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Thread: Lotus :^(

  1. #16
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    "Bye, bye Lotus." - Ferrer
    "The Metric System is the tool of the Devil! My car gets 40 Rods to the Hogshead and that's the ways I likes it!" -Grandpa Simpson

  2. #17
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    I'm still puzzling over the logic behind these shenanigans. I can understand adding some other models to the lineup to attract buyers, but I personally think its very counterproductive to change an existing model into something different. There's nothing wrong with trying different styling exercises every once in a while, but to mess with the purity of car's formula that people have grown to love is a crime that should be punishable by fists to the face.
    The more thought I put into this, the more I'm bothered. I love what the Elise/Exige cars are now, and I can also whole-heartedly appreciate the idea of future products from Lotus that cater to different folks, but why oh why must they take what works and alter it.
    What they've done or are doing here is not broadening their appeal to more people, but merely changing it from one group to another.
    Sad, really . Not everyone can think like Porsche though.

  3. #18
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    wierd. there wasn't any real need to do anything but evolve the elise/exige and just add a model like the evora/esprit to attract new buyers, whilst keeping the old buyers..
    seems like they're throwing away what they had for something they hope to get
    Andreas Preuninger, Manager of Porsche High Performance Cars: "Grandmas can use paddles. They aren't challenging."

  4. #19
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    It's certainly throwing away their point of difference in an effort to appeal to the same crowd as everyone else.

    I get the history, I get the ethos, I get the need for future growth. I also get the dreams that are likely to be blown apart pretty seriously.

    Serious question; the three Luxury brands that have succeeded globally in the past 15-20 years through reinvention or creation are;

    Lexus - quality, engineering, dullness.
    Aston Martin - Caddishness, 007, Leather
    Rolls Royce - Bling Bling, Out of my Way Little Man, The Ultimate.

    Each of those brands has a solid ethos that is carried through all of their product - regardless of what you might think of the Cygnet.

    What does Lotus stand to gain from throwing what is is known for away? Turns out the question is fairly easy to answer.

    Random snap poll of the three non-car people in my household and the response you get from "What's a Lotus car" is not lightness, engineering prowess or anything special at all.

    The best response I could ellicit was "they made F1 cars, once"

    A rare opportunity to readjust what a historic and meaningful brand stands for. I think thats the end goal. The product simply has to be right for it's intended audience which, I'm sorry to say, probably isn't us.
    <cough> www.charginmahlazer.tumblr.com </cough>

  5. #20
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    IB4R: Yes, but you could have kept the Elise/Exige for 'us' while doing the rest for the rest. There is actually space for both. As clutch said up there.
    Life's too short to drive bad cars.

  6. #21
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    Financially I don't think it makes sense to do that - the investment required for something that essentially has to be bespoke to fit the needs of a specific clientele who'll only bitch about how it could have been lighter.

    Then buy a Boxster or something.
    <cough> www.charginmahlazer.tumblr.com </cough>

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by IBrake4Rainbows View Post
    Then buy a Boxster or something.
    Speaking of buying a boxter or something, maybe Lotus has decided that because the revenue from gearheads wasn't enough to develop the brand competitively (read: technologically), they've instead decided to target upper-middle class nouveau riche (i.e. trophy wives and weekend cars for soccer moms), instead of gearheads. That demographic couldn't care less about things like power-to-weight. I think Lotus is up to something and as gearheads, we're not invited, and Lotus doesn't care. Lotus dumped the gearheads and is courting vanity as a primary selling point, playing on the old adage: 'If a looks that pretty, how bad can it really be?' (rhetorical)

    Shame about the F1 heritage. Expect a lotus mid-sized SUV in a few years.

  8. #23
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    I agree for the most part, but they have the historic selling point also - of a sporting brand with winning history.

    I think thats where they'd like to leave the enthusiast, too.
    <cough> www.charginmahlazer.tumblr.com </cough>

  9. #24
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    Indeed, *sigh* it's looking like the brand's winning history will be just that, history

  10. #25
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    I'd hoped that this was the mainstream launch concepts and that they'd follow up with "sporst" versions as they have with the Elise and Exige offering lightness by throwing out the lardy bits.

    But they seem to be defending a choice rather than saying it's part of a larger strategy incldugin lightweight sportscars. Maybe they're jsut crap at marketing OR trying to put everyone else off their planning ! Seems however all they're doing is pissing off the real enthusiasts.
    "A woman without curves is like a road without bends, you might get to your destination quicker but the ride is boring as hell'

  11. #26
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    Whenever there’s a car manufacturer that is going mainstream, or at least trying to change its main focus it’s usually because they want to extend its market, its revenue and in the end of course they just want to win more money. This is usually done by going downmarket or exploring new niches from manufacturers with strong reputations in other segments. Lotus, well, has neither of these. And then there’s the really important problem:

    Quote Originally Posted by IBrake4Rainbows View Post
    The best response I could ellicit was "they made F1 cars, once"
    No normal person really knows about this thing called Lotus. And of course if they don’t know what this Lotus is, they won’t be willing to spend a massive amount of money in some sporty GT car made by some blokes in some industrial estate, in Hethel, even if it’s the best car in the world.

    In that aspect Lotus suffers from the same problem as Alfa Romeo. It doesn’t matter how good, or bad, their cars are. Outside their small circle of enthusiasts nobody knows them and those people don’t want to learn about them either. Completely changing the focus will most probably end in tears, because Joe Averages still won’t be interested and the lunatic loyalists will be upset and leave the brand.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
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  12. #27
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    It's all about the nouveau riche- I'm tellin' you. Proton is revamping the brand by plumping it up (nevermind the pun) and then marketing it foremostly in East Asia, specifically China, where potential growth could be astronomical.

    It's even called Lotus! , with all the positive connotations that implies in the far East, the brand could practically sell itsef!

    /crass rant

  13. #28
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    I think we should stage a protest. I know I'm certainly not buying one!



    :P
    I dont if I'll make home tonight
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  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post
    Whenever there’s a car manufacturer that is going mainstream, or at least trying to change its main focus it’s usually because they want to extend its market, its revenue and in the end of course they just want to win more money. This is usually done by going downmarket or exploring new niches from manufacturers with strong reputations in other segments. Lotus, well, has neither of these. And then there’s the really important problem:



    No normal person really knows about this thing called Lotus. And of course if they don’t know what this Lotus is, they won’t be willing to spend a massive amount of money in some sporty GT car made by some blokes in some industrial estate, in Hethel, even if it’s the best car in the world.

    In that aspect Lotus suffers from the same problem as Alfa Romeo. It doesn’t matter how good, or bad, their cars are. Outside their small circle of enthusiasts nobody knows them and those people don’t want to learn about them either. Completely changing the focus will most probably end in tears, because Joe Averages still won’t be interested and the lunatic loyalists will be upset and leave the brand.
    I disagree - Alfa Romeo is a known quantity to the marketplace. It has a reputation it will probably never shift, which is a shame.

    I think the brand is just underground enough to be successful because it'll be cool to own one - a brand that has history but is still underground in terms of current knowledge and interest. This could work but it's going to be a marketing exercise as opposed to the product.

    A rebirth of sorts in this modern age is often this and this alone.
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  15. #30
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    After carefully studying Bentley's rebirth, I can conclude that they need to get some into rappers' hands. And footballers, which I guess is what the Lotus Aston Martin is for.
    Life's too short to drive bad cars.

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