After Bahar joined Lotus in 2009, he set to work on replicating the Ferrari experience for the Norfolk sportscar maker. Lotus Originals opened its first retail store at the Hethel factory last December, and is due to launch its prestigious flagship store on London’s Regent Street during the next few months.

However, Ferrari and Lotus are not the only car maker to embrace the brand retail concept – L’Atelier Renault situated on the legendary Champs-Elysees in Paris, welcomes over two million visitors each year and there are numerous ‘brand experience’ centres off the high street including Mercedes-Benz World at the site of the famous Brooklands racing circuit in England.

Automotive brand retailing is now transforming from its humble origins as a catalogue business (tucked away in an official dealer’s parts and service department), to an independent service provided by car makers in ever-more prominent locations.

Now it’s BMW’s turn to show what it can do.

Earlier today Ian Robertson, Head of Sales and Marketing at BMW AG, opened the car maker’s first ‘BMW Brand Store’ on Avenue George V, one of the most luxurious areas in metropolitan Paris.

The store was designed by the well-known, luxury retail architect, Eric Carlson and his team from Carbondale Architects and Version Architects.

Ian Robertson said at the launch, “The world of retail has changed significantly – customer behaviour, needs and expectations have changed, as well as communication technology. As part of our corporate Strategy Number ONE, we critically reviewed our processes and customer feedback. We will now build upon our strengths and implement a comprehensive programme named Future Retail. This will entail a whole range of initiatives and tools designed to enhance the customer experience and to set new standards for retail in the automotive industry and beyond.”

With Future Retail, the BMW Group has three objectives – first, to increase the number of possible contact points with customers and prospects, second, to increase the services and benefits offered in its retail channels, and third, to enhance the retail experience at all touch points.

* * *

For those of you unfamiliar with the ingredients of multi-channel marketing, the phrase ‘touch point’ is management-speak for any physical or virtual contact between the customer and a brand. During the past decade consumer product retailers have been grappling with the issues created by the diversity of these contact opportunities (telephone, internet, retail stores, temporary exhibition centres) where a customer either acquires information about the brand or provides information about themselves to the brand.

Either way, the challenge for the brand is to ensure the information they provide (or collect) is the same (across all touch points) and that contact with the customer builds a memory that informs future contact (through whichever contact point the customer then chooses to use) so that the contact can be personalised and the experience enhanced to make customers more likely to buy and remain loyal.

It’s tricky, but quite fun to crack and often a brand’s retail presence is the best point to use when bringing all these elements together. It’s also usually the only point where the entire customer experience can be delivered in a consistent and controlled manner.

* * *

In the future you will see a number of BMW and MINI retail centres, together with other initiatives to help deliver BMW’s Future Retail goals.

According to BMW’s statement today, Stage One seems to be these branded retail centres, but Robertson still sees its dealer network as being a critical part of the customer experience offered by the brand.

To this end, they have created a new dealer-based role, dubiously called ‘Product Genius’, which will be mobile rather than office-based. These product management gurus will be equipped with a state of the art Information Management System on a tablet device, allowing, for example, product configuration and in-depth explanation of features supported by visuals and films.

Robertson’s ambitions are considerable, “We aim to be the benchmark in automotive retail”, but they’ll start their move towards world-domination initially in just four countries – France, UK, China and the Netherlands.

Presumably America’s ‘Have a Nice Day’ culture was a bit too much to swallow in the first stage, but then Rome wasn’t built in a day and there’s a lot of work to do before Robertson’s vision of a single customer experience can become a reality.

I’d like to test this question with a story which will be published early next week. But first, let me bring you up to speed on why your viewpoint is relevant.

Early last week South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon told the House of Commons that accountancy firm KPMG had been appointed to find a Chinese buyer for Group Lotus. The story was picked up by several ‘reputable’ news providers (including the BBC) and soon was reported as fact, most notably by Autocar’s Steve Cropley, who reported the statement verbatim without appearing to question the accuracy of the claim.

