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Lotus sales up 54% world-wide for the first nine months of the financial year

  • 81% sales increase EU overall
  • 88% increase in UK
  • 143% increase in France
  • 139% increase in Germany
  • 29% up USA; 50% up Canada
  • 24% up Asia and Middle East
  • 130% sales increases in China; 125% in Japan
  • Lotus Motorsport shows 19% increase
  • 163 dealers, 25 more than nine months ago, 50 more in pipeline by the end of 2015.
  • Exciting reveal in Geneva

Announcing that overall sales are up by 54% in the past nine months provides tangible proof that the forward strategy established by Lotus Cars is working. In volume terms, the increase of 551 cars over the previous year, to a total of 1,565, is an excellent result for the British sports car maker.

Lotus has enlarged and strengthened its representation globally, with 25 new dealers enrolled across a number of territories in the past nine months, with another 50 new dealers joining Lotus by the end of 2015.

Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer, Group Lotus plc, said, “Our sales growth and dealer expansion is performing to plan and demonstrates the confidence that our customers have in Lotus. The positive reception that all our new Lotus cars are receiving in both new and established markets shows that our product development strategy is heading in the right direction.”

Lotus is revealing an exciting new car at the important Geneva International Motor Show in early March 2015. The product will remain true to its core pillars of lightness, performance and driving purity by embodying all of them in a most desirable package.

The most recent Elise S Cup model is already creating vital banner headlines and comments like “…most intoxicating sports car at any price” and “…it’s about as much fun as driving gets”, are some of the justified rewards for the effort expended at Hethel; and that is for a version of an existing model….the Geneva reveal will produce even more for the new model.

The demand for Lotus Cars in places like China and Japan continues to grow and market reports are quietly confident that the new model to be unveiled at Geneva will accelerate the sales volumes in the USA, Europe, Middle East and Asia by considerable margins.

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Annual GGLC “Anti-Football” Drive (24-Jan-2015)

START:9:15am at Starbucks – 325 Sharon Park Dr, Menlo Park, CA 94025

MEET TIME: 9:15-9:45

DRIVE: The Annual Anti-Football Drive is Saturday January 24 and returns to the Peninsula. This is a casual moderate paced drive. The road conditions are always iffy at this time of the year so the pace will take into consideration the recent and then current weather.

CRABS & LUNCH: We have lunch at Pillar Point Harbor. You can purchase Crab and Fish right from the boats! If you want to buy fish and/or crab bring a small ice cooler or similar waterproof container and ice packs to keep your purchase cool. The boats will bag your purchase, but crabs have sharp claws and will pierce plastic bags, thus you need something watertight. But, having fresh fish and/or crab is amazing!

AFTER LUNCH: We will drive back to San Carlos and the Hiller Aviation Museum for a 2pm tour.

IMPORTANT! Please RSVP! Space is limited on the tour. Non-members are welcome, but GGLC members will have priority. To RSVP send an email with the number in your party webguy”at”gglotus.org

The drive is about 1 hour long and will be at a moderate pace run with respect to iffy road conditions from winter weather. The GGLC will pay for the Museum tour, but lunch and any fish/crab purchase is no host.

WEATHER – We’ll do this rain or shine!

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Lotus Club Laguna Seca Track Day Februrary 23, 2015

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Registration is now open for the Golden Gate Lotus Club’s first track day of the year which will be at Laguna Seca Raceway in Moneterey, California on Monday, February 23rd. We will be running (3) run groups with approximately 20 minute sessions each. Your options will be Advanced Group, Intermediate Group, and Novice Group. There are a limited number of Beginner slots that have been filled already by people emailing us directly. Beginners will run in the Novice Group and will be required to have a coach assigned to them to ride in the passenger seat in order to enter the track. If we can find more coaches, we will send out an announcement for additional beginner slots.

Price is $210 for non-members and $190 for members.

Your registration will include lunch from the Crusin’ Café. This consists of a variety of chicken and beef dishes and sandwiches as well as burgers. There will be options for vegetarians but we are still sorting through the details of all the lunch options. Approximately two weeks prior to the event you will receive an email with all the options and you will email us back your choice. If we can figure out how to use Motorsportreg for this, we’ll let you know.

Click here to sign up via www.motorsportreg.com.

