Lotus in Talks to Sign-On Bob Lutz, Tom Purves As Part of Major Brand Expansion
As part of a major expansion plan that will see the Lotus brand leave behind its niche-market history and expand into a more mainstream automaker, Lotus is poised to sign-on two long-time industry execs: Bub Lutz and Tom Purves. Lutz needs no introduction, having worked in the auto industry most of his life, holding senior positions at Chrysler, BMW and Ford, not to mention most recently at General Motors. As for Purves, he is a recently retired BMW executive.
According to sources, Lutz has been in talks but no formal arrangement has been while, while Purves said he “would be happy” to get involved.
The move is just the latest for Lotus, which only recently hired on former Ferrari marketing boss Dany Bahar as CEO, while poaching a designer from Ferrari as well. Bahar has also brought on execs from both Porsche and Aston Martin.
In an email to Automotive News, Lotus commented that, “Our aim is to raise the Lotus brand equity back to its rightful place as it existed in the 1970s when it competed with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche or Aston Martin. Maintaining the unique Lotus DNA is crucial, but with more relevance, greater efficiency and even more sustainability than we have had in the past.”
Lotus has admitted, however, that it will look to focus more on producing technologically advanced, luxurious and upmarket sports cars at higher volumes, increasing worldwide sales from 2,500 cars to roughly 8,000 by 2015.
The first big glimpse at the future of Lotus will come at the Paris Auto Show this Fall when the British sports car maker is set to reveal an all new model, thought to be a modern version of the Esprit.
[Source: Automotive News]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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I have to say that should Lotus land Bob Lutz it will send a signal. I'm sure that Bob Lutz would love to become the face of Lotus much as Colin Chapman was in the 70's. I certainly hope Lotus think outside the box. They have a great brand. John Mansfield http://motorsportuniversitymalaysia.com
Love my 2008 Pontiac Solstice GXP ! Thank you Bob Lutz for this car! Handles great, fits me like a glove, thrilling acceleration with the 5 speed! Congrats on working with Lotus! Gretchen Pittsboro NC