What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Plaats hier berichten die met Lotus te maken hebben, maar niet specifiek bedoeld is op een bepaald type/model.
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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door Ward »

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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door FKM »

DEALS | Mon Feb 20, 2017 | 6:27am EST

By Norihiko Shirouzu | BEIJING

Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co is expected to bid as early as this week for a strategic partnership with struggling Malaysian car maker Proton Holdings Bhd, two people familiar with the bidding process told Reuters.

As part of its pitch following discussions with Proton's owner, Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom Bhd (DRBM.KL), Hangzhou-based Geely, which owns Sweden's Volvo Car Group, is expected to offer Proton some of the latest vehicle technologies it has developed with Volvo's input.

DRB-Hicom said earlier this month it was waiting for prospective foreign car makers to submit bids for a strategic partnership.

Proton, founded in 1983 by former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad, received 1.5 billion ringgit ($338.2 million) in government aid a year ago on the condition that it implement a turnaround plan and seek a foreign partner to help its research and development.

Other potential bidders have included Peugeot maker PSA (PEUP.PA), Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T) and French car maker Renault SA (RENA.PA).

In response to Reuters requests for comment, Mahmood Razak, DRB-Hicom's head of strategic communications, said: "We have nothing new to say," noting a previous statement about it being a complex process. It has said it expects to announce a decision in the first half of this year.

"We are evaluating the bids received. No disclosures until we have selected a FSP (foreign strategic partner)," he added.

A Geely spokesman declined to comment.

It was not clear whether Geely's pitch - part of what the sources said was the final bidding round - includes a cash offer for a stake in Proton. The people with knowledge of the bidding said Geely is looking for at least a 51 percent stake.

DRIVING ON THE LEFT

By offering Proton some of its own technologies, Geely hopes to help Proton's sales in right-hand-drive (RHD) markets, including Malaysia, the UK, India and Australia, the people said.

The technologies include those Geely has used to engineer midsize vehicles such as its GC9 sedan and Boyue sport-utility vehicle, as well as small car technologies developed with Volvo, the people said.

Strong sales of the GC9 and the Boyue SUV helped Geely grow its China sales by 50 percent last year to 765,851 vehicles.

Geely's investment would help Proton - which also owns British sports car maker Lotus - grow its sales overseas and recover some of the global presence it has lost in recent years, the people said

For Geely, a significant partnership with Proton would give the Chinese firm entry into the global (RHD) market.

"There are 8 million RHD vehicles sold every year globally," one of the individuals said. "Geely sells roughly zero RHD cars, so even if Geely cars were sold under Proton, if nothing else Geely would make a handsome license fee."

"The overall plan is basically to invest in Proton to bring it back to global (sales) levels it had in the 1990s," the person added.

Geely's offer comes amid a thaw in often chilly ties between Malaysia and China.

In November, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak returned from a six-day trip to China with about $34 billion worth of deals - including an agreement to buy four Chinese naval vessels - which could help lift the economy ahead of elections due by mid-2018.

(Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in BEIJING, with additional reporting by Liz Lee in KUALA LUMPUR; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

Bron : http://www.reuters.com/article/us-proto ... SKBN15Z138
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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door HiRez »

shamelessly crossposted to Seloc as well. The discussion there was more opinion than anything else.
If Geely handles Lotus like they handle Volvo it could be a good thing in my opinion.
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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door FKM »

PSA seeks Southeast Asia expansion with Proton bid

by Peter Sigal
Automotive News Europe
February 22, 2017 10:40 CET

PARIS -- PSA Group confirmed it had submitted a bid for a partnership with Proton Holdings, putting the French automaker in a potential bidding war for the ailing Malaysian owner of the UK's Lotus Cars unit.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group of China had also made an offer for Proton, reports said. Geely officials didn't respond to a request for comment.

PSA's offer for Proton comes as the automaker also pursues a deal to acquire General Motors' Opel and Vauxhall brands, a move that would make it Europe's second-largest carmaker after Volkswagen Group. PSA, which sells the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, ranks third behind VW Group and Renault Group.

"PSA Group made an offer and is willing to go further," a PSA spokesman said by email on Tuesday. "We have no additional comment at this stage."

PSA and Zhejiang Geely may have different goals in pursuing a deal with Proton, which was founded in 1983 as part of the Malaysian government's industrialization efforts and is now owned by the Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom.

