Lotus ditch full EV lineup plan and switch to Hybrids

Regular people are not driving cars for fun, they are simply driving them to get from A to B and hoping not to get wiped off the road by a drunk driver.

Look at the sales numbers for Elise, Vx220 or MX5 or GT86. If people were driving cars to have fun, these would be the best selling cars, the issue is the total opposite is true. That’s before you consider the relative comfort of those cars being pretty low.

I certainly wouldn’t any to be in a collision that was anything more than a ‘fender bender’ in any of those cars, except perhaps the GT86 which isn’t even that light, it’s just got small wheels and than you’d normally fit to make it interesting within its performance envelope.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Regular people are not driving cars for fun, they are simply driving them to get from A to B and hoping not to get wiped off the road by a drunk driver.
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While this is true, I'd think it sad if Lotus became a brand catering to those people.
 
OspreyO said:
I thought this was a thread about Lotus. Are "regular" people using Lotuses to go from A to B now.
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Given their latest model is an SUV and was pegged to be the car that turned the companies fortunes around, yes.

A car company that doesn’t have the prestige like Ferrari isn’t going to going to survive in 2024 making niche sports cars that you can’t really daily drive.

There is a reason why they needed to be bailed out by Geely, things were not going well financially.

They are literally trying to do a Porsche and pivot the company away from only selling 2 seater sports cars to one which can survive long term.
 
Flibster said:
www.autocar.co.uk

Lotus embraces EREV hybrids as it axes all-electric plan | Autocar

Brand had committed to going electric-only in 2028, but luxury car buyers are proving reluctant to switch to EVs
www.autocar.co.uk www.autocar.co.uk

Well, still won't buy one but it's a damn sight more appealing.

Just about the same time Ford have announced they're reducing their European workforce by 4000 as the take up of EV's hasn't been as expected.
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It will be interesting to see if they can shove an ICE into the EV platform that they have going or are they going to need a significant redesign and retooling. (I guess this goes for other companies that bet big on EVs)
 
Chuk_Chuk said:
It will be interesting to see if they can shove an ICE into the EV platform that they have going or are they going to need a significant redesign and retooling. (I guess this goes for other companies that bet big on EVs)
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maybe the equation is different for really high end performance cars...... however for every day cars that 90% of people drive so long as they are good valuale , reliable as well as nice to drive runarounds companies who bet big AND make decent EVs won't have to find out.
it helps if companies can trust what governments say when planning their future however.
IF a company invested the money to get an advantage over tardy companies who dont, then the government does need to follow through for instance with the fines (in the case of ICE car percentage sales).
 
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b0rn2sk8 said:
…and many people are alive as a result of all the additional safety built into the car and as such have not being horrifically maimed in a collision.


Let me check my calendar, ah yeh, £25k from 25 years ago is no longer worth £25k anymore.
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It's about 45-50k now. So still about half the price.
 
Nasher said:
Then buy a top spec Cayman and still have a faster car and money left over lol. That is unlikely to lose value now either.

No one is buying this thing as a second car, which is what it seems to be built as. If it was 40k cheaper it might get some attention.

But 80k for a car with the performance of a 25k sports car from 25 years ago...meh. Can't even take the roof off. How is this progress.
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one of the receptionists at our work a few years ago (over a decade now... how time flies!) was practically decapitated when she rolled her "classic" MX5. really sad she was only in her 20s. so if modern safety features in a car add a bit to their weight and affects their performance and even fun factor a bit it is a price worth paying.

hell in another topless small 2 seater (a smart roadster) one of our heads of IT was also killed when a lorry shed its load on his car....... that said, am not sure he would have been saved even in a modern car in that one :(

however in general, getting rid of tin can deathtraps of yesteryear can only be a good thing imo.
 
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bigmike20vt said:
one of the receptionists at our work a few years ago (over a decade now... how time flies!) was practically decapitated when she rolled her "classic" MX5. really sad she was only in her 20s. so if modern safety features in a car add a bit to their weight and affects their performance and even fun factor a bit it is a price worth paying.

hell in another topless small 2 seater (a smart roadster) one of our heads of IT was also killed when a lorry shed its load on his car....... that said, am not sure he would have been saved even in a modern car in that one :(

however in general, getting rid of tin can deathtraps of yesteryear can only be a good thing imo.
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TBH impact protection is probably as much about design as it is adding material, but the hard really is the human body has only evolved to withstand deceleration at running speeds.

Two friends I went to school with drowned after leaving the road and ending up in a river.
 
bigmike20vt said:
one of the receptionists at our work a few years ago (over a decade now... how time flies!) was practically decapitated when she rolled her "classic" MX5. really sad she was only in her 20s. so if modern safety features in a car add a bit to their weight and affects their performance and even fun factor a bit it is a price worth paying.

hell in another topless small 2 seater (a smart roadster) one of our heads of IT was also killed when a lorry shed its load on his car....... that said, am not sure he would have been saved even in a modern car in that one :(

however in general, getting rid of tin can deathtraps of yesteryear can only be a good thing imo.
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People die in rollovers in SUVs too, they are much more likely to roll in an accident. Airbags themselves also kill people in low speed bumps which they would otherwise have survived. People have died in EV fires after being unable open the electronic controlled doors. Lane assist has caused a few accidents as well. Then there are all the autopilot/self-driving deaths.

Some things have been made safer, but other things have caused new dangers in other situations. There is always something.

There have been plenty of crashes on tracks in Elises and drivers walked out unharmed. You can always fit a roll cage for extra safety (doesn't cost a whole lot to do), but then it becomes a danger to other cars on the road as it will cut through crumple zones then :P
 
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I'm not surprised EV sales are down however I read an article yesterday they are up :)
I was explaining to my workmate yesterday that for me going EV was a no brainer, I can get 4 cars up my drive and charge my car for 2p a mile compared to around 20p a mile for my last ICE car.
For him living in a terraced house where even if he could run a cable across the pavement he can't normally park in front of his own house.
I told him his nearest Charging stations were 78p/Kw and 82p/Kw which means he would be paying way more per mile than his ICE car.
The charging infrastructure and pricing has not been taken into consideration.
 
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