My interest was naturally piqued by this latest revelation, not only because we’ve been following the Lotus situation closely, but because as a former Partner in KPMG and an Alumni of the firm, I keep in touch with my old colleagues and this was definitely ‘news’ to me. So, naturally I dug a little deeper.

During the past few months we’ve spoken with people within Proton, DRB-Hicom and the Malaysian government. We’ve compared notes with respected writers, such as Joe Saward, and thoroughly validated any assumptions we’ve presented after talking directly with Lotus.

I’ve never shied away from criticising the Norfolk car maker, nor its charismatic CEO, but I believe in everyone getting a fair hearing and dislike careless innuendo or misinformation.

With an advisory hat on I’ve sat down with Lotus to find out what’s really going on, to understand the impact of such public scrutiny on their day-to-day business. Everyone makes mistakes and Lotus has been quite open with me about the ones they’ve made, but they expect (and I believe deserve) a fair hearing in the press.

What interests me most at this time is ensuring people are well informed and able to make their own decisions based on the available facts.

As you can probably gather, that’s not the situation which currently exists. Right now, Lotus’ greatest frustration is seeing themselves judged in the media based on misleading comment and biased rhetoric. And despite pursuing retractions, in most cases they are largely being ignored.

If you’re an enthusiast, a fan, or just someone who values the expertise built up in one of Britain’s most innovative companies, then I invite you to hold the media to account, voice your displeasure at careless reporting and question the intentions of those who share their point of view (including myself).

Likewise, help me to ensure all the important questions have been asked. Post any in the comments below and I will endeavour to answer them after meeting again with Lotus next week.

It’s ‘Have Your Say’ time, so take advantage of the opportunity to be heard.

Don’t think you know his work? Well how about those amazing vehicles used in Disney’s movie, Tron Legacy – he designed those. Or the world’s fastest road car? Yeah, Daniel was a Senior Designer at Bugatti, so he spent a lot of time creating the form we now know as the Veyron.

In addition to complete vehicles Daniel also enjoys designing the livery of the most dramatic race cars, including last year’s F111 HRT and more recently the Lotus LMP2 challenger, run by former Hispania Racing Team Principal, Colin Kolles.

Staying faithful to both the legendary black and gold livery and the current Lotus Design, the Lotus LMP2 impresses with its functional simplicity.

“Racing is passion in every detail. One of them is how the car connects from the track to the fans. That’s the role of a livery. It’s how most people describe and remember a race car. Especially with Lotus. Endurance racing is amongst the most prestigious motorsport events, injected with a star-studded history, heroic tales and tragedies. It’s a dream coming true to be involved. We created a unique car. A beautiful Lotus,” said Simon.

He really is the master of sensationally dramatic vehicles and he makes you wonder what could be achieved if supplied with the kind of budget used to build a complete car.

* * *

Now he’s turned his hand to creating the official video for the Lotus LMP2 programme, filmed during the inaugural race of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

The Lotus LMP2 uses the new Lola B12/80 LMP2 Coupe as its base, powered by a 3.6-litre V8 Lotus engine and compliant with the new regulations for the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The car is fitted with an Xtrac gearbox with pneumatic paddle shift system and Carbon brakes with AP Racing six-piston callipers. The complete car, including engine, weighs just 900 kg.

The car, driven by Thomas Holzer, Mirco Shultis and Luca Moro, finished in 6th place in the LMP2 category and 10th overall at the team’s very first endurance race, so clearly it’s as fast on the track as it looks on the drawing board.

Photo credits: Lotus, Daniel Simon/Cosmic Motors

More information: Lotus LMP2 website

Gallery

Tickets ranged from $250 for individual entrance up to $25,000 as a Wisteria Lane sponsor. Each year the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation hosts its annual Block Party on Wisteria Lane, but this year was special as the hit ABC series, Desperate Housewives, films its final episode.

Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman and other “Desperate Housewives” cast members got together last Saturday for one last block party BBQ at the world’s most infamous cul-de-sac.

