Print

Lotus News

16 JANUARY 2011
Lotus takes on Regent Street
Group Lotus celebrates the most recent success in its brand reinvention with the completion of another key milestone. 
   

Group Lotus is delighted to confirm a brand new 'LOTUS ORIGINALS' flagship store will be opening in London's prestigious Regent Street - 52 Regent Street to be exact! Situated in London's Piccadilly, from Spring/Summer 2012 the building will host a brand new Lotus experience: a 4,800 sq ft store situated in a Grade II-listed former 'Café Royal' with exciting displays and a full stock of apparel, accessories, gifts, toys, and limited edition collectables, it's one for Lotus fans and shopaholics alike.

The LOTUS ORIGINALS line made its debut at the 2010 Paris motor show alongside five new Lotus cars as a preview to the new Lotus lifestyle that the future Lotus car line-up reflects.  Debuting with high-quality apparel, accessories and gifts, the move to Regent Street affords the space to showcase a much expanded LOTUS ORIGINALS collection.  In the 16 months since the collections' preview, LOTUS ORIGINALS has grown to include exclusive sporting items such as bikes and helmets, toys and even stationery.

The development of the LOTUS ORIGINALS retail concept has been rapid, upon its launch in September 2010 the dedicated website www.lotusoriginals.com was the only retail outlet for the collection. The first shops soon followed with a store at Lotus' Hethel HQ and Norwich City Football Club's Carrow Road stadium opening in Late 2011.  Dealer shops have also recently opened in China at new Beijing and Chengdu showrooms and a Shanghai store is imminent.  The London flagship store is the next step in a fully integrated, international retail strategy for non-car Lotus products.

Wiebke Bauer Director of Licensing & Retail for Group Lotus said, "We are delighted to secure this iconic location, it's the result of many months of careful planning and negotiations - the completion of this milestone really demonstrates the success of the LOTUS ORIGINALS offering and the potential we have for the future. This is the cornerstone of our global retail strategy and we have lots to look forward to."

Merry Christmas from your friends at Boardwalk Lotus! Here is some great holiday news from Lotus Cars:

23 DECEMBER 2011
Lotus Motorsport Hits Major Milestones
Success in Italy with the first IndyCar engine fire-up and Exige R-GT Rally shakedown
 
 
Whilst most sensible people prepare to wind down for the festive period, the hard working Lotus Motorsport team are busy celebrating the fruits of their labour over the past 12 months following the first successful engine fire up in the Lotus IndyCar chassis AND the first proper Exige R-GT rally car shakedown all within the space of 24 hours. 
 
The first official Lotus IndyCar engine fire up in new car took place on 22nd December at Dallara's headquarters in Varano Melegari, Palma under the watchful eye of Group Lotus Director of Motorsport Claudio Berro and technicians from the team. Pleased with the overall results, the team have now prepared the engine and car for shipment to the US where full testing will begin in January. 
 
Heading north to Turin, the Exige R-GT, the Rally version of the new Exige S, took centre stage with a quick track shakedown for the first time in full Rally specification. The car handled exactly as expected and the team were delighted with the results. Testing will continue in the new year ahead of the start of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship season where the Exige will contend the FIA GT category on asphalt at events in Monte Carlo, Tour de Corse and San Remo. 
 
Claudio Berro said: "The fire up in the car went really well, there were no nasty surprises and I think our partners are going to be very happy with the results. It was only October last year that we announced that we would become an IndyCar engine supplier and just 12 months on, we had an all new Lotus engine and three teams signed up - Bryan Herta Autosport, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, and HVM Racing. We've still got a lot of work to do ahead of the start of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar season but so far I'm very encouraged by what I see. 
 
"And as for the Rally car, when you consider that we've only began working on this car in July, I think what we've achieved in that time has been incredible. For me the Exige S makes the perfect GT rally car, it has an awesome 3.5-litre, supercharged engine, and we've managed to balance the weight perfectly to meet the minimum weight regulations. The shakedown today (23rd December) has only made us even more excited to show off the car in true race form early next year ? I think we're doing the Lotus motorsport pedigree proud."


