Following a complaint about his conduct, Dany Bahar, the controversial celebrity-loving former-Ferrari-marketing-guy has been suspended by parent company DRB Hicom.
"Group Lotus plc ("Lotus") can today confirm that, following an operational review, chief executive Dany Bahar has been temporarily suspended from his role to facilitate an investigation into a complaint about his conduct made by Lotus' penultimate parent company, DRB-Hicom Berhad. The penultimate holding company would like to stress it is business as usual at Lotus. We fully support the company and will continue to support Lotus in its business endeavors and development," read a statement by DRB.
In Bahar's place is Dato' Lukman Ibrahim and Aslam Farikulla.
What exactly got him suspended and whether or not this is just a slap-on-the-wrist paid-suspension are still unknown. This one is still developing and if history with Bahar is any indication, it should get good.
Categories: Auto Industry,Lotus
Over the last couple weeks, the situation at Lotus has stabilized somewhat. The automaker Facebooked this photo from its UK factory floor with this status update:
As you know, production has been running at a reduced rate, but we have been ramping up from 1st April and plan to be back to normal by the first week in May (44 load units per week - Elise, Evora, Exige S).
However, the future of Lotus Cars is still uncertain, as the new majority stakeholder (DRB-Hicom) in its parent company (Proton) has not evidently not decided whether to follow through with Lotus' existing business plan or sell off the British carmaker. Proton has never made a profit on Lotus. DRB-Hicom has hired a consultant, KPMG, to help it work through the situation, though British government officials are already worrying that a sale to a Chinese company is imminent, prompting the closure of the UK factory.
In an interview with Evo's Harry Metcalfe, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said that he expects DRB-Hicom to make a decision by the end of May.
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Categories: Auto Industry,Lotus,Sports Cars
Automotive humor/mockery blog Sniff Petrol (If you're somehow not aware of Sniff Petrol, get ready to waste most of your day after this one) recently released the above photo of Lotus CEO Danny Bahar's head superimposed over the body of former Iraqi Information minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf. The caption "There are no problems at Lotus" reflects the brand's stance on things like Proton's sale, Lotus's possible move to administration and Bahar's rumored firing as CEO.
It was a good gag. Not one of Sniff Petrol's best, but on-point. I laughed. Not out loud, mind you, more of a grin. Like the Onion, Sniff Petrol is a known humor site and, with a tagline like "Not letting facts get in the way of a good story since 2001" nobody takes their news seriously who wants to be taken seriously. And so, like Louisiana Rep John Fleming, Lotus has decided to take a satire site seriously and reply to not just this story, but all of the rumors...
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Categories: Lotus
Do a quick search and look around at all of the Mansory projects and concepts out there. See any with even a shred of sanity? Nope? Neither did Danny Bahar's new Lotus and that's why they've picked Mansory to be their official bespoke partner.
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Categories: Lotus,Tuners and Modifications
When the Malaysian government decided to sell off its majority stake in Proton to DRB-Hicom, Lotus was the first thing on our mind. Lotus is currently in the middle of a huge "rejuvenation" that will see something like 6 new cars by 2015. It's a bold move and a bold new direction for Lotus, but it's a move they hope that will return the company to profitability.
Unfortunately, all of that is now on hold. Malaysian takeover regulations stipulate that a company must enter a three-month 'lockdown' period where the official rule is business as usual -- no R&D on new products.
For Lotus, this means that the Exige S launch has been pushed (they've already got 400 orders) and the Evora GT. The Esprit has been pushed at least another six months and is now expected in 2014.
"This difficult period for Lotus finishes at the end of March and that's when we will know then whether DRB-Hicom will want to continue with our business plan," said Bahar to Evo. "I really hope they will but I cannot call it at the moment, it's still 50:50."
We're betting 70:30 against.
(Evo)
Categories: Auto Industry,Future Vehicles,Lotus,Sports Cars
Like it or not, the Iceman is back.
Kimi Raikkonen hasn't been in an F1 car since 2009 but just threw down 171 laps durig a two-day practice session at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. Raikkonen was driving the 2010 Renault R30. "Having not driven a Formula 1 car for two years and obviously with a new team, there is a lot to get used to. I'm happy because I was pretty quick to get back in the groove," Kimmi said. "It was great to be driving an F1 car again and from that respect I feel very positive."
The team tested both low-fuel qualifying laps and a full-tank 27 lap session. Tough work, right?
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Categories: Lotus,Motorsports,Renault
There's something...wrong...with this video. I'm okay, I think, with the idea of a Lotus with an automatic transmission. Automatics can be deviously fast on the track and enable you to focus on things that matter more than gear selection like braking, turning and accelerating. This video just lacks a certain something we've come to expect from Lotus. It's too plain. Too predictable and too real. I mean, they're acting like the 345 horsepower Evora is a real car and not a track-day toy. They even go so far as to talk about new nav, higher quality leather and a new seat design.