This will be our only Laguna Seca event this year and will fill up fast, so be sure to sign-up early to ensure you get a spot. Due to the restrictions imposed by Laguna Seca on the number of cars allowed on the track at one time, there will be no bridging of run groups as we normally do at other venues. Also, be aware that there will be absolutely no refunds. If you cancel before February 9th and we can fill your spot, we will give you a rain check for a future event. Only sign up if you know you can attend. We will run this event rain or shine.

Also, THIS WILL BE A 90dB EVENT! DO NOT RELY ON LIFTING AT THE SOUND CHECK – if your exhaust or intake is loud, take measures to reduce your levels before the event.

Please read your confirmation email as it has been expanded to include the general schedule.

See you at the track,

John & Scott

Traffic jam at the Corkscrew

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GGLC Holiday Dinner (13-Dec-14) registration is now open

Sign up and reserve your place at the gala GGLC Holiday Celebration at the Faz Restaurant in Danville. Don’t miss out on the wine, food, door prizes and the Annual GGLC White Elephant Gift Exchange.

SPACE IS LIMITED TO 60 DINERS!!
Make your reservation early and don’t miss out!

Faz Danville offers celebrated Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on fresh Mesquite Grilled Kabobs, House-made Pastas & fresh flat bread prepared in a wood-burning oven.

The GGLC will provide wine for your enjoyment at dinner. Cocktails will start at 6:00 with a no-host bar and a Persian Platter of Lemon Basil, Green Onion, Feta Cheese, Cucumber, Tomatos, Radishes and Roasted Walnuts served house-made Flat Bread. Dinner will follow at 7:00.

The dinner buffet will feature a Organic Baby Greens salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette and Roasted Walnuts. Entree selections will feature Kubideh Kabob (deliccately ground beef) and a mix of Chicken Breast and Thigh marinated in Lemon Juice and Olive Oil. A Vegetarian entree will also be available.

Following dinner we’ll introduce the 2015 President and officers and present awards to the GGLC’s 2014 Autocross champions. Plus there will be door prizes and of course the infamous GGLC Gift Exchange.

GGLC Gift Exchange
Everyone attending is encouraged to participate in the Annual GGLC White Elephant Gift Exchange. To participate bring a wrapped, unwanted “gift” item from your garage. Please make sure your gift is EPA-friendly, non-toxic and clean, (the “Barry Spencer” Rule). You’ll have the opportunity to exchange it for another “gift”.

Click here to sign up

When:
Saturday Dec 13th, 2014
Cocktails at 6:00pm, dinner at 7:00pm
Where:
Faz Danvile
600 Hartz Avenue, Danville, Ca

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Lotus Cars Celebrates 1000th Exige S

The 1000th Exige S has just rolled off the Lotus production line marking a key milestone for the British sports car and is testament to the skill and dedication of the workforce based at Hethel, Worcester, Wellingborough and North Norwich.

Since its launch in 2012 the Exige S and its Roadster sibling has achieved critical acclaim for its agility and handling performance, receiving praise from the international media and high profile accolades. The Exige has been impressing customers too, particularly in Japan where the car has received most of its orders followed by the UK, Switzerland, Australia, Hong Kong and Belgium.

Lotus continues to expand the appeal of the Exige S and the 1000th car (pictured) is destined for Lotus’s Test and Development team where it will be used for the final sign-off of the new automatic gearbox, an optional extra that can be specified on either coupe or Roadster variants.

Lotus Cars Chief Executive Officer Jean-Marc Gales commented, “Our customers want a pure driving experience and the Exige S epitomises the Lotus DNA of performance and handling excellence. It is thanks to the considerable talent and experience across our UK manufacturing facilities and at our Hethel headquarters that we are able, and proud to give this exceptional machine a Lotus badge.”

Gales continued, “We have just recorded our strongest October since 2009 for sales which demonstrates the demand for Lotus cars, but we also acknowledge the strong global demand in new markets. There is incredible potential for growth in the Middle East, China and ASEAN countries, where the automatic option for the Exige is anticipated to stimulate customer demand further.”

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Lotus records its best half year car sales since 2008/09

For the months of July, August and September 2014, Lotus sold 609 cars worldwide, a 69% increase over the same period last year and the best figure since 2007/08. This quarter contributed to the half year total of 1114 cars, compared to 746 cars in the first six months of the last financial year a 49% increase and the best half year car sales since 2008/09.

Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus plc said, “I am delighted with these first six months cars sales results. These results are a testament to the hard work of not just our sales teams around the world but also to our skilled workforce. I would also like to thank our dealers, suppliers and manufacturing partners for their continued support and look forward to maintaining and building this momentum for the future.”

