This is what all the fuss was about: The ultimate lightweight high performance sportscar - the 345 bhp 3.5-litre V6 Supercharged Exige S. For men, not for boys.
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Wednesday 31 August 2011
lotus the future
Lotus will announce a plan to build its own engines next year as part of what chief executive Dany Bahar calls “our super ambitious and aggressive expansion plan,” to launch five new road cars in the next five years as well as joining forces with the Renault Formula One team.
Three engines in total are planned: a V6, V8 and a four-cylinder, and the programme would run hand-in-hand with the development of motorsport engines for F1 and a previously announced commitment to build engines for IndyCar racing in the US. “The fact that we have announced that we will be developing an engine for IndyCar for 2012 shows you already that we are heavily interested in becoming an engine manufacturer with our own brand,” said Bahar. “We have the capacity. We build and design engines for other OEMs, so there is no reason why we cannot design and build engines for ourselves.”
The five-car model programme includes a £100,000 Esprit mid-engined supercar due at the end of 2012, a £70,000 Elan by the autumn of 2013, and by 2015, a £120,000 Elite front-engined supercar, a £35,000 Elise replacement and a £110,000 Eterne four-door super saloon. These models will all share the same basic underbody modular structure, which will debut on the Esprit in two years. In addition there will be a tiny city car project based on an existing concept from Lotus owner, Malaysian car maker Proton and another as yet unnamed car maker.
Bahar claims the required £800million funding for these cars is already in place from a variety of sources, including Proton, the banks and Malaysian oil giant Petronas. He says that although five new cars would normally require funding of more than £150million each to develop, the modular structure means the costs will only be “that of two and half new cars, which is about £500million.”
Bahar says there is about £500 million of new money in place and “with the Esprit and the city car arriving in 2012 and 2013, we are aiming at break-even by 2014. After that we will have to generate our own profit.”
“About 85 per cent of that money will go into new product development,” he says. “The rest will go into improving the site [at Lotus HQ in Hethel, Norfolk] and our motor racing programme.”
Bahar plans to recruit about 1,300 engineers in the next few years and has been in talks with the British Government about loan guarantees for the £50-60million cost of building new facilities in which to house them. “In the beginning the conversations were not fruitful, but a lot seems to have changed in the last two weeks,” he says. “We have talked to ministers and we understand the Government’s problems and we perfectly understand if they don’t choose to help us, but if they don’t, no one should complain if we chose to create 1,000 new jobs outside of the UK. At least we tried...”
At present Lotus has purchased a stake in the Renault F1 team for next year, although there is a possibility that there will be two Lotus teams because of a licence granted to Tony Fernandes to form Team Lotus, whose cars will also be on the grid unless the current court battle comes to a conclusion before the season start.
As for the wisdom of revealing an entire five-year product strategy in one go as Lotus did at the Paris Motor Show two months ago, Bahar remains unapologetic. “We will get on and engineer our new cars,” he says, “let others talk about us. We cannot take too much notice of things we cannot control.”
He claims that sceptics of the plan would be amazed to know that 65 per cent of the required supplier network is already in place for the new cars “and they are some of the world’s biggest suppliers,” he says. He is aiming to make Lotus profitable by turning it into a “British Porsche”, in reference to the successful engineering consultancies within both Porsche and Lotus, which in the past have kept the car-making operations afloat.
Bahar wants the engineering side to create at least one third of the company’s profits in future, with the other two thirds coming from building 6,000-7,000 road cars a year.
“In future we will be fighting in every sports car sector,” he says.
Bahar plans to recruit about 1,300 engineers in the next few years and has been in talks with the British Government about loan guarantees for the £50-60million cost of building new facilities in which to house them. “In the beginning the conversations were not fruitful, but a lot seems to have changed in the last two weeks,” he says. “We have talked to ministers and we understand the Government’s problems and we perfectly understand if they don’t choose to help us, but if they don’t, no one should complain if we chose to create 1,000 new jobs outside of the UK. At least we tried...”
At present Lotus has purchased a stake in the Renault F1 team for next year, although there is a possibility that there will be two Lotus teams because of a licence granted to Tony Fernandes to form Team Lotus, whose cars will also be on the grid unless the current court battle comes to a conclusion before the season start.
As for the wisdom of revealing an entire five-year product strategy in one go as Lotus did at the Paris Motor Show two months ago, Bahar remains unapologetic. “We will get on and engineer our new cars,” he says, “let others talk about us. We cannot take too much notice of things we cannot control.”
