Talk Morgan Forums Thread Like Summary - Is Lotus in real trouble

Given the recent redundancies this
doesnt read well

I was with my family last weekend when we came across a Lotus SUV in a car park in Haworth. We all agreed it was ugly, but nevertheless had some sympathy for the owner who had clearly suffered a nasty scrape - the whole side was caved in, and there was a gaping gap behind the front wheel arch. It was only when my son ventured around the thing that we discovered that the other side was the same.

Buy it now while there are still spares available.

Very true , not sporty at all unless you buy an MG4 X power or Cyberster. Nevertheless I bought the SUV version a ZS EV.
It cost £23k for a good new car. By comparison VW Tesla et al are north of 40k here.
It is as good I would say as the Polo it replaced and at 3 miles per kWh or £0.023 per mile very cheap to run. Insurance at sub £80 is also low.

Were MG dumping them as a new model is coming out. Yes. Did I save £13k yes. Is it the shopping trolley tin top . Yes. So m I bothered about the badge , No.

Range anxiety .No even in winter it has over 200 miles. Right now about 250. I don't have range anxiety over the CX that I refuel at 200 miles.

Do I wish I could by a cheap UK built alternative . Yes , but China has a strategy & is wiping out those companies.

In the real world is it fast yes the acceleration due to full torque instantly means I have a lot of power.

Historically MG's offered good performance for the money. In that respect there is a parallel with the modern version and they do, at least, also make a sportscar.

A few years ago who would ever have imagined that Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati, Aston Martin and Porsche would be making SUV's ?

Yesterday, in the span of about 2 minutes, we saw 3 MG SUVs. I remarked to that I found it somewhat out of place that a brand such as MG could be used for something so far removed from the origins of the historical marque as to not have any sense.

The world has moved on, not saying I like it more than the 'old days' but its different.
Lotus started off making kit cars to finance their racing arm, they were basic and only appealed to hands on enthusiasts. Ferrari started off in much the same way, building road cars to help finance racing. Morgan have traditionally built cars that needed sorting by enthusiastic owners as they came from the factory because they were built to a price, and there are many examples you could find of 'characterful' car manufacturers who no longer exist.
As the capability of mass produced cars improved the number of potential buyers who were prepared to put the effort in to run these types of vehicles diminished, and to survive you either have the niche small volume players, like Pembleton, or if you have higher volumes, like Morgan and Lotus you have to go up market because the profit on a £100,000 plus car is considerably more than on one at half the price and the development costs of trying to get anywhere near the capability of a ferrari/porsche etc are huge.
Ferrari seem to be doing ok and Morgan may well thrive, lets hope so. Ducati is the closest comparison to Morgan in taking a fantastic bike, full of character but not exactly the most reliable or well built, and turning it into one of most capable and expensive bikes available. Morgan are I am sure looking to do the same but it won't happen overnight, as it didn't with Ducati.
I am happy with my Morgan, and previous ones, but spend far more time making sure they keep going than on any of the mass produced cars I have owned and most people just don' 'get it'
I do think that the traditional enthusiasts cars will always have a place, partly as an antidote to the mass market vehicles currently being produced, but unfortunately feel that most have already been built and we are unlikely to see their like again.

I'd try an Emira but it won't fit in the garage (too wide to comfortably fit through doors installed for 1990's cars). It would have to be an Evora, but that's not the worst thing in the world.

The green agenda should be driving the size of vehicles down, not up.

In the days of steam, they used "Photographic Grey" (with black) to bring out the details. Quite honestly, that combo above, which is so common and "fashionable" right now just looks like it needs a topcoat.

It's horrendously ugly....... imho.......!
Ideal if you're a drug dealer or a Z list nobody, or possibly a drug dealing z list nobody.....!!!

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