Lotus Advanced Performance - new division announced focusing on bespoke vehicles and customer experiences

From Lotus media release today:

• New ‘special operations’ team from Lotus, delivering halo projects, limited editions and unique content for customers
• Enticing new image hints at an exciting future project
• Experiential elements include Lotus Driving Academy and tours of the revitalised advanced production facility in Hethel, Norfolk
• Simon Lane joins Lotus as Director, Lotus Advanced Performance, to lead the team

Introducing Lotus Advanced Performance, a new division of the business dedicated to delivering thrilling bespoke vehicles and world-class customer experiences.

It is another significant development in the ongoing transformation of Lotus from a UK sports car company to a global performance car business and brand. An enticing new image of a rear wing from Lotus Design hints at an exciting future project.

The portfolio of services that Lotus Advanced Performance will offer includes:

• Halo projects – ultra-exclusive and unique vehicles that expand the Lotus product portfolio in exciting new directions
• Limited editions – exclusive high-spec and highly desirable versions of Lotus cars, allowing customers to stand out from the crowd
• Bespoke – personalise your Lotus car with exclusive colours, trims and materials
• Experiential – from tours of the new £100m Hethel sports car and hypercar production lines to ‘money can’t buy’ opportunities all around the world, activities to enable customers, fans and partners to experience the Lotus brand
• Lotus Driving Academy – expert tuition at the wheel of a Lotus at locations around the world, including the iconic Hethel test track in Norfolk
• Motorsport – starting with the Emira GT4 race car, Lotus Advanced Performance will support and deliver lightweight competition cars to customers around the world
• Options – exclusive extras for your Lotus
• Accessories – a broad range of Lotus Advanced Performance products and brand merchandise ‘For The Drivers’

All programmes are being led by Simon Lane, Director, Lotus Advanced Performance, who has joined from the bespoke 'Q by Aston Martin' business.

Simon commented: “I have always been a Lotus fan, and this has to be one of the most exciting roles in the automotive industry right now – a blank sheet of paper and the opportunity to launch a completely new division at the world’s most ambitious car brand. The LAP team and I have some fantastic and truly innovative ideas with very broad appeal, for Lotus fans young and old to those in search of unique experiences and collectible opportunities.”

He added: “Working in tandem with the hugely experienced Lotus Design team, and colleagues in our engineering teams around the world, we are going to build the most exciting and exclusive Lotus cars, embracing our exciting electrified future while also honouring our illustrious past.”

Matt Windle, Managing Director, Lotus Cars, commented: “With high-profile success in leading the delivery of bespoke vehicles and world-class customer experiences, Simon Lane is the perfect person to lead Lotus Advanced Performance. This new division is an exciting addition to our business and another key element of our Vision80 transformation.”

He added: “With the Emira and Evija starting production in the coming months, Lotus Advanced Performance is another significant opportunity to enhance our brand and communicate direct with customers.”

 

[Tonyshepp]

Did Lotus ever acknowledge, open question to anyone, that the yellow Emira in China is representative of what the Yellow car looks like - I didn't see any formal press release to indicate this even though they knew and said there were going to take photos of the FE car colours.

 

[Pav]

Thanks for the update Tom. In a way I'm glad this wasn't available from launch, I expect it would be hard not to get lured into over 100k with carbon trinkets and the like. But I hope they'll become available as dealer fit

Great news about the driver's academy, I hope they get on with that.

 

[First Lotus]

Thanks for the update Tom. In a way I'm glad this wasn't available from launch, I expect it would be hard not to get lured into over 100k with carbon trinkets and the like. But I hope they'll become available as dealer fit

Great news about the driver's academy, I hope they get on with that.

Just had an email regarding drivers academy... They are hoping that will be running in June with Emira and the centre of it. The last bit is rather unsurprising, as that is technically the only car they make ATM!

 

[Bradw]

Just had an email regarding drivers academy... They are hoping that will be running in June with Emira and the centre of it. The last bit is rather unsurprising, as that is technically the only car they make ATM!

What is in the email about drivers academy? Very interested in that.

 

[Eagle7]

I can see some advantages in having Lotus do the mods like this. It keeps the warranty intact which is a big one. It also guarantees quality matching the original work of creating the car in the first place, so that's a big plus. It undoubtedly won't be cheap, but then if you're at this price point, what you want is probably more important to you than saving a few bucks.

I can see interior customization being one of the biggest ones, to know that you're getting factory original workmanship and quality that will be backed by the factory warranty.

I realize some people are not happy with the way things are going or have gone up to this point, but you have to realize just how much they've had to do, and it's been only 7 months since the Goodwood announcement. Those were basically concept cars; they didn't even have a production crew hired yet. To go from that to being able to ship certified production cars in the U.K. in the next few months is incredible. It takes a tremendous amount of work to be able to do that.

