RE: Lotus breaks sales record, posts £594m loss
Discussion
bigaoi said:
kambites said:
bigaoi said:
What's the sports car plan, going forwards?
They've got a "chest battery" (essentially mid-engined) two-seater EV in the works to replace the Emira.Yes, I think for everyone's sanity they are indeed best regarded as two separate, or at least, very loosely-related companies. We'd hope the SUVs prop-up the sports-car division, but they may just kill the uprofitable one, one day. Having said all that, Volvo do indeed seem to be doing well. It depends on whether the owners actually have an interest in making sports cars.
Edited by bigaoi on Monday 8th April 17:22
Penetraitor said:
kambites said:
They've got a "chest battery" (essentially mid-engined) two-seater EV in the works to replace the Emira.
Potentially followed by a 2+2 based on the same platform.
Mmmmm, bet that will sound lovely with the top down! Like a washing machine on spin cycle?Potentially followed by a 2+2 based on the same platform.
Edited by kambites on Monday 8th April 17:06
Magikarp said:
They seem to have a bit of work to do to grow from approx 7000 cars a year to 150,000.
They'll have based their investment spend based on projected sales. I can see trouble ahead if they think they can hit those sales. Or anywhere close. They'd have to make a cut price new mini for the next generation to hit those figures from such a low base.
Hugo Stiglitz said:
They'll have based their investment spend based on projected sales. I can see trouble ahead if they think they can hit those sales. Or anywhere close.
It does seem a bit far-fetched doesn't it? But then I don't really know much about the Chinese market. Who'd have thought a few years ago that MG would be selling over 300,000 cars a year now? Lotus will certainly need some cheaper, more mainstream models to manage even a fraction of that though. I'm a bit bemused as to why Geely would want to take them in that direction though. I thought the whole reason they bought Lotus was to have a relatively small-volume "premium" European brand to play with.
Edited by kambites on Monday 8th April 17:28
Penetraitor said:
Got a feeling Lotus will sink with the rest of the EV ship if they insist on nailing all their colours to this failing sector that the majority of consumers just don't want.
As opposed to pinning their hopes on tech which is being banned? Great business plan that, hit the existential threat like the Titanic into the iceberg 
These threads are always the same.
Half the people would prefer for their favourite old brands to miraculously defy time by continuing to produce cars that are dated and poor quality whilst the other half see the future potential of new investment and a whole new world.
I wonder how many people would still want Porsche to stop making big saloons and SUVs?
I love the Lotus brand and although it is massively different now, it is massively different in a way many of us always wanted but assumed would never happen.
The Eletre is stunning inside, quality x1000 over any other pre-Geely product.
Half the people would prefer for their favourite old brands to miraculously defy time by continuing to produce cars that are dated and poor quality whilst the other half see the future potential of new investment and a whole new world.
I wonder how many people would still want Porsche to stop making big saloons and SUVs?
I love the Lotus brand and although it is massively different now, it is massively different in a way many of us always wanted but assumed would never happen.
The Eletre is stunning inside, quality x1000 over any other pre-Geely product.
Well ... Lotus had a philosophy and a way of doing things that was fairly unique. If they throw that out, they become a whole lot blander, and more similar to everything else. The question is whether the SUVs etc. will allow them to keep doing interesting things on the sports-car side (like Porsche), or whether the owners will see the sports cars as an unnecessary extravagance. The worry is that sports cars are not core to Lotus v2.0. Meanwhile the SUVs etc. don't seem to encompass any Lotus-ness at all (I guess I'd put up with that if the sports cars continue to be innovative and intelligent).
BlackandWhite said:
Is it even possible to still be in business and making such a stupendous loss? Hoe exactly do you make that up if what you are currently doing is taking you so deeply 8k to debt.
When you're part of one of the world's biggest automotive multinationals, I guess you can do so as long as the parent company believes it's worthwhile in the long term. £600m is a big chunk of Geely's profits for a year though, so they're not going to want to sustain that order of magnitude of loss for very long!GT9 said:
Penetraitor said:
Mmmmm, bet that will sound lovely with the top down! Like a washing machine on spin cycle?
Yep, approximately the same sound as a turbo 4 makes, but without the fumes.Win-win.
As for this news, who cares?
Geely are making some SUVs for the Chinese market.
So what?
Another confirmation that Lotus is basically dead, and lives on as nothing more than a brand name?
GT9 said:
China buy about as many new car every year as the entire number of cars we have on our roads.
100,000 cars for them is like selling 10,000 cars here, as far as new sales go.
And Colin's been dead for over 40 years, just in case that horse starts getting flogged again.
Hmm. No sure about that. I think there are c.38m cars in the UK. China bought 30m cars, 100,000 cars for them is like selling 10,000 cars here, as far as new sales go.
And Colin's been dead for over 40 years, just in case that horse starts getting flogged again.
Hold on. That's up 28% on 2022. Wow.
So you're right - or you will be in a year's time!
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