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The Evija was a Marketing success : it made the Emira having the look of the Evija supercar for the price of a sportcar. And the success of the Emira made Lotus the brand it always wanted to be. Even if the Evija never happens, it had already done the most important : Having people talk about Lotus new design and have them buy the new line of cars. You're right that the Evija might not happen, but Lotus now reached the point where they don't need the Evija anymore to exist.
The Evija is seeming more and more like a great way to please investors enough to give the go ahead for the Emira, the car they actually wanted to make. It was never intended to be a volume seller, so even if they meet the bare minimum obligations, it's been a successful marketing strategy.
Ello Jay, it's my first time to comment on your vid. As a "local", whom born in China and witness the rise of our local brands. I have some opinions based on our brands behavior and local market state, to maybe explain to you why Evija is not really important at all for Lotus. 1: Lotus means an opportunity for Geely, not a unicorn for petrol-head. Geely product structure in China right now is kinda like VW; Geely themself deal with enter-level market. Then their Lynk-Co tackle the premium market, against with Merc, BMW & Audi. Alongside with Zeeke, a brand focus on up-market EV only (like relationship between Volvo & Polestar). But they miss a Luxury brand to head on with Porsche, Lambo, Bently and etc. This is where Lotus to come apart. Even though Lotus is more underwhelming than it was in the globe, as a new comer into Chinese market at this time is perfect. Our local brand spent 20 year to catch up foreign competitors, to persuade custom they're great. They did it so well, now any new EV brand that nobody heard can sold bucket-loads of cars. Now BYD with their Yangwang U8 & U9 push the boundary into 10k, while Sweden being quaky and just want to take the matter on their own hand. A company with some deep racing history and charging by one of the automotive big head in China, selling luxury EV make lot of sense right now. So Lotus is perfect for this spot. 2: Lotus was never really want to sell the Evija and they don't care. Clocking time back couple of years. 2017, a company called NIO launch their first car, it's a Formual E engineering team designed, track only Electric Hypercar -- EP9. That car did a hotlap in Nürburgring with a time of 6:45.9. This big, flashy toy caught everyone's eyes almost immediately. With the success of EP9, NIO catch the heat and make a hit with their electric SUV in both China and some European countries. BUT! Did they sold any EP9? Even with the ridiculous price tag of 1.2 million pounds？ Answer is No, They even didn't plan to push it into production. Same story with the Evija in 2019, they just clam it is great, make media praise the car, than build couple of example to some rich dudes, Happy End! Than 2020 hits.... with Automotive world evolving rapidly into electrify, no way they will spare more time and money onto a car that essentially is a marketing stunt, just to make it even faster. But that doesn't mean they just gonna call it a day.... 3: Evija need to be deliver in this year, it had to be. Fun fact, Evija was displayed on Shanghai Auto Show, alongside with Lotus Eletra that already starting deliver to Chinese customers.Actually, there are people already taken the delivery of Eletra couple days ago. Why Chinese get first and is there anything to do with Evija u might ask? Well, right now this is the perfect time for Geely to push Lotus into spotlight. Because at Shanghai Auto Show, there are 2 brand launch their supercar, one is the Yangwang U9 i just mentioned, another one is the Arcfox GT by Arctic. Both car have well over 1000 hp, loaded with tech and aim to be "track weapon", which I highly doubt about. Evija on the another hand, with its several years development and done by Lotus in house, Pretty sure it can smoke both "track weapon" in ease. That would be a good topic for car enthusiast or normal person, with their Sporty, Luxury SUV, to build up their brands in short period. Thus,those are my opinions on why Evija being like this, hope these idea can provide another angle to view. Hope u have an amazing day and good luck with your production ey o/
This is some really interesting insight, thank you @betodo99. James is completely right (as always haha) when we look at Lotus’s rebirth roll out from a UK / EU perspective, but with Chinese owners and with the Chinese market as the focus for all manufacturers nowadays there could well be several components to the launches that don’t make a bunch of sense over here but are highly relevant to building Lotus in the worlds most important marketplace… here’s hoping that’s the case because Lotus deserve to be playing a far more significant role in the sports/super car market. I think the question for me is whether they maintain their ‘passion first’ approach and there’s a lot of worry that Geely will squash them into badge engineering … I think we’re all just hoping, having deep pockets and a wide folio of brands across income generating sectors, that Lotus might just be allowed to be a just-into-profit jewel in the crown… for me part of the passion that makes a brand endearing is that this nature does mean there are some foolhardy mistakes (and maybe Evija is one of those). It’s the over analysis of every action that squashes serendipity and thereby the creation of the new and truly engaging outputs so I just hope that Geely continue to let them play a bit
Yeah, but it represents a big investment. And it was supposed to be the flagship that would grab all the headlines in all the media and announce the return of Lotus, the brand. Then it got delayed several times. And now the 2 cars it was supposed to promote, are already out. So now the Evija is becoming pointless. And the money put into it is kinda lost.
@betodo99: Many thanks for putting forward an alternative perspective to the way we view Lotus product market here in the UK. Your suggested approach gives me food for thought. 👍
Well spent write up, and I agree with most of your comment. I also think China is a great market for Lotus, and the best contender to rival the same old-same old offerings from Porsche etc. And let's not forget the 90s, and the success of the Elan M100 that went onto become rebadged as a Kia if I remember correctly. I may be wrong, but I may be right, based on how the Chinese build cars, I think unlike Europeans and Americans, they prefer smaller more straight to the point built vehicles, with simple (non fussy) yet elegant designs.
Hear me out: toyota camry-carlton with the 430 engine, suspension configured by lotus, maybe some fancy carbon body parts. Would absolutely kill sales. You only have to look at the yaris and supra.
I think you’re right, the only thing I will say which I think Lotus should be given credit for which I think you missed (but apologies if I didn’t catch it) is that it is a truly fabulous piece of design. I think it looks absolutely mega and am so glad that it has informed the Emira’s styling.
I remember reading in Evo magazine about 10 years ago that Lotus had no restrictions on Toyota's parts bin, which even included the V10 in the Lexus LFA. With growing appreciation for the LFA and now Lotus is under Geely's ownership, that arrangement has obviously now changed. I think the Evija is the best looking hypercar out there, but can you imagine how brilliant the Evija could be with that LFA engine in the back of it? Sadly another opportunity lost to create something amazing.
I think you've summed the Evija up really well James. I'm seeing a lot of similarity with the Jaguar XJ220, which also missed the market at launch. But I still wouldn't mind having one.
Somebody hasn't figured out that the New Lotus business model is about selling cars to people who have never purchased a Lotus before. Given how small the group of existing Lotus customers is, it actually makes more sense than at first glance. As for the Evija, when we heard about the bust up with Williams, it was obvious that this project was going to see major delays. None of the delays we are seeing on this model is much of a surprise really, it was simply never going to arrive as quickly as originally promised, simply too much tech Lotus had not played with before. The new product going forward is as based architectures that Geely, under the skin for all the Geely Brands (Lotus, Volvo, Polestar, Lynk & Co, Zeekr.). The investment into lotus is not as large as it first appears. The business model appears sounds, but will Lotus retain any of its old charm, probably not , but they will sell a lot more cars than under the old Business model.
The "lifestyle" cars from lotus are their own cars entirely and not sharing a platform with other cars It is true that the 3 upcoming cars will be based on the same platform
@@carmadme Haha, what are you talking about? "Lifestyle cars"? No, the Evija was something they managed to quickly cobble up with what they already had in usable Evora parts, and with Geely engineers putting a nice veneer of a "new" car on it. Evija means nothing, is nothing, it's only a placeholder to keep the brand alive until they flood the market with purely 🇨🇳 Geely EV stuff rebadged as Lotuses. From 2028 on they've promised to only sell EVs, and ALL of those will be 🇨🇳Geely stuff.
Agreed, it was mind blowing when it was announced but due to the delays it's now not as ridiculous as it was. EV development had sky rocketed in recent years, we now have 1000hp saloons somehow. A EV hypercar just doesn't have as much appeal/as sought after as their ICE (or even hybrid) counterparts, they just feel disposable & forgettable.
