitability. The cars under his tenure were fully developed prior to his arrival.
Well said. "Short sighted" is being generous. Gales was a wrecker and BS artist extraordinaire. Devastated the engineering personnel and managed to string out what little momentum had built up through Evora 400 development while pretending all was well.New management will have a huge task of rebuilding.
Wayoftheflower said:
John145 said:
Great news that Gales has gone. Clearly Pistonheads sees him as some messiah figure for some unknown reason. Gales wasn't a developer, he simply wound down technical competence for short sighted profitability. The cars under his tenure were fully developed prior to his arrival.
Well said. "Short sighted" is being generous. Gales was a wrecker and BS artist extraordinaire. Devastated the engineering personnel and managed to string out what little momentum had built up through Evora 400 development while pretending all was well.New management will have a huge task of rebuilding.
The tech dept went because it cost Lotus too much money and since the heydays of automotive consultancies, many manufacturers moved away from outsourcing a lot of this work. Additionally it allowed the company to focus on making cars. No-one wants to see people lose jobs but if its that or close the company...
And as for cars being fully developed before his tenure, well, you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. All have been massively improved since he joined. The Evora I had that was made in 2012 is a world away from today's car.
Making money was the no.1 task for him. You can dream about a ton of BS for Lotus models/future/etc. but it's nothing without money/profits. Lotus now make money which has virtually never happened.
Yes, new management do have a big task ahead of them but its a damn sight less challenging thanks to JMG's work.
Brooking10 said:
Alternatively brought order to the chaos of the post Bahar era, steadied the ship commercially and guided the business to what looks like a safe and long term harbour.
It's quite understandable for you to hold this view based on the quality of investigative journalism on display. If you were there you'd hold a different opinion. Gales' job was to make the business look good on paper. His method was short sighted and will see geely needing to more than double their engineering staff over the next 3 years.
The evidence available suggests geeky have seen through the fog...
I'm sure insiders will take a different view, but under Gales, Lotus went from being a company widely viewed as being on the verge of bankruptcy to one that is now seen as a genuine competitor to Porsche (with few of the 'yes, but' qualifiers that dogged them in the previous decade). It seems odd to claim that the redesigns, improvements in quality and fleshing out of the range were all ('already in motion') when he arrived - he's been there four years.
For sure the shoestring budget wasn't allowing much new investment, but the priority had to be getting the brand back to being competitive and profitable before engaging in new models and drive trains.
As for the new guy... Under DRB, a 'company man' was parachuted in briefly to take the reins, and it didn't go well. The use of the word 'synergy' in this article does not bode well.
And John145 it seems to me we don't need Lotus' cars to be stuffed full of technology. They compete against the likes of Porsche by taking a different tack - namely getting the dynamics right mechanically - rather than overcoming physics with technology. Both seem to be valid approaches, but Porsche have decades more experience of doing the latter, so it would seem to be to Lotus' disadvantage to try and compete on that front. If you want a technological solution, buy a Porsche - everyone else does. The Evora has become pretty competitive without needing a ton of active stuff to add weight and reliability problems.
For sure the shoestring budget wasn't allowing much new investment, but the priority had to be getting the brand back to being competitive and profitable before engaging in new models and drive trains.
As for the new guy... Under DRB, a 'company man' was parachuted in briefly to take the reins, and it didn't go well. The use of the word 'synergy' in this article does not bode well.
And John145 it seems to me we don't need Lotus' cars to be stuffed full of technology. They compete against the likes of Porsche by taking a different tack - namely getting the dynamics right mechanically - rather than overcoming physics with technology. Both seem to be valid approaches, but Porsche have decades more experience of doing the latter, so it would seem to be to Lotus' disadvantage to try and compete on that front. If you want a technological solution, buy a Porsche - everyone else does. The Evora has become pretty competitive without needing a ton of active stuff to add weight and reliability problems.
I've been a Lotus fan for many years and owned plenty in the process.
I even have an office at the HEC that (if I stand on a desk) looks out over the hairpin at the test track.
I bought a brand new 350 sport last year after chipping in my modded S2 Exige and suffice to say the new car lasted less than four months!
Lotus has been loosing its way for some time now and as newer even more expensive models are created this only compounds the situation.
I was so disappointed with my car, yes it was fast, yes it handled brilliantly, yes it squeaked and rattled (as a Lotus should) but my god it was boring.
The sole I felt had been taken out of the car but I guess that's what they need to do attract middle aged Porsche drivers across.
They are no longer an aspiration brand at these bat s
t insane prices that most with a descent income could justify saving up for and that is very very sad.
I even have an office at the HEC that (if I stand on a desk) looks out over the hairpin at the test track.