They've obviously gotten the message that people want customization, and rather than just issue a statement about it, Matt has budgeted and put together the department and hired the people to do it. We're used to a world of lots of talk, and maybe some action later. Matt is taking the unusual tact of little to no talk, and just getting it done first.

This reminds me of a video I saw awhile ago, of an interview with Graham Hill and Jim Clark back in the 60's. Jimmy was sitting in a Lotus racing car on stage, and Graham was standing next to him. The interviewer was commenting on how successful Clark was in winning races, and asked Graham what he thought were the biggest advantages Jimmy had out on the track. After a moment of thought, Graham said (I'm paraphrasing from memory) "Well, I think his biggest advantage is crossing the finish line first" to which Jimmy and everyone burst out laughing. As they were laughing, Graham, with the slightest hint of a smile on his face added "It's rather irritating actually". They were such great people and such a class act.

This was the hallmark of Colin Chapman, and the great drivers he had. Little talk, lots of action, and they won Formula 1 championships. Matt and his team remind me of Colin and the people he had around him. I think we're witnessing a rebirth of the Lotus of legend, only this time with the advantages of everything that's been learned in the last 70 years, and the driver at the helm is a guy who wants to just cross the finish line first.

 

[TomE]

Ok.... options.... any on line finance company gives you those..... and better rates out there to be had.... these are not live function.... Illustration not an example ? Also they need to be more flexable and not bundel in zero value items

As for pictures .... they seem able to keep sharing atmospheric pictures of Evija..... I know its not easy to just take pictures..... but time and money seems to be there to market the Evija..... a car yes we all like...... but not one that hoped will sell in thousands ?

Abmitted..... the configurator is way better and now one of the best..... but it had to be.... when people did a better job on there home PC

Which manufacturer publicises finance options other than their own? And what rates are other comparable car firms offering versus Lotus, eg Jaguar, Porsche? You'll usually find a better deal in the open market these days, that's not specific to Lotus.

Lotus used to do time-limited 50:50 deals at 0% as a sales incentive, but those days have gone.

 

[TomE]

Did Lotus ever acknowledge, open question to anyone, that the yellow Emira in China is representative of what the Yellow car looks like - I didn't see any formal press release to indicate this even though they knew and said there were going to take photos of the FE car colours.

They specifically said it wasn't representative. It's another non-production show car, like the Seneca Blue car in China (which isn't the same car as the UK dealer tour). Several things on them are not the right spec, for example the finish on the wheels. Some of the yellows (eg calipers) aren't correct either.

 

[Tonyshepp]

They specifically said it wasn't representative. It's another non-production show car, like the Seneca Blue car in China (which isn't the same car as the UK dealer tour). Several things on them are not the right spec, for example the finish on the wheels. Some of the yellows (eg calipers) aren't correct either.

Ah thanks Tom - missed that!

 

[TomE]

I can see some advantages in having Lotus do the mods like this. It keeps the warranty intact which is a big one. It also guarantees quality matching the original work of creating the car in the first place, so that's a big plus. It undoubtedly won't be cheap, but then if you're at this price point, what you want is probably more important to you than saving a few bucks.

I can see interior customization being one of the biggest ones, to know that you're getting factory original workmanship and quality that will be backed by the factory warranty.

I realize some people are not happy with the way things are going or have gone up to this point, but you have to realize just how much they've had to do, and it's been only 7 months since the Goodwood announcement. Those were basically concept cars; they didn't even have a production crew hired yet. To go from that to being able to ship certified production cars in the U.K. in the next few months is incredible. It takes a tremendous amount of work to be able to do that.

They've obviously gotten the message that people want customization, and rather than just issue a statement about it, Matt has budgeted and put together the department and hired the people to do it. We're used to a world of lots of talk, and maybe some action later. Matt is taking the unusual tact of little to no talk, and just getting it done first.

This reminds me of a video I saw awhile ago, of an interview with Graham Hill and Jim Clark back in the 60's. Jimmy was sitting in a Lotus racing car on stage, and Graham was standing next to him. The interviewer was commenting on how successful Clark was in winning races, and asked Graham what he thought were the biggest advantages Jimmy had out on the track. After a moment of thought, Graham said (I'm paraphrasing from memory) "Well, I think his biggest advantage is crossing the finish line first" to which Jimmy and everyone burst out laughing. As they were laughing, Graham, with the slightest hint of a smile on his face added "It's rather irritating actually". They were such great people and such a class act.

This was the hallmark of Colin Chapman, and the great drivers he had. Little talk, lots of action, and they won Formula 1 championships. Matt and his team remind me of Colin and the people he had around him. I think we're witnessing a rebirth of the Lotus of legend, only this time with the advantages of everything that's been learned in the last 70 years, and the driver at the helm is a guy who wants to just cross the finish line first.