The main attraction for Zhejiang Geely, which acquired Volvo from Ford Motor in 2010, would most likely be the technology-rich but low-volume Lotus brand.

Chinese billionaire Li Shufu, whose is chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding, talked about Proton during a roundtable interview that included Automotive News Europe in Shanghai last November.

He said Zhejiang Geely spoke to DRB-Hicom in Malaysia in 2014 about a technological corporation but that the companies "never talked about the acquisition of an equity share in Lotus." When asked whether Zhejiang Geely aimed to add more brands Li said: "We are small in size so we would like to grow ourselves through technological advancement, through better r&d and through our market expansion."

PSA, on the other hand, could see a wide range of strategic benefits from a stake in Proton, analysts and reports said. The company will announce its 2016 financial results Thursday in Paris.

"PSA has been looking for a way into the South Asian, or ASEAN, market for a few years now, and it's become a key pillar of its strategy," said Ian Fletcher, who is a analyst at IHS Markit. PSA's five-year Push to Pass plan includes a goal of selling 1 million vehicles in China and Southeast Asia by 2021, according to a report in the French business newspaper Les Echoes.

A toehold

PSA could use Proton's underutilized production facilities, especially at the relatively new Tanjung Malim manufacturing plant, as a production and export base for Southeast Asia and other emerging markets, Fletcher said. Reports have listed Proton's total production capacity at 400,000 to 600,000 vehicles annually, though it sold only 102,000 cars last year, according to Reuters.

The French company could use Proton as a base for a low-cost brand, Fletcher said, suggesting the Peugeot 301, currently targeted at the African market, or the 2008 small crossover as templates. It could also take advantage of free-trade agreements in the region to enter more lucrative markets such as Thailand and Indonesia.

Winning a stake, or even a controlling interest, in Proton, would help PSA broaden its corporate footprint and help hedge against economic events in Europe, where it sells the majority of its vehicles. Acquiring Opel/Vauxhall would make the company even more Euro-centric.

"We're only less than five years since the last time the market tumbled in Europe," Fletcher said. "A lot of companies are trying to balance themselves globally, and PSA needs to focus on markets outside of Europe more than it's doing at the moment."

Other suitors

The list of companies reported to be interested in a share of Proton includes Renault and Suzuki, although recent reports said that Renault would not be pursuing a deal.

Proton received a loan from the Malaysian government last year worth $280 million, and as a condition of receiving the funds it agreed to seek a foreign partnership.

Proton said in a statement on Feb. 15 that it would conclude and announce a decision on a partnership "within the first half of this year," adding that it would seek to complete an agreement "as early as possible." Once bids are received, the company said, DRB-Hicom will begin the process of negotiations and obtaining regulatory approvals.

Douglas A. Bolduc contributed to this report

Bron : http://europe.autonews.com/article/2017 ... proton-bid
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wimvanbeeck
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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door wimvanbeeck »

Als ik het goed begrijp zou voor Lotus, Geely een betere optie zijn dan PSA ?
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wimvanbeeck
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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door wimvanbeeck »

De Chinese groep Geely neemt binnenkort misschien Lotus over. En als we zien hoe het Volvo vergaan is sinds het onder de vleugels van de Chinezen terechtkwam, zou dat wel eens de redding kunnen betekenen van het legendarische sportwagenmerk.

We vertelden het u al in september van vorig jaar: de industriële groep DRB-Hicom uit Maleisië wil het nationale merk Proton verkopen omdat het in moeilijkheden verkeert. Dat merk heeft bovendien de prestigieuze autobouwer Lotus in zijn portefeuille, want het nam het Britse bedrijf over in 1996. Volgens de Maleisische krant The Star zou het bieden afgesloten zijn. Twee groepen zouden interesse hebben getoond om Proton en Lotus over te nemen: het Franse PSA en het Chinese Geely.

De buit verdelen

Volgens lokale bronnen die in het Maleisische dagblad worden geciteerd zouden PSA en Geely misschien de twee merken van DRB-Hicom onder elkaar kunnen verdelen. PSA hoopt door de hand te leggen op Proton gemakkelijker voet aan wal te krijgen in Azië en wil zijn toekomstige SUV’s daar ter plekke gaan bouwen. Die zouden van daar uit naar de verschillende landen van de ASEAN-regio kunnen worden uitgevoerd zonder extra importtaksen. Geely van zijn kant zou enkel geïnteresseerd zijn in het sportwagenmerk Lotus, en dan vooral in de expertise en de technologische knowhow binnen het Britse bedrijf.

