The days of potential Lotus customers having to make their way to the Proton Centre of Excellence to view or sample the prospective ride is over – Lotus Cars Malaysia today launched its flagship showroom and centre in Sungai Penchala, Petaling Jaya.
The opening of the centre was officiated by Proton advisor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was accompanied by Datuk Seri Mohd Khamil Jamil, Proton’s executive chairman.
The new Lotus hub sits on a 10,520 sq. metre parcel of land, and houses a showroom, a Customer Interactive Block as well as a service centre. The showroom, which covers an area of approximately 1,060 sq. metres, contains sales areas for both new and pre-owned Lotus cars, a lounge and a delivery room. There are also car accessories and retail merchandise sections within the premises.
As for the service centre, it’s able to handle up to 20 cars a day and 480 vehicles a month. The 372 sq. metre Customer Interactive Block, meanwhile, has been designed for Lotus customers in mind.
Essentially, the brand is looking at the CIB as a home base of sorts for Lotus owners. Besides being a place where they’ll be able to get together, the area will also be used to coordinate events such as Lotus convoy drives and defensive/advanced driver training courses.
The opening of the centre also saw the official launch of the supercharged Exige S and Elise S models in the country. The refreshed Exige S, which debuted in Frankfurt in 2011, is powered by a 3.5 litre V6 equipped with a Harrop HTV 1320 supercharger, and has 345 hp and 400 Nm for output numbers.
Pricing for the base Exige S coupe is RM467,230, and this includes the Convenience Pack and Premium Pack. Adding on the optional Race Pack and its four-mode Lotus DPM system brings the price to RM482,482, and going even further into the Premium Sport pack gets it to RM499,020. There’s also the Roadster version, which starts from RM452,030.
The Elise S, meanwhile, wears a 1.8 litre 2ZR-FE four-pot with a Magnuson R900 supercharger, and output figures for this one are 217 hp and 250 Nm. The car is priced at RM332,300, and this includes a Touring Pack in the equation. Opting for the motorsport paint job takes the price to RM336,920.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Hutang bank RM1 Billion jangan lupa bayar…nanti susah datok Proton mau sorok dari bank mana mau lari hah
Should drop in at this showroom?
Hmmm quite interesting even if I already saw this car in UK, why not checking it out for second time
apa mau risau maa….sekarang pun hidup atas 37bil++ hutang. bank takut mau kejar
OMG…The interior macam saga lah….too plain and ugly like “sai”… puihhh.
Only Dr M is crazy about Lotus. It’s his baby.
True. If you were given a sports car free gift, I guarantee you will choose Ferrari/Porsche/Lambo/Bugatti. You don’t even think about Merc/BMW/Audi, let alone this little bunga raya.
I used to admire the owner.
BTW please never treat your customers as pengemises because you think they can only afford your cars, ya Lotus punya bosses. Treat even the poor ones with respect, even when you are donating to them.
lotus is not ‘bunga raya’… but ‘teratai’ la!
Murid-murid, teratai ialah “water lily”. Seroja ialah “lotus”.
‘Bunga raya’ is hibiscus. Lotus is ‘teratai’. Fail…
No wonder gives imbecile comments each time. Even lotus and hibiscus cannot differentiate
OMG! It’s made by Proton with Toyota Engine carrying a Lotus badge and selling at RM300++K.
Is this a rip off?
If this sells at RM100k++ then consider good, otherwise we won’t see this alot.
they selling the brand what !!! don forget it included those excessive tax too so it’s expensive !!! Btw i read an article shows that the build quality of Lotus not that good also same like proton leh :p this car is all about driving sensation who cares about build quality
Haha… If driving sensation is all you want and can afford to throw build quality and comfort away…. Perhaps try a Caterham.
Is caterham legal on the road?
It’s not ‘made’ by Proton, it’s made by Lotus Cars Ltd, Proton are the owners, not the manufacturers. It’s all about the drive, they are seriously thrilling.
Haha.This dude is like saying “Don’t buy Ferrari/Maserati because it’s “made” by Fiat” and “Don’t buy Lamborghini/Porsche/Bugatti/Bentley because it’s “made” by Volkswagen.
he is a jolly idiot after all
Ask him to use his own money to buy over Lotus.
Nice!
