Financial Strain and Job Losses

Currently, Lotus, which is operating under Geely, seems to be planning to let go of 270 of its employees due to cutting down costs. The majority of these losses are in Hethel, UK, where Lotus Cars is building the Emira and the Evija. However, Emeya and Eletre will not be included in this restructuring, based in China.

In my opinion, this has raised the issue of how organizations manage to carry out their operations internationally and, at the same time, consider the local factors in manufacturing. Nonetheless, Lotus has not left its site in the United Kingdom; however, the losses resulting from the tariffs put the company in a position that necessitated reducing the workforce.

The Impact of Tariffs

Responding to the specific query, it is possible to note that the disruptions of the Trump administration through tariffs have affected Lotus in some ways. Due to the fact that the United States imposed a duty on imported cars at 25%, the cost of exporting the Emira to the United States became unmanageable. This is quite unfortunate, especially given that the delivery of the Emira to the US market only started early last year, after so much delay.

To me, these tariffs triangulate what seems to be an existing problem in international relations and international business—how the decisions of the involved parties impact those. This is why Lotus had to stop shipments – the economic environment of the business demands that organizations be able to adjust themselves quickly to external policies.

Commitment to UK Operations

However, Lotus has come out in public to declare its commitment to continue operating in the UK. The company has explained that the measures have been put forward for the sustainability of its business. Lotus was quoted as saying this in a statement to the BBC about the restructuring that it said was imperative for the future of the company.

To my mind, it is crucial to mention that these decisions are rather difficult, but they might be necessary for the company to survive. This shows that even with the above challenges, Lotus remains committed to its UK origin, which also may be interpreted as a great focus on the brand.

End Note

The auto sector has always been subject to changes, but the events that have taken place at Lotus are an example of how tricky business is nowadays. However, with Lotus currently operating in these troubled waters, the question that one may want to raise is how Lotus will respond to these changes in the future? Nonetheless, with the help of some of the applicable strategies, I believe that Lotus will be able to cope with these problems and produce the outstanding vehicles that have always been a trademark of the company.

The Exige lineup is perhaps the most successful from the carmaker, with lots of versions providing sheer performance. But on top of all, the recently unveiled Exige Sport 380 is perhaps the most powerful variant.

The Lotus Exige Sport 380 is based on the 350 and comes with an extremely lightweight platform, and that thanks to the extensive usage of carbon fiber materials. This means that it weighs just 1,066 kg and provides a top speed of 178 mph.

Amongst the top features, we should mention the carbon fiber front splitter, new front access panel, rear wing and rear diffuser surround, all of them being beautifully highlighted by the red accents on the car`s gorgeous exterior colour.

Such a lightweight chassis comes as well with great power under the hood, not to mention an impressive sprint. Even if we do not have the official performance figures, we do have the amazing 3.5 second sprint from 0 to 100 km/h.

In case you love the Lotus products, especially the Exige lineup, then you should know that the recently unveiled Sprt 380 comes available at the right price. We are looking here at £67,900.

Besides the sheer performance and lightweight platform, you also get other goodies, including the AP Racing brakes, carbon fiber sports seats with Alcantara, leather or tartan, along with the car`s new Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) and open-gate shifter for the car`s six-speed manual transmission. Let`s not also forget the new wheels fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.

The Lotus Evora Sport 410 was first previewed at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, last March, with the carmaker announcing its arrival in the US with a lot of exquisite features and lightweight styling bits, which will make it extremely high-performance.

Lotus is well-known for building extremely lightweight sports cars, and the Sport 410 is no exception. The car`s components are built from lightweight components like carbon fiber composites. Thanks to that, the sports car will be around 70 kg lighter, reaching an overall 1,270 kg. The model can be also equipped with an optional titanium exhaust system which also sheds off around 10 kg.

As for the car`s performance, the carmaker has fitted a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 engine, which develops 10 horsepower more than the Evora 400. We are looking here at an overall of 410 horsepower, available at 7,000 rpm, and 410 Nm of torque, available at just 3,500 rpm.

