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Post by sheepy on Jun 16, 2024 13:03:10 GMT
It went in the 80s and has been going ever since, the only car actually produced in the UK these days is Japanese I believe and otherwise it is just minor parts for foreign manufacturers. So saying it is going anyway, its a bit late for that at best. While all our other car manufacturers face extinction, Lotus is expanding fast, as you can see if you can be bothered to watch the video and have a look around their factory. It's nice to see engineering manufacturing jobs being created on such a large scale. This is the result of working together. 50% Chinese and 50% British, which can be a killer combination as they say. We have long experiences in motor cars and the Chinese have strong technology, so put the two together and we find the cars are selling like hotcakes. They had better keep Duncan-Smith away from that factory! Ah I see so an advert for the Chinese then, to be honest I don't take much notice of it these days, as anything that can be sold will be. |
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Post by Baron von Lotsov on Jun 16, 2024 13:28:20 GMT
While all our other car manufacturers face extinction, Lotus is expanding fast, as you can see if you can be bothered to watch the video and have a look around their factory. It's nice to see engineering manufacturing jobs being created on such a large scale. This is the result of working together. 50% Chinese and 50% British, which can be a killer combination as they say. We have long experiences in motor cars and the Chinese have strong technology, so put the two together and we find the cars are selling like hotcakes. They had better keep Duncan-Smith away from that factory! Ah I see so an advert for the Chinese then, to be honest I don't take much notice of it these days, as anything that can be sold will be. It's an advert for cooperation. They all seem to be happy working there. They are all British. What is not to like? Ah I know, it is someone doing something right and being successful. Oh shit, lets ignore them or pass them off as evil capitalists.
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Post by sheepy on Jun 16, 2024 13:31:10 GMT
Ah I see so an advert for the Chinese then, to be honest I don't take much notice of it these days, as anything that can be sold will be. It's an advert for cooperation. They all seem to be happy working there. They are all British. What is not to like? Ah I know, it is someone doing something right and being successful. Oh shit, lets ignore them or pass them off as evil capitalists.
Not really, I was smiling, because fairly obviously the state of British management genuinely couldn't run a piss up in a brewery, from the top down, while the Chinese making a better job of it must be like taking candy from a baby. |
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Post by jonksy on Jun 16, 2024 13:34:06 GMT
It went in the 80s and has been going ever since, the only car actually produced in the UK these days is Japanese I believe and otherwise it is just minor parts for foreign manufacturers. So saying it is going anyway, its a bit late for that at best. While all our other car manufacturers face extinction, Lotus is expanding fast, as you can see if you can be bothered to watch the video and have a look around their factory. It's nice to see engineering manufacturing jobs being created on such a large scale. This is the result of working together. 50% Chinese and 50% British, which can be a killer combination as they say. We have long experiences in motor cars and the Chinese have strong technology, so put the two together and we find the cars are selling like hotcakes. They had better keep Duncan-Smith away from that factory! China owns Lotus FFS bvl...
EV maker and R&D arm of car group owned by Geely planning to join Nasdaq in deal with Spac backed by Bernard Arnault
The Chinese owner of Lotus is to list a stake in a division of the luxury sports car group in the US as part of deal with a firm backed by the world’s richest man.
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Post by Baron von Lotsov on Jun 16, 2024 13:37:14 GMT
It's an advert for cooperation. They all seem to be happy working there. They are all British. What is not to like? Ah I know, it is someone doing something right and being successful. Oh shit, lets ignore them or pass them off as evil capitalists.
Not really, I was smiling, because fairly obviously the state of British management genuinely couldn't run a piss up in a brewery, from the top down, while the Chinese making a better job of it must be like taking candy from a baby. Yeah well, we all know what British management is like. Have you been watching the Post Office inquiry?
Anyway, I'm happy for the Lotus guys. They are better off doing what they do best and make the engineering good whilst Chinese work the accounts. Chinese are far ahead of Brits in maths.
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Post by Baron von Lotsov on Jun 16, 2024 14:31:15 GMT
If we have a little look at what has happened to Lotus, here is the Wiki company data on the firm
Company type Private
Industry Automotive
Founded 1948; 76 years ago
Founder Colin Chapman
Headquarters Hethel, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom
Area served Worldwide
Key people
Qingfeng Feng (CEO)
Alexious Lee (CFO)
Mike Johnstone (CCO)
Products Automobiles
Production output
Increase 6,970 units[1] (2023)
Revenue Increase $679 million[1] (2023)
Number of employees
1,385 (2021)[2]
Parent Geely Holding (51%)
Etika Automotive (49%)
That production plant they were talking about in the video said it will increase production from 1500 per annum to 5000 per annum.