I bought a brand new 350 sport last year after chipping in my modded S2 Exige and suffice to say the new car lasted less than four months!
Lotus has been loosing its way for some time now and as newer even more expensive models are created this only compounds the situation.
I was so disappointed with my car, yes it was fast, yes it handled brilliantly, yes it squeaked and rattled (as a Lotus should) but my god it was boring.
The sole I felt had been taken out of the car but I guess that's what they need to do attract middle aged Porsche drivers across.
They are no longer an aspiration brand at these bat s
t insane prices that most with a descent income could justify saving up for and that is very very sad.John145 said:
Brooking10 said:
Alternatively brought order to the chaos of the post Bahar era, steadied the ship commercially and guided the business to what looks like a safe and long term harbour.
It's quite understandable for you to hold this view based on the quality of investigative journalism on display. If you were there you'd hold a different opinion. Gales' job was to make the business look good on paper. His method was short sighted and will see geely needing to more than double their engineering staff over the next 3 years.
The evidence available suggests geeky have seen through the fog...
Gales job was to make the company profitable and he did that, sales went up too. You think this is a bad thing? A profitable business should look good on paper.
Geely needing to double Lotus's engineering staff is interesting. Where does it say that? And what type of engineering staff? Engineering staff working on consultancy projects? No chance. Engineering staff working on car development? Yes. It doesn't need that many now but more car sales will mean more staff, basic stuff really but you make it seem like its a bad thing. Do you think Lotus should have engineers sitting around waiting for more cars to be built? Its a nice idea if you're on of them....
JMG, enjoy your new position ...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/19/tycoon...
http://www.wilmotslitigation.co.uk/blog/2018/04/19...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/19/tycoon...
http://www.wilmotslitigation.co.uk/blog/2018/04/19...
John145 said:
Brooking10 said:
Alternatively brought order to the chaos of the post Bahar era, steadied the ship commercially and guided the business to what looks like a safe and long term harbour.
It's quite understandable for you to hold this view based on the quality of investigative journalism on display. If you were there you'd hold a different opinion. Gales' job was to make the business look good on paper. His method was short sighted and will see geely needing to more than double their engineering staff over the next 3 years.
The evidence available suggests geeky have seen through the fog...
If Geely have money to invest in new models then, I know it sounds crazy, they will need more engineers.
That’s usually how it works ?
Let’s face it, making lightweight simple £30K cars just doesn’t make money.
There aren’t enough of us enthusiasts about to make it work. Geely need to take the brand up market and into other categories like SUV’s and maybe even luxo barges.
These cars won’t be for me but that’s what the people with cash to spend around the world want.
Lotus really have no choice. Chinese want volume and 1,600 cars making a small profit is not what they want to be.
That’s usually how it works ?
Let’s face it, making lightweight simple £30K cars just doesn’t make money.
There aren’t enough of us enthusiasts about to make it work. Geely need to take the brand up market and into other categories like SUV’s and maybe even luxo barges.
These cars won’t be for me but that’s what the people with cash to spend around the world want.
Lotus really have no choice. Chinese want volume and 1,600 cars making a small profit is not what they want to be.
hyphen said:
otolith said:
John145 said:
However we have an Evora now with no active systems and a higher curb weight than a Cayman.
But lower than a Porsche with 2+2 seating, which would be a better comparison. It's not particularly light, though, I agree.All these comments about 'improved quality'. Lolz.
Have you actually looked closely at a new Lotus?
Materials quality is still poor across the range. Leather, plastics, switchgear, infotainment... Pretty much everything you can see and touch inside the car is substandard. Fine in a £30k toy. Less acceptable now that they've hiked the prices up to 6 figures.
Have you actually looked closely at a new Lotus?
Materials quality is still poor across the range. Leather, plastics, switchgear, infotainment... Pretty much everything you can see and touch inside the car is substandard. Fine in a £30k toy. Less acceptable now that they've hiked the prices up to 6 figures.
HeMightBeBanned said:
All these comments about 'improved quality'. Lolz.
Have you actually looked closely at a new Lotus?
Materials quality is still poor across the range. Leather, plastics, switchgear, infotainment... Pretty much everything you can see and touch inside the car is substandard. Fine in a £30k toy. Less acceptable now that they've hiked the prices up to 6 figures.
You pop up on each Lotus thread with the same comments... a bit of a one man army, it seems.Have you actually looked closely at a new Lotus?
Materials quality is still poor across the range. Leather, plastics, switchgear, infotainment... Pretty much everything you can see and touch inside the car is substandard. Fine in a £30k toy. Less acceptable now that they've hiked the prices up to 6 figures.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff