As reported in our earlier post, the new Lotus F1 team which announced its driver line-up yesterday has not much to do with Lotus Cars the manufacturer. The F1 team is actually managed by Litespeed, a UK based racing outfit who are licensing the famous name from parent company Proton. But that could change in the future.
Team Principal Tony Fernandes said that the link between Lotus F1 and Lotus Cars is set to grow. “Over time that relationship will grow. Lotus will probably buy into the team at some stage. More and more technology from our side will flow into Lotus cars and we will promote the Lotus brand. I see it in time being no different from how Ferrari works.”
“I don’t think we can claim any of the heritage but we are very clear about making sure we don’t destroy any of the prestige,” he added. Under the guidance of founder Colin Chapman, the original Lotus team won seven constructors’ and six drivers’ titles while dominating the 1960s and ‘70s.
The AirAsia boss also revealed that the team has “an advisory council to make sure that we protect what has been built by Colin Chapman and the people at Lotus.” He did not elaborate on this, so I wonder how will it work out. Will the council put pressure on the team to live up to the name if it props up the back of the grid?
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Looking forward for that in the future…
…nice
1ST!! F1 to Lotus then Lotus to Proton.We can have F1 technology in our Proton soon. (Paul is that what you mean)
Do lotus has the money for F1?? I really doubt so…
Good for P1 branding… but without economic of scale proton not going to benefit any of the technology…
TF is really brilliant… start up the project.. use lotus name…. revealed in media prospect of lotus buying in….
Being a well established brand… lotus might need to take control someday for better result.. That time TF can sell the stake with huge profit.. hahaha
Good luck.
Really hope for a few podium finishes. No need to be the top 3 teams. Podium finish is adequate to promote Cosworth prowess. Will we be able to see Cosworth turboed Protons in the near future? Just relive the Cosworth Ford legacy in Protons. Power windows problem will be once and for all forgiven and forgotten.
Just imagine. Supercar bordering performance, Lotus handling, Proton sticker price. A really great bang for bucks. Proton will rewrite its history once and for all.
laju nak macam ferrari. seksi nak macam alfa. fuel consumption nak macam ex5. reliability nak macam toyota. harga nak macam basikal. classic malaysian buyer.
Lotus financial just turned black from red.
Their Evora was selling well.
Lotus Evora also picked up as Sports car of the Year 2009! by Top Gear!
http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/cars-of-the-year…
“I don’t think we can claim any of the heritage but we are very clear about making sure we don’t destroy any of the prestige,”
Exactly, so never put any Proton logo on Lotus team lah. Bad fengshui.
Likewise never abuse Lotus name on Proton car like Savvy-'My first Lotus', only to lose out on biblical scale to Myvi until now. Like VW R8 never mention itself as 'My first Lambo'. Or Hyundai Equus as 'My first S-Class'. Good product sell by itself. Got that?
To improve Proton via Lotus F1 is a phony, because so far F1 car got no power window, door handle for Proton to improve on its quality.
Ford ton: "Just relive the Cosworth Ford legacy in Protons. Power windows problem will be once and for all forgiven and forgotten…Just imagine. Supercar bordering performance, Lotus handling, Proton sticker price. A really great bang for bucks. Proton will rewrite its history once and for all."
You high on dope? Fat hope lah dude!
Please do justice to the Lotus brand…!!!
Lotus to buy into F1 team…..fark….so this is how they intend to use proton or public funds to make they're pockets fatter later. Typical backdoor style of malaysia.
dont let team lotus ask Proton to buy them.. Fark Them.. Just let it be on his own.. Prove themselves first they are the best among the best. Until then will ask Lotus to buy them. For now leave it like this. Just sell the Lotus name to them..
that was really amazing, but not for me.