Despite being known as Wisteria Lane in the TV series, its real name is ‘Colonial Street’ and over the years has provided the backdrop for many a movie and TV production including, Leave it to Beaver, Gremlins, The ‘Burbs, Deep Impact and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Lotus donated a week-long loan of the black and gold JPS-liveried Evora, and if that wasn’t already enough the included a pair of VIP tickets to a future IndyCar race. The Evora’s auction raised $3500 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which is the world’s leader in the search for new treatments and cures for the disease.

Donate: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or @CF_Foundation.

Welcome to the world of Lotus, where the news is never dull.

* * *

Just 118 examples of the China Limited Edition Evora GTE will be put on sale, with each car featuring a numbered plaque inside marked with the China Limited Edition insignia.

The interior features more leather and carbon fibre, but according to Lotus the GTE’s performance remains undiminished. The same 444bhp 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine provides the GTE’s motive power, making it the most powerful Lotus road car ever built.

When the Evora GTE was initially revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September, demand was so high that the company sold its planned 114 production schedule within days. Much of the demand came from China, hence the reason why Lotus chose to increase production and offer a special version for the car’s biggest market.

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar, was in China at the car’s launch, together with Lichen Zhang, President & CEO of Lotus China. “As the top potential market for sports car brands, China is a vital part of the five-year revival plan we announced 18-months ago. We are committed to bringing our unique products, distinctive style and rich history to China to provide Chinese customers with diversified and personalized product choices” said Bahar.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Malaysia, new owners DRB-HICOM issued a denial that the famous British brand was for sale or about to go into receivership.

DRB-Hicom’s communications chief, Salaiman Yahya, said that contrary to reports, the British company will not be put into administration. It is currently undergoing an operations audit as part of the Malaysian business’s governance process, and did not know the source of speculation that it was selling the brand to China’s Youngman.

In a statement he said that DRB-Hicom was still supporting Lotus Group “both financially and management-wise” and confirmed that “DRB-Hicom has identified one of Proton’s senior management personnel to take up a position in Lotus Group in an effort to strengthen its management.”

* * *

Finally, under the headline ‘Lotus Raises IndyCar Commitment’, the car maker seems to have done exactly the opposite.

Following the first three races of the season, Lotus undertook a strategic review of its position to decide what course of action would be in the best interests of IndyCar and the teams it supports. With the unanticipated difficulties caused by the widely reported change of ownership (to DRB-Hicom) and the subsequent restrictions on resources, the company has admitted that it was unable to continue supplying the regulatory ‘five’ engines during 2012.

Whilst their IndyCar engine has shown promise, it remains under-powered, compared to the opposition and minimal testing has resulted in reliability issues. Even so, a top ten finish has been an impressive start to their IndyCar campaign.

Consequently the company has made offers (of compensation) to Bryan Herta Autosport LLC and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing LLC to end their agreements, which means that Bryan Herta Autosport will no longer participate in any races as a Lotus team, whilst Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will race one more time in Brazil next weekend.

Randy Bernard, CEO of IndyCar has promised to help Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Bryan Herta Autosport in securing engines for the remainder of the season, but he said “..he supported Lotus’ decision.”

Going forward, Lotus is excited to be working closely with Lotus HVM Racing, the original partner team and Lotus Dragon Racing, who delivered Lotus’ best result so far this season.

Claudio Berro, Lotus’ Director of Motorsport, said: “..I’m delighted with our solution and I can assure everybody that the actions were taken after careful consideration and will assist in ensuring the brand’s high racing ambitions and the high expectations of the IndyCar community are realised.”

In an age of social news-casting on Twitter and one-click searches on Google, the skill of the investigative journalist is steadily being eroded. As audiences, we are sometimes too ready to jump on news stories that may only have taken 30-minutes to research and produce.

The upside is that we gain access to our news more quickly, but the downside can be that we’re eating more and more ‘half-baked’ dishes that can sometimes lead to a bad case of indigestion..