I would like to visit this show room someday soon
As a malaysian owned brand… its too bloody expensive for a 2-seater car.. Sad =(
malaysian owned = national car price ?? quite impossible.
As a malaysian owned brand I expected the taxes on this car to be reduced. This will at least boost the sale of the brand. Also in a way help proton indirectly. Strange way of business this people. Their loss not ours.
the dashboard quality is so proton
yeah so called “Premium” version of 2 door Proton.
Buy so expensive but interior build just like RM30K BLM
Except the alcantara leather..
thanks for the picture. now only i knew that the interior design of this brand is as cheap & kosong as our proton….
You seem to know nothing about these Lotus cars. The Exige recently tied in the 1st place with Pagani Huayra in the Evo Magazine’s 2012 Best Car of The Year Award. Mind you, Evo is no nonsense car magazine, unlike Jeremy Clarkson’s. It even managed to beat the F12 Berlinetta and Lamborghini Aventador. Think about that for a while.
Anyone know why there is less Lotus on the road in Malaysia? Quite hard to see.
According to Sam Loo, Lotus no sell well cuz no resale value.
According to logic, it’s too expensive to be accessible to most people. Even if one can afford it, they’re mostly unkers who’d rather feed Sam Loo by buying Camry, Altis, Prius and of course, the Hilux
But Lotus has Toyota engine. Nyek nyek.. hahahaha
Other than over-priced car price in Malaysia, most enthusiast drivers can’t afford them. But those who has the money would rather buy a recond Ferrari or Lambo or Audi. It is very rare where we can see ultra-rich people who would like to buy cars for serious driving experience like this; no stupid paddleshifts, no power steering, just pure proper manual gearbox with minimal driving aids.
That’s why import taxes in Malaysia should be reduced. So that talented drivers can buy this kind of machine rather than modifying old Civics or driving recklessly in a souped-up Myvi.
more choices of toys for rich kids or anak2 dato. not something bad anyway, we can have more different eye-catching wheels on the road
Going there soon, to buy one of the tower.
Is the orange color thing a tower? Really like it to match with my range of super car tower collection.
Sorry all, it is towel not tower. Can only afford Lotus towel for now, because everything is premium in Malaysia.
spend RM400K to take 1 mini proton interior design car, and it can see thru all aluminium frame & wire from car seat, well done lotus, really well done, it doesnt worth it, RM400K price tag, dream on lah.
People don’t buy Lotus for interior quality. But they buy them for driving experience, in fact Lotus has one of the best handling, chassis and suspension setting in the world. Only that it is the price in Malaysia that is to high.
why didn’t the gomen give tax exemption for lotus… i mean, it’s basically a proton…
*cross fingers DRB with CKD this car* :)
Hope so.
Rather save the extra money n get a toyota gt86 instead…
This time I support you. In this particular comparison, yes, Toyota 86 is definitely a better buy.
these cars r real beauty looking at the exterior but not the interior. hmm.. they shud make like special opening promo, selling it at a discounted price.
Less Tax please ….this under proton….
LOTUS price so high… government must reduce tax at least same like toyota vios,honda city…or less
LOTUS belongs to Malaysian……..
This is one Malaysian owned company car I wouldn’t mind buying if not for the high price. Maybe if M’sia govt exempt tax for this, we can start to see more of these on the roads. At least I can point and say “Look… M’sian owned car company.. Lotus” when overseas friends drop by.
damn too many idiots commenting. Didn’t u know EVO magazine chose the lotus exige S as their 2012 best car alongside the pagani huayra?
What? u think just because proton owns Lotus, the car is made in shah alam or tanjung malim? I pity your family members, really.
Sorry lo “damn”, even if is a 2012 best car chosen by 1 magazine, it doesn’t deserve that price tag.
First priority to any Malaysian ( dislike button is down there, if you’re asking) The price-to-spec ratio. Lotus falls in the lowest category in this war.
Lotus is a driver-focused car. Not much Driving focused lads here. Definitely you have many negative comment.
price/spec ratio is for all bangsat Malaysians…
Then show me where’s the value of rm300k goes for this car?
With that price, do you know we have hell lotsa choice rather than this
Proton own lotus badge with toyota engine car.
no new car go quicker than elise s at that price point. no new car has better fuel consumption/cheaper tyre with that quickness. it is a perfect track day/weekend car but awful daily drive.