Im with you on the looks of the T50. Front is great, but that fan at the back totally spoils the look at the rear. Its a shame because the fan could easily have been hidden. The T33 however, especially the Spider looks amazing. and it uses a variant of the same V12
Yeah when I saw the Evija announcement I was really confused, being electric and a hypercar meant it has near to no appeal to Lotus fans even if they could afford it, and Lotus just doesn't have the brand recognition to sell well to non enthusiasts.
@@bmstyleei think thats irrelevant, like all hypercars its essentially a publicity stunt. What name its got doesn't matter, what does matter is the cars that follow it bearing the same name.
Rimac seems likely to sell all 150 Neveras despite having even less brand recognition than Lotus. The key difference is that car entered production, and despite being overweight it actually is the quickest production car and set 23 records recently. Lotus seems to have failed to deliver.
The Evija release process sounds a lot like the rumoured process the UK Armed Forces follow when developing new hardware - the spec keeps changing, which creates complications in the development process, which results in increased costs and delays. Hoping the Evija does actually get a spec freeze at some point so it can be released - it looks gorgeous!
The Evija _had_ to be dramatically better than a $130,000 Tesla Model S Plaid and now the $250,000 Lucid Air Sapphire. And now the Rimac Nevera at the same $2M price is in production and set 23 world records and a 'Ring record. As JayEmm points out, a very expensive EV Lotus that isn't "the fastest" in some way has limited appeal; it's probably not enough to look gorgeous. So if Lotus is changing the spec to beat competitors, they're probably doing the right thing.
James, I'm appalled that you called the T-50 weird. It's a very pure purpose driven design by a very skilful team. And by Mr. Murray. In your list of alternatives, you forgot to mention the Evija's main rival, the Rimac Nevera. Which is already being delivered. I do agree with most of your reasoning, Lotus were not aware or underestimated the challenge they have.
I was only wondering recently what had happened to this car. It had such a fanfare then seemed to drop off a cliff. Not good. Great video James, sadly I think you’re right too.
Lotus is not a monolithic organisation, there's Lotus Cars and there is also Lotus Engineering, the former often acting as the advertising for the latter. The Eletre is a product of Lotus engineering and from what I've heard, the Evija didn't even start there, but originally came from a Geely project. I think this is its primary purpose, to show off the capabilities of the engineering section.
Yes, my understanding of the upcoming EV's is that they're essentially Polestars, and really EV is their expertise, so whilst making a goodbye to ICE sounds like a great idea, Lotus don't have that expertise, and so sticking a big electric motor in with handling from Lotus seemed like an easier (and more appealing) option, and it's worth remembering it preceeded any other established supercar company announcing something similar. But as James points out, the problem with EV is that its really not hard to make an EV astoundingly powerful, and so it's figures aren't impressive any more.
@@pistonburner6448 buddy, the point isn't for people in government to gain power, it's for them and the companies to service the wealthy for a kickback, who don't have to care about maintaining a monolith cause their only involvement is protecting procurement.
@@Boardwoards What an absolutely unintelligent, weak, illogical, invalid argument. Straight out of the "Cowardly diversion" handbook. Whataboutism at its finest. Above all, go ahead: name "all the major Western auto companies" that are government-controlled! Tell me which Western car companies are controlled and part of a geopolitical strategy led by the military!! You absolute clown!
Harry on Harrys Garage had the perfect explanation for why the Emeras price went up. Parts & distribution costs have skyrocketed. Chip-shortage, all those things. They simply had to follow the market. Not at all their fault.
The thing is: if Lotus delivers the Evija just barely as promised, it's still one step ahead of the competition on some aspects: more powerful (no other has reached the 2k mark yet, not even Rimac, and the Tesla Roadster II is... well... somewhere), and more importantly, LIGHTER. It's going to be a 2k hp car with 1700 kg of weight. Ariel with their Hipercar and "only" 1200 hp can only go down to 1500 kg. The Rimac Nevera is heavier than a Bugatti Chiron, and even with nearly 2000 hp, it's far from the 1 to 1 power-weight ratio. The Evija though dips well below this target, and just for that, it's mind blowing. Only a handful of gasoline cars have delivered that, and I don't think it has yet happened with EVs. So, we shouldn't let Hypercar fatigue distract us from real achievements, even on the EV front... if indeed they eventually happen. Which I hope will, because the Evija looks amazing and promises much. The world will be a better place with that car in it, I believe.
Battery technology IS advancing. Especially if you don't need them to be Tesla-cheap or give you thousands of charge-discharge cycles. Evija can indeed be made, and be a really good car, much lighter than Rimac Nevera, but it needs some strong head to lead development. I'd be talkin with Lucid, their motors and converters seem to be pretty light and compact. Both are import. Rimac' stuff has been a bit bulky still, so a heavy car with limited flowthrough aero. Koenigsegg works on optimized direct drive motors, ideal for AWD. RPM range designed to match the wheel size and speed range desired.
Does anyone out there remember when the home VCR first hit the market? Or the home video camera. One could spend upwards near $10,000 on these new products and technology. Lotus will pay for the development with the Evija. It is a common practice and a proven paradyn. Tesla did it with the Roadster. The important thing about delivering a product late. It needs to exceed all expectations or buyers will say, "I like the car but I had to wait longer than promised". Exceeding expectations will address that.
It did what it was meant to, it got people talking about Lotus and the success of the Emira has proved that. And on the prices increases on the Emira, it was under priced to begin with, then followed a global increase in the price of energy, Lotus simply had no option.
Ohhh didn't know you were into PC's. That system in the back is mad. who did you get to build it? So so few wall mounted watercooled builds turn well, and this one's fantastic.
Except... the Rimac Nevera is over two million, and they're aiming to sell 150, so at least one other company thinks that EV hypercars are workable propositions - and I'd say the Evija is the better looking of the two cars. That said, Lotus still need to deliver, and they would be very foolish if they didn't make sure that whatever finally makes it to market isn't "current" (no pun intended) in terms of specs in this fast changing environment.
15:30 - Yeah, old school. That's what they should have done. They could have done short runs or 'related' cars: Clark, Hill, Rindt, Fittipaldi, Peterson, Andretti, etc.
They have had to redo the entire thing at least once. They had a partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering, who made EV Aston Rapide prototype, then lotus showed the Evija, then actual press releases saying Williams partnership was terminated
I am a car enthusiast but as soon as I see the price tag of a million - I clicked it off, I let the non-enthusiast rich people click it on ! Bring back the Esprit !
This is car is probably just for research or marketing. Also there is how Lotus now fits into Geely, they maybe focusing on core and far more important markets. Very interesting video. Keep up the good work.
I lament the demise of the ICE engine. Let's hope we can stave off the regulations for classic cars at the very least. I wonder if synthetic fuel will save the day...?
The main problem I have with these electric hyper cars, is the lack of perceived value… analogy: digital Vs. analogue watches, the former is undoubtedly more modern and advanced, but people spend the really big bucks on the old fashioned ones that tick, where the craftsmanship and value is plain to see…..
Aston at Pebble a couple years ago told me the Valkyre won't be setting a ring record as it's too low with too much downforce for that track. It would bottom out hard. They said they anticipate the Valhalla will set it around 6:30 based on their simulations. Thought you might find that an interesting statement.
Lotus since 1958: simplify and add lightness. Lotus in 2020: ELECTRIC POWERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR will lump around any battery! I like to add that the promised development of BEVs will not only hurt investors, but also the common man! If technology progresses as promised (which I highly doubt), there will be no interest in today's BEVs and values will plummet.
2 things, coming from a Lotus employee. 1. The Evija is still being built. Very slowly, but it still exists 2. The Emira isn't a reskinned Evora at all. The chassis is different. I believe the chassis' are even slightly different between v6 and i4
I think it was basically a concept car to sell more emiras. But. If it's the fastest car in the world there is a market for 130 buyers. Even if they only sell 50 saying 130 provides a limited number that also allows them to sell more if the demand is there.
I love the way J always says it how it is - while saying it the way we were all thinking 👍- unfortunately in todays world investment potential is ruining everything from whiskey to watches to cars to sports memorabilia. Prices have gone skywards . Plus I personally feel these new all electric cars are really going to push people into more debt - the prices of them currently are just not justified
Lotus should have deepened their Toyota relationship and took the new Prius (o-60 7.1 stock) driveline, flipped it for RWD, and beefed up the performance a little and given it an elise style body. $50k plug In sports car unlike all competitors
I don't mind Lotus referencing their old F1 glory days with a special edition. Mercedes has made reference to very old cars multiple times with things like the silver arrow edition or the sterling moss edition
Regarding the million pound plus hyper-cars you have to remember to a billionaire they are almost free if not actually profitable. Billionaires do not spend there own money, they get loans at fractions of a percent against their assets. A hyper-car counts as an asset too and so a billionaire can essentially get another loan on the car they have just bought with a loan especially is its considered to be an asset that is increasing in value. I think more likely is that it keeps blowing up.