Leading the sales is the Lotus Exige which accounts for around 39% sales and advanced orders, closely followed by the Lotus Elise and the Lotus Evora. Japan continues to be the leading market for Lotus sports car sales, followed closely by the UK, USA, Germany and France. The highest growth in sales was recorded in Japan, followed by Germany and France.

Jean-Marc Gales added, “We have just announced a proposal to restructure Lotus worldwide workforce in order to reshape the organisation and to reduce costs. This reshaping, combined with increasing sales of cars is vital to Lotus building a strong, sustainable future for the business.”

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Last minute WCLM updates including registration and trailer parking

The 2014 WCLM starts in less than 48 hours and we are all set to have a fantastic event. The following are some last minute updates that should come in handy.

Spectacular Weather
The weather gods have cooperated and we will have fantastic weather at the 2014 WCLM. Highs are forecast to be in the mid-70s with lows in the low 40s. This means that while the daytime events will have great driving weather it will be on the chilly side at night. Folks should bring sufficient layers especially on the way back from the main banquet on Saturday.

Registration
Registration will start at 5pm on Thursday in the Ridge Tahoe reception building. This is also the location for the opening reception and dinner which starts at 6pm. If you arrive late and miss the reception, you will be able to pick up your registration packets at the drive start location on Friday morning. You can see more details of the full event schedule at http://westcoastlotusmeet.com/2014/#events.

Trailer Parking
Folks who are bringing trailers should note that trailer parking is not at the main hotel parking lot. It is instead at the Galaxy lot (218 Galaxy Ln, Stateline, NV 89449) which is one block from the hotel and has ample space to maneuver trailers. You can also find it on Google Maps (https://goo.gl/maps/mx95Z). The area around the hotel is quite steep and not the easiest to walk – we recommend that you unload the trailer at the lot and then drive your Lotus to the hotel.

Car Wash Hose
We have arranged for a car wash hose to be available on-site at the HQ hotel. The exact location will be given to you at the time of registration.

Volunteers
We are still looking for a few volunteers to help with the concours and the autocross – if you’d like to help please let us know when you sign in at registration.

Caravans to WCLM
Caravans to WCLM are being organized from both the SF Bay Area and Sacramento. Head over to BritishSpeed (http://www.britishspeed.com/forum/showthread.php?7940) or LotusTalk (http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f203/caravan-2014-wclm-east-bay-october-2-a-257850/) to coordinate with other folks in your area. You can also post your caravan plans at the WCLM Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/WestCoastLotusMeet).

Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti signing Andretti Winery bottles for WCLM
Winners prizes for the WCLM will include autographed bottles on Andretti winery wine (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rnair/15222122478/), this should help ratchet up the competition level.

King Fire
With rain and light snow over the weekend the King Fire is now at 94% containment and intensity is much lower. The air quality in Tahoe has already improved and we do not expect it to have any effect on the WCLM.

Those are all the updates we have for the moment. Have a safe journey to WCLM and I look forward to meeting you all in person.

Regards
Rahul Nair
Chair, 2014 West Coast Lotus Meet

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WCLM Update #3 and Call for Volunteers

We are very close to start of the 2014 West Coast Lotus Meet and I hope you are all as excited as I am to hang out with over a hundred other Lotus fans. The following are some quick updates:

New Funkhana Event
I am happy to announce that we have added a new Funkhana event at 3pm on Friday at the Heavenly Parking Lot in front of the HQ hotel. Funkhanas are low-speed, light-hearted competitions that are a test of dexterity and patience. Each team, composed of a driver and passenger, must complete tasks — often centered around a theme — that involve car handling, teamwork and especially a sense of humor. You might be parking blindfolded, playing ring toss with a fan belt, or trying a soccer penalty kick. Teams are graded by a combination of time, accuracy, and points. By including an element of luck, everyone has a good chance of winning. . . or screwing up.

Event Prizes and Raffles
We can now confirm that we will be giving away Mario Andretti autographed wine bottles as our official prizes for the WCLM competitions. In addition our sponsors have generously contributed several choice items to be raffled off during the event.

Autocross Moved to Minden Tahoe Airport
The WCLM Autocross has now been moved to the Minden Tahoe Airport where the sheriffs department is closing down 1 mile of road for us to conduct our event. Its a pretty good bet that we’ll have a few high speed straights at the event.

