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Lotus

Production is well up this year, and the owners have sunk 100m into it.



So its days are numbered!

Again. ?

;)
 
There is talk of the Lotus F1 team having financial difficulties and even not paying their star driver Kimi.
 
From Wikipedia:

"Lotus F1 Team is a British Formula One racing team. The team competed under the Lotus name for the first time in the 2012 Formula One season, following the renaming of the former Renault team based at Enstone in Oxfordshire. Lotus F1 Team is owned by Luxembourg-based venture capital group Genii Capital[5] and United Kingdom-based investor consortium Infinity Racing Partners Limited.[6] Lotus F1 Team is named after its branding partner Group Lotus"

Not really much to do with Norfolk there. It's just a marketing tool.
 
In layman terms, Genii bought the Renault team and then got a license from Lotus Cars to rebrand using the Lotus name and logo. This was more of a sponsorship deal. Lotus Cars have now pulled the sponsorship money (hence the F1 team making the news for a big loss), yet the brand and name is still used by Genii for F1.

I think that's right.
 
richgilb said:
In layman terms, Genii bought the Renault team and then got a license from Lotus Cars to rebrand using the Lotus name and logo. This was more of a sponsorship deal. Lotus Cars have now pulled the sponsorship money (hence the F1 team making the news for a big loss), yet the brand and name is still used by Genii for F1.

I think that's right.
Click to expand...

If true that seems a foolish waste of money by Lotus Cars (LC). The most profitable car company in the world, Porsche, does not do it. Surely LC, as one of the least profitable, should all resources to stabilise the company and improve reliability of product.
 
wacko said:
If true that seems a foolish waste of money by Lotus Cars (LC). The most profitable car company in the world, Porsche, does not do it. Surely LC, as one of the least profitable, should all resources to stabilise the company and improve reliability of product.
Click to expand...

The road car company are owned by Proton (last I heard), a pretty big multinational concern, so are pretty stable.
They use engines from the bigger manufacturers - mostly Toyota I understand. Their cars seem to have lost the reputation for fragility/unreliability that cars like the Esprit/Excel and their predecessors did.

It might not be a waste of money either. Lotus has a long history in racing, and was a very successful Formula One Team in the 60s/70s/80s. Sponsoring a sport which you want to be associated with is not necessarily a waste of money - as long as they are getting the ROI, presumably they are measuring it?

Lastly, Porsche isn't the most profitable car maker, Volkswagen is.
 
Does anyone know what Lotus Cars' main export market it? I can't find anything using the usual methods.
 
Did a bit more reading and it seems the 2008 crash prevented Porsche from buying VW and that VW may instead have bought Porsche ! Anyway the point about F1 sponsorship remains valid although VW may now be considering FI as engine size drops from V8 to V6.
I also read that Porsche may drop the V8 for the Cayenne, or may even not replace the model (and the Panamera) by 2017. Surprising as I thought Cayenne is the most profitable model.
All of which leads to the question of whether there will be any European V8s in 5 years time....
 
I think the way Lotus is associated with F1 by this current sponsor type arrangement makes a lot of sense. The halo effect is difficult to measure, but if you can maintain it without ploughing in vast sums - it makes sense to me. Lotus has an enviable racing heritage that some other marques can't buy.

The recent re-plan (AFAICT 3 year 3 model focus) looks promising. The 5 model earlier plan looked unrealistic. Maximising the Elise/Exige and varients makes sense. The Evora has a huge problem, good though it is - the new Boxter. It is superb, imo and makes life hard for the other Porsche models let alone rivals.
 
Their previous CEO had big ambitions. I could not believe what they were attempting to do in terms of taking it upmarket and investing huge amounts in their motor show and motor-sport presence in the States.

Not surprisingly he is no longer with them. Saw current sales figures for Lotus in Europe (which I think included the UK) and it was worryingly low:eek:
 
SteveS1 said:
I think the way Lotus is associated with F1 by this current sponsor type arrangement makes a lot of sense. The halo effect is difficult to measure, but if you can maintain it without ploughing in vast sums - it makes sense to me. Lotus has an enviable racing heritage that some other marques can't buy.
Click to expand...

It works for me. I love the Lotus heritage and the idealistic black & white faux history of Colin Chapman working in a post war garage on a daft concept, with a thick smell of oil permeating his clothes and his wife despairing that his dinner has gone cold on the table again.
I know it's sentimental nonsense and has no relationship with either the truth, the current car manufacturer, or the racing team, but I don't care. I'm just a sucker for it. It's only paying homage, but better that than nothing. Support the name and support the badge. I can't help myself.
 
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