Take this weekend’s Bahrain GP. As I check the Google-sphere there are some 2,218 news articles online, mostly from reporters who’ve never visited Bahrain or almost certainly were not in the Kingdom during the grand prix weekend.

You’ll have learned, if listening to those who lived the GP first-hand, that their experiences differed greatly from the views reported back home, or spouted by opposition MPs in the House of Commons.

It has become increasingly obvious that our news and opinions are being spun by those whose interests are more aligned with the performance of their title’s ad revenues, rather than any deep seated need to inform.

* * *

The catalyst for this article is Lotus’ CEO Dany Bahar, and whilst he’s no buddy of mine, I do feel drawn towards correcting some of the misunderstandings I have read in the press today.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper sensationally reported this morning that the chief executive of Lotus has a clause in his contract that entitles him to a bonus if the car maker is sold. The implication of this statement is that Bahar has been fattening up the goose (i.e. Group Lotus) for a feast (i.e. the sale of Lotus to the highest bidder), at which he will celebrate his good fortune.

The reporter, Graham Ruddick, then goes on to say, “Mr Bahar’s contract, seen by The Daily Telegraph, says he is entitled to 5pc of the enterprise value of Group Lotus if it is sold or 5pc of the value of its shares if the car maker is floated on a stock market anywhere in the world.

“The potential payment comes on top of a guaranteed annual payment of at least £1.2m, including a £600,000 salary and performance-related bonuses.”

As we have written about the future of Lotus ad infinitum, I won’t bore you again by recapping all the ins and outs. If you’re new to the subject, you can catch up via the articles below.

The author of the Telegraph article closes by saying, “A spokesman for Lotus declined to comment”, which is usually reporter-speak for ‘they’re hiding something’.

Consequently, the impression I gained from reading it was this is another nail in the coffin of the beleaguered Lotus CEO – the greedy ba****d, and we (the great unwashed) should rise up and kick his skinny behind all the way back to his native Switzerland. Good riddance.

* * *

But putting aside any personal opinions you may have on Bahar’s stewardship of the Hethel car company, it’s worth bearing in mind the following.

A CEO’s contract is usually a fixed-term agreement (unlike most employee contracts) containing a number of clauses including the nature of their remuneration package (usually a mixture of base salary and a bonus based on meeting pre-agreed performance criteria, which is likely to be paid in either cash, shares or both).

The contract also usually contains a restrictive non-compete clause (should the CEO be poached or attempt to leave and join a competitor), plus a 12-month (or more) notice period on either side. The reason for this is because most senior executives, by the very nature of their non-compete agreements and highly-paid roles cannot simply leave one source of employ and join another – it can often take years to find their next challenge.

Likewise, there simply aren’t that many positions open at any one time, so the contract aims to both dis-incentivise the CEO from leaving and the company owners from using him or her as a scapegoat for political contretemps.

The other likely feature in the contract of a CEO brought on board to turnaround an ailing business, is some (significant) incentive to raise the ‘value’ of the business, either if the business is subsequently floated and receives a significant injection of new investor capital or is sold – either way shareholders of the company agree to reward a CEO for increasing their wealth and this can often result in the CEO receiving millions in compensation.

This is ‘normal’. There is nothing exceptional about such an agreement and therefore nothing can be implied about the intentions of either Proton or Bahar, without further evidence that a plan had been hatched to deliberately exploit Group Lotus for the short-term benefit of either DRB-HICOM/Proton or the Lotus CEO.

* * *

Despite the Telegraph being unable to reach Lotus for comment, I found it to be quite straightforward to reach out to Lotus’ Director of Communications, Thomas Hofmann, who responding to my request in less than 20 minutes.

As expected he was unable to comment on the specifics of Bahar’s director contract, but he was able to confirm that:

Fair enough. That sounds like the kind of neutral statement one would expect from a corporate communications man.