Taken at a very UK-centric face value, you're not wrong, but I think you've missed the point by quite a large margin. Lotus isn't selling cars to British or even western blokes with too much cash. What's actually happening here is that Geely are launching Lotus Nyo. They're doing it at a scale where this sort of thing is possible ruclips.net/video/IxyLkzUzicQ/видео.html. The costs of a halo car when you're launching China's first real home grown premium brand just don't matter. Lotus bought them some heritage, the Emira tied both together, but the real thing is the EV brand. So the Evija had to be an EV, and it didn't matter what it cost. I was at Hethel in late march, there was an Evija blatting round the track. Others parked around. One of which had the Lotus Nyo badge on it, and that's the point here. They'll sell most of them in China, where import duties normally kill high end cars, but not cars from Chinese brands, there the competition you listed melts away, and the reasons for buying the first and greatest world beating (even if it's spurious and made in Norfolk) Chinese hypercar multiply rapidly. So not a mistake then... Well, a bit. 10 days ago I drove the Rimac Nevera. I'm on a waiting list to have my eyeballs put back in after that. No ICE car ever made could touch that thing, it was utterly, mind bendingly, vision alteringly bonkers. And it works and has number plates and sounds great. And a 380- mile range. And there's no way the Lotus is faster. None. It doesn't even claim to be faster. Luckily the representation of facts in the Chinese media doesn't rely on them being right, or even facts, so Lotus Nyo have the bestest moonshot hypercar ever built, ever and nothing can beat it. And it's pretty. Now buy an SUV.
Lotus arent launching lotus nyo. They have to use that name in china due to a naming rights issue. Lotus are trying to get 'Lotus' name back so they can use it in China. Until then they are forced to use Lotus Nyo.
Lotus arent launching lotus nyo. They have to use that name in china due to a naming rights issue. Lotus are trying to get 'Lotus' name back so they can use it in China. Until then they are forced to use Lotus Nyo.
Totally agree James. One big problem with the Evija is that it makes the Emira look less special. They should definitely have made it a £200k petrol/hybrid halo car The technology for a full EV sportscar is not there yet.
But even this is a problem, the fact that if you had an imaginary £2m, you still would only consider it. I bet there aren't many people with the actual £2m that commit to purchase
A good example for conparision would be the Lexus LFA and the Nissan GTR R35. The LFA was announced in 2001 at Tokyo Motor Show but didnt actual go into production till 2010. GTR came along in 2008, stole their thunder, their sales and their limelight.
I was talking recently to the head of Lotus America. Great guy! He told me, after driving one, that the new all electric Lotus SUV was amazingly good looking and fast! for such a large vehicle.
Jay you are spot on not just the Elise, but going back across their history Lotus have been known for light mid priced, great handling cars, they have always used small engines (except ths V8 Esprit), in light bodies that handled like it was on rails. Right from the Seven, Elan, Europa, Elite, Eclat, even the early Eprits were only 2ltr, they just don't have the hypercar history, and outside the UK theh wil always be a bit of a curio, even within the UK they would be considered niche.
The Evija did for the Emira what the XJ13 did for the E-type V12. It got people looking in that direction to see the tech drip down into something more attainable and affordable. I remember Lotus announcing the Etna in the 80s and a whole new range of model line-ups in the 90's/2000s - there have been many false dawns before. And Lotus aren't the only ones to play this game but they've got to show themselves as a game player. Hence the Electra. Another beneficially of the Evija hype. The Evija cannot be the fastest thing round a track now. Tech doesn't stand still and 4yrs is a long time (and now there is the McMurtry Speirling) but if they do produce it then it'll still be a helluva thing - just not as important as it once was...
Drove the Evija in Nov 2022 on the Lotus track, amazing handling and speed.......but as you say not for long. There is room to upgrade the Evija as tech changes and would be no shock to see many return to the factory to be converted to H2 or something other than pure EV
The Evija I dont think is a mistake. It is without a doubt the most beautiful, elegant design in a Looong time, of any car. Lambos and Ferraris seem to look more and more like transformers. The Evija is a simple yet superb design.
And so it is. I think most Lotus fans found the Evija curious, a statement of intent rather than a product to consider. It would have been better as a one off or concept car than anything offered for sale. And that’s almost certainly what it will become. No doubt Lotus would rather forget it. You read the marque perfectly. I still thoroughly enjoy my Evora 400, on which yours was always a welcome perspective. Congratulations on the channel’s continued success. It’s great to see! About Lotus, hope springs eternal!
We have an Elise which is used as a daily and love it. As most owners we have a few more, one of which I would be afraid to park in a public carpark. Whatever it takes for them to survive and be able to produce relatively cheap sportscars is completely justified. Cheap Lotus exotics are in a market of their own. Also I need to have a parts supply to keep Lottie on the road.
Great video that does raise some good points - not just about the Evija but EV hypercars and EVs in general. I'm lucky enough to be an Emira owner and it is a fantastic car and achivement by Lotus. It looks every inch the supercar and gives a large portion of supercar experience for 'sportscar' money and Lotus, despite the delays and price issues should be applauded. Now, the Evija. I saw one at FoS in 2021 and another at the London Concours last summer and it looked completely fantastic. My dealer has videos running non-stop in their showroom and it is still the 'halo' car. It's like the Rimac - stunningly fast car (nowhere near as good looking as the Evija) but are they selling lots of those? They're in the lucky position of being owned by VW and partnered with Bugatti where I bet the last of the line Chirons had people fighting over them. I really think that when it comes to super/hyper cars buyers STILL want internal combustion engines or at least hybrids (like Lamborghini and Ferrari) as they are ultimately petrolheads and are NOT into electric powertrains. The Cosworth V12s in the Valkyrie and GMA cars are incredible feats of engineering as are Koenigseggs latest engines and gearboxes. The motors and battery packs in these EV hypercars, while incredible performance-wise are not in the same league for 'specialness' and like you say will almost always be immediately out of date. You could say the same about ICE powered cars but it doesn't matter so much because the engines provide the cars with so much of their chracter that is a big part of the reason buyers of these cars want them. If I was in the market for an Evija I think I'd go to Lotus and say: here's £3m. I want an Evija but can you stick a twin turbo Mercedes AMG engine in the back of it. I know there are Teslas that will easily out perform my Emira (acceleration-wise) but I bet they don't give you anywhere near the same experience. I really want Lotus to do well but your video does make me wonder if they've gone down the right path. Might not have been their decision. Probably Geely's!
You don't feel guilty about supporting 🇨🇳 against Europe, supporting and funding all the evil 🇨🇳 does and intends to do? You don't feel bad literally supporting the strongest pusher of the EV-only policy and the "destroy all ICE cars" -policy and going against the companies which still support ICE cars?
The Rimac Nevera is in production and is NOT immediately out of date! The only car i know of that might surpass it in the next two years is... the Evija. The 23 recent records, the 'Ring record, the attention to detail, the quality have made Nevera an apparent success despite Rimac having even less brand cachet than Lotus and the Nevera ending up overweight. Lotus simply failed to execute (so far...) despite having the resources of Geely behind them. "Engine = character" is just nostalgia, soon combustion fans will be saying it the way other retro fans rhapsodize about the hiss of a steam engine.
@@skierpage it is not NOSTALGIA. It IS character and drama. Driving is more than just drag racing. The visceral sound of an ICE screaming does something if you are really into cars. Do you go to supercar events? The number of kids (and adults) that are there just to hear the engines and exhaust notes is unreal. If they were all EVs these events just wouldn't happen. Why do guys love driving theor supercars through tunnels?Why do guys put loud exhausts on their cars? They're not going to mic up and amplify the sound of their whining electric motors are they?
According to the Lotus rep I talked to in September they've already sold all 130 Evijas and have a waitlist of 3x that. Entirely agree with your points but I reckon Lotus has achieved its marketing goals with the Evija.
