Philosophie & Stratégie & Avenir de Lotus

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Interview distraillante de Dany Bahar. L'art de parler pour faire plaisir .....




It all started with a press release. A fancy one, with an image of Stonehenge and some claims that were at the upper limit of boldness. Something that was very not Lotus. Eyebrow after eyebrow, the entire autoevolution office was shaken. We've always had some kind of soft spot for the British carmaker's creations and at the same time, we were feeling bad to see its financial figures staying out of the sun's reach.

The next frame will always bring flashbacks: we, our cameras and the roar of the 2010 Paris Auto Show. It's the Lotus press conference and none of the rumors we had written about could prepare us for the shock we had when we found out that Lotus went down a different road, choosing to leave Colin Chapman's ultralight philosophy that made the brand famous behind. Or did it?

Now, with things having had one year to settle down, we sat down with Dany Bahar, the man that orchestrated this revolution, to find the answer.

autoevolution: We understand why you chose this new pathway for Lotus, but why does this have to exclude an ultra lightweight car? You could introduce your planned offensive and also create such a car. We’re not referring to a track toy like the 2-11, but rather to a Lotus Seven revival...

Dany Bahar: Say again, why did you have to exclude an ultra lightweight car? Who excluded that? I think that what we showed at the Paris Motor Show was a great lineup that included main models, Elise, Elan, Esprit, but we never excluded any exiguous or hardcore lightweight car such as a Lotus Seven or a 2-11 or something. This are considered products, Lotus will always do lightweight hardcore products even if we have a four dour sedan in the market. So one doesn’t exclude the other one. All we want is a comprehensive lineup that offers products for all sportscars enthusiast.

ae: So you’re saying a Lotus Seven revival is indeed possible ?

DB: Well, I’ve seen some drawings and they look very nice, we have to see. It’s always possible, it’s just a matter of timing.

ae: Since you’re seeking profitability and want to keep your core values alive, why not consider including a more affordable sports car in your range, something that would keep things simple and be available to a wider range of customers. After all, the latest example of this, the Toyobaru project, seems to be attracting a huge amount of interest from the public.

DB: If the company is profitable, if it does have enough capital, enough revenues and enough substance we can always do products that are affordable. Lotus tried 15 years to do more affordable, more volume and it didn’t work. 15 years the company wasn’t profitable. So do we really have to change something? I can only see that Ferrari and Aston Martin are doing very well and they’re not selling affordable cars.

ae: We heard you speaking about efficiency many times and we’d like to know if you could be counted within the Proton Group from this point of view, a move that would reduce the pressure to lower your average CO2 emissions.

DB: Lotus was always about efficiency and will always be in the future about efficiency. And all our hybrids cars will be based on a hybrid technology. So efficiency will be standard on all our cars, even on the more expensive ones.

ae: What plans do you have in terms of hybrid developments for your future cars? Can you give us some details about the powertrain? Will it be a specific one, or will you combine an electric motor with multiple engines, depending on the model it is going to be used on?

DB: I can not tell you. All I can say is that Lotus was always famous for being the first, being the innovative, and I can only tell you that the hybrid technology that Lotus will use is very innovative and nobody else has such a thing. I leave it up to you and your imagines. Don’t think about multiple electric engines though, this idea is already in use. Just wait and see.

ae: Do you have any specific plans for your interiors? Any names of Suppliers or designers that you might have in mind?

DB: We hired the chief designer from Ferrari. The new interiors will be developed with suppliers that supply the interiors for Porsche, for Audi, for Lamborghini so we’ll have a proper quality on the new cars and the suppliers will be whatever suppliers will be, there are a lot out there.

ae: When you put together and analyze all the new products and information you’ve released since the reinvention of the company, things look good on paper, but, as we know, you also need to offer an emotional bonus to be able to sell a sportscar. What will you do for this?

DB:The driving experience you get in a Lotus is something that the company has always did very good and we’re very confident that we will do the same for the future cars. So it’s all about driver interaction, it’s all about too many technological systems to help you driving, it’s about the way you connect with the car. A Lotus will always be a pure driver’s car. You’ve seen our products in Paris, this is what we decided to go for and this is what we’re working on. So the same lines in the future for the next models.

[roccocco]

All our hybrids cars will be based on a hybrid technology

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C'est Noel avant l'heure .....

Group Lotus awarded multi million Regional Growth Fund

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has formally confirmed that Group Lotus’ bid for funds from the second round of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) has been successful.

