"Last week’s Lotus Elite news bombshell has turned out merely to be the beginning of an extraordinary Lotus product explosion which will, company bosses say, put six brand new Lotus models into the market by 2016, establish a new design style for all future models and bring an end to the company’s 15 years of accumulated losses.

At today’s Paris motor show, Lotus has unveiled six full-size models models which, if successful, will move the company’s image and prices into Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche territory.

“Our plan is to change Lotus from its present position as a niche sports car company to a builder of a range of premium sports cars”, says CEO Dany Bahar, architect of the company’s new five-year plan.

A couple of the six new Lotus concepts are intended for production even sooner than the front-engined V8 Elite hybrid revealed as a styling model last week and proposed for 2014.

The new cars, whose launch is being accompanied by developments costing many millions to Lotus’s factories, design facilities, test track and motorsport activities, and there is to be a new museum and heritage centre. The work, which has already started, will involve “fully funded” expenditure running to £770 million over the next decade.

The models include a replacement for the Elise, an all-new Esprit, the Elite and a larger Eterne saloon based on it, a new Elan and even a new city car co-developed with parent firm Proton.

The whole project is being underwritten by Malaysian-based Proton, Lotus’s parent, which decided 18 months after a radical change of management (and management policy) that it had only two stark options with Lotus’s future: to hold an immediate fire-sale or develop the company to the extent of its potential. That was when the new Proton team began talking to Dany Bahar, then a sales and marketing chief at Ferrari in Maranello, and the plan took “maybe three months” to devise.

The new Lotus models, which Bahar insists will employ the purist engineering principles of lightness and simplicity pioneered by the earliest Lotuses by the company’s founder, Colin Chapman, will take the company from annual production of around 2700 sub-£40,000 cars, to between 6000 and 7000 cars costing between £80,000 and £120,000. Even the Elise replacement, by the time it reaches production in 2015, will have an entry price approaching £40,000."

Source [Autocar]

 

I'm impressed that they're going to try to take the company to the next level but I think they're trying to do too much, too soon. The Elise is already too expensive for what you get, imo. Racheting up the price and justifying the increase by giving the user more content would completely ruin the ethos of the car. The redesign really makes the Elise look more like a hunchbacked Scion than the sleek, exotic track car that the current Elise is.

As much as I want to like this, it just leaves me incredibly frustrated. Lotus has always been a breath of fresh air in the world of sports cars, choosing to focus on lightweight, efficient cars with brilliant driving dynamics. By the look of these new concepts, I fear they're losing sight of what made them so special and going down a road that's been traveled by nearly every other sports car company out there.

This new cookie cutter design, with more power and features will probably appeal to a wider audience but I fear that the core group of Lotus enthusiasts who have always revered the company will fall by the wayside.

 

I want an Orange Esprit, love the old 90's model with the big wing.

 

Thanks for the info DJ.

The Elise, Elan and Esprit look great, the other 3 oh boy.....the Elite specs seem great but I cant get over the fact that for the price I bet it will be offered it looks like an Mazda RX8 and the other 2.... speechless and not in a good way.

I have a feeling that Lotus, or should I say there parent company going all in with a new concept and it may backfire. This will be a big hit or miss. Hope for the best, I really like Lotus.

Also I hope they don't kill the manual transmission.

 

I see good future for Lotus, they are reviving the brand and I hope they bring it back to its glory like Jaguar with Tata, they've improvved it a lot.

 

Hey you have a great point, and believe me I love the Lotus brand and from have been on a modern Elise on the track even more. I really like the new consumer F1 type experience like the XX programs from ferrari, I love that.

But here is something that has me worried : "Malaysian-based Proton, Lotus’s parent, which decided 18 months after a radical change of management (and management policy)". Those words kinda make me feel worried about the brand.

But hey all truth be told I hope nothing but the best For Lotus, I just don't want them to dilute the great experience that current Lotus cars give. Not saying they will but hope they don't do that.

 

The new guy has work experience from Ferrari, if all I expect higher quality cars that feel and look more expensive and perform better. I am happy to see Lotus is still on its feet thank god unlike other brands such as TVR ( has lots of potential) which is now obselete; too bad. It's certainley pleases me to see British carmakers such as Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, LandRover and Lotus are getting better under new managment.

 

Fair enough. In the end we all agree that what we want is the best for Lotus and lets hope they succeed.

On a side note, I also felt extreamly bad on the outcome of TVR I loved that brand. To this day I am still anxious to at least drive a Sagaris or a Tuscan, hopefully sometime I go to Europe next year I might get the opportunity.

 

Most of those cars just look too similar to already existing to cars to really impress me - a shame.

Elan looks like a VW Scirocco from the front, Espirit looks like a Murcialago, Elite looks like a Ferrari California and the Eterne...Rapide anyone?

 

It's great that they are investing money in lotus and going all-in with new model programme! It's either gonna be full of win or it'll be a half-arsed project. Difficult to say if they can compete with bigger brands, but they have their niche with low weight and great handling. Only time will tell, but I really hope that Lotus will succeed and develop into a greater car company!