I don't envy Lotus

"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228)
12/09/2013 at 16:56 • Filed to: Automotive Perfection

Having to replace the Elise/Exige. It's pretty much perfect.

Photo credit: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DISCUSSION (15)

BoumboQC > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/09/2013 at 16:58

My dream car.

I bought a miata last summer and I discovered what It means, light RWD stiff car.

Best feeling i've ever had, way better than my friend S5 (we did 250 km/h, but speed is .. not as fun)!

One day I'll own one of there, even if they are expensive.

Mark my words.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/09/2013 at 17:06

Not like they haven't managed to replace iconic sportscars before now. That you're saying this about the Elise rather than the 7 or original Elan rather proves the point.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111
12/09/2013 at 17:08

Very good point. I wonder what they'll do.

I suppose if I knew that I'd be working for Lotus.

I wonder if it'll be cheap carbon tech like the 4C.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/09/2013 at 17:17

Well, they'll probably be Lotus about it. Hey, maybe we're getting a hot hatch as the Elise replacement. That would be a Lotus-y sort of thing to do, and they ought to have built one years ago.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111
12/09/2013 at 17:27

That would be biblically good. Especially if it was a hatch of the old-school. Lightweight and chuckable, with a proper belter of an engine.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/09/2013 at 17:32

That's what I was thinking. Or a relatively cheap, lightweight rwd five-door hatch/saloon/estate with Lotus handling. I guess they have trouble with economies of scale, though, and it would end up costing too much; as a Golf/Mondeo rival it would be a big seller, but at anything more like 3-Series pricing it would be a niche model.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111
12/09/2013 at 17:50

I think you might be right. Ideally, they'd make both on a common platform, but that might be a bit of a stretch for a small company.

Actually, I wonder what they'd be able to achieve if they hooked up with Aston Martin. Neither of their products compete in any way really, Lotus could tech Aston a little about suspension engineering and Aston could lend financial aid (such that they can). Not sure that'd help with economies of scale though, but it'd be an awesome pairing.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/09/2013 at 17:58

Apart from both being nominally English, do those two have anything in common?

I was wondering if there's a reason for Lotus to hook up with Fiat/Alfa, other than that I've turned into a Fiat fanboy lately. A Lotus-ed Panda would be pretty funky.

A RWD hot-hatch would be awesome, but I don't think a RWD hatchback is at all viable these days. Unless it's rear-engined, anyway. Hmm, now we're getting somewhere. Which huge manufacturer has tons of cash, and already makes a rear-engined car with rear wheel drive? Tata, of course. And they already own Jaguar-Land Rover.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111
12/09/2013 at 18:05

Nothing whatsoever, which is something that dawned on me halfway through typing it :S

Still, that might be how it succeeds. Shared engineering talent and resources, but completely separate product lines. Zero cannibalising of sales.

JLR would probably be a better bet. They've been very adventurous recently, and have access to some rather good bigger engines (and are in need of a good 4-cylinder too).

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/09/2013 at 18:16

Tata have loads of engineering and manufacturing talent across their various divisions, including notable centres in the UK. Not sure you can say the same about Aston.

The big problem is economies of scale, even if I am repeating myself. If you're not selling in real volume, it drives the price up enough that the cars are only going to be niche sellers like the Elise. The alternative is that you make them premium cars, which explains the direction Lotus were floundering in lately - but then you end up not being Lotus anymore.

Currently Lotus is owned by Proton. Made some sense at the time the deal was done, because Proton were intending to try and become a global manufacturer and Lotus could have brought some much-needed credibility. Didn't happen, though, and I think Proton have now been taken over and given up on that plan, so Lotus might realistically change hands fairly soon.

While I was looking that up on Wikipedia, I spotted the Lotus electric concept that they came up with a few years ago and I thought of another way you could build a RWD hatch for the modern market - petrol/diesel engine, but electric drivetrain with motors in the rear wheels.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111
12/09/2013 at 18:36

Hum. An electric Lotus would be interesting, but they'd have to be careful with that. I don't think their brand identity is strong enough for that to be their next model. Maybe if they'd released the Tesla Roadster rather than Mr Musk, alongside the Elise.

Maybe a return of the 'Lotus specials' could garner some economies of scale. Like the old-school Lotus Cortinas. That would allow them to sell something in higher volume, and enable them to keep selling something in the same class as the Elise to keep up the brand identity.

That could also lead to a Lotus hot hatch as well :)

Stef Schrader > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/09/2013 at 18:49

Seriously. They're so HAPPY. I need one.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/09/2013 at 18:53

Fiat Lotus Panda. Nuff said.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111
12/09/2013 at 19:00

Fiat-Lotus-Panda Abarth EsseEsse 4x4

All the names :)

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/09/2013 at 19:02

Needs more Spider...