Lotus, which has returned to the top flow, does not need to say "I miss the past"

Lotus, Ferrari and Porsche are also called "the three major sports car brands in the world", which is attributed to the brilliant achievements of Lotus on the track. Regrettably, the persistence and enthusiasm for performance failed to make Lotus a truly successful luxury sports car brand in the internal combustion engine era.

And this British niche sports car, which has been riding for more than 70 years, has ushered in a new life in the electrification era. Mr. Colin Chapman, the founder, probably didn't expect that many years later, the fate of Lotus would be greatly changed by a decision of two China executives.

On March 29th, Lotus celebrated his 75th birthday at Shanghai International Circuit and delivered a new car to 75 car owners. Jianghu Jun also felt the 75-year-old enthusiasm at the scene. At the celebration, Lotus also threw out a brand-new brand proposition-for drivers.

Once again, many great brands were born in a garage, including Apple, Harley-Davidson and, of course, today's protagonist Lotus.

Mr Colin Chapman, the founder, has a famous saying that "acceleration makes you run faster on the straight, and losing weight makes you run faster anywhere". Therefore, the concept of "lightweight and high efficiency as the performance standard" runs through every product in the 70-year history of Lotus brand.

In the past 70 years, Lotus has won seven annual champion of Formula One World Championship manufacturers, six annual champion of Formula One World Championship drivers, 865,438+0 world Formula One World Championship sub-station champion, nine Le Mans Grand Prix team champion, 65,438+0 Indian 500th Grand Prix champion and 65,438+0 world rally championship champion.

The ultimate lightweight design and aerodynamic performance make Lotus invincible on the track. However, this persistence and fanaticism from the track, as well as the brilliant achievements made on the track, did not make Lutes a truly successful luxury sports car brand.

1986, Lotus Group was acquired by General Motors.

1993, Lotus General Motors Company was sold to A.C.B.N Holding Company. Italian businessman Romano Attioli controls the Luxemburg Company for 30 million pounds.

1996, Malaysia Proton Automobile Company became the largest shareholder of Lotus Group.

2065438+In May 2007, Geely Holding Group officially acquired 49% of the shares of Malaysia Proton Automobile Company and obtained the controlling right of Lotus Automobile.

Lotus has changed hands several times and is still a British niche sports car brand with only one design studio and one factory. Despite his reputation, he is full of ambition.

Until it was under Geely's door, the revival of lotus finally had new hope.

Since the Vision 80 brand revival plan was first put forward in 20 18, the first truly pure electric Hyper SUV, Lotus ELETRE, was successfully delivered to users in just five years.

Facts have proved that "lightweight" can really make Lotus run faster anywhere, including the new track transformed by new energy.

At present, Lotus has gradually improved its marketing network and service network in 65,438+00 countries including China, Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The annual production capacity of Wuhan Smart Factory exceeds 654.38+0.5 million vehicles.

The glory of the past has gradually faded with the end of the internal combustion engine. Mr. Chapman probably didn't expect that many years later, the fate of Lotus will be greatly changed because of the joining of two China presidents.

Rushing out of the track and creating a brand-new Lotus In fact, reviving Lotus, a British niche sports car brand, is no easier than re-creating a new power brand. On the contrary, if you can't do a good job of connecting the preceding with the following, it is very likely that the glory you once created will be wasted.

As a hard-core sports car brand that runs through the genes of the track, Lotus needs a boss who knows more about technology and cars than other ordinary brands, not the "famous mouth" that new power brands love.

Feng Qingfeng, CEO of CP Lotus Group

Feng Qingfeng, the current global CEO of Lotus, has worked in Geely for more than 20 years. He used to be the president of Geely Automobile Research Institute and the chief technology officer of Geely Automobile. He is the real "president of technology flow". Lotus's core team in Britain is mostly composed of engineers and technical elites.

People who know how to love cars get together and the products they bring will not live up to every expectation.

Mao Jingbo, President of Lotus China

There are many examples of China car companies buying foreign brands, but Lotus is unique in its rich track culture and awesome brand spirit.

This means that "telling good stories" is particularly important for lotus brand building. Going out of Europe and facing the global market in China, Lotus needs to make up for the neglected brand building. This is exactly what Mao Jingbo, the current president of Lotus China, is good at.

In terms of products, the voice of doubt is inevitable and cannot be ignored. Some people think that "a small sports car with strong personality is the soul of lotus." As a pure electric SUV, ELETRE destroyed the original brand core of Lotus. "

Jianghu Jun believes that the hardcore niche sports car is the most attractive feature of Lotus, but it can't lead Lotus out of Europe and embrace the world, but ELETRE can; You can ask homie, who pursues driving passion, to support your choice, but you can't convince your wife, but ELETRE can …

Lotus needs a "popular" product to move towards a broader market, but it can't just be a "popular" product. Those sports cars born for driving are still the soul of lotus.

In the next few years, Lotus will also release three pure electric products, including pure electric sports cars. The appearance of a variety of new cars indicates that Lotus is in a period of rapid growth of global strategy. The luxury and performance of the electric age are the new expectations brought by Lotus. Returning to the top flow of lotus, it is needless to say "thinking about the past and the future".

This article is from the author of Che Yi, and the copyright belongs to the author. Please contact the author in any form. The content only represents the author's point of view and has nothing to do with the car reform.