Arguably more than any other automaker in the world, Lotus is ripe for a return to racing. Its products are uniquely track focused. Its history is rife with motorsport heritage. And its new chief executive comes to the company after stints at Red Bull and Ferrari, two outfits deeply involved in top-tier racing.
Unfortunately, as Dany Bahar points out, the formative Lotus F1 Racing team set to join the grand prix circus next season has little to do with the sportscar manufacturer and engineering concern which he now heads. Instead, the name is being furnished by parent company Proton to a consortium of investors in its native Malaysia. Bahar wants a slice of the action, and Proton would be wise to give it to him. But the executive who earned his reputation as a branding guru has more plans to get Lotus back into racing beyond the F1 team.
Speaking to a group of Lotus employees, Bahar reportedly disclosed that the company is looking at getting into a variety of racing series, including Indy, Le Mans and GT racing. That's some ambition for a company that hasn't seriously competed in decades, but if any team can pull it off, it's Bahar and Lotus.
When most people think of Lotus, a few different thoughts tend to enter their head. One is of little teeny Toyota-powered EliseExige track toys buzzing around a racetrack. Another is of an underwater submarine piloted by none other than James Bond (albeit Roger Moore). And then -- maybe -- some of you might think of the racing success Lotus used to enjoy, back in the day, a long time ago. Well, according to Autocar, Lotus' new CEO Dany Bahar is seeking to change all that.
"Lotus was mentioned in the same sentence as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati in the 1970s-1990s," said Bahar. "Then, it got closed into a corner. We believe it's the right time to bring Lotus back to where it was." Not only that, but Proton Group (they own Lotus) managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir (must make for one hell of a business card) says that the new Evora, Lotus's first new car since 1995, is "a turning point."
Bahar is making returning Lotus to a place of prestige a top priority for the Malaysian-owned company. The ex-Ferrari exec claims to have have a business plan to return Lotus to the same plane of existence as Ferrari within five years. Of course, to accomplish this, the Camry-powered Evora just ain't going to cut it. Which more or less guarantees the return of the Esprit, which very well might have a Lexus V10 perched out behind the driver. All of which gets our octane lovin' hearts all aflutter. Also, let's not forget about racing – serious racing. We'll keep you posted.
It was rumored yesterday and it's fact today: Ferrari's former senior veep for brand management, Dany Bahar has become Lotus' new CEO.
Before taking on the task of road car, after sales, F1 marketing and merchandising for Ferrari SpA, Bahar headed up the Corporate Projects Business team for Red Bull, where Bahar orchestrated the company's F1 program and oversaw the firm's NASCAR operations along with acquiring a few football (soccer) teams.
Bahar takes the reigns from long-time CEO Michael Kimberley who retired from the automaker in July after engineering Lotus' renaissance, particularly in the U.S. In a statement (posted below the fold), Bahar says he, "can't wait to get my plans underway in October." What's the new CEO have in-store? We should have a better idea sometime early next year.
Ferrari has announced some changes in senior management, including the appointment of Sebastiano Rio as its new industrial director. But the real news that has people talking is the departure of Dany Bahar.
After years as Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz's right hand, Bahar moved to Ferrari two years ago to head up its new Global Brand Department, working in parallel with the racing team and road car divisions to put those little prancing horses on everything from pencils to laptop computers. His resignation from Ferrari has generated reports that the marketing guru is moving over to Lotus to take the chief executive position vacated this past July by Mike Kimberley.
If the reports prove accurate, it would be the second senior executive to leave the Ferrari family for a competing British sports car-maker, following the departure of designer Frank Stephenson to head up the newly formed McLaren Automotive's design department. We'll have to wait for an official announcement from Lotus for confirmation, but in the meantime you can read Ferrari's after the jump. And get ready for Lotus baseball caps to flood the market.