Jay, I'm sorry to say this, but; you are pretty damn perceptive and logical. And, most likely right. Keep up the good work (and analytical thinking!). 👍
Love the videos, and this one is no exception. Great content as always, have to say though I really liked the Emira. Harry Metcalfe over on Harry’s Garage has put out a good few very informative videos on his personal purchase of the Emira. Maybe a conflict of interest there considering he’s bought one. Might not be the most impartial review but still informative as always and seemingly in terms of performance the Emira would be competitive with similarly priced rivals…
What is the brand recognition of Rimac? And yet the £2.4million Nevera is sold out. As is its twin, the Pininfarina Battista. So money is not really the issue here. Performance wise, can an Evija do better than those two? Probably not and why it’s been delayed indefinitely.
I really like your idea of a $300,000 petrol car for Lotus.! IMO, the Emira is too small for its extreme design. It would look a lot better a bit larger.
Lots of really good points there. I'm a Lotus owner across a span of 30 years and I couldn't have been less interested in the Evija. An electric car is really a bit too easy for what Lotus does well, which is to get all the elements of a car into a coherent whole and produce a car which responds to your inputs in the way you would expect, instinctively. They are ALL fabulous machines, with the possible exception of the M100 Elan, which should have been a Miata. In many ways Gordon Murray has taken over Lotus's mantle and he's managed to put a carbon fibre price tag on his cars thanks to the engineering detail (not a strong point of Lotuses, though they are exceptional examples of practical engineering on a budget). That budget question, and the cheapskatery accompanying it, is a lesson they could have learned from the McLaren F1, which didn't substantially outhandle Lotuses or provide that much more to appreciate as a driver (though shattering the performance limits of road cars in general was no small feat. They could actually have learned from the BMW M1 too, which is essentially an Esprit anyway, only with a stonking straight six. What they need to do now is go back on their promise of the Emira being the last petrol car or non-hybrid and get another car out there, maybe with just a bit of hybrid push, to clothe the Lotus spirit for the everyday man.
The Elise and the Exige saved Lotus from demise. And now they've stuck two fingers up to all the people who kept the company alive over the past 25 years. I drove a friend's VX220 turbo (Elise-based) once about 15 years ago and it was absolutely fantastic. The harder you drove it the better it was. A car we both could easily afford and enjoy. An X million pound hypercar is never going to be within our reach and I would have absolutely zero interest in ever having one as I'd be too worried about binning it to enjoy it to its potential. I can see Lotus going down the pan within the next few years if they continue with their current ethos.
I think they missed the boat there. Rimac has already a car that has similar power and drives around "everywhere" and setting records. Until lotus has the EV out, they will already come with a new model that will have even more power. What Mate got right from the start: The new Bugatti can`t be a pure EV. It needs a outstanding engine on top of EV Power. I think Lotus should have done the same and set on a Hyper Hybrid instead of the pure EV. For me the core of Lotus are cars like the Elise, the Exige and the Esprit. That is kind of the spirit of the brand (just my stupid opinion).
I agree wholeheartedly. My first instinct was...why would ANYBODY buy an electric Lotus, when they have free access to a Rimac, which is already proven. Lotus has a complete history of lies, subpar, wholly unreliable cars and financial mismanagement with its brand.
I remember James may in one, and either the electric windows or doors took about a minute to open and close. He said 'they will be sorting that before it goes into production'
You hit the nail on the head with this one Jay. With the speed at which performance "improves" hanging a car's hat on being the fastest is a mistake. Remember when the R35 GT-R was a "giant killer"? Today its performance level is almost common place (0-60 in the mid 3s, 1/4 mile trap around 115-120). There has to be something more to the story.
Yet Rimac is seemingly successful with the Nevera. There clearly is value in being the quickest (and with a decent 'Ring time) and it's not clear who's going to surpass it in the next two years before their Porsche Mission E if not the Lotus. Actually delivering cars to customers is a good way to diminish armchair criticism.
i think the reason the evija keeps being delayed is because other cars coming out keep surpassing it so they hold back so they can improve it. lotus does not like to release subpar cars, thats why they only have a few models.
James, you are spot on. They need more than the Emira. None of their electric cars are convincing. They don’t look like Lotus vehicles and they don’t adhere to traditional Lotus engineering principals. Why would anyone buy one over a competitor from another brand? They don’t even look attractive.
Lotus still earns a lot as a consultant outsourcing their skills and know how. Anything they learnt from investing in the tech here - can be sold on to others through their existing network. It's important they keep up with and learn about electric cars and also how to make heavier cars handle well. This may not be a loss at all. It also created a cool image for me with them - that they are brave and trying new things. That image is still there even if this cool project does not get the go ahead.
Personally, I think you are 100% right. If, and it is a damned big IF, there were an EV with a range of 200+ miles when driven hard, then the track day, hard driving brigade would understand. Less than that curtails the enjoyment of driving. So why would you?
Nice to see that someone else thinks the T50 doesn't look that special. Engine-wise fantastic and will probably be amazing to drive, but the fan is a gimmick and ruins the styling imo.
to me the front of the T.50 looks bland. If GMA could just take the headlights from the T.33 and put them on the T.50... I do like the look of the fan though.
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The Evija was a Marketing success : it made the Emira having the look of the Evija supercar for the price of a sportcar. And the success of the Emira made Lotus the brand it always wanted to be.
Even if the Evija never happens, it had already done the most important : Having people talk about Lotus new design and have them buy the new line of cars.
You're right that the Evija might not happen, but Lotus now reached the point where they don't need the Evija anymore to exist.
100%, it did exactly what it was supposed to do.
@@andrewgurney6019 if that was what they wanted, they should just have called it a concept and said they had no intention of producing it.
@@richardharrold9736 but then nobody would have cared
Absolutely…. 👍🏻
@@Mr.Marbles nobody cares anyway. They wouldn't have cared any less if it had just been a design concept.
The Evija is seeming more and more like a great way to please investors enough to give the go ahead for the Emira, the car they actually wanted to make. It was never intended to be a volume seller, so even if they meet the bare minimum obligations, it's been a successful marketing strategy.
Which investors ? owned by Geely for who dev budget would be peanuts.
A fraudulent marketing scheme.
Investors? Don't you understand who owns Lotus? It's all about the PLA plan to conquer the European market with their nation's cars and tech.
Ello Jay, it's my first time to comment on your vid.
As a "local", whom born in China and witness the rise of our local brands. I have some opinions based on our brands behavior and local market state, to maybe explain to you why Evija is not really important at all for Lotus.
1: Lotus means an opportunity for Geely, not a unicorn for petrol-head.
Geely product structure in China right now is kinda like VW; Geely themself deal with enter-level market. Then their Lynk-Co tackle the premium market, against with Merc, BMW & Audi. Alongside with Zeeke, a brand focus on up-market EV only (like relationship between Volvo & Polestar). But they miss a Luxury brand to head on with Porsche, Lambo, Bently and etc. This is where Lotus to come apart. Even though Lotus is more underwhelming than it was in the globe, as a new comer into Chinese market at this time is perfect. Our local brand spent 20 year to catch up foreign competitors, to persuade custom they're great. They did it so well, now any new EV brand that nobody heard can sold bucket-loads of cars. Now BYD with their Yangwang U8 & U9 push the boundary into 10k, while Sweden being quaky and just want to take the matter on their own hand. A company with some deep racing history and charging by one of the automotive big head in China, selling luxury EV make lot of sense right now. So Lotus is perfect for this spot.
2: Lotus was never really want to sell the Evija and they don't care.
Clocking time back couple of years. 2017, a company called NIO launch their first car, it's a Formual E engineering team designed, track only Electric Hypercar -- EP9. That car did a hotlap in Nürburgring with a time of 6:45.9. This big, flashy toy caught everyone's eyes almost immediately. With the success of EP9, NIO catch the heat and make a hit with their electric SUV in both China and some European countries. BUT! Did they sold any EP9? Even with the ridiculous price tag of 1.2 million pounds？ Answer is No, They even didn't plan to push it into production. Same story with the Evija in 2019, they just clam it is great, make media praise the car, than build couple of example to some rich dudes, Happy End! Than 2020 hits.... with Automotive world evolving rapidly into electrify, no way they will spare more time and money onto a car that essentially is a marketing stunt, just to make it even faster. But that doesn't mean they just gonna call it a day....