This makes the Lotus Evora Sport 410 extremely fast when sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h, the sports car taking just 3.9 seconds, a mind-blowing figure achieved with a six-speed automatic transmission. Equipped with the six-speed manual, the model is 0.1 slower. Even so, it is around 0.2 seconds faster than the Evora 400.

Also very impressive, the Sport 410 comes with a top speed of 305 km/h in the manual and 285 km/h in the automatic transmission.

We are dealing here with a 1966 Lotus Cotrina Mk1 which was built in a joint venture between Ford and Lotus. At that time, it was quite frequent seeing two competitors shaking hands and building special models.

The production of this particular model started in 1963 and ended in 1970, the model coming with an exclusive body styling and an engine that used to be a real killer back then.

As we can depict from the photos, we are dealing here with a fully-restored Lotus Cortina, in a pristine condition and standing out from the crowd with a white body styling with green stripes, the same one wrapping the old-timer. Some of the models also came out with the specific Ford racing accents with dark blue stripe, but this one is wrapping the green stripe, which is a common of taste.

Inside, the 1966 Lotus Cortina`s cabin is also restored, now tweaking black leather seats, wood-trimmed steering wheel, all the restored-elements reminding us of the original interior.

In the engine department, the classic model came with a 1,557 cc engine, which was pretty common at that time, with the rest of the mechanics also being restored. It took the former owner more that 15 years to make it shine again, so the asking price of this Cortina on eBay is $77,323. From where I stand, this is a common sense price tag, it should be priced at least twice that price!

Recently, the carmaker has launched a special model called the Elite 205 Special Edition, meant to celebrate 50 years of company`s Hethel site, the model being extremely fast and built from lightweight materials. This edition can be had in a limited 50 units, each one costing at least £47,900.

The model can be had with a wide color palette, such as metallic blue, red, white and yellow, along with a plethora of body styling parts.

The Lotus Elite 205 Special Edition comes with a carbon fiber aero kit, consisting of a new front splitter, tailgate and rear wing as well as a front access panel. Let`s not forget as well the ultra-light alloy forged wheels finished in black or silver, as well as the carbon fiber hardtop roof panel.

Inside, the cabin welcomes the driver with carbon fiber seats in dark blue and dark grey leather, adding the on-board entertainment system, auxiliary driving lights, cruise control, special floor mats and carpets.

From a mechanical point of view, the Lotus Elite 250 Special Edition is also fitted with Bilstein sports dampers, Eibach coaxial coil springs, double wishbone, suspension and braking systems from the Elise Cup 250, AP Racing twin-piston front calipers, Brembo single-piston rear calipers and so on.

In the engine department, the Special Edition packs a 1.8-liter supercharged flat-four engine, with 245 horsepower and 250 km/h. Because the model weighs only 899 kg, it makes it quite fast from 0 to 100 km/h, managing an impressive 3.9 seconds. The topping also stands at 250 km/h.

Europeans customers will have the chance of buying the model with the new Carbon Pack and some fine other highlights. The pack is going to be available from 9,000 euro in Germany and 6,500 pounds in the United Kingdom. Later on, the pack will be available for the United States market at 10,000 dollars.

The current Lotus Evora 400 weighs 3,075 pounds, but with the new pack, it will weigh just 2,983 pounds, which is 11 pounds less, enough to make it more agile.

The pack comes with some important bits from the Sport 410, including a new front splitter and roof, center parts of the rear wing and rear diffuser, adding custom mirror caps, front access panel and so on.

In case you want more goodies, then you can also choose the titanium exhaust system, available at 7,000 euro or 5,500 pounds, along with the new lithium-ion battery, this one adding another 1,890 euro or 1,350 pounds.

As far as the engine goes, the 2016 Lotus Evora 400 with Carbon Fiber Pack will keep the stock 3.5-liter V6 supercharged engine, delivering an impressive 400 horsepower, hooked to a standard gear or optional six-speed automatic with paddle-shifters. The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h is done in 4.1 seconds, at a topping of 186 mph.

