1977 Lotus Esprit Project Car on 2040-cars

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Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales abruptly quits

Jean-Marc Gales is out as CEO at sports car maker Lotus after nearly four years and a track record of turning the company from years of financial losses to a small profit. He'll be replaced by Feng Qingfeng, vice president and chief technical officer of China's Geely Auto Group, who joined the company's board after Geely acquired a majority ownership stake a year ago. Gales will continue as chief strategic advisor to Lotus Chairman Daniel Donghui Li. "Jean-Marc has stabilized and turned Lotus to profitability for the first time in the iconic brand's history, with new industry-leading products and unique business models since joining the company in 2014," Daniel, who is also Lotus' chief financial officer, said in a statement. "Lotus is poised for the next phase of growth under Feng Qingfeng's leadership, where its expertise in lightweight materials and sports car engineering will form part of the wider expansion of Geely's automotive portfolio." Gales told Autocar he was leaving for "personal reasons" and said it was "time to move on." He will head up JD Classics, a British dealer and restorer of classic cars. Gales praised his successor, saying Feng could "unlock the synergies" between Geely stablemates Lotus, Volvo, Polestar and Chinese brand Lynk & Co. Lotus under Gales had been working on updating its aging portfolio of cars — the Elise, the Exige and the Evora — with plans to first update the Elise by 2020. Earlier this year came word that Gales had green-lighted two new sports cars, to be announced later this year and produced in 2020, and an SUV about the size of the Porsche Macan and possibly based on Volvo's SPA platform, which underpins the XC60 and XC90. Lotus under Gales saw sales increase 10 percent in 2017 to about 1,600 sports cars. Related Video:

Lotus could build production versions of Renault Alpine, Infiniti Emerg-E

As with one of those blockbuster three-team NBA trades that actually improves the fortunes of every team involved, a report in Autocar indicates that Renault, Infiniti and Lotus are in talks that could benefit both manufacturers and enthusiasts. Renault is considering a production version of the devil-in-blue Alpine A110-50 concept but has said that it "probably needs more than the Renault-Nissan Alliance on its own." Enter Lotus, whose Evora platform could supply the running bits for the mid-engined Alpine revival.
That same Evora platform, in range-extended 414E concept form, is the basis for the Infiniti Emerg-E concept. Even though a decision hasn't been made on the Emerg-E's production, it is still being developed and the company has admitted that it "could be built in Britain." For its part, Lotus has said that it's ahead of schedule on the Evora 414E, with its 408 horsepower, 738 pound-feet of torque and 30-mile electric range. Development funds from both Renault and Infiniti could help make all three cars a closer possibility.

Lotus won't launch a 3-Eleven successor until it overhauls its range

Lotus has received an enthusiastic response to limited-edition models like the 3-Eleven. It's open to the idea of making similar cars, but Autoblog learned fans shouldn't expect to see one until it has overhauled its range. "There is room for it, but we have so many things to do that we're already committed to. Getting a new product range out there is the priority," Matt Windle, the firm's engineering boss, told us during an interview. The decision to wait is a wise one, because Lotus has a lot on its plate for a small company. It's putting the final touches on the electric, 2,000-horsepower Evija, it's allegedly working on a new Esprit with hybrid power, and unverified rumors sketch the outline of an SUV pegged in the same segment as the Porsche Macan. On the other hand, the global market's appetite for few-off models is healthy. Bentley had no trouble selling 12 examples of the Bacalar, for example, and even Aston Martin wants a piece of the pie. This trend isn't lost on Lotus; it knows it's in a unique position to capitalize on it. It competes at a lower price point than most other companies making limited-edition cars, and its "light is right" motto is still revered in enthusiast circles. While its car-building division is busier than ever, its engineering arm has the bandwidth to work on special projects. "Lotus Engineering, the consultancy side of the business, is going strong as well. We've been talking about bespoke programs with other companies. That's one way we could deal with that, and it would take it away from the main product development teams. Nothing is confirmed yet, but there are a lot of discussions going on," Windle revealed without giving too much away. Lotus has been there before. It notably helped John Z. DeLorean bring the DMC-12 to the market, and it transformed the Opel Omega into the fastest sedan in the world. Some of our geekier readers will remember the "handling by Lotus" emblems on the Isuzu Impulse. It has worked on several General Motors engines, too, including the EcoTec unit that once powered several Saab, Saturn, Chevrolet, and Pontiac models. The next limited-edition Lotus will have big shoes to fill whenever it arrives. The aforementioned 3-Eleven stood proud as the fastest street-legal Lotus when it made its debut in 2015, and the 430 variant (pictured) launched in 2018 put an even greater focus on performance.