Lotus Esprit - CANCELLED!?
Discussion
I see from my Carbuzz app they are claiming that the Esprit has now been cancelled, anyone know if there is any truth in this?
Although I wasn't completely taken on the looks of the new Esprit I was still looking forward to seeing how competitive Lotus were going to make it against the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren.
Although I wasn't completely taken on the looks of the new Esprit I was still looking forward to seeing how competitive Lotus were going to make it against the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren.
Indeed, not true.
Latest I could find on this, not bad news but could be more positive...
http://www.autospies.com/news/Lotus-Grinds-To-A-Ha...
Lotus Officially Denies Canceling New Esprit Model - 5/10/2012
Lotus Marketing and PR Executive Kevin Smith has confirmed that Lotus has not cancelled the New Esprit model as reported elsewhere on the web..
In an email to Autospies.com Smith stated "Until an official of Group Lotus, Lotus Cars Ltd or DRB-Hicom makes any announcement it’s just rumor and supposition" and any reports by other sites to the demise of the Esprit are "making this claim out of thin air".
Latest I could find on this, not bad news but could be more positive...
http://www.autospies.com/news/Lotus-Grinds-To-A-Ha...
Lotus Officially Denies Canceling New Esprit Model - 5/10/2012
Lotus Marketing and PR Executive Kevin Smith has confirmed that Lotus has not cancelled the New Esprit model as reported elsewhere on the web..
In an email to Autospies.com Smith stated "Until an official of Group Lotus, Lotus Cars Ltd or DRB-Hicom makes any announcement it’s just rumor and supposition" and any reports by other sites to the demise of the Esprit are "making this claim out of thin air".
Was told by someone "who knows" that project Fuji's been mothballed due to lack of money.
Hopefully If Lotus survives past Christmas/the new year the project will be re-instigated, but with different design perameters.
An affordable, innovative, unique lightweight supercar for knowledgable enthusiasts would be a good idea IMO.
Hopefully If Lotus survives past Christmas/the new year the project will be re-instigated, but with different design perameters.
An affordable, innovative, unique lightweight supercar for knowledgable enthusiasts would be a good idea IMO.
Edited by WayneB on Saturday 13th October 02:18
Edited by WayneB on Saturday 13th October 02:21
CountZero23 said:
Indeed, not true.
Latest I could find on this, not bad news but could be more positive...
http://www.autospies.com/news/Lotus-Grinds-To-A-Ha...
Lotus Officially Denies Canceling New Esprit Model - 5/10/2012
Lotus Marketing and PR Executive Kevin Smith has confirmed that Lotus has not cancelled the New Esprit model as reported elsewhere on the web..
In an email to Autospies.com Smith stated "Until an official of Group Lotus, Lotus Cars Ltd or DRB-Hicom makes any announcement it’s just rumor and supposition" and any reports by other sites to the demise of the Esprit are "making this claim out of thin air".
The Smith statement is hardly enough to permit you to say "not true", is it? Read one way, it just says that it isn't official until an official says it in public.Latest I could find on this, not bad news but could be more positive...
http://www.autospies.com/news/Lotus-Grinds-To-A-Ha...
Lotus Officially Denies Canceling New Esprit Model - 5/10/2012
Lotus Marketing and PR Executive Kevin Smith has confirmed that Lotus has not cancelled the New Esprit model as reported elsewhere on the web..
In an email to Autospies.com Smith stated "Until an official of Group Lotus, Lotus Cars Ltd or DRB-Hicom makes any announcement it’s just rumor and supposition" and any reports by other sites to the demise of the Esprit are "making this claim out of thin air".
Harry Metcalfe's column in the new Evo magazine is revealing. He was invited in to get a close look at the development programme from fairly early on, no doubt sworn to secrecy. It pains him to say that the programme has in fact been mothballed as it had moved on significantly since Paris, with the design looking more aggressive, 'delightful' design details and very high quality materials in an ergonomically perfect interior. With the in-house V8 developing over 600bhp in NA form and with KERS 'R' variants in the plan, Harry was very confident Lotus had a serious challenger on their hands - the factory also had a real buzz about it. He was even given an exclusive look at the Esprit Spyder concept which induced a 'credit card melting moment' as it was 'so right'.
It sounds as if the Esprit was much further on than most realised but with the new model model funding pulled to help their short term cash flow issues, and with an 'accountant replacing a visionary' he now believes that 'DRB have blown it'.
Tata's acquisition of JLR has some interesting lessons I feel. With losses mounting and factories under threat, Tata chose to invest in an aggressive new model programme rather than try to cut their losses. What led JLR out of the mire was outstanding new product and they are now reaping the benefits. Lotus needs to do the same.
I've said before that JLR buying Lotus might not be a bad thing - they could easily afford it with just one quarters profit! Or perhaps Genii Capital can team up with them and make a joint bid - Gerard Lopez is a real car guy with a passion for Lotus and could be the figurehead Lotus needs. He already sits on the Group Lotus Board and of course owns the F1 team. A nice bonus would be the F1 team reunited with the factory. We can but dream.
It sounds as if the Esprit was much further on than most realised but with the new model model funding pulled to help their short term cash flow issues, and with an 'accountant replacing a visionary' he now believes that 'DRB have blown it'.
Tata's acquisition of JLR has some interesting lessons I feel. With losses mounting and factories under threat, Tata chose to invest in an aggressive new model programme rather than try to cut their losses. What led JLR out of the mire was outstanding new product and they are now reaping the benefits. Lotus needs to do the same.
I've said before that JLR buying Lotus might not be a bad thing - they could easily afford it with just one quarters profit! Or perhaps Genii Capital can team up with them and make a joint bid - Gerard Lopez is a real car guy with a passion for Lotus and could be the figurehead Lotus needs. He already sits on the Group Lotus Board and of course owns the F1 team. A nice bonus would be the F1 team reunited with the factory. We can but dream.
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