In case you want more performance, then a limited-slip differential is also available with the standard manual transmission.

A true example of such a model is Lotus`s last model recently released, the all-new 2016 Exige Sport 350 Roadster, the coupe`s little brother, first unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.

The Roadster follows its sibling`s footstep, coming with an evolutionary and aerodynamic design and lightweight properties.

We are dealing here with a curb weight of just 2,392 pounds, with the Carbon Aero Pack, achievable via lightweight engine mounts, louvered tailgate panel or a much lighter lithium-ion battery pack.

The Carbon Aero Pack also comes with a carbon fiber front splitter, carbon fiber rear diffuser or carbon fiber rear wing. The entire carbon package automatically leads to exceptional performance under the hood.

Speaking about performance, the 2016 Lotus Exige Sport 350 Roadster packs a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 mill, with a sheer 345 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, sent to the rear axle via a six-speed manual. Thanks to that, the sports car sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in only 3.7 seconds, at a topping of 250 km/h.

Prices with the model has not been yet released, but we should expect fresh news in the upcoming period.

According to the auto magazine the Lotus 3-Eleven managed to lap Hockenheimring in 1.06,2 min, being faster than the Porsche 918 Spyder with 0.1 seconds.

What made the lap run interesting was the fact that the Lotus 3-Eleven was equipped with standard road rubbers, with the temperature outside being around 8 degrees Celsius. This, of course, didn’t create the perfect conditions for a professional run, however, the supercar managed to set a new lap record on the track.

Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales, praised in an interview the astonishing performance of his driver as well as the extraordinary driving capabilities on any circumstances of its ultimate supercar:

“Christian set a fabulous lap in less than ideal conditions. We knew from the outset that we have created a simply phenomenal car that is capable of great things, and this lap record proves that beyond doubt. This is the ultimate embodiment of the Lotus design philosophy.”

”The Lotus 3-Eleven is an amazingly fast and track focused car in which to have a lot of fun at the limit. It is the fastest series-production car in the test history of Sport Auto on the Hockenheimring Short Circuit,” Gales also concluded.

Lotus 3-Eleven is packing a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 500 horsepower, alowing a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds, at a topping of 290 km/h.

In comparison, the Porsche 918 Spyder is powered by a 4.6-liter V8 engine and two electric motors, delivering a total of 886 horsepower and whopping 1,275 Nm of torque. The run is done in an impressive 2.6 seconds, at a topping of 345 km/h.

In fact, the first Lotus Evora 400 has already left the factory based in Hethel, the model wearing the metallic black finish, while the interior has received the red finish. The first models will hit dealerships in August, at the base entry-level of 72,000 GBP in UK, while in the US it will cost $89,900.

The CEO at Lotus Jean-Marc Gales, have stated that the Lotus Evora 400 had been planned for more than a year and now, with the first Evora 400 being released from the production line, the company has “achieved a key milestone for Lotus”.

The new Lotus Evora 400 will come with a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 unit under the hood, developing 400 horsepower and 410 Nm of torque, which will make it sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds, at a topping of 300 km/h.

The US and the Chinese citizens will have to wait until 2016 to get their hands of a one-off Lotus Evora 400, while the Europeans will be able to buy it, starting this August.

More important, the British company managed to make the car lighter by around 15 kilograms. It weighs 1,161 kilograms and packs a 3.5-liter V6 producing 345 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque.

The 0-100 km/h acceleration is possible in just 4 seconds with a top speed of 274 km/h. The downforce has been also improved by about 42 kilograms (at 161 km/h) thanks to the revised underbody and the wing. These extra tweaks will also make the handling better.

According to Lotus, the new Exige S Club Racer, which by the way, starts at £56,900, adds extra £4,500 worth of equipment. However, looking at the starting price, you will see a difference of only £2,400.

“The new Exige S Club Racer occupies an important niche within the Exige range and arrives hot on the heels of the Elise 220 Cup and the forthcoming Evora 400,” concludes the company.