He claims that sceptics of the plan would be amazed to know that 65 per cent of the required supplier network is already in place for the new cars “and they are some of the world’s biggest suppliers,” he says. He is aiming to make Lotus profitable by turning it into a “British Porsche”, in reference to the successful engineering consultancies within both Porsche and Lotus, which in the past have kept the car-making operations afloat.
Bahar wants the engineering side to create at least one third of the company’s profits in future, with the other two thirds coming from building 6,000-7,000 road cars a year.
“In future we will be fighting in every sports car sector,” he says.
Monday 29 August 2011
New jobs at lotus
Up to 1,200 jobs could still be created at Lotus Cars in Norfolk despite the company losing a £27.5m bid for government money, the firm has said.
Group Lotus chief executive Dany Bahar said the sports car manufacturer still had a five-year investment plan although job cuts were being made in the short term.Lotus has now applied for £10.4m of funding from the Regional Growth Fund.
"In five years we should grow between 600 and 1,200 jobs," said Mr Bahar.
"The reduction of a few jobs is to simply size the business to the current output we have."
But he said the workforce would grow to suit its future output.
Mr Bahar unveiled the news as he gave Business Secretary Vince Cable a tour of Lotus Cars' manufacturing facility in Hethel on Monday morning.
The company said the number of new jobs created would be partly down to whether the money, which would be used for research and development, was granted.
'Good operation'
In June the company said that back office jobs would go at the plant as part of plans to "boost efficiency".
A spokesperson for Lotus Cars said a number of short-term job cuts were being made but would not reveal exactly how many posts were involved.
The spokesperson said recruitment for new positions was already being sought.
On his visit Mr Cable wished Lotus the best in their efforts to secure government funding, which is being put under independent assessment.
"I wish them well because they've clearly got a very good operation here," he said.
"We do need companies like Lotus. The British car industry was written off years ago and is now really reviving."
Sunday 28 August 2011
lotus evora (overview)
The Lotus Evora is based on the first all-new vehicle platform from Lotus Cars since the introduction of the Lotus Elise in 1995 (the Exige, introduced in 2000, and the 2006 Europa S are both derivatives of the Elise). The Evora is the first vehicle of three vehicles to be built on the same platform; the remaining two vehicles will be on sale by 2011.
Lotus Evora clay model.The Evora is the first product of a five year plan started in 2006 to expand the Lotus line of cars. As such it is a larger car than recent Lotus models Elise and its derivatives (Exige, Europa S, etc.), with an estimated curb weight of 1,350 kg (3,000 lb). It is currently the only Lotus model with a 2+2 configuration, although it has been announced that it will also be offered in a two-seater configuration, referred to as the "Plus Zero" option. It is also the only 2+2 mid engined coupé on sale. The interior is larger to allow taller persons to fit, such as Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley, and two 99th percentile (6'5") American males.
The cooled boot behind the engine is large enough to fit a set of golf clubs, although Lotus Design Head Russell Carr denies that this was intentional. Lotus intends the Evora to compete with different market sectors including the Porsche Cayman.
Sales were expected to start in summer 2009. The sales target is 2000 cars per year, with prices between £45,000 and just over £50,000. It will arrive at American dealers beginning in January 2010.
The car was reviewed by presenter Jeremy Clarkson on the British automotive television show Top Gear. The review was positive. he was very happy with the performance, handling and comfort. He was extremely impressed with the ride comfort and described the car has "the only car I've ever driven, ever, which is a killer attack dog and an old sofa".
The Evora also won EVO magazines 'Car of the Year 2009' and CAR magazines 'performance car of the Year 2009'.
Facelift
During late April 2011, Lotus announced a facelifted version of the car will be launched in 2012, modelled around the future range of cars and carrying a starting price of roughly £51,030.
Lotus entered two Evoras at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite overheating issues during practice and qualifying, car no.65 finished 22nd overall, completing 295 laps, whilst car no.64 retired after 126 laps.
Performance
The cooled boot behind the engine is large enough to fit a set of golf clubs, although Lotus Design Head Russell Carr denies that this was intentional. Lotus intends the Evora to compete with different market sectors including the Porsche Cayman.