9 DECEMBER 2011
Be Original, Be Lotus 
The new customer facing Lotus experience was showcased today as the LOTUS ORIGINALS shop and future dealership concept were launched by Lotus Renault GP's Bruno Senna.
 
 
Located at the Group Lotus HQ, Hethel, UK, the new retail concept clearly demonstrates the reinvigorated identity of Lotus, one befitting the current and future collection of cars planned for 2013 and beyond.
 
Part of a global strategy, the Hethel store is the first LOTUS ORIGINALS retail experience to open in Europe and finally gives customers the chance to try the collection before they buy having only been able to buy online since March 2011.
 
Commenting on the launch Group Lotus Director of Licensing and Merchandise Wiebke Bauer said: "It's a very proud day for us today, it's more than a simple store opening. One of the biggest challenges we have as a business, outside of selling cars, is to make the Lotus brand as accessible as possible. We have many fans out there in the world who aren't necessarily in a position to buy one of our cars but they still want to be part of the Lotus world and this means a lot to us. Developments like this first shop - as part of our global retail strategy, our motorsports activities and the magazine allow us to reach out to so many people who believe in Lotus and this can only be a good thing."
 
"The team have worked incredibly hard to put together a range of apparel and accessories that will appeal to even the most hard to please Lotus enthusiast. Our focus throughout has been on quality and ensuring a truly authentic Lotus experience for the customer. This shop opening is just one of the many small but important steps we are currently taking as part of the overall brand development strategy. Our next major step will be the official LOTUS ORIGINALS store opening in London early next year - which we're very much looking forward to. People won't need to wait until next year though, they can come and get a taste of what to expect right here, right now at Hethel."
 
Alongside the shop, Group Lotus also showcased the new look customers can expect from Lotus dealerships in the future. The dealership environment has a modern look and feel with an inviting lounge area where customers can browse the Lotus library or leisurely spec their new Lotus! Lotus' latest cars will be on display with a full paint and trim swatches to complete the Lotus shopping experience.
 
The store is open to the public Monday to Thursday 8.30am until 5pm and 8.30am until midday on Fridays. Customers can also shop online at LOTUSORIGINALS.com.
 
More about the LOTUS ORIGINALS concept and collection
The shop design reflects the LOTUS ORIGINALS brand direction of authenticity, innovation and design excellence and beautifully demonstrates the Lotus approach to modern application with a classic twist. A high-gloss finish throughout the store and concealed lighting make for a clean, even engineered appearance, yet beyond the floating shelves, glass and chrome elements, heritage details are found.  Rails are bound with high quality black leather complimented with contrast yellow stitching and subtle panel designs reverence the brands' rich heritage in a very British way.
 
Consistency throughout the store and the product offering is very important.  The LOTUS ORIGINALS collection is a refined, cohesive range of luxury apparel, leather goods and performance outerwear that centre on craftsmanship, heritage and the spirit of Lotus yet use new technologies and techniques that appeal to today's buyer ? a theme that runs throughout everything Lotus does and results in desirability and exclusivity.
 
High quality and attention to detail are key, with Loro Piana 100% cashmere yarn used in block coloured sweaters, cardigans and V-neck knits. Polo shirts and T-shirts feature double stitch edging with a playful approach to branding including; vintage Lotus logos, racing stripes and car silhouettes. A hand-treated leather jacket, inspired by the 1970s drivers' suits, uses authentic design details in the form of protective quilted padding on the shoulders and a two-button side-fasten collar.
 
The new store will also showcase a range of luxury lifestyle accessories. Hand-crafted luggage will be available in several styles; all finished with heavy zips, contrast stitching and discrete embossed Lotus logos. Calfskin leather driving gloves are the ultimate indulgence, in tan, black, Lotus green and bright yellow.  Carbon fibre gaming sets, calfskin wallets, range of colourful belts and luxury desk accessories are also available as part of the range.