He went on to explain:

As already said, it’s in the nature of a CEO’s employ when turning around a non profit making business, to focus on an earn-out from its potential sale or flotation.

Whether such a transaction goes ahead depends very much on what most benefits the shareholders of the business, and therefore it’s entirely possible that Dany’s lottery ticket may in fact NOT come up during his time at the helm of Group Lotus.

So, as the standard line used by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the movie, Men in Black says – “Move Along, Nothing To See Here.”

Hopefully this helps you draw your own conclusions from the news you read, without getting blown along a path by yet another poorly researched exposé.

We spoke with Lotus this afternoon and you can read their responses below. There are still a number of questions outstanding, which we will update in this article when we hear back from them tomorrow. [Click Here to read the latest update]

Just 6 months ago a grant of £10.4m was made from the UK Regional Growth Fund to assist in the development of Lotus’ new models, with CEO Dany Bahar promising to create up to 1,200 new jobs for the region. Bahar said to BBC News at the time, “It was always our intention from the beginning to create jobs in the region, especially in the automotive manufacturing industry in the UK, which was an issue.” Business Secretary Vince Cable, said during his tour of Hethel’s facilities last July, “We do need companies like Lotus. The British car industry was written off years ago and is now really reviving.”

Proton’s Satria Neo R3, a limited-edition 145bhp 1.6-litre model painted in Lotus Racing colours. Is this what Malaysian or Chinese owners have in mind for the brand?

Whilst the future plans of DRB-HICOM remain in doubt, the promised regional growth funding for Lotus has now been put on hold. Ministers remain committed to keeping Lotus in Norfolk, and keen to support Lotus provided it creates new jobs for the region.

* * *

Meanwhile DRB-HICOM has been eager to distance itself from the highly publicised issues at Group Lotus, whilst Bahar is keen to ingratiate himself with any new buyers and secure their support for his future plans.

One such buyer is the current Lotus F1 Team owners Genii Capital, who confirmed over the weekend that it was considering making an offer for Group Lotus and told the BBC that it respected the “historic link” between Lotus and Norfolk.

Some of the challenges facing Lotus are perfectly normal in the greater scheme of things, Lotus (and Bahar’s plans for the car maker) are heavily dependent on the leveraged support of banks and shareholders and with DRB-HICOM’s acquisition of Proton, these were always likely to be disrupted.

Naturally, whilst DRB-HICOM undertook their post-acquisition due diligence, the financing was stopped and since the operation of its business depended on outside capital, Lotus were unable to meet some of their bills during the intervening months.

Without wishing to get stuck on semantics, whilst the above response may indeed be true from Lotus’ perspective, the information coming out from Malaysia casts a somewhat different light on the situation.

* * *

Coinciding with last week’s media storm, news then emerged that Group Lotus boss Dany Bahar had together with another Lotus director, Azman Bin Abdullah, registered the company, Lotus Youngman UK Automotive Company Limited at Companies House on January 13th 2012.

This was just three days before the sale of Proton was announced, prompting speculation that it was little more than a shell company, set up as a vehicle to facilitate the purchase of Lotus assets in an eventual sale.

China Youngman Automobile Group, who build and sell cars in China using a Lotus developed platform, were involved in a failed $446 million offer last year to buy the ailing Swedish car maker, Saab. Youngman sells passenger cars in China for the domestic market, including the L3 and L5 models, which are engineered with the assistance of Lotus Engineering and based on Proton running gear.

Norfolk MP, Richard Bacon, has called for an emergency debate in the House of Commons to review what is being done to safeguard jobs at Hethel. He said in an interview with Eastern Daily Press, “The government’s policies are designed to encourage more jobs not fewer, and last year the government promised more than £10m of its regional growth fund to Lotus. I want to hear what ministers are thinking about that and what they are planning to do.”

Bacon went on to say, “Lotus Youngman was incorporated in January 2012, so this raises serious questions as to why the Malaysian stock exchange wasn’t informed until last Thursday.”