I think I liked Lotus better when you had to seriously compromise to drive one and that was half the fun.
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Categories: Lotus,Sports Cars
This is like one of those "Call now and buy six and we'll send you two free!" offers you see on late night TV when you can't sleep and re-runs of House finally stop. One of Malaysia's largest corporations, DRB-Hicom is an automobile manufacturing conglomerate who runs assembly plants and handles distribution for, amongst others, Honda, Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz in Malaysia. And soon they will own a 43% share of Proton and get Lotus essentially for free.
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Categories: Auto Industry,Lotus
The New Lotus directive is: All Celebrities All the Time. Or something very, very similar. Whenever they want to highlight something they drag out a bunch of celebrities and pretend that any of them would trade in their Prius or Mercedes for a small British racecar.
But who to get for the Exige S? The Exige S is the new supercharged, V6 version with some 346 horsepower. So it's got to be someone who can go fast and sideways. Hm, famous and can drive. Well, thankfully Lotus already has a race car driver with a very famous name on staff: Bruno Senna.
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Categories: Celebrities,Coupes,Lotus,Sports Cars,Videos
Malaysia's Proton Holdings Bhd. took control of Lotus in 1996. They're expecting the brand to finally break even financially, at the earliest, in 2014. Famed racing name or not, any way you slice it, that is a long time for a holding company to keep a product without seeing a profit. And now that Proton could be sold off from state sponsorship (it is a government linked company) investors are calling on Proton to sell off Lotus.
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Categories: Auto Industry,Lotus
The big news yesterday out of Lotus Renault was that they had signed Kimi Raikkonen for the 2012 race season. The 32 year old Finn released a statement with the announcement that read, "I'm delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break. My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can't deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming."
It reads like someone who's actually interested in racing and has a pulse. Watching this video interview, however, will remind you quickly that his "iceman" nickname isn't just due to his chilly demeanor on the track.
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Categories: Lotus,Motorsports,Renault
Before the Frankfurt Auto show, Lotus released one of the most cryptic art-school-project quality ads ever to come out of a real carmaker.
The ad teased the supercharged V6 2012 Lotus Exige S which was released at Frankfurt, but Lotus forgot to follow up on the Duel teased in the initial ad.
Tie up those loose ends after the jump...kinda. Spoiler: You can't box a car.
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Categories: Lotus,Miscellaneous
Lotus has gone slightly crazy. To paraphrase the Simpsons, "Lotus management with a car company rooted in small-volume performance cars is a little like a mule with a spinning wheel; nobody knows how they got it and danged if they know what to do with it."
Continuing in the confusion, is this short film teaser for their Frankfurt debut (next gen Elise?) which makes very little sense even when compared to other short films and comes with the title "WHAT THE F...rankfurt?"
Watch it after the jump. If that's your thing.
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Categories: Frankfurt Auto Show,Lotus,Sports Cars
We know lotus is big on special editions, but this is something else. Sure, it's a special build for a charity auction and not a real production vehicle, but still. The car is nonsense so I'm just going to let you read a portion of the press release....
The pearl white MADE IN HEAVEN Evora S with Freddie Mercury inspired theme represents A KIND OF MAGIC combination from the Lotus Design team: the power and prowess of the critically acclaimed Lotus with the dramatic styling befitting of a British rock legend. Featuring deep red and gold highlights this Evora S is well deserving of Freddie's autograph which is also included in the scheme.
The exterior BODY LANGUAGE features a white, red and gold colour scheme inspired by the iconic costume Freddie wore for the 1986 "Magic tour" and features beautiful silver on white iconography. The front fender references the Montreux Freddie memorial statue with the line "Lover of life. Singer of songs" taken from the statue's inscription.
Inside, the one-off yellow interior, also inspired by Freddie's 1986 stage costume, includes a union flag on the back of the seats and the incorporation of a crown hints at Freddie's playful royal role-play. And it goes without saying that the sound system or more specifically the RADIO, will send the lucky owner GA GA.
Right. Got it. Again, the car is being auctioned off for a good charity, the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an HIV / AIDS foundation set up by Mercury's former bandmates, so we're giving it half a pass. Check out the auction here. Bidding ends Sept. 5.
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Categories: Lotus,Tuners and Modifications
Not one to let a high-profile, high-dollar event pass them by, Lotus has just announced the vehicles that they will be bringing to the 2010 Pebble Beach.
First up is the 420 horsepower Lotus Evora GTE Road Car Concept. Inspired by the Lotus Evora GTE racer in the GT2 and LMP2 class, the Evora GTE Road Car isn't just paint, it's "a serious race car that makes for a very serious road car."