3: Evija need to be deliver in this year, it had to be.
Fun fact, Evija was displayed on Shanghai Auto Show, alongside with Lotus Eletra that already starting deliver to Chinese customers.Actually, there are people already taken the delivery of Eletra couple days ago. Why Chinese get first and is there anything to do with Evija u might ask? Well, right now this is the perfect time for Geely to push Lotus into spotlight. Because at Shanghai Auto Show, there are 2 brand launch their supercar, one is the Yangwang U9 i just mentioned, another one is the Arcfox GT by Arctic. Both car have well over 1000 hp, loaded with tech and aim to be "track weapon", which I highly doubt about. Evija on the another hand, with its several years development and done by Lotus in house, Pretty sure it can smoke both "track weapon" in ease. That would be a good topic for car enthusiast or normal person, with their Sporty, Luxury SUV, to build up their brands in short period.
Thus,those are my opinions on why Evija being like this, hope these idea can provide another angle to view.
Hope u have an amazing day and good luck with your production ey o/
This is some really interesting insight, thank you @betodo99. James is completely right (as always haha) when we look at Lotus’s rebirth roll out from a UK / EU perspective, but with Chinese owners and with the Chinese market as the focus for all manufacturers nowadays there could well be several components to the launches that don’t make a bunch of sense over here but are highly relevant to building Lotus in the worlds most important marketplace… here’s hoping that’s the case because Lotus deserve to be playing a far more significant role in the sports/super car market. I think the question for me is whether they maintain their ‘passion first’ approach and there’s a lot of worry that Geely will squash them into badge engineering … I think we’re all just hoping, having deep pockets and a wide folio of brands across income generating sectors, that Lotus might just be allowed to be a just-into-profit jewel in the crown… for me part of the passion that makes a brand endearing is that this nature does mean there are some foolhardy mistakes (and maybe Evija is one of those). It’s the over analysis of every action that squashes serendipity and thereby the creation of the new and truly engaging outputs so I just hope that Geely continue to let them play a bit
Yeah, but it represents a big investment. And it was supposed to be the flagship that would grab all the headlines in all the media and announce the return of Lotus, the brand. Then it got delayed several times. And now the 2 cars it was supposed to promote, are already out. So now the Evija is becoming pointless. And the money put into it is kinda lost.
@betodo99: Many thanks for putting forward an alternative perspective to the way we view Lotus product market here in the UK. Your suggested approach gives me food for thought. 👍
Well spent write up, and I agree with most of your comment. I also think China is a great market for Lotus, and the best contender to rival the same old-same old offerings from Porsche etc.
And let's not forget the 90s, and the success of the Elan M100 that went onto become rebadged as a Kia if I remember correctly.
I may be wrong, but I may be right, based on how the Chinese build cars, I think unlike Europeans and Americans, they prefer smaller more straight to the point built vehicles, with simple (non fussy) yet elegant designs.
In my opinion, there is no better sportscar manufacturer better than Lotus to dominate the new EV market. It goes hand in hand with their philosophy.
If they ever make a saloon, I hope they call it the Carlton.
Same and make it the fastest four door saloon and at a relatively affordable price
Hear me out: toyota camry-carlton with the 430 engine, suspension configured by lotus, maybe some fancy carbon body parts. Would absolutely kill sales. You only have to look at the yaris and supra.
@@syscoord195 there's already a fairly hot V6 Camry and it's barely selling.
Vauxhall has enter the chat
@Richard Harrold a TRD spec but not a GR spec. It's only putting out 300hp. I think it's just being killed by the corolla that's a better offer.
I think you’re right, the only thing I will say which I think Lotus should be given credit for which I think you missed (but apologies if I didn’t catch it) is that it is a truly fabulous piece of design. I think it looks absolutely mega and am so glad that it has informed the Emira’s styling.
I remember reading in Evo magazine about 10 years ago that Lotus had no restrictions on Toyota's parts bin, which even included the V10 in the Lexus LFA. With growing appreciation for the LFA and now Lotus is under Geely's ownership, that arrangement has obviously now changed. I think the Evija is the best looking hypercar out there, but can you imagine how brilliant the Evija could be with that LFA engine in the back of it? Sadly another opportunity lost to create something amazing.
Boo hoo
I think you've summed the Evija up really well James. I'm seeing a lot of similarity with the Jaguar XJ220, which also missed the market at launch. But I still wouldn't mind having one.
Somebody hasn't figured out that the New Lotus business model is about selling cars to people who have never purchased a Lotus before. Given how small the group of existing Lotus customers is, it actually makes more sense than at first glance.
As for the Evija, when we heard about the bust up with Williams, it was obvious that this project was going to see major delays. None of the delays we are seeing on this model is much of a surprise really, it was simply never going to arrive as quickly as originally promised, simply too much tech Lotus had not played with before. The new product going forward is as based architectures that Geely, under the skin for all the Geely Brands (Lotus, Volvo, Polestar, Lynk & Co, Zeekr.). The investment into lotus is not as large as it first appears.
The business model appears sounds, but will Lotus retain any of its old charm, probably not , but they will sell a lot more cars than under the old Business model.
The "lifestyle" cars from lotus are their own cars entirely and not sharing a platform with other cars
It is true that the 3 upcoming cars will be based on the same platform
It's all ONLY about selling 🇨🇳 cars to Europe.
@@carmadme Haha, what are you talking about? "Lifestyle cars"? No, the Evija was something they managed to quickly cobble up with what they already had in usable Evora parts, and with Geely engineers putting a nice veneer of a "new" car on it. Evija means nothing, is nothing, it's only a placeholder to keep the brand alive until they flood the market with purely 🇨🇳 Geely EV stuff rebadged as Lotuses. From 2028 on they've promised to only sell EVs, and ALL of those will be 🇨🇳Geely stuff.
TLDR
Agreed, it was mind blowing when it was announced but due to the delays it's now not as ridiculous as it was. EV development had sky rocketed in recent years, we now have 1000hp saloons somehow. A EV hypercar just doesn't have as much appeal/as sought after as their ICE (or even hybrid) counterparts, they just feel disposable & forgettable.
EVs are devices and utterly disposable. I actually have nothing against EVs, but they are what they are - they aren't "cars"
Disagreed. Rimac actually makes it and absolutely amazing. I’d dispose loads for that one
@@theorderofeliyou are an utter waste of air if you think that.
Then again, it seems like your brain does not get enough oxygen, sooo
Every car is disposable. McLaren 500 600 700 who cares.
Im with you on the looks of the T50.
Front is great, but that fan at the back totally spoils the look at the rear.
Its a shame because the fan could easily have been hidden.
The T33 however, especially the Spider looks amazing.
and it uses a variant of the same V12
Yeah when I saw the Evija announcement I was really confused, being electric and a hypercar meant it has near to no appeal to Lotus fans even if they could afford it, and Lotus just doesn't have the brand recognition to sell well to non enthusiasts.
That is the big problem. The people who love the Lotus name is a small and honestly aging demographic. Not a good thing for the brand as a whole.
@@bmstyleei think thats irrelevant, like all hypercars its essentially a publicity stunt.
What name its got doesn't matter, what does matter is the cars that follow it bearing the same name.
Rimac seems likely to sell all 150 Neveras despite having even less brand recognition than Lotus. The key difference is that car entered production, and despite being overweight it actually is the quickest production car and set 23 records recently. Lotus seems to have failed to deliver.
The Evija release process sounds a lot like the rumoured process the UK Armed Forces follow when developing new hardware - the spec keeps changing, which creates complications in the development process, which results in increased costs and delays. Hoping the Evija does actually get a spec freeze at some point so it can be released - it looks gorgeous!
Yep, 100%. The new mod one chasis multy purpose warrior platform that made driver sick from vibrations?
@@wpjohn91 MOD is money laundering. Truth will come out one day. So many big money projects fail after big money spent.
I suspect COVID lockdowns slowed progress down a lot, like many things
@@wpjohn91 the Ajax light tank, right?