British Prime Minister, David Cameron, told the House of Commons today (18/4) that he had raised the issue of Group Lotus with the Malaysian Prime Minister and its new owners. He also said that “..he is monitoring the situation closely”.

If this is indeed the case, then this may be yet another ‘storm in a teacup’, but one wonders why Lotus allowed such perceptions to form, given the scrutiny its business has been under these past few weeks.

Further questions..

The key issue at this juncture is one of trust. The ‘drip-drip’ of information, together with Bahar’s continued dismissal of any concerns is not the most prudent way for Lotus to regain its credibility.

One of the questions which remains outstanding is why the Malaysian stock exchange was only notified about Lotus Youngman UK Automotive Company Limited last week.

It’s a genuine concern and should be straightforward enough for Lotus to answer. We’ll let you know what they say.

* * *

Lotus have been keen to defuse any misunderstanding caused by their relationship with China Youngman, and generous with their time in providing further information on the points that we raised.

Our understanding is that whilst none of this precludes a future deal, for the time being discussions about the ownership of Group Lotus, should DRB-HICOM choose to sell, remain open and therefore no decision has been made which would adversely impact Lotus employees in Hethel.

More than ever, this week’s musings of allegations, contradictions, suppositions and bile have been dominating automotive content on the blogosphere, Twitter and mainstream media, but at the heart of this lie real issues relating to a much-loved marque, that now overshadow the livelihoods of many around the world.

Latest position

So what is really going on? And what, if anything, can be done to keep good people building great cars in Hethel?

We’ve spent the past 24 hours speaking to both sides of the situation, both here in the UK and Malaysia, gaining insight into the thinking of Lotus’ new owners and the steps they are now taking.

What next for Lotus?

None of us should be in any doubt how valuable Lotus Cars could be, under the right management. But it needs the scale and industrial processes of a major car maker, so that the undeniably talented folk at Hethel can do what they do best – make the best handling, most rewarding sportscars that money can buy.

With today’s customer expecting great performance, all the creature comforts AND a 7-year warranty, it’s simply not possible to deliver this at mainstream prices without significant economies of scale. This is something that has been hurting Lotus for quite some time and whilst financing is part of the problem, it makes no sense to re-invent the wheel and carry the burden of being a start-up.

Lotus need a new owner, someone who understands their brand, can use the synergies of their existing business to bridge the investment gap and keep one of the world’s best known marques open for business.

We know it’s possible. Just look at the success Volkswagen has had with Bentley, or BMW with Rolls-Royce and MINI. Our most iconic car makers can thrive in the right environment. And with Lotus back in Formula 1, the brand is now reaching the eyeballs of more than 500 million TV viewers worldwide.

Yesterday, a Lotus Exige S trounced the old Exige Cup 260′s lap time around the Hethel test track, recording a time of 1 min 32.68 seconds (Exige cup 260 – 1 min 37.90 seconds). If that’s not progress, I don’t know what is. Let’s hope we see plenty more of such achievements in the years to come.

DRB-HICOM, who now control Lotus’s owner, Proton, were originally formed by combining The Heavy Industries Corporation of Malaysia Berhad (HICOM) and Diversified Resources Berhad (DRB). Their mission is to make Malaysia a preferred automotive hub, for the import and assembly of vehicles and subsequent distribution across South East Asia.

Unsurprisingly, Lotus do not feature in the plans of such a business.

Malaysia has dropped behind Thailand and Indonesia in terms of the volume of vehicles produced and may even slip behind Vietnam. In its purchase of Proton, DRB-HICOM is focused on developing the most effective business plan to return Proton (and therefore Malaysia) to the top spot and removing anything that might hinder that goal.

As such we learned two things yesterday; DRB-HICOM has installed a new senior management team in Proton (replacing Proton MD Syed Zainal) and the decision has already been taken to cease all current and future investment into Group Lotus operations.

