You will have heard of Lotus; small British car maker, based near Norwich, founded by Colin Chapman, generally best known for the ageing Elise – sales of which have kept it afloat for the last decade – and the Esprit that went underwater in The Spy Who Loved Me.
Lotus stole the Paris expo yesterday with one of the most jaw-dropping motor show press conferences I’ve seen in more than a decade of covering them. Bosses unveiled a new Elise. And a new Esprit (pictured). And three more cars called Elite, Elan and Eterne.
Yes, five brand new cars to be launched over the next five years.
Celebrity guests on its stand for the unveilings included model Naomi Campbell, Hollywood actors Mickey Rourke and Stephen Baldwin and Queen guitarist Brian May.
The press conference finished and people literally were genuinely gobsmacked. But then they started asking questions. Is this really possible? Can a small company like Lotus really do all this? Where has the massive amount of money that this has taken so far – let alone what it’s going to cost going forward – coming from? Where are these cars going to be built – its current factory couldn’t cope? What about its rather meager dealer network? What about aftersales and servicing?
Launching so many cars in such a short time, will any of them be any good?
Lotus is literally gambling its past and future on this rebirth. It’s bold – and then some – and I think car fans everywhere would like to see it pull it off. But I wouldn’t want to put money on it.
Breakdown Cover from 