LOTUS = RESTORAN LOTUS NASI DAUN PISANG ..
jumbsuck… improving obviously F1 wont help in improving power windows, door handle etc… when ppl said bringing F1 tech to Proton or any other car manufacturer… they means engine tech, suspension tech, transmission, ride and handling, durability and reliability and maybe safety…
Btw proton doesn't need F1 to improve quality of door handle, power window etc… the design r ok maybe not flawless but at least it should not fail within its intended life span… the only thing they need to do is to control their vendor production quality. bcuz most of the quality problem came from parts manufactured by vendor… so improving quality control of the vendors operation is just what they need to improve quality… sounds simple but very complex to do…
Lotus got their money to join F1 is from many company some in Malaysia some other country, sponsor like air Asia, lotus/proton profit from selling their cars (as i read in Lotus web page) so there where the money came from..please don't misunderstand their vision to promote their brand, our country or what ever. right now this team are run by Lite-speed, there are too much knowledge, technology that we as Malaysian can learn. how many years we have to depend to other company like Proton=mitsubushi, perodua=daihatsu/toyota?..like VW owning the Porches, fiat have some in ferrari, all this is for knowledge, tech sharing.in this case, Proton have Lotus..so please look at the positive way. don't be so negative..Support them like u support M.U or Chelsea F.C etc…u know what mean..just my opinion.. (-_-)
Did you know that Lotus was formerly a kit car company? Yes your own Tamiya but for real use on the road. Quality and reliability was a great issue in the early stages of Lotus Cars but through racing (F1) Lotus has become a legend!
Mr Colin Chapman was a visionary. He emphasizes on weight reduction for racing cars to go faster. He is also the Father of the ground effect cars (F1 cars).The John Player Special of Mr Andreitti.
With Proton having Lotus and reviving the Lotus brand name in F1, is a marriage in heaven! One day maybe our palm-oil turned into bio-diesel and used in racing ..such as F1! Think about it. Well done chaps! Keep up the
goodwork.
"laju nak macam ferrari. seksi nak macam alfa. fuel consumption nak macam ex5. reliability nak macam toyota. harga nak macam basikal. classic malaysian buyer."
i like this quote :p
Eyesore: bcuz most of the quality problem came from parts manufactured by vendor… sounds simple but very complex to do…
Nothing complex about corupt crony vendor lah. Simply get rid of the suckers if Proton really go for quality. For Proton keep paying overpriced craps from crony vendors well better legalised money laundering then. Transfer loots from left to right pocket, nothing genius or complex about that. It's all a joke.
Better enjoy all the silly crashings.
the article has mention it…
Lotus only LICENSE the name… haiya… cannot read eh?
why la people still talking bout power window problem? newer proton didnt have this problem. my wife savvy got power window problem, still under warranty, send to proton sc, they change it for free, and it working fine till now. what? u guys got power window problem and refuse to fix it just to show to the world that proton didnt learn from mistake? come on la…
very bad
They are going to destroy the heritage most likely………when things are in bolehland hands.
This doesn't jive with earlier denials that Proton will be lending name only and not holding any stake in the F1 team.
well the news is not unexpected. i've had a hunch about this would happen long ago. it's almost typical malaysian way. i believe in the near future, they would say to save the Lotus name from being out of F1, therefore Proton via Lotus would be buy the team.
i mean previously they're saying that Lotus/Proton are actually making money from the venture as the Lotus F1 team are licensing the name, but in the future we're paying for it.
and about all those technology transfer and getting Costworth Ford Technology in our cars. Cosworth is no longer associated with Ford in any ways. i mean they were under Ford for only a short while and during the Jaguar F1 period, they're effectively building the engines for the team. The current setup in which Lotus F1 would use the engine is just a supplier customer setup. Much like when Williams F1 was using Toyota engines last year. Did Williams get to keep the technology from the Toyota engines? Nope.
To get a technology transfer you would have to follow the Sauber Petronas collaboration in the past. They lincensed every part of the old Ferrari engine, learn from it and developed their own engine. The PETRONAS EO1 and the PETRONAS FP1 superbike was the result of the collaboration. But then again PETRONAS is a deep pocket company and it took them years for the collaboration to finally produce some results. back then, PETRONAS spent about USD20 million per year as sponsor and technical partner for the team.
are Lotus making tonnes of money to afford an F1 team? not really. Besides, unless we can secure deep pocket sponsor, the team would run out of cash in a few years time. i surely hope that Petronas would continue to sponsor sauber instead as the collaboration has proven commercially and technically viable in the past. if PETRONAS are to sponsor Lotus, it'll work just like when they were sponsoring BMW. nothing more than a premium partner….