Moreover, the relentless negative attention about the sportscar maker’s future mean that the order has also been put-out to either sell Lotus – and to do so quickly – or to simply close-up shop and put an end to the car maker and the losses it incurs.

This is confirmed from our fact finding earlier this week. We also understand Lotus CEO Dany Bahar is involved in discussions (he’s certainly been noticeably absent from any outgoing publicity these past few weeks) to quickly find a buyer and establish a role for himself in any ongoing business.

As viewed from Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (the Malaysian federal capital), the situation has escalated to one of national embarrassment and Proton’s new keepers have been told to deal with the situation and to do it swiftly.

* * *

Turning to how Lotus might be saved and suddenly the situation becomes far more contentious.

Of the three most obvious candidates, two (Genii Capital and Tony Fernandes) might both be able to allow the Lotus name to continue, but face strong opposition from within Malaysia’s political and commercial elite; Genii because of the perception that they were participants in a conspiracy to acquire Lotus through stealth, and Fernandes because of the negative way that he has sought to engage Lotus, especially on the back of his acquisition of Caterham Cars.

Unlike Genii, Fernandes does enjoy some support from a number of junior Proton executives, but it is the establishment calling the shots and they’ve made their position very clear.

This leaves Pang Qingnian’s “Youngman” Group. Youngman, based in Jinhua, China, which already has a significant working relationship with both Lotus and Proton, producing a handful of “engineered by Lotus” models, and is both financially and structurally capable of making the investment required to acquire Lotus and to take it in whatever direction it chooses.

What’s not so clear is which direction this would be and how it would impact the many hundreds of dedicated employees in the UK, Europe, Asia and the USA.

In an ideal world, Lotus needs to find someone with the time, passion, resource, and above all, realism, to not only deal with the enormity of the task but to also consider how the marque can be carried forward to future generations.

One of the biggest challenges facing such a niche business is continuity; just as TVR became nothing without Peter Wheeler, so Lotus has waned without Colin Chapman. Much, of course, relates to money, but far more has to do with personality and leadership.

* * *

But this is only one difficulty facing any potential “white knight”.

Of more immediate concern will be how to justify the type of investment required that might allow Lotus to regain its reputation and future revenue potential. By this, I’m not referring to the recent multi-car ‘New Era’ plan but rather, a return to what the company is good at; building light-weight, affordable sports cars.

Lotus has a new V8 engine on the dyno, a stunning new test track at Hethel and some real engineering ‘substance’ behind all the recent marketing razzmatazz.

It is going to need courage, cash and above-all, a human face to deliver a return to key brand values and to rebuild the relationships with staff, customers, dealers and the media. This is what makes a business out of a brand.

For Lotus, time is now critical, and no-doubt over the weekend, there will be yet more derision cast in Hethel’s direction. And whilst we, the curious, read and reply to posts and threads on the internet, it’s important to remember that there are others who will be wondering when they’ll receive their next pay cheque.

As for the future, if the Lotus legacy is to continue, all I can do is to hope that it will be under the guiding hand of someone capable of instilling in the hearts and minds of men, women and children everywhere, that in an uncertain world, one thing they can aspire to is that some day, they too might own a Lotus.

However speculation continues apace that trouble is deepening at Hethel. Lotus sold just 10 cars in the UK last month, up from February’s performance of just 2 cars. Sales in the UK are down 70-80%, compared to this time last year, and our contacts in Malaysia tell us that Proton are looking closely at how to save face during the intense scrutiny of DRB-Hicom’s due diligence process.

So, we know Lotus are under a great deal of pressure at the moment and our thoughts go to the many hard-working folk in Hethel, who are dealing with the daily onslaught of questions.

In the light of continued speculation, Lotus has taken the extraordinary step this evening and released a full statement to dispel the most recent rumours and clarify the present situation. It’s an unconventional approach to calming down a PR crisis, especially considering how personally they’ve written the statement, but perhaps it reflects just how serious the situation has become.

And finally..

