Lotus wants to be on the cutting edge of green
Lotus may already have one of the greenest line of vehicles, with both the Elise and Exige easily reaching into the 30-mpg range when driven with restraint, but Mike Kimberley wants Lotus to be pioneers of green engineering.Lotus' CEO made comments alluding to the automaker's goal of providing environmentally friendly automotive technology after signing a deal to produce a research and testing facility in Saudi Arabia that would focus on green motoring. The center is part of Lotus' strategy to branch out both technologically and production-wise, with a manufacturing center based in the Middle East. Much of this shift will come with the advancement of hybrid development, although Kimberley didn't go into detail about how the hybrid drivetrains would be implemented in this new venture.
The CEO also went on to report that development of Project Eagle is well underway, saying that the Eagle team is doing a great job and that after driving a prototype late last year he was "very impressed".
[Source: BIZOnline]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yaroukh 9:31AM (1/24/2008)
I'm getting kinda tired by this green PR BS.
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zamafir 10:38AM (1/24/2008)
yeah esp after Detroit and all those 'powered by kitten farts' cars Chrysler and the like lined up. That said, if anyone was going to make strides in the green performance area, it's lotus (given their huge weight advantages over just about any other production car).
L.Wood 10:13AM (1/24/2008)
This is easy - paint the cars British Racing Green, Lime Green, light green, dark green. There are not enough Lotus cars sold in a year to make any difference. This silliness is getting tired.
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Stephen 10:53AM (1/24/2008)
Does anyone see the supreme irony of placing this facility in Saudi Arabia? What possible interest could the Saudis have in assisting the world to cut back on oil consumption?
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Phil Perman 10:57AM (1/24/2008)
Because when their oil reserves run dry (which they will) they're going to be right royally screwed unless they have some other big tech ventures to fall back on
ronnie schreiber 12:39PM (1/24/2008)
Lotus is owned by Proton, based in Malaysia, a Muslim country. Proton recently announced that they were going to develop an "Islamic Car" (perhaps equipped with factory supplied prayer mats and an entertainment system that plays the Adhah, the Muezzin's call to prayer, five times a day??).
Pretty sure this explains Lotus' decision to locate a facility in the land of Mecca and Medina.
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AMG55 12:45PM (1/24/2008)
Sounds to me like Telsa's Director of Business Development better keep close contact with Lotus or they could lose their chasis to other Lotus partners.
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Paul 10:07PM (1/25/2008)
hmm....strange. I would've thought that lotus would have been the last company to adopt a hybrid considering the weight of the system. I wonder what Colin Chapman would think of this...
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davido 1:22PM (1/24/2008)
Lotus is and has been for a long time an engineering company as well as a car builder. So any green tech they develop can be sold, licensed to, or done on contract for other manufacturers and be not limited to their own small production runs. Considering how innovative Lotus has been this is potentially exciting news.
As for those who are tired of this green "sillinesss," is there really a problem with the idea of low or at least lower fuel consumption with high perfromance? I love the idea because the less I spend on gas the more I have for other stuff. Are there really people out there who feel a need to use a lot of fuel and spend a lot of money for it just for the emotional satisfaction it brings?
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cameron42985 4:35PM (1/24/2008)
If anything to do one up on those tesla bastards who robbed their design!
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ronnie schreiber 7:43PM (1/24/2008)
Tesla didn't rob their design. Lotus is supplying Tesla with both components and engineering services.
Lotus has done engineering work for just about every major car company (original ZR1 engine was a Lotus design, the current Aston Platform uses Lotus technology in it's chassis, and just about every company uses Lotus' programmable ECU when developing engines). Lotus would love to sell the ECU as an aftermarket toy for hot rodders and tuners but the EPA would not be happy.
cameron42985 8:25PM (1/24/2008)
In terms of design, it is unoriginal. Enough said.
tariq 7:18AM (2/17/2008)
they would probably find ways to reduce the weight
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