In dit artikel : Lotus , Volvo

- See more at: http://www.autogids.be/autonieuws/indus ... 3H6w1.dpuf
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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door wimvanbeeck »

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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door wimvanbeeck »

Lotus is een kleine autofabrikant en zal dat waarschijnlijk wel voor altijd blijven. Meerdere modellen tegelijk ontwikkelen is er zodoende niet bij en vandaar dat een nieuwe Esprit nog altijd op zich laat wachten. Dat duurt zelfs nog ietsje langer, want de Britten blijken voorrang te hebben gegeven aan een heuse SUV.

Als zelfs Lotus achter de schermen werkt aan een SUV, dan zegt dat welhaast alles over de niet stoppen populariteit van dat soort auto's. Van een automerk dat nog altijd de oer-filosofie 'minder is meer' aanhangt verwacht je deze stap namelijk allerminst. Maar goed, iemand moet de eerste zijn met een vederlichte, ten gunste van de prestaties kaalgeplukte SUV, en als er één merk is die dat kan klaarspelen, dan is het Lotus wel.

Macan
Overigens heeft Lotus stilletjes geenszins de intentie om haar toekomstige SUV te ontdoen van allerhande moderniteiten en snufjes, want anders zouden de Britten niet de Macan gemarkeerd hebben als mikpunt. Luxe en snelheid gaan al sinds mensenheugenis hand-in-hand bij Porsche. Lotus zal daarin mee moeten wil het de Zufferhausers aan het zweten krijgen. En Audi. Alsook BMW en Jaguar.

Duurt nog even
Niettemin zijn de plannen van Lotus uitermate interessant, want het zal niet snel haar roemrijke merkwaarden verloochenen. Oftewel, relatief licht belooft de SUV zeker te worden. Hoe? Simpel. Door er heel veel carbon, CFRP, aluminium en wie weet zelfs titanium of magnesium tegenaan te gooien. Echter dergelijk exotische materialen hebben ook een potentieel genadeloze keerzijde: een hoge kostprijs. Zou het daarom nog tot minstens 2021 duren voor we enig teken van leven krijgen te zien van Lotus' opvallende stap? Wordt vervolgd...
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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door FKM »

PSA agrees to buy Opel in $2.3 billion deal

Bloomberg
March 6, 2017 07:44 CET
PARIS -- PSA Group agreed to buy General Motors Co.'s Opel unit in a transaction valued at 2.2 billion euros ($2.3 billion), creating Europe's second-largest carmaker in a bid to better compete in the region's saturated market.

The combination is expected to generate annual savings of 1.7 billion euros by 2026, with the money losing Opel unit generating an operating profit margin of 2 percent by 2020 and 6 percent by 2026, GM and the Paris-based maker of Peugeot and Citroen vehicles said in a joint statement.

The deal includes the Germany-based Opel, its U.K. nameplate Vauxhall, as well as the GM unit's financing operations. BNP Paribas SA will buy 50 percent of the financing business for about 450 million euros.

GM, which has owned Opel for almost 90 years, is cutting ties after the division missed a target to break even in 2016, contributing to losses that have totaled about $9 billion since 2009.

PSA is betting that adding Opel's roughly 1.2 million in annual deliveries will solidify its own turnaround by spreading the costs for developing new vehicles across a larger network. Job and production cuts are likely as the two companies offer a similar slate of mass-market cars from high-cost locations in Germany, France and the U.K.

"We are confident that the Opel/Vauxhall turnaround will significantly accelerate with our support," PSA CEO Carlos Tavares said in the statement. "Having already created together winning products for the European market, we know that Opel/Vauxhall is the right partner."

For GM, exiting Opel will lead to a non-cash charge of $4 billion to $4.5 billion. The deal will continue efforts to shed underperforming assets and will free up about $2 billion in cash to use for share buybacks, according to the statement.

The U.S. automaker will also have the right to purchase PSA shares through warrants issued as part of the deal. GM and PSA will continue an agreement for Opel to supply its Australian Holden unit as well as the Buick brand with certain models. The two companies may also cooperate on fuel cell systems.