Last week we put together a satirical piece on Lotus CEO Dany Bahar, we wrote it as a light-hearted parody of the internet meme initiated by Samantha Brick’s article on the downsides of looking pretty.

Perhaps now would be a good time to share it and help lighten the mood..

* * *

‘There are downsides to being this gifted’: why people hate me for being so brilliant

In an EXCLUSIVE fictitious interview with the man himself, Dany revealed what it’s like to be so misunderstood..

“At a recent motor show, I was delighted when a journalist came over and paid me a compliment about my circle of famous friends, rewarding me with an article in his national newspaper right next to a piece about my good friend Swizz Beatz.

This was from a leading journalist – not one of those misguided and uninformed hacks from the UK press, who seem obsessed with how well our cars reflect the vision of some flat-cap wearing engineer called Colin Chapman.

You’re probably thinking ‘what a lovely surprise’ to be on the receiving end of such reverence. But while it’s wonderful to see people recognise my social achievements, it wasn’t a surprise. At least not for me.

You see, throughout my business career, I’ve had people pay me compliments for the cut of my hand-made suits, my superstar good looks and the sparkle I add to even the most humble board room.

Take Ferrari for instance, when I joined, an old guy working out of a small brick house at Fiorano called all the shots. He had no style or charisma and acted like he owned the place.

As Senior Vice-President of Ferrari’s Sales, Marketing and Communications, I single-handedly turned this company into the most desirable automotive brand in the world – all my celebrity friends say so, therefore it must be true.

As reward for my achievements I was showered with untold riches, then asked to head up a small Norfolk-based company in need of some sparkle. And whenever I’ve asked what I’ve done to deserve such treatment, the shareholders of each company have always said the same thing: my good looks, cocky demeanour and wunderkind aura that brightens up their day.

While I’m no Richard Branson, I’m trim, fit and have Sharon Stone on speed dial, and from what I tell myself, I’m gifted and uniquely brilliant. I know how lucky I am. To be me.

But there are downsides to being so brilliant – the main one being that other people seem to hate me for no other reason than I’m better than them.

If you’re a car enthusiast or journalist reading this, I’d hazard that you’ve already formed your own opinion about me — and it won’t be very flattering. For while many opportunities have been offered to me (literally) as a result of my engaging personality and film-star looks, just as many have been wrenched away — usually by those most jealous of my achievements and fearful that I’ll make them look bad.

As Chief Operating Officer for Red Bull, I put in place the groundwork for two world championships, but despite my success, was never asked to jump in the team pool at the Monaco grand prix.

You’d think they would have lifted me on their shoulders and cheered, but I guess people don’t want to hang out with someone more talented than them.

I’m not smug and I’m no fool, but over the years I’ve been ignored by countless colleagues and acquaintances who felt threatened if they were in the same room as me.

Let’s face it, I’m a winner. Not many people can say that.

But when ex-F1 world champions or politicians hang out at my Norfolk crib, all of a sudden I read ill-informed articles in the press saying I’m just some playboy. What do they know? How many of them are on speaking terms with Julia Roberts?

It’s not easy being so brilliant, I spend my days surrounded by people who will never know the taste of Cristal, but you won’t hear me complain nor curse their stupidity.

So now I’m in the headlines again and my bosses at Proton think I’ve made them look foolish. They talk about ‘saving face’ and ‘finding a scapegoat’.  But even if they are right, what have they got to lose?

Don’t they realise? I’m the one with the glittering career at risk..

Questions have obviously been raised as to why Lotus F1 Team took it upon themselves to review the security situation directly, which has now triggered a statement from the team in what amounts to an apology to the FIA.

The statement reads:

Meanwhile Bernie Ecclestone, continues to insist that no teams have expressed any concerns (to him) over their security, and as far as he is concerned the event will go ahead as planned.

There’s a more in-depth analysis of the story over on Joe Saward’s blog and I’d also recommend the always insightful James Allen, who has written today that the Bahraini opposition leader predicts ‘violence’ for the GP weekend. They’re both well worth a read..