I agree with u ‘damn’. These people don’t really know what they are commenting. Lotus is the best in what they are doing. For those who asks where does the Rm300k money goes in a Lotus, Lotus cars prices about 2-3 times cheaper in Europe. If there is no tax, can you still see it? About RM130k for a car with the best handling, chassis and suspension in the world? Ultimate weekend / track day machine.
A praise for our government!
what do you expect, most of the viewers here dream of owning a merc or alphard so they can drive their wife and kids to the nearest shopping mall, its the malaysian dream, lotus has no part in it
you hit the nail right on target, hahah
Most ppl here with stupid comments… Not all cars made for u ppl lah.. Especially wen u still buying myvis with 9 year loan and 0 downpayment.
you said it Bro… I bet if Ferrari was owned by proton, ppl here b ash them too and compare them to MyVis
all of you are good in condemning this good product. you people are nothing good to this country but will be the first to be in line to collect the BRIM contribution. you lousy BRIM mother #$%^%$# only know how to condemn which you know nothing about the product
Sorry lo nasurudin, I am not even eligible to collect BR1M because my pay grade over the limit.
It’s a good car indeed but the problem is overprice especially when its suppose to be our “national” sports car. And, I believe no one says it’s a bad product, just that the price shouldn’t be that high only.
Then I want to know how much is the price of Ferrari,which owned by Fiat in Italy?is it same as Fiat car?please consider the currency also since Lotus are made in Britain.plus the huge tax here,so i think the price is reasonable
No, at least remove or reduce the taxes on this car so we ppl can consider buying.
Name, if Lotus is owned by Proton, that does not make it a Malaysian car. Haihssss *ultimate facepalm*
Congratulations
A free gift of RM100K cannot get me to the collection centre.
I pay 100% income tax ok. Zero evasion.
BTW, can anybody educate everybody regarding the dimensions of this little bunga raya? What about its refinement, is it superb?
lotus elise (and exige, and evora) are the kind of cars that are road legal but can be use for track days.
the secret recipe is lightness so it make does with little refinement like lack of soundproofing and toys like DVD player, or fully carpeted cabin.
but being light, it has a very good power to weight ratio which is useful in track day use.
All of you???
Insulting all the visitors of Paultan.org.
BRIM receivers are pain in the ass
power to weight ratio? driver car? have driven one? brain ada?
Don’t fight lah…If you want cheap Lotus then you need to go to Lotus Curry Restaurant and order the roti canai and teh tarik…cheap and satisfying…burp…Alhamdulillah
Yep, Proton definitely should have bought Lotus Curry Restaurant than Lotus. Cheap and satisfying.
Bullshit u all comment in here….hidup proton
Yah…. Including yourself? then why did you comment?
Go home, you’re drunk.
Saya sokong Damn….walaupun Lotus dimiliki oleh Proton…tapi teknologi dan produk akhir yang dihasilkan adalah didalam kelas yg berbeza….harga yg ditawarkan juga adalah sejajar untuk sebuah kereta kategori sport….cuma mungkin sedikit diluar kemampuan kita rakyat biasa ini….
Lotus is a good company with dedicated employees engineering and making good cars. Sadly the people at the top of Lotus running it are out of their depth.
many people complain why this car is expensive but Proton selling this car based on brand what. It’s a unique car that target a little group of person only. most of the lotus user drive lotus car as weekend car only bcs it not mean to drive daily except evora
No Lotus F1 merchandise? I want some Kimi goodies, but so difficult to get sigh.
And they should price it right. Last time I remember seeing Lotus Renault official team shirt priced dearer than Red Bull Racing’s. They’re nuts to believe they are more valuable than the reigning constructor’s champion.
tokmoh, there’s Lotus F1 merchandise in the retail section; one of the aisles had t-shirts, crew shirts and other related paraphernalia on display. Didn’t snap a pix of it though.
buy it throguh Formula1.com it actually cheaper then local shop …… Not such about Lotus renault but i bought Mclaren merchandise which is cheaper around RM80-120 per shirt
Thanks. I tried to buy from them before, but it never came. But I got my refund, so no complaint there. Maybe I was just unlucky that time.
seriously too many idiots. typical malaysian , giving negative comments without knowing the facts right , it just show how high is ur stupidity level.
the exige s is basically a road-legal racer so simple interior & lack of creature comforts is a given. thats the motto of its founder, to keep weight as low as possible.
one of the reasons for the high price is bcos lotus is still hand-assembled which requires a lot of man hours. so sad to see that lotus is dropping sales even in its home market, uk.