The Evija _had_ to be dramatically better than a $130,000 Tesla Model S Plaid and now the $250,000 Lucid Air Sapphire. And now the Rimac Nevera at the same $2M price is in production and set 23 world records and a 'Ring record. As JayEmm points out, a very expensive EV Lotus that isn't "the fastest" in some way has limited appeal; it's probably not enough to look gorgeous. So if Lotus is changing the spec to beat competitors, they're probably doing the right thing.
James, I'm appalled that you called the T-50 weird. It's a very pure purpose driven design by a very skilful team. And by Mr. Murray. In your list of alternatives, you forgot to mention the Evija's main rival, the Rimac Nevera. Which is already being delivered. I do agree with most of your reasoning, Lotus were not aware or underestimated the challenge they have.
It is a complete gimmik and marketing car. No race driver takes it serious
I sat in this car at the Quail during Monterey car week back in 2019 lol. Was quite the experience. The lotus guys were very friendly
I was only wondering recently what had happened to this car. It had such a fanfare then seemed to drop off a cliff. Not good.
Great video James, sadly I think you’re right too.
Lotus is not a monolithic organisation, there's Lotus Cars and there is also Lotus Engineering, the former often acting as the advertising for the latter. The Eletre is a product of Lotus engineering and from what I've heard, the Evija didn't even start there, but originally came from a Geely project. I think this is its primary purpose, to show off the capabilities of the engineering section.
Yes, my understanding of the upcoming EV's is that they're essentially Polestars, and really EV is their expertise, so whilst making a goodbye to ICE sounds like a great idea, Lotus don't have that expertise, and so sticking a big electric motor in with handling from Lotus seemed like an easier (and more appealing) option, and it's worth remembering it preceeded any other established supercar company announcing something similar. But as James points out, the problem with EV is that its really not hard to make an EV astoundingly powerful, and so it's figures aren't impressive any more.
Lotus IS a totally monolithic organisation...the organisation called Geely, which is also known as the government of 🇨🇳
@@pistonburner6448 whew thank christ major western auto companies are separate from gov, no billions going around there
@@pistonburner6448 buddy, the point isn't for people in government to gain power, it's for them and the companies to service the wealthy for a kickback, who don't have to care about maintaining a monolith cause their only involvement is protecting procurement.
@@Boardwoards What an absolutely unintelligent, weak, illogical, invalid argument. Straight out of the "Cowardly diversion" handbook. Whataboutism at its finest.
Above all, go ahead: name "all the major Western auto companies" that are government-controlled! Tell me which Western car companies are controlled and part of a geopolitical strategy led by the military!! You absolute clown!
Harry on Harrys Garage had the perfect explanation for why the Emeras price went up. Parts & distribution costs have skyrocketed. Chip-shortage, all those things. They simply had to follow the market. Not at all their fault.
Oooooo my Emira got a wee feature there too :) Thanks James! Good discussion points raised!
You forgot the Pininfarina Battista. Which also sourced their battery and el-tech from Rimac. With all the same numbers as the Evija.
The thing is: if Lotus delivers the Evija just barely as promised, it's still one step ahead of the competition on some aspects: more powerful (no other has reached the 2k mark yet, not even Rimac, and the Tesla Roadster II is... well... somewhere), and more importantly, LIGHTER. It's going to be a 2k hp car with 1700 kg of weight. Ariel with their Hipercar and "only" 1200 hp can only go down to 1500 kg. The Rimac Nevera is heavier than a Bugatti Chiron, and even with nearly 2000 hp, it's far from the 1 to 1 power-weight ratio. The Evija though dips well below this target, and just for that, it's mind blowing. Only a handful of gasoline cars have delivered that, and I don't think it has yet happened with EVs. So, we shouldn't let Hypercar fatigue distract us from real achievements, even on the EV front... if indeed they eventually happen. Which I hope will, because the Evija looks amazing and promises much. The world will be a better place with that car in it, I believe.
Lotus never change whatever the ownership and management.
Battery technology IS advancing. Especially if you don't need them to be Tesla-cheap or give you thousands of charge-discharge cycles. Evija can indeed be made, and be a really good car, much lighter than Rimac Nevera, but it needs some strong head to lead development. I'd be talkin with Lucid, their motors and converters seem to be pretty light and compact. Both are import. Rimac' stuff has been a bit bulky still, so a heavy car with limited flowthrough aero. Koenigsegg works on optimized direct drive motors, ideal for AWD. RPM range designed to match the wheel size and speed range desired.
Does anyone out there remember when the home VCR first hit the market? Or the home video camera. One could spend upwards near $10,000 on these new products and technology. Lotus will pay for the development with the Evija. It is a common practice and a proven paradyn. Tesla did it with the Roadster. The important thing about delivering a product late. It needs to exceed all expectations or buyers will say, "I like the car but I had to wait longer than promised". Exceeding expectations will address that.
No, Geely is using Lotus R&D of EV to be used for their own brand. Smart, very smart.
It did what it was meant to, it got people talking about Lotus and the success of the Emira has proved that.
And on the prices increases on the Emira, it was under priced to begin with, then followed a global increase in the price of energy, Lotus simply had no option.
Ohhh didn't know you were into PC's. That system in the back is mad. who did you get to build it?
So so few wall mounted watercooled builds turn well, and this one's fantastic.
Happen to agree all the way through.... £2million for an electric car is miles too much when other hyper cars have already beaten by Rimac etc.
Except... the Rimac Nevera is over two million, and they're aiming to sell 150, so at least one other company thinks that EV hypercars are workable propositions - and I'd say the Evija is the better looking of the two cars.
That said, Lotus still need to deliver, and they would be very foolish if they didn't make sure that whatever finally makes it to market isn't "current" (no pun intended) in terms of specs in this fast changing environment.
15:30 - Yeah, old school. That's what they should have done. They could have done short runs or 'related' cars: Clark, Hill, Rindt, Fittipaldi, Peterson, Andretti, etc.
Many good points made.
Main one for me would be obsolescence (and therefored depreciation), compared to an ICE hypercar like the T50
They have had to redo the entire thing at least once. They had a partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering, who made EV Aston Rapide prototype, then lotus showed the Evija, then actual press releases saying Williams partnership was terminated
I am a car enthusiast but as soon as I see the price tag of a million - I clicked it off, I let the non-enthusiast rich people click it on !
Bring back the Esprit !
This is car is probably just for research or marketing. Also there is how Lotus now fits into Geely, they maybe focusing on core and far more important markets. Very interesting video. Keep up the good work.
Great piece of journalism.
I lament the demise of the ICE engine. Let's hope we can stave off the regulations for classic cars at the very least.
I wonder if synthetic fuel will save the day...?
This car looks awesome. I would buy one if i had the money, even if it is electric.
The main problem I have with these electric hyper cars, is the lack of perceived value… analogy: digital Vs. analogue watches, the former is undoubtedly more modern and advanced, but people spend the really big bucks on the old fashioned ones that tick, where the craftsmanship and value is plain to see…..
Very well put.
You forgot to mention the drama behind the scenes of the Evija development
The break-up and lawsuit from Williams delayed this thing indefinitely.
Aston at Pebble a couple years ago told me the Valkyre won't be setting a ring record as it's too low with too much downforce for that track. It would bottom out hard. They said they anticipate the Valhalla will set it around 6:30 based on their simulations. Thought you might find that an interesting statement.
Lotus since 1958: simplify and add lightness. Lotus in 2020: ELECTRIC POWERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR will lump around any battery!
I like to add that the promised development of BEVs will not only hurt investors, but also the common man! If technology progresses as promised (which I highly doubt), there will be no interest in today's BEVs and values will plummet.
2 things, coming from a Lotus employee.
1. The Evija is still being built. Very slowly, but it still exists
2. The Emira isn't a reskinned Evora at all. The chassis is different. I believe the chassis' are even slightly different between v6 and i4
I think it was basically a concept car to sell more emiras. But. If it's the fastest car in the world there is a market for 130 buyers. Even if they only sell 50 saying 130 provides a limited number that also allows them to sell more if the demand is there.
I love the way J always says it how it is - while saying it the way we were all thinking 👍- unfortunately in todays world investment potential is ruining everything from whiskey to watches to cars to sports memorabilia. Prices have gone skywards . Plus I personally feel these new all electric cars are really going to push people into more debt - the prices of them currently are just not justified
Love the PC setup on the wall Jay. Awesome mate.
Cheers. I will be doing a video on it soon, I promise
@JayEmm you’re a phenomenal car journalist! In my opinion the best!