The deal would reinstate PSA as Europe's second-biggest carmaker after Volkswagen Group, pushing it past Renault following a steady decline in market share in recent years.

After streamlining operations following a 2014 bailout by the French state and Dongfeng Motor Corp., PSA CEO Tavares is shifting focus to growth. His vision for a combination of PSA and Opel is to create a "European champion" by slashing costs, combining development efforts and exploiting the appeal of German engineering

With the addition of Opel, PSA is set control 16 percent of the European auto market, putting it behind only Volkswagen's 24 percent. The deal is the second run at linking the two carmakers after savings from a purchasing and development cooperation project fell short of expectations, prompting Detroit-based GM to sell its 7 percent stake in its French counterpart in 2013.

Still, that cooperation is now starting to pay off. In February, Opel unveiled the new Crossland X compact sport utility vehicle, which shares underpinnings with PSA's Citroen C3 hatchback. A larger Opel SUV is set to follow later this year, which will be built at a PSA facility in France.

At Opel, Tavares will seek to replicate the turnaround he engineered at PSA, including cutting jobs, freezing pay and eliminating slow-selling, unprofitable models. The French company went from net losses starting in 2012 to profit in 2015, and generated 2.7 billion euros in cash in 2016. This year, for the first time since 2011, the company will pay a dividend.

Bron : http://europe.autonews.com/article/2017 ... llion-deal
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Re: What is Lotus up to in 2017 and beyond?

Bericht door FKM »

Peugeot verlost GM van Opel

06 maart 2017 08:43
Kurt Vansteeland

De Franse groep trekt 2,2 miljard euro uit voor de Europese GM-tak en wordt zo de tweede autobouwer van Europa.

Het huwelijk was na enkele perslekken het slechtst bewaarde geheim van Europa, maar aan de vooravond van het Geneefse autosalon is het nu ook een feit. Peugeot- en Citroën-eigenaar PSA neemt de Europese activiteiten van General Motors, in casu de merken Opel en Vauxhall, over. Dat bevestigden de twee deze ochtend in een gezamenlijk persbericht.

Concreet betalen de Fransen de Amerikanen 2,2 miljard euro, 1,3 miljard euro voor de eigenlijke autobouwers en 0,9 miljard euro voor de Europese financieringspoot van GM. PSA zegt zo naar eigen zeggen na Volkswagen de nummer twee van Europa te worden, met een marktaandeel van 17 procent.

Bankgigant BNP Paribas neemt vervolgens de helft van de financieringspoot over, wat het prijskaartje voor PSA tot 1,8 miljard euro vermindert.

PSA-topman Carlos Tavares maakt zich sterk tegen 2026 1,7 miljard euro besparingen en synergieën te kunnen realiseren, via schaalvoordelen in aankopen, productie en onderzoek. Tegen 2020 moet Opel/Vauxhall een winstmarge van 2 procent halen, tegen 2026 6 procent.

Dat belooft een hele opgave te worden. Gelet op de sterke overlapping in het merkenaanbod, houdt de fusie alleen steek als er capaciteit kan weggesneden worden. Maar fabrieken sluiten of afslanken belooft een harde dobber te worden: de Franse overheid is aandeelhouder van Peugeot, maar ook Berlijn en Londen zullen met argusogen het lot van respectievelijk de Opel- en Vauxhall-fabrieken in het oog houden.

Bij GM zal er geen traan gelaten worden om de exit van de Europese tak. Het nummer één van Detroit stapelde sinds 1999 de verliezen op in Europa. Sinds 2000 beloopt het gecumuleerd operationeel verlies bijna 23 miljard dollar. Ook het marktaandeel van Opel en Vauxhall verkeerde sindsdien in vrije val.

GM neemt op de transactie een uitzonderlijke minwaarde van 4 à 4,5 miljard dollar in de boeken op. Bijna twee derde an dat bedrag zijn de overdraagbare verliezen op Opel dat GM nu niet langer in mindering van zijn toekomstige belastingfactuur kan brengen. Door de verkoop reduceert GM zijn jaarlijkse cashbehoefte van 20 naar 18 miljard dollar en is er ruimte om voor 2 miljard dollar extra eigen aandelen in te kopen.

Bron : http://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/auto/Peug ... 1488788053
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