What is tbe benefit of ‘hand-assembled’ vs automated manufacturing? Maybe because rich people mostly like hand-made things, to satify their desires to order human beings to do the things they want, I guess.
Have u heard of exclusivity?
Spot on… if im rich I will buy handmade persian carpet rather than ikea carpet..
You are thinking only from engineering perspective.. u dont look from perception, artistic, level of detail point of view..
You argument is like you argue why buy omega if swatch shows the time as well..
lotus is great car, a decent sport car, pure sport, if use for regular i rate as this
Comfort : 2/10
Efficient : 3/10
Performance : 8/10
price totally is for rich guy looking for more option toy, few more Hundred K made no differ.
Lotus, sucking Proton (sponsored by Malaysian) dry since 1996. Do some CSR for the Proton (Malaysian) will ya? Scumbag Lotus.
The brand fall into the category of “ada nama tapi tak ada harga” ….good luck proton.
Don’t fight…If you want cheap Lotus then go to Lotus Curry Restaurant order roti canai and teh tarik…cheap and satisfying…burp…Alhamdulillah
Mkay, see you at Lotus Curry Restaurant.
Lotus is only expensive in Malaysia…
Same price as UK after conversion. That’s all.
gotta do something about the high costs of building the cars. its just out of reach for the majority of the ppl, not just here, but the whole motoring world.
the irony is that there is so little car to speak of. the engine is an off the shelf item (suitably refined and developed, granted), the body is not an exotic material, perhaps the chassis/tub can be considered special, the electrics/electronics look simple (unlike those crazy german uber saloons), the suspension is straight-forward (again, brilliantly designed and developed)..
so where’s the costs gone into? this needs to be nailed down.
porsche had similar issues after ww2 and their cars of that period were developed on a shoe-string, but they were brilliant…and porsche grew from strength to strength…
i think the high costs in europe is a major factor, and there should be a plan on how this factor can be negated or removed. korea/china/malaysia/thailand should have some available resources that can be further developed for lotus’s requirements. the fact that these markets are the bright spots of the car market should be an incentive for lotus to have an ‘asian’ plan.
all it needs now is to convince the lotus engineers up in norfolk to pack up and leave grubby england for the sunshine here. tg malim is your new home, and the drive up genting should be your weekend drive to develop the car.
sounds crazy….but what’s the alternative?
nice to see, not necessary nice to own…
the price sure crazy for me at least..
especially with some simple calculation:
if, we use car (any), petrol (RON95)=RM1.90/l, daily distance=60km (30km pergi, 30km balik), fuel consumption FC=15km/l,
time (one day):1.9/15=x/60
:x=~RM7.60 per day
time (one year): RM7.60×365=RM2,774 (of course not everyday distance will be same and balik kampung journey not included, its just example)
time (ten years): RM2,774×10=RM27,740
I dont want to care about the car price, but, then, only about RM30k difference in car price can be same to 10 years for fuel only! (car with price of RM50k and RM80k for comparison)
Well, after that ten year, dont u want to buy a new car? especially the young generations, at that time whom will have children (need bigger car). By now, their economy (dengan izin Tuhan), should be better and can get the newer, bigger and more comfortable car..
It will be better if they learn and practice good financial planning. They can save more money and able to get pricier car if they want so. But, if after 3 months your first work (graduates) u decided to buy your dream car, please think again..
Every year they will be new model come to Malaysia..every year almost all car in buyers hand will lost their value in term of ringgit.. r u want to throw away your money just for your dream car?
bro, i like your calculations, but i think if you are in the market for a lotus, perhaps you can drop the calculator a bit…
the lotus is basically a toy, susah nak justify pakai calculator.
peace.
It’s a fun little car to zip around track days, I think. But for that kind of money…giler !