The race car uses a Toyota-based, Cosworth tuned V6 and an AMT sequential transmission. The wheels are forged alloy with center-lock hubs and the tires are Pirelli P-Zero Corsa. No word on what the road car will have, but this should be a very close approximation.
See it for yourself on the Concept Car Lawn during the Concours weekend.
Lotus is also bringing the Exige Matte Black Final Edition to Pebble. The limited-run final tribute to the Exige will be on display in Lotus' booth on Peter Hay Hill near The Lodge.
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Categories: Future Vehicles,Lotus,Sports Cars
English coachbuilt excellence at its best -- the 1948 Jaguar 3 1/2 liter Drophead Coupe. Photo by Mark Takahashi
Almost every August since 1950, some of the world's rarest and most expensive cars gather on the Monterey Peninsula in California. This weekend started with the Pebble Beach Road Race and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1950, which is now one of the most prestigious car shows on the planet. As time wore on, more events were added, including the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, the precursor to last year's inaugural Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
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Categories: Alfa Romeo,Bugatti,Chevrolet,Classic Cars,Ferrari,Fiat,Ford,Jaguar,Lotus,Maserati,Motorsports
In what has become a semi-annual event, Lotus has just announced another limited edition Lotus Elise and Lotus Exige. But these special editions are a little different, the Lotus Elise SC Final Edition and Lotus Exige marks the end of the line for what Lotus calls "two of the greatest, purest drivers' cars ever offered for sale in North America -- the Elise and Exige."
And when Lotus says limited editions, they mean limited. There will be only 15 of the 2011 Lotus Elise SC Final Editions produced. The SC FE gets matte black paint on the rear transom panel, roll hoop cover, hardtop and door mirror housings; a rear diffuser; black leather steering wheel; polished aluminum gear knob and handbrake lever; driver and passenger airbags; AC; CD/MP3 player with four speakers; padded leather door panels; leather door inserts; leather trimmed center console; black carpeted floormats with embroidered logo; sound insulation; iPod connectivity; a limited slip diff and Lotus Traction Control. It is available in red, white gray and orange at a base price of $57,500.
Next up is the Exige which gets two packages....
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Categories: Lotus,Sports Cars
Lotus confirmed this week that it has been working on its own engine family since December, with the first fire-up scheduled for Aug. 18 (go ahead, mark your calendars). Intended for the redesigned Esprit, the first engine will be a 4.8-liter V8 that produces 562 horsepower at a screaming 9,000 rpm. A turbocharged version will produce at least 612 hp in an Esprit R model.
"Our engine is 80kg lighter than the Lexus V8 we were going to use," Lotus Engineering Director Wolf Zimmerman (an AMG veteran) told CAR Magazine. "It's also very compact with its dry sump -- it's 40 percent smaller, just 612 mm long. At 170kg, it's more like a race engine."
Indeed, it's been hinted that the new engine will make it into a racing application before the 2013 Esprit is launched. The next step would be dropping cylinders from the V8 to create an engine line-up that would include a 3.6-liter V6 and a 2.4-liter four-cylinder destined to be in the 2015 Elise. According to CAR, an automated single clutch automated manual will be used rather than a dual-clutch set-up and a hybrid is possible.
( CAR )
Categories: Lotus
Change is afoot for lovers of lightweight sportscars. The only two mass-produced ones that actually exist in the U.S. right now -- the Lotus Elise and Lotus Exige -- will no longer be imported here come August.
The reasoning behind this decision has little to do with Lotus' grand plan to move up-market and everything to do with economies of scale (or lack thereof) and regulatory realities. Lotus won't be able to source the cars' Yamaha-built, Toyota-supplied, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine (that it already spent the money to emissions-certify for the U.S. market) anymore. Also, the federal safety exemption that allows the automaker to sell cars without airbags is going to expire. The Elise successor reportedly won't be along until 2015.
What's a minimalist car guy to do? Well, maybe there's hope in the next-generation Mazda MX-5.
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Categories: Convertibles,Coupes,Lotus,Mazda,Sports Cars
Lotus has delayed production of its Elan four-seat sports car, citing that it didn't distinguish itself enough from the smaller new Elise and larger Esprit (pictured). So, instead of just stuffing all that Elan development money under some mattress in Woking somewhere, Lotus is going to use it to create its own modular engine family.
According to the always rumorific Autocar, work began last year and the first new engine to be fired up will be the Esprit's V8, which should produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 550 and 570 horsepower. This would be in lieu of the Toyota V8 originally speculated for the Esprit that would've apparently made 620 hp. Lotus apparently plans to spawn a four-cylinder from the V8's architecture, but if that fails, they can go back to a Toyota mill -- as is done throughout the current Lotus line.
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Categories: Future Vehicles,Lotus,Sports Cars
