Showing posts with label 400. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 400. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2015
Group Lotus, Proton and Goldstar sign letter of intent to expand into China.
PROTON Holdings Berhad (“PROTON”) the ultimate holding company of Lotus Group, announced that it has signed a Joint Venture (“JV”) Agreement with Lotus Group International Limited, United Kingdom (“Lotus Group”) and Goldstar Heavy Industrial Co. Ltd. (“Goldstar”) for a possible business expansion of Lotus cars in the People's Republic of China.
The collaboration seeks to accelerate the development of Lotus cars in the premium sports segment in China, leveraging on the incentives offered by the Fujian Provincial Government. Both PROTON and Lotus Group are subsidiaries of DRB-HICOM Berhad.
Signing on behalf of PROTON was the Honourable Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Chairman of PROTON and former Prime Minister of Malaysia and witnessed by Dato’ Abdul Harith Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of PROTON.
Signing on behalf of Lotus Group International Limited, United Kingdom was Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer and witnessed by Mr Rohime Shafie, Director of Lotus Group and Chief Financial Officer of PROTON; and signing on behalf of Goldstar was Mr Zheng Qianghui, Chairman of Goldstar and witnessed by Mr Zhai Wenliang, President of Goldstar.
Dato’ Abdul Harith Abdullah said “The JV Agreement will see the establishment of a new JV Company for the purpose of undertaking research and development (R&D) activities in the use of efficient and advanced technology.
The JV Company will then produce and sell Lotus branded passenger cars as well as provide after sales services in connection with its products in the People’s Republic of China.
“The automotive market in China is the single largest in the world today, and is still growing, therefore it is only natural for an established iconic company like Lotus to embark upon the possibility of expansion, venture into the market and seek the available opportunities, in light of the keen interest shown by the many enquiries received thus far.
It is very difficult to ignore the market and Lotus will fill the gap in providing a lifestyle alternative to the growing demands of the affluent and market conscious local community,” Dato' Harith added.
"On April 7, 2015, Lotus announced 55% increase in car sales for its 2014/15 financial year, compared to the previous year with 36 new dealers appointed during the period 2014/15.
And China has appeared to be the top key growth market for Lotus exports and is expected to grow at a very fast rate. Lotus Group is excited about the opportunities of this new Joint Venture," Jean-Marc Gales commented further.
Lotus will continue to manufacture its current range of Lotus sports cars (Evora, Exige and Elise) exclusively at its HQ in Hethel, England.
Lotus backs up claims for the Evora 400 with facts, this car can really shift !!!!!
- Hethel Lap Time of 1:32 (six seconds faster than previous Evora S)
- Increased power, reduced weight and improved handling contribute to faster lap time
- Validates Evora 400 as the new Lotus supercar.
Having stated that the new Evora 400 supercar would exceed expectations, Lotus has now validated the claim. Early tests, carried out by Gavan Kershaw, Technical Manager for Lotus Motorsport, allowed Lotus to boast of a six seconds per lap advantage at Hethel.
This validation drive of a standard road specification prototype Evora 400, running on road tyres and with standard road suspension supports the initial claim.
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO, Group Lotus plc stated: “Internally, we all knew that the Evora 400 would be capable of exceeding expectations.
Our initial pre-production tests provided immense confidence and a SIX seconds lap time advantage at Hethel. The previous best time achieved in the Evora S model was 1 minute 38 seconds; the new lap time set by Gavan is 1 minute 32 seconds.
“Our commitment to reducing weight to create a lightweight and efficient supercar has paid off. The extra 55hp in conjunction with the 22 kg weight reduction and the tremendous traction from the Limited Slip Differential (LSD) lead to benchmark handling.
We are delighted that our customers will soon feel the benefits, when the first examples are delivered in August of this year.”
The new Lotus Evora 400 is the latest pure and focused supercar from Lotus, combining high performance with the legendary Lotus signature benchmark handling.
It is faster and dynamically more capable than the previous Lotus Evora leading to greater agility and a more involving drive.
Maximum speed is 186 mph (300 km/h) and acceleration 0-60 mph is just 4.1 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds).
Over two thirds of the Lotus Evora 400 is new, including its supercharged and charge-cooled mid-mounted 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 400 horsepower and 410 Nm of torque.
A new aluminium chassis incorporates a new interior and the lightweight composite body has changed significantly both front and rear.
The new Evora 400, which was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in Marchwill enter production for European markets in the summer and deliveries will commence in August this year. North American markets will receive the Evora 400 as a 2016 model year presentation in the Autumn, with China markets taking first deliveries in early 2016.
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