“laju nak macam ferrari. seksi nak macam alfa. fuel consumption nak macam ex5. reliability nak macam toyota. harga nak macam basikal. classic malaysian buyer.”
agree, so bikin kereta sendiri lah..haiyaa…
“laju nak macam ferrari. seksi nak macam alfa. fuel consumption nak macam ex5. reliability nak macam toyota. harga nak macam basikal. classic malaysian buyer.”
agree with that quote, so better bikin their own car lah…haiyaa..
Then there's an excuse for Proton/Lotus to buy Cosworth also. :-)
Btw, anyone know if Petronas lubes are retailed in other countries?
SORRY OUT TOPIC
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/12/15/busine…
Not only passenger cars enjoyed high sales. Phranakorn Auto Sales, the official Proton distributor in the Kingdom, sold 824 units of the Exora multi-purpose vehicle. The Exora, which comes with a 1.6-litre engine, accounted for 60 per cent of Proton's 1,388 units sold.
The next-best seller at the expo for Proton was their smallest model, the Savvy, which accounted for 19.5 per cent of sales. The Savvy has a 1.2-litre engine.
Nissan lost to Proton
http://www.motorexpo.co.th/2009/bestsell.phpn
I hope Lotus does not buy into this F1 thing. It is not a viable economy venture for small teams.
kimi said,
December 15, 2009 @ 3:18 pm
“laju nak macam ferrari. seksi nak macam alfa. fuel consumption nak macam ex5. reliability nak macam toyota. harga nak macam basikal. classic malaysian buyer.”
agree with that quote, so better bikin their own car lah…haiyaa..
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yeah! i second that!. :D
add somemore.
"Airbag mahu ada 12 biji". :D
Jumbsuck… everything has to do with kronies ke????? the curse of being a national car maker is that you have to use local vendor. This is part of the objective when proton was establish. this is done to ensure manufacturing industries in malaysia keep evolving into higher level.
btw most of proton vendors also supplied parts to perodua and ckd toyota honde etc… somehow the parts that they supplied to other car maker r better quality than the ones supplied to proton… that is why i said controling the vendors part quality are tricky and complex….
Look sometings behind about Tony strategy. Proton owned the Lotus, why still want to promote this brand (Lotus). Over the world alredi know maa..Why do not use the name like Proton or Naza F1 teams, if the promoting is a main objective. If the budget is enough, why not so worry about the name or branding.. now is look Lotus/UK get the profit for their marketing (not Proton). Pity Malaysian.
If i'm not mistaken, same vendor to supply for power window to P1 & P2 wat?
I give my input on vendor matter. My supplier for plastic injection supplies some parts for Toyota and Proton. His comment…… PROTON's price is being suppresed that low until he has no choice but to use alternative cheaper material that can provide quite similar parts to Toyota. Try to gather info together and check the prices they are paying to vendors!! Cannot cari makan by the vendor lar… and somehow Proton (engineers) wants TOP QUALITY at LOWEST COST!!! Logic???
Najibest commented"and about all those technology transfer and getting Costworth Ford Technology in our cars."
What i meant was not installing Cosworth YBT engine as found in Ford Sierras, Escorts and Sapphires into Proton. Just implement the same principle to Campros and a simple bulletproof manual tranny. No need the fancy SMG,AMT,DSG or whatsoever 3 letter technical mumbo jumbo costly to repair technology. Focus ST with Volvo's T5 fails to capture the limelight unlike the Cosworth powered heroes of yesteryear. REAL petrolheads still mourns everytime a Cossie passes by.
I myself does not own or drive a Proton in my whole life but borrowing a family member's Savvy or Persona just for a quick trip down to the supermarket is quite an experience as the handling is akin if not better than my FD or fairly well moded Toyot. And what Proton is lacking is an engine to compliment the well sorted chasis. And I personally hated the Mits derived chasis from Proton.