Crazy price , regardless of driving pleasure , Lotus should be selling <250k here in Malaysia .Lotus does not have economy of scale . The only way to survive is to sell by volume . The interior should not be too spartan and bare .Come on , you can go nuts with that interior looking at you all the time. The reason Lotus is still surviving is because of Malaysian taxpayers' money . maybe Madey and the gang should bear all the cost of reviving Lotus as he likes to toy with our national coffers without blinking .Come On Madey , take up my challenge haha
Why must be <250k?? please justify
yah, it shld be <120k!!!
Haiya …250k is not high enough for you ka for a toy ? I hope your question is not subtly condescendingly snobbish . 250k is a psychological barrier . You put a 50k downpayment for a toy , you’re paying 2500-3000 per month depending on your loan tenure . Unless the majority of Malaysians are earning > 15k , then your question is moot to say the least bro .Cheers
Lol, I can tell most people on here have never even driven a lotus.
It’s a toyota engine underneath the newest ones yes, but after lotus have been at it, pretty much the block is the only thing that stays toyota.
Lotus are not cheap cars if you consider it like this ( 2 seats, a tube frame and an engine )
You pay for hours of research and fine tuning for handling and keeping weight to a minimum.
Around a track its power to weight which matters. less weight = faster cornering, less weight + engine = greater acceleration.
Because just how many people here do you think can sink at least RM332k for an unpractical toy? That’s even more than an already over-inflated price of apartment around Klang Valley.
Whatever you said about Lotus is fine and dandy, but simply out of reach for most people. People already successful enough to afford them meanwhile, are usually old farts who’d rather spend it on Merc E, bmw 5, at least they’re practical and carries a successful image to their owners.
There’s an alternative to having just as much fun: old school Japanese FR like a KE70. Can be had from below RM10k
“but simply out of reach for most people”… I thought at first u never understand the concept of luxury..
Dont whine… Lotus are not for those looking to buy apartment.. they are for those BOUGHT serviced apartment around KLCC..
KE70 is good for fun… no doubt but come on you seriously think KE70 is alternative for lotus??
Lotus? Luxury? LOLZ. Then tell me why no rich people wanna buy them? Why do rich people (globally) rather get Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Pagani, if sales and financial position is a measure of success?
Lotus needs a serious re-think of who they wanna be. At this rate, they’re making cars for nobody and that’s disastrous enough for Proton, DRB, taxpayers’ pocket.
Why can’t KE70 be an alternative for Lotus? The key idea is to have fun, both can be fun their own ways. But KE can reach out to more people simply because it’s so much more affordable. A market Lotus can never reach, and sadly, they’re not reaching the market they intend to either. If people can afford a RM3m serviced apartment, they certainly can afford RM2m Lambo.
Every market has its own target customers. Let it have their own.
maybe u should get out and explore the city more. There are a lot of rich young ppl. Those less than 40 years old. U just never met them i guess
So care to explain why Lotus is bleeding red?
Are those young rich people buying Lotus or Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini? Ok, different price range and category you may say, but hey, they wanna market to the rich, for the people who don’t need to know the price. A market Lotus is not reaching and Proton has not helped them to reach
Mentang2 Lotus ni Proton punya semua nak bashing. This is very typical Malaysian people. Comment je berapi-api.
In two years from now, we shall see and observe whether these old bags able to deliver on time. If not, kindly pass the baton to the people who are more capable than empty mouthpiece.
With the price & performance, toyota 86 is a better buy..or if a bit power hungry can go for Evo 10..first model Nissan GTR also can get below 400k oredi…
Crazy… compare 86 with lotus.. dunno what to say dude… even evo 10 with lotus?? haiyya
How can compare LOTUS to 86 or GT-R. do you know that GT-R appointed LOTUS to do their ride and handling design and LOTUS was their consultant?
86 is a passenger sports car and is totally different to LOTUS. pls go and do some study man.
I smoke ’em all lol
Everyone knows the car price reasonable for 2 seater sportcar. Ppl here aak for reduce price by reduce tax. Not reduce car price… Ppl keep repeating same thing as ppl dun understand. All knows this is cbu from uk, so the tax will high. But gov can do anything. Proton want ppl buy proton. But their business plan is crap. Same goes for lotus. Every one say this is one great car. But why not sell well globally. Because business plan,n marketting.
Just look at the competition. At the price Lotus is asking, they must be daydreaming. It’s a good car no doubt. Very good , in fact. But it’s a niche market and they may not be a critical mass to make this a viable company. The exec chairman say the PLAN to turn around will take two years to complete. Just the plan. So you can imagine how long the turnaround proper will come to fruition..