So in a nutshell they went from 100% ownership to selling 51% so China has the final say on important matters, i.e. they are 'da management' but now their 49% share is a 49% share ion an operation producing 6970 cars per annum agaisnt owning 100% of an operation producing 1500 per annum. No wonder they are looking extremely happy about life. This is the complete opposite of how things are at Jaguar Landrover. Any Chinese man would tell you the Indians are shit. They live next door to them. I think we will see the truth in this as Indian corporations battle it out with Chinese ones. We Brits had better set a level playing field and make sure the competition is proper cricket.
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Post by sheepy on Jun 16, 2024 14:34:31 GMT
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Post by Baron von Lotsov on Jun 16, 2024 15:47:09 GMT
Li Bin has $6.5bn of investment behind him. Lotus said they were aiming to produce tens of thousands of cars per year. At last the Brits can take on Porsche. |
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Post by Dan Dare on Jun 16, 2024 15:52:21 GMT
What 'strong technology' have Geely brought to Lotus?
Admirers of the marque will be aware that the Lotus usp always used to be suspension design, a black magic art which you can't put on a chip and what Colin Chapman called 'adding lightness'.
So what, exactly, are the Chinese bringing to the party?
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Post by Baron von Lotsov on Jun 16, 2024 16:03:08 GMT
What 'strong technology' have Geely brought to Lotus? Admirers of the marque will be aware that the Lotus usp always used to be suspension design, a black magic art which you can't put on a chip and what Colin Chapman called 'adding lightness'. So what, exactly, are the Chinese bringing to the party? You would ideally want CATL batteries, you want Chinese computers and electronics, especially if you want self-drive capability, for which you need a Chinese Lidar as well. In addition to that you would want to follow Chinese advice on factory automation and robotics. The density of robots in Chinese industry totally outstrips our own pathetic efforts. We're about bottom of the pile. It is because Lotus have Chinese management holding the majority of shares that robots are becoming a feature at Lotus. They are introducing 21st century manufacturing. Soon other Brits will look at Lotus and wonder how come they did so well when all the Indian firms went bust! It will become an unspoken truth, for to say it out loud would be racist. |
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Post by Dan Dare on Jun 16, 2024 16:07:06 GMT
21st century manufacturing of what though?
A Geely with Lotus badges?
Who's going to fall for that?
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Post by sheepy on Jun 16, 2024 16:11:30 GMT
21st century manufacturing of what though? A Geely with Lotus badges? Who's going to fall for that? A market they invented and also mean to take full advantage of it, which in fairness they have also been very successful at. Which the Baron often gives us testimony. |
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Post by Dan Dare on Jun 16, 2024 16:20:19 GMT
I remember GM driving Saab into the ground using that same strategy. They re-badged a Subaru as the Saab 9-2 and a poxy Chevrolet SUV as the Saab 9-7X. Needless to say the suits were stunned when they didn't sell and GM bailed out of Saab soon after and the marque vanished.
Watch out Lotus!
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Post by Baron von Lotsov on Jun 16, 2024 16:31:36 GMT
21st century manufacturing of what though? A Geely with Lotus badges? Who's going to fall for that? The head designer is a Brit. Actually one area we do beat the world in is racing technology. You can see what the game is though. The Brits make sure the spec is according to their exacting standards and the Chinese folk figure out how to manufacture it at minimum cost, which basically means employing automation. With automated production the throughput is so much higher and you get close to 100% repeatability. They work 24 hours a day and don't go on strike either. Indeed as it is such a winning combination, Li Bin has decided to get involved and put his own money on the table.
Indeed if this venture works, which I have no doubt it will, the Chinese government will notice what is going on and so will a whole load of other Chinese businessmen and good olde Blighty will see something of a renaissance in its engineering. You have just got to prove it. Meanwhile the EU is creating a hostile attitude towards EU-China cooperation in industry. The EU will get badly burnt and the smart money will land on our shores. Ditto from the US which is even more hostile.
We Brits have got to remember how to be polite and reasonable, and if we do then we will certainly prove getting out of the EU was the right thing to do and if we can prove that then you know there are almost half a dozen other of the richer end of the EU that will want to do it too.
By the way, I do recall seeing something about the Brits also invented the highest performance motor for if you were thinking of using it in a race car. This would be just the kind of thing Lotus could do with. We do have some good tech, but China holds a huge number of patents in EV technology. You do better working with a Chinese partner if you want to get good licencing deals etc. |
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Post by Vinny on Jun 16, 2024 16:37:38 GMT
Making a new electric car is the equivalent of driving a petrol car for 50,000 miles.
Keeping an old car on the road is better for the environment.
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