Great points. This has also influenced their "don't communicate until we're certain" strategy, which makes sense to them but is frustrating for most of their customers.

 

[Pav]

What is in the email about drivers academy? Very interested in that.

This is what I just received..

Thank you for your e-mail. Our Academy will be live from June and courses will be bookable via our website from mid march.

 

[andrew6382]

I can see some advantages in having Lotus do the mods like this. It keeps the warranty intact which is a big one. It also guarantees quality matching the original work of creating the car in the first place, so that's a big plus. It undoubtedly won't be cheap, but then if you're at this price point, what you want is probably more important to you than saving a few bucks.

I can see interior customization being one of the biggest ones, to know that you're getting factory original workmanship and quality that will be backed by the factory warranty.

I realize some people are not happy with the way things are going or have gone up to this point, but you have to realize just how much they've had to do, and it's been only 7 months since the Goodwood announcement. Those were basically concept cars; they didn't even have a production crew hired yet. To go from that to being able to ship certified production cars in the U.K. in the next few months is incredible. It takes a tremendous amount of work to be able to do that.

They've obviously gotten the message that people want customization, and rather than just issue a statement about it, Matt has budgeted and put together the department and hired the people to do it. We're used to a world of lots of talk, and maybe some action later. Matt is taking the unusual tact of little to no talk, and just getting it done first.

This reminds me of a video I saw awhile ago, of an interview with Graham Hill and Jim Clark back in the 60's. Jimmy was sitting in a Lotus racing car on stage, and Graham was standing next to him. The interviewer was commenting on how successful Clark was in winning races, and asked Graham what he thought were the biggest advantages Jimmy had out on the track. After a moment of thought, Graham said (I'm paraphrasing from memory) "Well, I think his biggest advantage is crossing the finish line first" to which Jimmy and everyone burst out laughing. As they were laughing, Graham, with the slightest hint of a smile on his face added "It's rather irritating actually". They were such great people and such a class act.

This was the hallmark of Colin Chapman, and the great drivers he had. Little talk, lots of action, and they won Formula 1 championships. Matt and his team remind me of Colin and the people he had around him. I think we're witnessing a rebirth of the Lotus of legend, only this time with the advantages of everything that's been learned in the last 70 years, and the driver at the helm is a guy who wants to just cross the finish line first.

Nicely put.... and yes lots of what you have said is very true. But one, for most people custom work done at lotus will be beyond them. For the Drivers.... has also got to be For The People, or sales will not come

Lotus need to sort out basics first, before bold new projects, many are still very unhappy with communications
Use saying oh well, that lotus, is not doing them good or use. At this time it seems to be lots of talk, little action on things they said would be done. More talikng to customers

Yes I have seen the work done at hethel, I admire all they have done..... truly epic...

 

[andrew6382]

Which manufacturer publicises finance options other than their own? And what rates are other comparable car firms offering versus Lotus, eg Jaguar, Porsche? You'll usually find a better deal in the open market these days, that's not specific to Lotus.

Lotus used to do time-limited 50:50 deals at 0% as a sales incentive, but those days have gone.

Jagaur are giving dealer deposits at this time...making there deals better ? but the residauls are not as good ?.... "Which manufacturer publicises finance options other than their own" did i say they should ? ..... but if we are going on that....

Lotus want you to uses theres.... If you dont they will invoice you direct and you have to work round that.... many others will work with your finance company. Why do Lotus not do the same in the USA.... not sure, but I think it might have something to do with anti compertion rules

When I brought my last BMW.... ok not the company, but dealer ask me if I wanted to use BMW or other lenders they can offer

Porsche , better again... well at weekend when i got my quote

Most of them don't expect you to put Zero value items on your finance deal

 

[xen]

Great points. This has also influenced their "don't communicate until we're certain" strategy, which makes sense to them but is frustrating for most of their customers.

Here is why that’s not necessarily true and is indeed frustrating. Two things - you can communicate and be clear that things are subject to change, this still counts as communication. Simply acknowledging a situation with a promise of resolution goes a long way, it’s certainly better than cold silence / we will let you know when we feel it’s best to.

The second, and more obvious; they did a lot of ‘uncertain’ communication. The show car wasn’t certain - the seating position and ride heights for example. The seats also weren’t final, neither were the initial configuration colours…they were still communicated and we understood that they were subject to change. Nobody bit their heads off.

I understand things have been hard and they’ve put in a lot of work but that shouldn’t qualify for a pass. The people in charge at lotus are seasoned executives and I’m sure very very well compensated - it’s their job to do hard things and do them properly. So yes it’s hard and they’ve done a great job but as customers we are within our rights to call them out when they could have done better and provide constructive criticism.

