Bob Lutz
It didn’t take long for the Bob Lutz name to make the automotive headlines again, following his very public retirement from General Motors just two months ago. The latest word is that Lutz, together with former BMW exec Tom Purves, will be hired by Lotus to help advise on the niche automaker’s new five-year turnaround plan.
Lotus is looking to evolve into a more mainstream luxury and performance automaker and just last week we reported that the company was abandoning its low weight ethos for building cars in an effort to move more upmarket.
The latest information about Lutz, 78, and Purves, 61, comes from insider sources who spoke recently with Automotive News. They claim both retired executives have been in talks with Lotus but are yet to receive a formal offer.
Lotus is reportedly looking to improve its quality while increasing the number of products it offers and reducing its running costs. The plan is to boost production to around 8,000 cars per year by 2015, up from the current level of about 2,500 cars.
One of the first all-new models Lotus plans to launch is a replacement for the Esprit supercar, something we could see in preview form at this September’s 2010 Paris Auto Show.
[Automotive News, sub req’d]