One of the main purposes of the Regional Growth Fund is to support growth within the UK manufacturing sector. Lotus recognised that the Government was seeking applications which would enable private sector organisations to invest in projects that would create jobs and secure long-term growth. Lotus’ growth plans are completely aligned with the Fund’s objectives and will go someway towards rebalancing employment between the public and private sector in the South Norfolk region.

The grant will be put to good use supporting the industrial research element of the production of Lotus’ future product range. This significant development will go towards ensuring that the manufacturing of future Lotus products remains in the UK for the foreseeable future and in the process create a considerable number of new jobs over the next five to six years

Commenting on the news, Group Lotus Chief Executive Officer, Dany Bahar said: “This is great news for all those concerned about Group Lotus moving production overseas, to say that we’re pleased with the result would be an understatement. We are an authentic British automotive manufacturer with an incredible heritage and an exciting future ahead, this funding will play a role in assisting with the realisation of our business plan to produce a new range of sports cars with best in class performance and emissions.

“We would like to thank everyone for their support during the bid process. The local authorities, MPs and the local enterprise partnership have all played a role in helping us secure this funding – we’re very grateful, it’s nice to know people feel strongly enough to act on our behalf.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “We need to be doing all we can to enable businesses and organisations to create much needed jobs and inject private investment into the economy.

“We have announced today that a further 162 projects will benefit from the fund, and expect to deliver a huge number of jobs across their businesses and in the supply chain.

“This is a very significant boost to local communities, and the Regional Growth Fund will help businesses like Lotus to drive local growth.”

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Je suis aveugle ou ils ne disent pas combien ?
Le Père Noël s'est aussi arrêté chez Bentley avec GBP 3m dans sa hotte. Il n'y a pas de quoi cracher dessus, mais c'est probablement moins de 1% de leur budget d'OPEX.

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Tes collègues de Wheel And You annonce GBP 10 Mega. Suffisant pour payer les bâtiments de la nouvelle unité de production de l'Esprit.

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En parallèle Lotus annonce la création de 1.100 emplois.

Source : Skynews

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Je suis aveugle ou ils ne disent pas combien ?

La réponse à ton interrogation,ICI

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Réaction vidéo sur la BBC de Bahar au soutien du gouvernement Anglais.

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Article très intéressant du Dailymail datant de fin aout. Il est décrit les causes de la mutation, l'arrivée et les premières décisions de Bahar dont celle de virer la totalité du Board en place.

Bahar joined the company on October 1, 2009, and immediately laid waste to its senior management. How many did he find that he could work with? ‘I think none. I believe none of them – the top management – are with us any more. They believed in their cause, but it wasn’t my cause, and to change that belief would have been more time-consuming than having fresh blood.’

To replace them he drew up a list of 24 top executives and persuaded 23 of them to leave secure jobs at the world’s best car-makers and move to Norfolk.

Très instructif, à ce jour aucun article n'est aussi complet.

Au passage Colin Chapman est plus décrit comme un affairiste confirmé qu'un génie patenté. Son décès lui épargna dix de prison.

[ze_shark]

Article très intéressant du Dailymail datant de fin aout. Il est décrit les causes de la mutation, l'arrivée et les premières décisions de Bahar dont celle de virer la totalité du Board en place.

Bahar joined the company on October 1, 2009, and immediately laid waste to its senior management. How many did he find that he could work with? ‘I think none. I believe none of them – the top management – are with us any more. They believed in their cause, but it wasn’t my cause, and to change that belief would have been more time-consuming than having fresh blood.’

To replace them he drew up a list of 24 top executives and persuaded 23 of them to leave secure jobs at the world’s best car-makers and move to Norfolk.

S'agit du staff exécutif, pas du board.
Je ne crois pas que Bahar est chairman, et même en tant que tel, il ne peut pas virer les membres du board of directors qui sont élus par les actionnaires.
Par contre, vu le changement de cap stratégique, il ne devait pas y avoir beaucoup d'alternatives à un grand coup de balai.

They believed in their cause, but it wasn’t my cause

Je trouve la phrase déplacée, Bahar sert au bon vouloir des actionnaires, il n'est pas propriétaire.

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They believed in their cause, but it wasn’t my cause

Je trouve la phrase déplacée, Bahar sert au bon vouloir des actionnaires, il n'est pas propriétaire.

Comprends pas, Bahar ne fait qu'appliquer la stratégie pour laquelle il a été mandaté par les actionnaires et la dite cause est bien celle des actionnaires puisque validée par ces derniers. Pour rappel l'actionnaire majoritaire de Lotus est bien l'état Malaysien via Proton. Il est bien stipulé dans l'article que Bahar leur avait présenté sa stratégie avant nomination et comme tu le fais justement remarqué on parle bien de la direction, pas du conseil d'administration. A son arrivée, il souhaitait sortir la marque de l'ère victorienne, il n'avait pas le choix.