Name
The name "Evora" keeps the Lotus tradition of beginning model names with an "E". The name is derived from the words evolution, vogue, and aura. Other names considered were Eagle, Exira and Ethos; Exira was rejected as it was considered not good enough and the other two because it would be difficult for Lotus to claim them as a trademark. The name "Evora" sounds similar to Évora, which is the name of a Portuguese city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Portugal. ProductionSales were expected to start in summer 2009. The sales target is 2000 cars per year, with prices between £45,000 and just over £50,000. It will arrive at American dealers beginning in January 2010.
Awards
On 12 August 2009, British car magazine Autocar named the Evora as Britain's Best Driver's Car 2009 ReviewsThe car was reviewed by presenter Jeremy Clarkson on the British automotive television show Top Gear. The review was positive. he was very happy with the performance, handling and comfort. He was extremely impressed with the ride comfort and described the car has "the only car I've ever driven, ever, which is a killer attack dog and an old sofa".
The Evora also won EVO magazines 'Car of the Year 2009' and CAR magazines 'performance car of the Year 2009'.
Facelift
During late April 2011, Lotus announced a facelifted version of the car will be launched in 2012, modelled around the future range of cars and carrying a starting price of roughly £51,030.
Motorsport
During the 2011 Geneva motor show, Lotus announced the Evora enduro GT concept, as a follow up to the Type 124 and GT4 race cars. Lotus is aiming for this car to enter into the GT3 category by Mid-2011, with a 444 bhp Toyota supplied V8.Lotus entered two Evoras at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite overheating issues during practice and qualifying, car no.65 finished 22nd overall, completing 295 laps, whilst car no.64 retired after 126 laps.
Performance
- Acceleration: 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds
- Top speed: 162 mph (261 km/h)
- CO2 emission: 205 g/km
- Fuel consumption: 32.5 miles per imperial gallon (8.69 L/100 km; 27.1 mpg-US) (EU standards); 17/27 MPG city/highway (US EPA standards)
- Drag coefficient: 0.337
- Engine: Mid mounted,transverse 3.5 litre DOHC V6 VVT-I
- Transmission: 6 speed manual
- Chassis: Modular lightweight bonded aluminium structure
- Steering: Lotus tuned hydraulically-assisted power steering
- Suspension: Forged aluminium double wishbone suspension, Bilstein high performance gas dampers,Eibach coaxial coil springs
history of lotus
The company was formed as Lotus Engineering Ltd. by engineer Colin Chapman, a graduate of University College, London, in 1952. The first factory was in old stables behind the Railway Hotel in Hornsey, North London. Team Lotus, which was split off from Lotus Engineering in 1954, was active and competitive in Formula One racing from 1958 to 1994. The Lotus Group of Companies was formed in 1959. This was made up of Lotus Cars Limited and Lotus Components Limited which focused on road cars and customer competition car production respectively. Lotus Components Limited became Lotus Racing Limited in 1971 but the newly renamed entity ceased operation in the same year.
The company moved to a purpose built factory at Cheshunt in 1959 and since 1966 the company has occupied a modern factory and road test facility at Hethel, near Wymondham. This site is the former RAF Hethel base and the test track uses sections of the old runway.
Chapman died of a heart attack in 1982 at the age of 54, having begun life an innkeeper's son and ended a multi-millionaire industrialist in post-war Britain. The car maker built tens of thousands of successful racing and road cars and won the Formula One World Championship seven times. At the time of his death he was linked with the DeLorean scandal over the use of government subsidies for the production of the DeLorean DMC-12 for which Lotus had designed the chassis.
In 1986, the company was bought by General Motors. On 27 August 1993, GM sold the company, for £30 million, to A.C.B.N. Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, a company controlled by Italian businessman Romano Artioli, who also owned Bugatti Automobili SpA. In 1996, a majority share in Lotus was sold to Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (Proton), a Malaysian car company listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.
The company also acts as an engineering consultancy, providing engineering development—particularly of suspension—for other car manufacturers. The lesser known Powertrain department is responsible for the design and development of the 4-cylinder Ecotec engine found in many of GM's Vauxhall, Opel, Saab, Chevrolet and Saturn cars. Today, the current Lotus Elise and Exige models use the 1.8L VVTL-i I4 from Toyota's late Celica GT-S and the Matrix XRS.
The company is organised as Group Lotus plc, which is divided into Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering.