Lotus should have deepened their Toyota relationship and took the new Prius (o-60 7.1 stock) driveline, flipped it for RWD, and beefed up the performance a little and given it an elise style body. $50k plug In sports car unlike all competitors
I don't mind Lotus referencing their old F1 glory days with a special edition. Mercedes has made reference to very old cars multiple times with things like the silver arrow edition or the sterling moss edition
Regarding the million pound plus hyper-cars you have to remember to a billionaire they are almost free if not actually profitable. Billionaires do not spend there own money, they get loans at fractions of a percent against their assets. A hyper-car counts as an asset too and so a billionaire can essentially get another loan on the car they have just bought with a loan especially is its considered to be an asset that is increasing in value.
I think more likely is that it keeps blowing up.
Beautiful from every angle.
Taken at a very UK-centric face value, you're not wrong, but I think you've missed the point by quite a large margin. Lotus isn't selling cars to British or even western blokes with too much cash. What's actually happening here is that Geely are launching Lotus Nyo. They're doing it at a scale where this sort of thing is possible ruclips.net/video/IxyLkzUzicQ/видео.html. The costs of a halo car when you're launching China's first real home grown premium brand just don't matter. Lotus bought them some heritage, the Emira tied both together, but the real thing is the EV brand. So the Evija had to be an EV, and it didn't matter what it cost. I was at Hethel in late march, there was an Evija blatting round the track. Others parked around. One of which had the Lotus Nyo badge on it, and that's the point here. They'll sell most of them in China, where import duties normally kill high end cars, but not cars from Chinese brands, there the competition you listed melts away, and the reasons for buying the first and greatest world beating (even if it's spurious and made in Norfolk) Chinese hypercar multiply rapidly. So not a mistake then...
Well, a bit. 10 days ago I drove the Rimac Nevera. I'm on a waiting list to have my eyeballs put back in after that. No ICE car ever made could touch that thing, it was utterly, mind bendingly, vision alteringly bonkers. And it works and has number plates and sounds great. And a 380- mile range. And there's no way the Lotus is faster. None. It doesn't even claim to be faster. Luckily the representation of facts in the Chinese media doesn't rely on them being right, or even facts, so Lotus Nyo have the bestest moonshot hypercar ever built, ever and nothing can beat it. And it's pretty. Now buy an SUV.
Sadly, you're probably right.
Lotus arent launching lotus nyo. They have to use that name in china due to a naming rights issue. Lotus are trying to get 'Lotus' name back so they can use it in China. Until then they are forced to use Lotus Nyo.
Lotus arent launching lotus nyo. They have to use that name in china due to a naming rights issue. Lotus are trying to get 'Lotus' name back so they can use it in China. Until then they are forced to use Lotus Nyo.
Totally agree James. One big problem with the Evija is that it makes the Emira look less special. They should definitely have made it a £200k petrol/hybrid halo car
The technology for a full EV sportscar is not there yet.
The Evija exterior design is absolutely stunning from every angle - If I had the money I would definitely consider it.
But even this is a problem, the fact that if you had an imaginary £2m, you still would only consider it. I bet there aren't many people with the actual £2m that commit to purchase
@@JohhnooTheBeast I would buy a McLaren P1 like a friend of mine did last year 😁
@@sidrens1047 the P1 is top of my list too. If I had unlimited funds I'd have a P1 and RS4 (you know, for the kids and shopping) 😂
@@JohhnooTheBeast nice! My friend purchased a P1 last year in Volcano yellow - it’s incredible!
A good example for conparision would be the Lexus LFA and the Nissan GTR R35. The LFA was announced in 2001 at Tokyo Motor Show but didnt actual go into production till 2010. GTR came along in 2008, stole their thunder, their sales and their limelight.
I was talking recently to the head of Lotus America. Great guy! He told me, after driving one, that the new all electric Lotus SUV was amazingly good looking and fast! for such a large vehicle.
Jay you are spot on not just the Elise, but going back across their history Lotus have been known for light mid priced, great handling cars, they have always used small engines (except ths V8 Esprit), in light bodies that handled like it was on rails. Right from the Seven, Elan, Europa, Elite, Eclat, even the early Eprits were only 2ltr, they just don't have the hypercar history, and outside the UK theh wil always be a bit of a curio, even within the UK they would be considered niche.
When you say to yourself “do you know how many Lambos I can buy for the price of that EV”… you know someone has missed the mark.
The Evija did for the Emira what the XJ13 did for the E-type V12. It got people looking in that direction to see the tech drip down into something more attainable and affordable. I remember Lotus announcing the Etna in the 80s and a whole new range of model line-ups in the 90's/2000s - there have been many false dawns before. And Lotus aren't the only ones to play this game but they've got to show themselves as a game player. Hence the Electra. Another beneficially of the Evija hype.
The Evija cannot be the fastest thing round a track now. Tech doesn't stand still and 4yrs is a long time (and now there is the McMurtry Speirling) but if they do produce it then it'll still be a helluva thing - just not as important as it once was...
Excellent. I love these office rants.
Drove the Evija in Nov 2022 on the Lotus track, amazing handling and speed.......but as you say not for long. There is room to upgrade the Evija as tech changes and would be no shock to see many return to the factory to be converted to H2 or something other than pure EV
The Evija I dont think is a mistake. It is without a doubt the most beautiful, elegant design in a Looong time, of any car.
Lambos and Ferraris seem to look more and more like transformers. The Evija is a simple yet superb design.
And so it is. I think most Lotus fans found the Evija curious, a statement of intent rather than a product to consider. It would have been better as a one off or concept car than anything offered for sale. And that’s almost certainly what it will become. No doubt Lotus would rather forget it. You read the marque perfectly.
I still thoroughly enjoy my Evora 400, on which yours was always a welcome perspective. Congratulations on the channel’s continued success. It’s great to see! About Lotus, hope springs eternal!
We have an Elise which is used as a daily and love it. As most owners we have a few more, one of which I would be afraid to park in a public carpark. Whatever it takes for them to survive and be able to produce relatively cheap sportscars is completely justified. Cheap Lotus exotics are in a market of their own. Also I need to have a parts supply to keep Lottie on the road.
Great video that does raise some good points - not just about the Evija but EV hypercars and EVs in general. I'm lucky enough to be an Emira owner and it is a fantastic car and achivement by Lotus. It looks every inch the supercar and gives a large portion of supercar experience for 'sportscar' money and Lotus, despite the delays and price issues should be applauded. Now, the Evija. I saw one at FoS in 2021 and another at the London Concours last summer and it looked completely fantastic. My dealer has videos running non-stop in their showroom and it is still the 'halo' car. It's like the Rimac - stunningly fast car (nowhere near as good looking as the Evija) but are they selling lots of those? They're in the lucky position of being owned by VW and partnered with Bugatti where I bet the last of the line Chirons had people fighting over them. I really think that when it comes to super/hyper cars buyers STILL want internal combustion engines or at least hybrids (like Lamborghini and Ferrari) as they are ultimately petrolheads and are NOT into electric powertrains. The Cosworth V12s in the Valkyrie and GMA cars are incredible feats of engineering as are Koenigseggs latest engines and gearboxes. The motors and battery packs in these EV hypercars, while incredible performance-wise are not in the same league for 'specialness' and like you say will almost always be immediately out of date. You could say the same about ICE powered cars but it doesn't matter so much because the engines provide the cars with so much of their chracter that is a big part of the reason buyers of these cars want them. If I was in the market for an Evija I think I'd go to Lotus and say: here's £3m. I want an Evija but can you stick a twin turbo Mercedes AMG engine in the back of it. I know there are Teslas that will easily out perform my Emira (acceleration-wise) but I bet they don't give you anywhere near the same experience. I really want Lotus to do well but your video does make me wonder if they've gone down the right path. Might not have been their decision. Probably Geely's!
You don't feel guilty about supporting 🇨🇳 against Europe, supporting and funding all the evil 🇨🇳 does and intends to do? You don't feel bad literally supporting the strongest pusher of the EV-only policy and the "destroy all ICE cars" -policy and going against the companies which still support ICE cars?