Call for Volunteers
As you may know the West Coast Lotus Meet is run entirely by volunteers. We are looking for a few more volunteers to help during the event itself. We are specifically looking for folks to help out during the registration, Funkhana, Autocross and Concours. We are also looking for a few folks to help with official event photography. If you’d like to volunteer to help during the WCLM please contact me at rahulnair”at”gglotus.org.

Caravans to WCLM
Caravans to WCLM are being organized from both the SF Bay Area and Sacramento. Head over toBritishSpeed or LotusTalk to coordinate with other folks in your area. You can also post your caravan plans at the WCLM Facebook Page.

Stop by Dave Bean Engineering
WCLM sponsor Dave Bean Engineering invites WCLM attendees to visit on their way to, from or during WCLM. They will be maintaining normal weekday hours in San Andreas, CA and are about a 2 1/2 hour drive from the WCLM headquarters, on some nice Lotus driving roads.

Construction on SR 207
SR-207 from Carson Valley to South Lake Tahoe is going to be under construction for the duration of the West Coast Lotus Meet. Cars traveling from Carson Valley to the hotel will need to use US 50 as a detour. Cars coming to the hotel from South Lake Tahoe will negotiate a single lane closure so be prepared for delays of up to 30 minutes. Once you arrive at registration we will give you a pass that will allow you to use SR-207 into Carson Valley.

King Fire
The Placerville area near Lake Tahoe has been fighting the King Fire for about a week. While this should not directly affect WCLM activities, please check for road closures along US-50 while making your travel plans. If there are any changes to the event we will send out email updates to all registered attendees.

Discounted Room Available (update – room is taken)
One of our registered attendees is unable to attend at this time and was wondering if anyone else would like to take over her registration ($69/night) at this time. If you would like to do take it over please contact me at rahulnair”at”gglotus.org.

Those are all the updates we have at this point, click here for the full event schedule. If you havent signed up yet head on over to WestCoastLotusMeet.com to sign up today. I look forward to meeting you all in two weeks.

Rahul Nair
Chair
2014 West Coast Lotus Meet

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Laguna Seca Track Day (6-Nov-14) Registration is now open

Registration is now open for the Golden Gate Lotus Club’s last track day of the year at Laguna Seca Raceway in Moneterey, California on Thursday, November 6th. We will be running (3) run groups with approximately 20 minute sessions each. Your options will be Advanced Group, Intermediate Not-So-Fast Group, and Intermediate Fast Group. There are a limited number of Beginner slots available and those entrants will run in the Not-So-Fast Intermediate group. Beginners will be required to have a coach assigned to them to ride in the passenger seat in order to enter the track.

Price is $170 for members and $190 for non-members.

Click here to sign up via MotorsportsReg.

This event will fill up fast so be sure to sign-up early to ensure you get a spot. Due to the restrictions imposed by Laguna Seca on the number of cars allowed on the track at one time, there will be no bridging of run groups as we normally do at other venues. Also, be aware that there will be absolutely no refunds. If you cancel before October 23rd and we can fill your spot, we will give you a rain check for a future event. Only sign up if you know you can attend. We will run this event rain or shine.

Also, THIS WILL BE A 90dB EVENT! DO NOT RELY ON LIFTING AT THE SOUND CHECK – if your exhaust or intake is loud, take measures to reduce your levels before the event.

Please read your confirmation email as it has been expanded to include the general schedule.

See you at the track,

John & Scott

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AutoX #8 Registration is now open

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2014 Golden Gate Lotus Club Autocross season.

The 8th event and final event of the season is now open for registration for both GGLC members and non-members at MotorsportsReg

Note: the registration will ask you to choose a sandwich. You can choose anything you want, but the answer will be ignored because we will be holding our annual BBQ (with meat and veggie options).

The entry fee is $65 for GGLC members and $75 for non-members. First time autox’ers (first time at a GGLC event) are eligible for a discount, so invite your friends along too.

This season we have 8 classes that you can participate in. Please read over the details on the club page at http://www.gglotus.org/ggautox/ggautox.htm.

For Lotus Elise/Exige/Evora drivers, please choose your class that you want to participate in and also use the classification tool at http://www.gglotus.org/ggautox/classify.html to calculate your index points. For non-Lotus cars, please use the appropriate SCCA class.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about this year’s events or any other autox topic.

And like us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/GoldenGateLotusClub
And check out our event videos (you might see yourself) at: http://www.youtube.com/goldengatelotusclub

See you all soon,
Colm & Kiyoshi
autox@gglotus.org