Michael Kimberley took over as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Company and its Group from May 2006. He currently chairs the Executive Committee of Lotus Group International Limited ("LGIL") established in February 2006, with Syed Zainal Abidin (Managing Director of Proton Holdings Berhad) and Badrul Feisal (non-executive director of Proton Holdings Berhad). LGIL is the holding company of Lotus Group Plc.
Kimberley retired as CEO on 17 July 2009 and was replaced as CEO by Dany T Bahar on 1 October 2009. Bahar was formerly Senior Vice President, Commercial & Brand for Ferrari SpA where he was responsible for worldwide road car sales and after sales business, overall road car and F1 marketing activities, licensing, and merchandising business.
The four letters in the middle of the logo stand for the initials of Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman.
The company moved to a purpose built factory at Cheshunt in 1959 and since 1966 the company has occupied a modern factory and road test facility at Hethel, near Wymondham. This site is the former RAF Hethel base and the test track uses sections of the old runway.
Chapman died of a heart attack in 1982 at the age of 54, having begun life an innkeeper's son and ended a multi-millionaire industrialist in post-war Britain. The car maker built tens of thousands of successful racing and road cars and won the Formula One World Championship seven times. At the time of his death he was linked with the DeLorean scandal over the use of government subsidies for the production of the DeLorean DMC-12 for which Lotus had designed the chassis.
In 1986, the company was bought by General Motors. On 27 August 1993, GM sold the company, for £30 million, to A.C.B.N. Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, a company controlled by Italian businessman Romano Artioli, who also owned Bugatti Automobili SpA. In 1996, a majority share in Lotus was sold to Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (Proton), a Malaysian car company listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.
The company also acts as an engineering consultancy, providing engineering development—particularly of suspension—for other car manufacturers. The lesser known Powertrain department is responsible for the design and development of the 4-cylinder Ecotec engine found in many of GM's Vauxhall, Opel, Saab, Chevrolet and Saturn cars. Today, the current Lotus Elise and Exige models use the 1.8L VVTL-i I4 from Toyota's late Celica GT-S and the Matrix XRS.
The company is organised as Group Lotus plc, which is divided into Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering.
Michael Kimberley took over as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Company and its Group from May 2006. He currently chairs the Executive Committee of Lotus Group International Limited ("LGIL") established in February 2006, with Syed Zainal Abidin (Managing Director of Proton Holdings Berhad) and Badrul Feisal (non-executive director of Proton Holdings Berhad). LGIL is the holding company of Lotus Group Plc.
Kimberley retired as CEO on 17 July 2009 and was replaced as CEO by Dany T Bahar on 1 October 2009. Bahar was formerly Senior Vice President, Commercial & Brand for Ferrari SpA where he was responsible for worldwide road car sales and after sales business, overall road car and F1 marketing activities, licensing, and merchandising business.
The four letters in the middle of the logo stand for the initials of Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman.
new elise 2015
THE GROWN UP
Aesthetically it’s definitely pleasing to the eye, it’s bold directional body gives you subtle hints of the Elise of old so it still seems a touch familiar but at the same time, it couldn’t be more different. Perhaps a small example of how the car has changed would help. Aside from strong graphic styling, the practicality of the car has had a major overhaul too with sizeable improvements made to the ingress and egress – in simple terms, no more acrobatics but still all the fun you expect from the Elise.
LOTUS INTRODUCTION
Dany Bahar, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus, said: “We worked very hard on getting the Elise 2015 exactly right, it’s our entry level car so it needs to give a proper introduction to the Lotus driving experience.” PROUD HERITAGE
“The Elise you can buy now is still a fantastic car, make no mistake, Lotus remain very proud of it, but this is a natural progression for us moving forward. The Elise 2015 will also be class-leading in terms of performance and efficiency but it will do more than that it will take the Elise model to the forefront of its class across the board.” “The design of the Elise 2015 is perfect for the target market, it’s young, strong, confident, verging on ruthless, it mirrors the engineering and technology. It’s the next generation Elise for a new generation of Lotus drivers.” CHEEKY CHARM
Fear not though, despite the dramatic upgrades the Elise 2015 has lost none of the cheeky charm that made the two-seater sports car famous, it still retains performance through lightweight and handles like a dream – albeit a quite aggressive and tension filled dream. With a 2.0 litre inline 4 pressure charged engine delivering up to 320 PS, the Elise 2015 should reach 0-100kph in under 4.5 seconds. The Elise 2015, proving great things come to those who wait.
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