As for power window you need some TLC and not just send the car to the corner snow wash center. Regular cleaning on the window rubber guide using mild detergents and lots of water is enough to smoothen the power window up down movement as to ease the burden on a power window mechanism. I knew because my father's 11 years old Iswara haven' got any power window problem up till today. He really took care of the car and paid particular attention to clean the rubber guides.And do not put any silicone lubricant on any part of the rubber. Your power window should last a longer time.
My FD had recently had the rubber guides replaced( thankfully under warranty) as the SC mechanic sprayed silicon lubricant to ease the jerking Power Window operation. I learnt it the hard way. Just remember to put some TLC on your rides and not just blame others.
Eyesore: the curse of being a national car maker is that you have to use local vendor. This is part of the objective when proton was establish. this is done to ensure manufacturing industries in malaysia keep evolving into higher level…… somehow the parts that they supplied to other car maker r better quality than the ones supplied to proton… that is why i said controling the vendors part quality are tricky and complex….
That is fairytale. If you limit to local vendors only definately creating artificial grey area for cronies to loot lah. Supply craps at my price and quality.
Non-national cars can get better quality due to already/ ensured inflated car price. Cronies can milk that easily. Even worse for national cars for any crap parts considered done job as same crook pay each other lah like gang bang. The whole playing field was designed lop-sided so that cronies can milk long-term easily both non-national and national cars parts.
Multiply that with thousands other parts times over 20 years and RM billions cheated from car buyers (and road deaths) so far, not bad for a tricky and complex crappy vendor business eh?
That's all simply a case of 'Crooks of same feather flocks together'. Nothing tricky and complex at all.
Yeah, that presumption may be true. Lotus may not have the money to fund F1 team and perhaps in future the real Lotus F1 team with its heritage emerge, with the true spirit of Colin Bruce Chapman (CBP)…
Sir Richard Branson issues a challenge to AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes to dress up as a Virgin cabin crew attendant if Virgin Racing fare better than AirAsia-sponsored Lotus F1 next season.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formul…
your blog is nice And your blogs photo in sports car so butifull
i red your blog
congrats to proton…fark to them who didn't support their efforts…how u want to be a malaysian if u not proud of your country…
proton have to hire more engineer at malaysia for strenghtening the proton company and focus on high technology. Proton should learn from f1 technology…and create a more beautiful design…
swoosh3553 said,
December 15, 2009 @ 11:42 pm
I give my input on vendor matter. My supplier for plastic injection supplies some parts for Toyota and Proton. His comment…… PROTON’s price is being suppresed that low until he has no choice but to use alternative cheaper material that can provide quite similar parts to Toyota. Try to gather info together and check the prices they are paying to vendors!! Cannot cari makan by the vendor lar… and somehow Proton (engineers) wants TOP QUALITY at LOWEST COST!!! Logic???
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Mau kena logik gak le…. Kan Malaysian nak kualiti Cam Conti Tapi harga nak tak hengat nak murah…… tambah plak… tu alasan vendor aje…. sebab diaorang nak tumpukan yang toyota nyer sebab diaorang bleh buat kuantiti yang banyak dengan harga murah…. Sebab utama… Vendor gak agungkan Toyota dari Proton… sebab tu yang kuarkan kualiti murah… sedangkan diaorang bleh kuarkan barangan berkualiti tinggi dengan sama harga… Bukan sebab kroni tapi nak cari untung sembunyi….
Simply put, if the national car maker was a successful one, it wouldn't need all the tax payers money (contributed from excise duties, taxes, etc) and all the protectionism that the country is practicing to keep it alive. It's not rocket science to see that something is definitely fishy somewhere. To all those out there who actually truly support the national car maker, just ask yourself, without the exorbitant taxes and duties piled onto imported cars (just to protect the national car maker) would you still buy a local car when you can get a better quality imported car at almost the same price? The logical answer would be, you wouldn't (buy a local car). I sympathise with those who have no other choice but to purchase a national car as they have no choice. The only way out is to leave this country for one that actually offers fairness and equality. We work for what we want, not sit on our asses and squeeze the people out of their hard earned money.