New Esprit delayed??

[997s]

Hi all,

Being rather keen, this summer I put a letter of intent into Dick Lovett Lotus for the new Esprit.

Last week I had a call from them saying that Lotus has moved the Esprit launch back to 2008 / 2009 and the M250 project may be brought back to life and launched before the Esprit.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

S

[Tuna]

Sounds like the rumours I've heard, though it's anyone's guess. There has been yet another new boss this summer and the end of a comprehensive business review has led to a certain amount of replanning of the line up. I don't think there has been any formal announcement of their exact plans though.

There were a few people who said at the time when dealers started taking places for the new Esprit that anyone who did so would be taking a gamble. Lotus is a small manufacturer and rather prone to changes in direction.

[hedgerley]

The return of Mike Kimberley and the business review has been extensively reported - there was major PR back in September. The replacement Esprit has been delayed until December 09 and a new 2+2 (Elite possibly) has taken its launch slot in December 08. If you are keen on the Esprit replacement (I to have lodged a letter of intent) you need to keep up, as you do Tuna! Lotus Esprit World is the place to be for up to the minute news.

Check this thread for the full announcement [url]www.glcforum.com/esprit/forums/index.php?showtopic=6035[/url]

Edited by hedgerley on Saturday 18th November 23:32

Edited by hedgerley on Saturday 18th November 23:34

[Tuna]

I was aware of the press release, but couldn't lay my hands on it when I was replying. As it is, the timescale for the car launches is slightly longer than the usual timescale for the CEO to be replaced, so I'd say that it's still very much open to change.

Having been bitten by the M250 and lost money on a deposit, I'm happy to sit back and wait until the new Esprit and mid-range models actually turn up in the flesh before looking to buy one. Though I have every faith in Lotus, I don't know if the new model(s) will be exactly the sort of car I want, or if the style will appeal, so I'm not going to waste energy on trying to be first in the queue for a car that might not be ideal. Having seen the very mixed response the Europa has received, and being very well aware of how long the Esprit is appearing to take to reach launch, Lotus have got a hell of a job to get the next couple of cars right. I'm sure they will rise to the challenge, and really look forward to seeing the new cars, but as I'm not interested in speculating on cars, I'll save my money until then.