R35 recon price
buang masa la lotus kat malaysia..sapa mau beli 300K+ punyakereta sini nak drive mana ..higway.Ada AES..jualla ini lotus company pd china..depa mestimauamek jualkat negara china yg berbilion penduduk..sini buat apa? baju lotus pun sehelai rm 200..
dey macha, ko igt orang yg beli lotus ni kisah sangat ke pasal RM300 punya saman? aku yg pakai gaji kecik ni pon kadang2 tak peduli speed trap, apatah lagi orang yg kaya raya boleh beli kereta mcm ni.
And those who said this car is expensive, like someone said before, do u see ferrari being sold at fiat’s price? Bugatti veyron sold at VW scirocco R price? Come on menggggggg, r u that dumb?
This car is not meant for u ppl la. Not even for those earning RM20k per month.
Hi Anthony, is there any news for base model ELISE 1.6 with SPS (Serial Precision Shift) transmission? Really interested on that model.
Good car though….u pay less road tax amd still can accelerate 0 to 100 in 4 sec….this car belongs to a owner with luxury car and having excess money to buy another luxury toy…..and of course there are plentiful of them….lotus now just need to excel in their marketing strategy…
Here is another piece of opinion from SyedOutSyed the Box for you to digest .
“Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Lotus Elise For RM175,000 – Hurry Limited Offer Only
I saw this advertisement on the Net for Lotus Elise in the United Kingdom :
What – Lotus Elise S 2012
Date – May 2012
Where – Norfolk, England
Price – £36,200
Available – Now
Using a currency converter that works out to about RM175,000. This is closer to the real market price of the Lotus Elise in UK, Europe and the rest of the normal world.
However yesterday’s Star reports that a new Lotus showroom has been opened in Kuala Lumpur where the new Lotus Elise S Coupe is priced from RM332,300. That is almost two times the price for the same car in the UK.
“The Lotus Exige S is longer and wider than the Elise S and is available in two bodystyles – a RM452,030 Roadster version and the RM462,230 Coupe version.”
Well in the UK the Lotus Exige sells on the road for around 52,900 pounds or about RM258,000. Again that is only half the price paid in the UK.
So I have serious doubts if the Lotus cars are going to be a success in Malaysia at RM332,000 to RM452,000.
We were at Naza Motors a couple of days ago and there was one used Lotus Elise on display there. It is extremely difficult getting into the car. This is just NOT the car to drive your wife to work. The wife will not be able to get into the car. And once you are inside the car, you will not be able to get out either. Even my slimmer and more nimble sons had to negotiate the car. It is a car meant for young people and for the enthusiast (like me). You must really like this car if you want to buy one.
So the market for this car is going to be very young people or people who are slim and nimble. If you are above 34 (waistline) you will NOT be buying this car. The question is how many 24 year olds or young people with waistlines below 34 inches can afford an RM332,000 car?
Then there are other cars in the market for RM332,000 or RM452,000. The BMW series (two door and four door). The fantastic Mercedes SLK and CLK class (2 door). As well as the C class Mercedes Benz. These are all cheaper than the Lotus cars. You can also get a Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster, Porsxche Cayman for less money. Or a Porsche Cayenne SUV.
Again the people who can usually afford these cars in this expensive price range are people with waistlines above 34 inches or who are much older. They are not the Lotus Elise category of people.
The only way for Lotus to sell their cars in Malaysia and survive is if they price the car at its real market value ie RM150,000 to RM175,000. Only then will those in the 24 years old to 34 inches waistline age group will be able to afford this car. This is a young people’s car lah. Young people dont have that much money. To the DRB people, please write this down in your diary today – January 9th 2013. Lets see how many Lotus cars you will be able to sell at the current ridiculous price of RM332,000. I dont think you will succeed.
The Lotus Elise is selling for twice the price in the UK or even in the US. Surely this is ridiculous. In the UK their rents are higher, salaries and wages are higher, cost of materials and fuel are higher yet the Lotus Elise is only half the price in the UK compared to Malaysia.
