Report: Bob Lutz gives Lotus a 60% chance of success

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Report: Bob Lutz gives Lotus a 60% chance of success

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 15th 2010 at 1:29PM

If anyone knows about turning things around, it's Bob Lutz. After all, he was a naval aviator, and those guys can pull some serious G forces. He's also widely credited with keeping Chrysler alive for longer than it might have been otherwise. But what's he up to these days?

Well for one thing he's sitting on the senior advisory board for Lotus, giving Dany Bahar and company some guidance as they endeavor to usher the House that Colin Built into a new era. And an ambitious endeavor it is, rolling out five new models all at once while expanding its motorsports program tenfold and then some.

So what does Lutz think of Lotus' chances? Well he's optimistic, but cautiously so. Lutz reportedly gives the prospects at least a 60 percent chance to succeed, but importantly, he thinks it's more viable than the company's current path. According to Lutz, "It's a risk. But I'm quite certain it stands a better chance than the Lotus status quo, which for sure would eventually lead this great brand into terminal decline."

In other words, while there are no guarantees, it's a good plan – not a perfect one – and it'll take some good ol' fashion elbow grease to make it work – something Lutz knows all about.

link:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/15/report-bob-lutz-gives-lotus-a-60-chance-of-success/

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Lutz Gives Lotus 60 Percent Chance Of Success With New Line

By Nelson Ireson

Editor

December 15th, 2010

So what, exactly, is Bob Lutz doing pontificating on the probabilities of Proton-owned Lotus' likelihood of success? He's an member of the senior advisory board, invited by new CEO Dany Bahar. And he's guesstimating a 60 percent chance of success for Lotus' new model line and product direction.

We're not sure where Lutz gets his numbers from, but we're guessing it's traditional Lutzian gut instinct. His gut has proven a reliable companion over the years, so we're inclined to believe him. But we're still a bit perturbed at the company's metamorphosis.

Lutz says his 60-percent rating is a better chance than he would have given the previous tack, however, which he says would "eventually lead this great brand into terminal decline." We can't disagree with that, either, as niche sportscar makers are a thing of the past. See, e.g., Porsche.

For more on the cars that form the new Lotus Lutz is talking about, check out our previews of the 2013-2015 Elan, Esprit, Eterne, Elite, and Elise.

link:

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1052581_lutz-gives-lotus-60-percent-chance-of-success-with-new-line