D. Bahar est CEO (chief executive officer) de Lotus, équivalent Français de PDG (Président Directeur Général). Si je m'en réfère a mes lectures, Chairman et CEO signifient la même chose, non ?

Among public corporations, there are generally two types of chairmen, executive and non-executive. The executive chairman also serves as an executive of the company, usually the chief executive officer (CEO), although it can exist as a separate position. The non-executive chairman holds no executive position with the company, and is usually an outsider with no other current or previous ties to it.

[Toppaz]

D. Bahar est CEO (chief executive officer) de Lotus, équivalent Français de PDG (Président Directeur Général). Si je m'en réfère a mes lectures, Chairman et CEO signifient la même chose, non ?

Heu ... Non.

Un CEO, c'est le directeur général qui exécute les décisions stratégiques de l'entreprise prisent par le board. Le Chairman c'est le président du conseil d'administration.

La France a la spécificité du PDG qui est un Chairman / CEO ce qui n'existe que très peu dans les autres pays, car il y a un petit problème de contrôle et de neutralité, le board étant ceux qui vont juger si le CEO à bien fait son boulot, si le président est aussi le CEO c'est d'un coup plus difficile d'être neutre !

[ze_shark]

They believed in their cause, but it wasn’t my cause

Je trouve la phrase déplacée, Bahar sert au bon vouloir des actionnaires, il n'est pas propriétaire.

Comprends pas, Bahar ne fait qu'appliquer la stratégie pour laquelle il a été mandaté par les actionnaires et la dite cause est bien celle des actionnaires puisque validée par ces derniers. Pour rappel l'actionnaire majoritaire de Lotus est bien l'état Malaysien via Proton. Il est bien stipulé dans l'article que Bahar leur avait présenté sa stratégie avant nomination et comme tu le fais justement remarqué on parle bien de la direction, pas du conseil d'administration. A son arrivée, il souhaitait sortir la marque de l'ère victorienne, il n'avait pas le choix.

D. Bahar est CEO (chief executive officer) de Lotus, équivalent Français de PDG (Président Directeur Général). Si je m'en réfère a mes lectures, Chairman et CEO signifient la même chose, non ?

Je ne comprends pas la citation de Bahar ainsi, je trouve symptomatique qu'il ramène la stratégie de l'entreprise à un pronom personnel.
Et comme l'explique Toppaz, Chairman et CEO sont deux fonctions bien distinctes, parfois cumulées.
Bahar est CEO de Group Lotus plc qui est une filiale de Lotus Group International Ltd dont je ne connais pas la structure de gouvernance.

[Corsugone]

Ok, je comprends mieux, il faut juste assimilé que le "board" Lotus est un conglomérat de truffes patentées. Cela fait dix ans qu'ils ne glandent rien. Issus de la sphère para-publique de proton, ils sont incapables de prendre les décisions inhérentes à un constructeur automobiles de sportives.
Incompétents, ils n'ont jamais été acteurs de la stratégie Lotus. Le seul truc qu'ils semblent avoir compris est que la rentabilité de Lotus n'est pas celle qu'elle devrait être. Donc, ils ont cherché ailleurs, Bahar leur a expliqué sa stratégie, sa "cause", ils ont acquiescé. Le Buisness plan à cinq ans de bahar ne fut par ourdi par quelques penseurs malaysiens mais bien par Bahar. Si cela te choque, tu n'as pas tout suivi, il y a quelques temps Bahar avait expliqué que ce n'était pas en étant adossé à un constructeur comme Proton que Lotus progressera, voir survivra (source):

At a private roundtable with journalists last week, Bahar said he believes a company the size of Lotus cannot develop cars that meet emissions and crash regulations on its own — it has to be linked to a larger global automaker, such as Toyota, through either an alliance or even a sale. Alternatively, the company could be spun off, floated and publicly traded.

Evidemment, il eut explication de texte mais Proton n'a pas bougé. Il est clair que Bahar n'a aucune considération pour le "Board" Lotus, un mépris bienfaisant caractérise cette relation. Il ne faudra pas être surpris le jour où Bahar se fera débarqué, aucun gant sera pris.

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Ouverture du premier show-room en Chine à Beijing .... sur les trente planifiés. Déjà 300 Lotus vendues, inclus les 100 GTE, avant même l'ouverture d'un seul concessionnaire. (Source Seloc.org)