 

[SlavaUkraini]

Here is why that’s not necessarily true and is indeed frustrating. Two things - you can communicate and be clear that things are subject to change, this still counts as communication. Simply acknowledging a situation with a promise of resolution goes a long way, it’s certainly better than cold silence / we will let you know when we feel it’s best to.

The second, and more obvious; they did a lot of ‘uncertain’ communication. The show car wasn’t certain - the seating position and ride heights for example. The seats also weren’t final, neither were the initial configuration colours…they were still communicated and we understood that they were subject to change. Nobody bit their heads off.

I understand things have been hard and they’ve put in a lot of work but that shouldn’t qualify for a pass. The people in charge at lotus are seasoned executives and I’m sure very very well compensated - it’s their job to do hard things and do them properly. So yes it’s hard and they’ve done a great job but as customers we are within our rights to call them out when they could have done better and provide constructive criticism.

I agree with you 100%. All of this, and the little things like not knowing which colors were the production made me kind of sour on the FE. I decided to put a deposit down on a GTS 4.0 instead. I will wait to see how the Emira does and what Lotus ends up doing with it. I hope it does well and I can eventually get into one.

 

[Lankan]

Good to see that Lotus are ramping up their operations and really going for the enthusiasts as well. I will certainly keep an eye for further developments - the resurgence of the Lotus Driving Academy is of interest. upgrades to enhance the driveability of the V6 manual will also be of interest.

 

[TomE]

Jagaur are giving dealer deposits at this time...making there deals better ? but the residauls are not as good ?.... "Which manufacturer publicises finance options other than their own" did i say they should ? ..... but if we are going on that....

Lotus want you to uses theres.... If you dont they will invoice you direct and you have to work round that.... many others will work with your finance company. Why do Lotus not do the same in the USA.... not sure, but I think it might have something to do with anti compertion rules

When I brought my last BMW.... ok not the company, but dealer ask me if I wanted to use BMW or other lenders they can offer

Porsche , better again... well at weekend when i got my quote

Most of them don't expect you to put Zero value items on your finance deal

I’ve just had a quick look and both Porsche and Jaguar are offering deals at 5.9%, the same as Lotus. I’m sure there are some differences around the edges. And of course you can get a better deal if you try elsewhere. Could Lotus make the process easier? Probably. But the basics of a deal seem to be there.

 

[TomE]

Here is why that’s not necessarily true and is indeed frustrating. Two things - you can communicate and be clear that things are subject to change, this still counts as communication. Simply acknowledging a situation with a promise of resolution goes a long way, it’s certainly better than cold silence / we will let you know when we feel it’s best to.

The second, and more obvious; they did a lot of ‘uncertain’ communication. The show car wasn’t certain - the seating position and ride heights for example. The seats also weren’t final, neither were the initial configuration colours…they were still communicated and we understood that they were subject to change. Nobody bit their heads off.

I understand things have been hard and they’ve put in a lot of work but that shouldn’t qualify for a pass. The people in charge at lotus are seasoned executives and I’m sure very very well compensated - it’s their job to do hard things and do them properly. So yes it’s hard and they’ve done a great job but as customers we are within our rights to call them out when they could have done better and provide constructive criticism.

My point was they’ve chosen not to do that. A point I discussed at length with senior Lotus folks and, whilst they acknowledged they could have done things differently, they were not going to change the approach. I agree that better, more frequent and possibly qualified comms is what most customers would like, not radio silence until things are 100% accurate.

To be clear, I’m not defending the approach Lotus have taken (far from it - I have been very vocal with them about my and our feedback), but providing a perspective on what they are doing and why based on their explanations.

 

[p.rob]

I’ve just had a quick look and both Porsche and Jaguar are offering deals at 5.9%, the same as Lotus. I’m sure there are some differences around the edges. And of course you can get a better deal if you try elsewhere. Could Lotus make the process easier? Probably. But the basics of a deal seem to be there.

well even toyota is 5.9%...

 

[Tonyshepp]

well even toyota is 5.9%...

I think it’s the standard across all car manufacturers. Be interesting to see if this goes up due to base rate increase last week.

 

[andrew6382]

My point was they’ve chosen not to do that. A point I discussed at length with senior Lotus folks and, whilst they acknowledged they could have done things differently, they were not going to change the approach. I agree that better, more frequent and possibly qualified comms is what most customers would like, not radio silence until things are 100% accurate.

To be clear, I’m not defending the approach Lotus have taken (far from it - I have been very vocal with them about my and our feedback), but providing a perspective on what they are doing and why based on their explanations.

Tom I understand you are perhaps our best ally.... But what does worry me is that yes you have expressed many of our views to senior lotus folks..... as you have said " whilst they acknowledged they could have done things differently, they were not going to change the approach " basicly they well xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I will let others fill in the gaps.

With this kind of hubris I feel many of use are floging a dead horse if we are expecting change, most of it must be lip service.... to placate use ?