TLDR
@@tastypymp1287 🤣
The Rimac Nevera is in production and is NOT immediately out of date! The only car i know of that might surpass it in the next two years is... the Evija. The 23 recent records, the 'Ring record, the attention to detail, the quality have made Nevera an apparent success despite Rimac having even less brand cachet than Lotus and the Nevera ending up overweight. Lotus simply failed to execute (so far...) despite having the resources of Geely behind them.
"Engine = character" is just nostalgia, soon combustion fans will be saying it the way other retro fans rhapsodize about the hiss of a steam engine.
@@skierpage it is not NOSTALGIA. It IS character and drama. Driving is more than just drag racing. The visceral sound of an ICE screaming does something if you are really into cars. Do you go to supercar events? The number of kids (and adults) that are there just to hear the engines and exhaust notes is unreal. If they were all EVs these events just wouldn't happen. Why do guys love driving theor supercars through tunnels?Why do guys put loud exhausts on their cars? They're not going to mic up and amplify the sound of their whining electric motors are they?
Mind you, the original Tesla Roadsters (based on the Elise - massive clue Lotus) are fetching good money.
It doesn't matter; Lotus is dead. RIP. Lotus is now just a brand name for a Chinese EV manufacturer.
According to the Lotus rep I talked to in September they've already sold all 130 Evijas and have a waitlist of 3x that. Entirely agree with your points but I reckon Lotus has achieved its marketing goals with the Evija.
I've heard the same
A Lotus rep. 😂😂 No bias there.
Jay, I'm sorry to say this, but; you are pretty damn perceptive and logical. And, most likely right. Keep up the good work (and analytical thinking!). 👍
Love the videos, and this one is no exception. Great content as always, have to say though I really liked the Emira. Harry Metcalfe over on Harry’s Garage has put out a good few very informative videos on his personal purchase of the Emira. Maybe a conflict of interest there considering he’s bought one. Might not be the most impartial review but still informative as always and seemingly in terms of performance the Emira would be competitive with similarly priced rivals…
About as likely as a new TVR
The rimac and others got there first. So what would of its usp been. ?
The only undeniable thing about the evija, it looks beautiful
What is the brand recognition of Rimac? And yet the £2.4million Nevera is sold out. As is its twin, the Pininfarina Battista. So money is not really the issue here.
Performance wise, can an Evija do better than those two? Probably not and why it’s been delayed indefinitely.
I really like your idea of a $300,000 petrol car for Lotus.! IMO, the Emira is too small for its extreme design. It would look a lot better a bit larger.
Claims of the Evijas potential seems almost reminiscent of when Lotus claimed the 3-11 would set the fastest lap times on all tracks.
Lots of really good points there. I'm a Lotus owner across a span of 30 years and I couldn't have been less interested in the Evija. An electric car is really a bit too easy for what Lotus does well, which is to get all the elements of a car into a coherent whole and produce a car which responds to your inputs in the way you would expect, instinctively. They are ALL fabulous machines, with the possible exception of the M100 Elan, which should have been a Miata. In many ways Gordon Murray has taken over Lotus's mantle and he's managed to put a carbon fibre price tag on his cars thanks to the engineering detail (not a strong point of Lotuses, though they are exceptional examples of practical engineering on a budget). That budget question, and the cheapskatery accompanying it, is a lesson they could have learned from the McLaren F1, which didn't substantially outhandle Lotuses or provide that much more to appreciate as a driver (though shattering the performance limits of road cars in general was no small feat. They could actually have learned from the BMW M1 too, which is essentially an Esprit anyway, only with a stonking straight six. What they need to do now is go back on their promise of the Emira being the last petrol car or non-hybrid and get another car out there, maybe with just a bit of hybrid push, to clothe the Lotus spirit for the everyday man.
That PC on Your wall looks great!
The Elise and the Exige saved Lotus from demise. And now they've stuck two fingers up to all the people who kept the company alive over the past 25 years.
I drove a friend's VX220 turbo (Elise-based) once about 15 years ago and it was absolutely fantastic. The harder you drove it the better it was. A car we both could easily afford and enjoy.
An X million pound hypercar is never going to be within our reach and I would have absolutely zero interest in ever having one as I'd be too worried about binning it to enjoy it to its potential.
I can see Lotus going down the pan within the next few years if they continue with their current ethos.
The Evija is such an amazing car in Forza Horizon 5. So so much torque and great handling.
Hue Hue I guess?
The relevance of gaming to the real world is precisely zero.
I haven’t looked at this through these points, and I gotta say I agree with you mostly. Great discussion James 👍
I think they missed the boat there. Rimac has already a car that has similar power and drives around "everywhere" and setting records. Until lotus has the EV out, they will already come with a new model that will have even more power. What Mate got right from the start: The new Bugatti can`t be a pure EV. It needs a outstanding engine on top of EV Power. I think Lotus should have done the same and set on a Hyper Hybrid instead of the pure EV. For me the core of Lotus are cars like the Elise, the Exige and the Esprit. That is kind of the spirit of the brand (just my stupid opinion).
I agree wholeheartedly. My first instinct was...why would ANYBODY buy an electric Lotus, when they have free access to a Rimac, which is already proven.
Lotus has a complete history of lies, subpar, wholly unreliable cars and financial mismanagement with its brand.
The power of the Evija isn't actually the most important thing here. Rimac Nevera=2300kg, Lotus Evija 1680kg
I remember James may in one, and either the electric windows or doors took about a minute to open and close. He said 'they will be sorting that before it goes into production'
I think the nevera scared them, well let me put it like this ... i think rimac destroyed any hope for the evija's relevance in the market.
Another excellent, informative, and honest discussion Jay. Lotus’ new ethos, “add weight and complicate” is not going to end well
You hit the nail on the head with this one Jay. With the speed at which performance "improves" hanging a car's hat on being the fastest is a mistake. Remember when the R35 GT-R was a "giant killer"? Today its performance level is almost common place (0-60 in the mid 3s, 1/4 mile trap around 115-120). There has to be something more to the story.
Yet Rimac is seemingly successful with the Nevera. There clearly is value in being the quickest (and with a decent 'Ring time) and it's not clear who's going to surpass it in the next two years before their Porsche Mission E if not the Lotus. Actually delivering cars to customers is a good way to diminish armchair criticism.
i think the reason the evija keeps being delayed is because other cars coming out keep surpassing it so they hold back so they can improve it. lotus does not like to release subpar cars, thats why they only have a few models.
James, you are spot on. They need more than the Emira. None of their electric cars are convincing. They don’t look like Lotus vehicles and they don’t adhere to traditional Lotus engineering principals. Why would anyone buy one over a competitor from another brand? They don’t even look attractive.
The T50 looks like a late 70s kit car that dad n lad would put together in their garage. T50 also sounds like a Soviet era tank.
Spot on James, agree with every word
Yep the car will be brought our again for the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year
God... I'd totally forgot about the Evija and placing my deposit.
So how does the Rimmac fit into your talking point, especially now there a big share holder of Bugatti.
Thanks J, I hope it does do well & gives more marketing to the Emira cars which are still based in the UK. 🙏🙏
If this Car ever sees the light of day it will be a small miracle 😂
Brilliant rant today, James!
Enjoyed it 😉
Lotus still earns a lot as a consultant outsourcing their skills and know how. Anything they learnt from investing in the tech here - can be sold on to others through their existing network. It's important they keep up with and learn about electric cars and also how to make heavier cars handle well. This may not be a loss at all. It also created a cool image for me with them - that they are brave and trying new things. That image is still there even if this cool project does not get the go ahead.
If that car with its amazing styling had a more interesting powertrain and was lighter it would be forever remembered.
Personally, I think you are 100% right. If, and it is a damned big IF, there were an EV with a range of 200+ miles when driven hard, then the track day, hard driving brigade would understand. Less than that curtails the enjoyment of driving. So why would you?
Hey Jay… can you do an update video on the new TVR Griffith, and let your viewers know when it’ll go on sale! 😁
Nice to see that someone else thinks the T50 doesn't look that special. Engine-wise fantastic and will probably be amazing to drive, but the fan is a gimmick and ruins the styling imo.
Agreed, the rest of the package is so good a fan car callback seems a bit lost in it & no one even discusses it while talking about the car
to me the front of the T.50 looks bland. If GMA could just take the headlights from the T.33 and put them on the T.50... I do like the look of the fan though.
I think it has weird proportions. It looks too narrow to my eye.