This is simply not right. The Gomen really has to throw away all these artificial and ridiculous taxes, duties, licensing, AP bullshit and such which makes the price of the cars so expensive in Malaysia. The time has come where the Malaysian public will not take this artificial burden anymore – which only benefits the AP cronies and the other people who have a vested interest in the car market.
This is not benefiting the rakyat at all.”
I just can’t see the need to bash Proton for something that they feel is commercially viable. Why not hit at Audi for making the Lambo or Fiat for owning Ferrari which just released the gorgeous FF/F12 but at the same time producing the cute Fiat 500. Overpriced? You tell me.
I’m a Lotushead but that doesn’t mean I cannot appreciate all makes Japanese, Italians or even Korean. It doesn’t matter if the car is RM 50k or even 2 million. You buy the best you can afford. For the true driver it’s all about the thrill of driving. So, if you no like you no buy lah.
No more negative comments please.
wah..so good la malaysian nowdays..lotus car oso can talk politic crap n shit..
but everyday drive to work seing more n more bmw n merc..hmm..wondering la..
I like the car very, very much. That’s why I bash Proton for doubling the price. Lotus can easily get national car status via Proton. Why not do that? It’s a a simple sports car, and a very fun one to drive. It’s not luxury, but the pricing policy is crap! I dont give a damn if toyota prices the 86 half a million, they’re not local.
Wouldn’t it be fun to see track days full of Lotuses, it’d generate an affordable racing culture that might help produce good drivers, world class maybe. But since you cant even price a Lotus at RM150k, the just shoot everything straight to hell lah.
Exige S V6, with the price of Porsche Cayman but performance of Porsche 911, value for money.
Those who love sport car but think the price is too expensive can always go for used Elise. Perfect as a weekend car, low maintenance (Toyota Engine and gearbox), low road tax (1800cc).
Wait for the N/A 1.6 Elise, price shall be same as Toyota 86 but more fun. I think this is the cheapest MR car you can get.
THOSE WHO COMMENT IT ” Negatively AND Politicise it ” they just don’t known about Lotus Car..
Simple question: Why are Nazas (rebadged KIAs and Peugeots), Peroduas (rebadged Daihatsus) and Protons (rebadged Mitsubishis) classified as National Cars and exempt from tax while Lotus, a FULLY MALAYSIAN OWNED car company, is not? It makes absolutely no sense.
Apart from this topic, Proton performance has slipped down up to date.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/toyota-set-to-overtake-syed-mokhtars-proton
Toyota engine??? Should have good RV this thing.
guys i spent the last 30 mins reading all your comments. some good some not so and some plain stupid.
I am a lotus owner myself. have been for a few years now. The thing is not everyone will understand the Lotus philosophy much less accept it. But for the few who do they applaud Lotus for sticking to their core values and doing what they do best. making seriously fun cars for grown ups. Yes it is expensive but when u drive one you will hopefully understand what you are getting. The purest driving experience that can easily rival that of other car manufacturers in similar and higher leagues.
For the aspiring motorist there are a few preowned Elise S1 which would sell for close to RM100k and Elise S2 priced below RM190k in the market. Being an all aluminium bonded chasis, rust and flex is not an issue. A 12year old Elise S1 well maintained still drives like a new car.
The new V6 priced at RM500k is very expensive, but compared to its competitors the GT3 and Gallardo its a steal! Dont be quick to judge, go by Lotus showroom in penchala, speak to the people there go for a drive and then form an opinion on the brand and the cars.
By the way we do get Tax exception for being a national car owned brand. If not for reduced tax these cars cost easily 20 – 30 % more!!
like canon & nikon .. masing – masing ada kelebihan masing – masing .. oky la klu lotus pakai enjin toyota .. dari pakai enjin ‘Proton Saga Lama’ .. ada orang ta suke enjin bole bwk laju2 .. tapi kereta mesti ‘ada style’ . kereta nie mcm awek .. ade org suke yg mantap.. ade org suke yg kurus .. ade suke yg putih .. ade suke yg pandai enjut.. ade suke yg lawa .. asalkan hati senang bila tgk .. bagi aku .. klu aku mampu .. aku pilih lotus .. sbb lotus kecik n padan gan size aku ..
I still don’t understand why Lotus does not shift it’s production plant to Malaysia?!?!?!?!?!?! It’s cheaper by a lot! and there is not much benefit leaving it in UK anyway (at least to Malaysian economy).