Lotus to move up-market?

I think it's great news. A new Esprit has to be something to get excited about and if the car is like it's predecessors and offers 99% of the performance of the big boys for 50% of the price, I don't see why it shouldn't work. If you are worried about the car piling on the pounds, remember, a heavy Lotus is still a very light car.

 

As a Lotus owner I think its great news. I have an Exige S and its a great car but its just too impractical for everyday use. There are just too few people out there that is willing to buy a track car for the street. In order for Lotus to survive, they have to go "up-market". Besides, they will keep the Elise/Exige line to follow the Chapman philosophy.

 

I've let my local Lotus dealer know that I am ready and willing to take an `11/`12 Esprit off of their hands in exchange for my `05 Elise & `07 Exige S.

 

An upmarket move will broaden the appeal ONLY if the "less expensive" cars stay. (I'm talking about a $45,000 Elise as being "less expensive".)
Every time Lotus went upmarket and gave up on the affordable cars that were enthusiast based, they went on life support. It happened when they abandoned the Europa and Elan for the Elise and Eclat, and it happened when the only car available was the V-8 Esprit.
I love Lotus and won 4 state autocross championships driving one, but they need to remember that their heritage and market has traditionally involved a large percentage of DO IT YOURSELF/enthusiast based owners. They are not Aston Martin or Ferrari, and bless them for that!

 

The V8 Esprit was never the only car available! (Think outside the U.S.! )

 

The upcoming Paris show should reveal more, in fact highly likely the new Esprit as well.

 

This will be a disaster. Danny Behar is dismantling a brand that has been 50 years in the making and trying to make it a mirror image of Ferrari.

You will laugh, but insiders say there are SUVs and a 4 door car in the works and the company is being positioned for sale.

 

I seriously hope that is not true

 

It might happen. Isn't that the reason why Aston Martin had the Toyota IQ made into the Aston Martin Cygnet? Europe (I believe) is making emissions difficult for dedicated sports car companies. I wouldn't mind seeing a new redesigned Lotus Carlton though

 

It won't happen at Paris, but it is being discussed. Lotus hasn't always made the best product decisions, and they have starved the US market for years out of fear that the tail would wag the dog, but they have a solid image that can be exploited in new and exciting ways with proper leadership and funding.

 

Something is up at Paris show, check their website out. A countdown to the Paris show on their homepage with the heading "The future starts here"

www.lotuscars.com

 

I wonder how much "up-market" they'll push the new Esprit. I remember seeing the new Lotus Evora for the first time in the flesh and the lines of the car were just beautiful. I loved everything about that car until I saw the price tag. If the car was $50-$60K it would be an incredible buy, but the ones I saw were pushing mid $80k towards $90k and suddenly the great looks comments turned into an argument of why $80K plus for a Toyota engine. I would assume people would be ok with whats essentially a Toyota engine in the guise of the LFA motor dropped in the new Elise, but I hope they don't go crazy with their price point again. I'd love to see something under $100k, but given the Evora pricing I just don't see that happening.

 

The new Esprit will no way be under 100 grand.

 

IMO they can only move so far upmarket with an engine from someone else. Pagani is an exception, but they are wwaaayyy upmarket and the rest of the car is very special. I propose $135k is the limit for a Toyota engine or similar. Part of the the Esprit's appeal was that it was a bit cheaper than a rival Ferrari or Lamborghini. Obviously times have changed in the past 20 years and now Aston has the V8 Vantage that sort of occupies this place today.

For the Esprit to be a success it has to be priced "cheaply" in relative terms while offering similar performance to a Gallardo or other cars in that range.

Eliminating the entry-level Lotus would be a huge mistake. The Elise is perhaps the purest sports car in the traditional sense of anything available today. It is also very fuel efficient which would help their average as well. Maybe they could even move a bit downmarket with a version of the Elise even more spartan than today with many components made in Asia and only assembly in the UK. Heck, partner with Kia and have the car made in their factory to Lotus designs. A $29k Elan perhaps?

A four-door car I could see, perhaps powered by a Lexus V8 but the SUV doesn't fit into anything Lotus has ever done. It worked for Porsche though, so who knows.

 

Paris will be interesting. They are reported to be showing two front-engine GTs. The fact that there are two suggests one will seat four and the other will seat two. Since Behar seems intent on copying rather than inventing, and his sights seem to be aimed at Ferrari, imagine something along the lines of a Lotus version of the 599. The other may mimic a high-line British marque.

I'm just guessing, of course...

 

Lotus new architecture can easily accomodate a 4 door to a all out sports car. As in the next Esprit. It is their VVA (Variable Vehicle Architecture). The Evora is the first to debut with it now. They made a concept suv several years ago as well on this same chassis. It can be expanded and reduced and front or mid mounted engine depending on the vehicle. So Lotus has been working on various thoughts for years now.

 

I'm actually really excited to see the front engine 2 & 4 place (door?) concepts. They better have a rather unique take on that segment and priced right, however, because the competition (Maser, Aston, and most likely a forthcoming 928 rehash) is intense. Good on Lotus for shake'n it up and putt'n it out there!