LOTUS OPENS FLAGSHIP SHOWROOM AND LAUNCHES EXIGE S AND ELISE S IN MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR, 8 January 2013 – LOTUS CARS MALAYSIA today announced the official opening of the first LOTUS Flagship Showroom and Centre in Malaysia, strategically located in Sungai Penchala. In conjunction of the opening, LOTUS also unveiled two of its latest stars, the Exige S and Elise S for the Malaysian market.
The opening of the showroom and launch of the Exige S and Elise S was officiated by PROTON Advisor YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was accompanied by Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Khamil Jamil, the Executive Chairman of PROTON. LOTUS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PROTON Holdings Berhad.
Part of DRB-HICOM’s plans to revive LOTUS, the Flagship Showroom and Centre is built on 10,520m² of land, and offers a complete LOTUS experience with a Showroom, a Customer Interactive Block, and a Service Centre, where owners will be able to service, and obtain the spare parts for their Lotus cars.
The Showroom covers an area of approximately 1,060m², and consists of sale areas for new and pre-owned Lotus cars. Elegant and minimalist, the Showroom was designed to convey the heritage of the LOTUS brand. Retail areas for Lotus car accessories, Lotus Originals merchandise, a delivery room, and open deck garden and customers lounge are also located in the Showroom building.
The advanced and fully-equipped LOTUS Service Centre is approximately 1,009m² in size and will offer the highest level of customer service to current and future Lotus owners. The Service Centre is able to accommodate up to 20 cars a day and 480 cars a month.
According to Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Khamil, when DRB-HICOM first took over PROTON and all its subsidiaries, including LOTUS, one of the Group’s top priorities was to look into reviving the LOTUS brand. “We have many times affirmed our commitment to the future of this brand, and with the launch of Malaysia’s first LOTUS Flagship Showroom today, we are again reiterating our commitment to the future of LOTUS.”
“There are currently about 140 LOTUS Cars showrooms around the world, and approximately 65 percent are 3S Showrooms, but what makes this Flagship Showroom extra special is the 372m2 Customer Interactive Block, which was designed for Lotus customers in mind,” he added. “A ‘LOTUS home’ for owners, this is where owners will be able to get together and ‘hang out’. This are will also be used to coordinate LOTUS events such as Lotus Convoys, Races, and Defensive and Advanced Driver Trainings.”
The opening also marked the official launch of LOTUS’ latest power players, the supercharged Exige S and Elise S. Already making waves globally, the powerful Exige S was recently awarded the coveted Car of The Year title by EVO magazine, while the Elise S – the latest addition to the Elise range, is perfect for the enthusiast wanting to enjoy the thrill of the ride with even better performance, without compromising on weight.
“These cars represent the best that LOTUS has to offer right now, and I can truly say that the best is yet to come. For LOTUS to remain competitive and relevant, it will be necessary for us to introduce more and more exciting products to our customers in the future,” acknowledged Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Khamil, who added that the way for LOTUS moving forward is to launch products sensibly, and with due regards to proper compliance of quality, cost and delivery.
ABOUT THE CARS
Lotus Exige S
The new Exige S is the ultimate in focused sports cars. Capable of reaching 0-100 km/h in 3.96 seconds, it not only boasts impressive stats, but is recognised by experts as a benchmark of superior ride and handling. Its dynamic performance is also enhanced by the 345hp (350 PS) supercharged 3.5 V6 engine.
Technical Specifications
ENGINE
- Mid mounted, transverse 3.5 litre 24valve DOHC V6 dual VVT-I equipped with Harrop HTV 1320 Supercharger utilising Eaton TVS Technology.
TRANSMISSION
- 6-speed manual gearbox with sports ratios.
- Constant mesh helical gears and open differentials.
PERFORMANCE
- 0-100 km/h: 3.96 seconds.
- Max speed: 170 mph (274 km/h).
- Max power: 345 hp at 7000 rpm (350 PS) (258 kW).
- Max torque: 295 lbft at 4500 rpm (400 Nm).
- Fuel consumption mpg (I/100km) with manual gearbox: Urban: 19.5 (14.5), Extra Urban: 37.2 (7.6), Combined: 28.0 (10.1)
- CO2 emissions (manual): 236 g/km.
- Unladen vehicle mass: 1176 kg.
Lotus Elise S
The latest addition to the popular Elise range is the new supercharged S model. With its soft top and big personality, the car is perfect for city drives or countryside escapades. Its 1.8 litre supercharged engine, which delivers 217 hp / 220 PS, marries speed, versatility and fun in one sporty package.
Technical Specifications
ENGINE
- Mid-mounted, transverse, 1798cm3, 2ZR-FE inline 4 cylinder.
- DOHC 16-valve Dual VVT-I with Magnuson R900 supercharger utilising Eaton TVS™ technology.
TRANSMISSION
- 6-speed manual gearbox with sports ratios.
- Constant mesh helical gears and open differentials.
PERFORMANCE
- 0-100 km/h: 4.6 seconds.
- Max speed: 145 mph (234 km/h).
- Max power: 217 hp at 6800 rpm (163 kW) (220 PS).
- Max torque: 184 lbft at 4600 rpm (250 Nm).
- Fuel consumption mpg (I/100km) with manual gearbox: Urban 27.3 (10.3), Extra Urban: 47.6 (5.9), Combined: 37.5 (7.5)
- CO2 emissions (manual): 175 g/km.
- Unladen vehicle mass: 924 kg.
ABOUT LOTUS
Group Lotus plc, is based in Norfolk, UK, and has three operating divisions: Lotus Cars, Lotus Engineering and Lotus Racing.
Lotus Cars builds world class, high performance sports cars including the award-winning Evora, the iconic Elise and the stunning Exige.
Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy. Global facilities include those in the UK, US, China and offices in Germany and Japan. Lotus is a global high-tech company, committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.
Lotus Racing (formerly Lotus Motorsport) operates the motorsports activities of Lotus and includes the strategy to return the Lotus name to a great number of series including endurance racing with GT2, GT4 and LMP2, single seater racing with GP2, GP3 and IndyCar. Lotus also competes in Formula 1 with the Lotus F1TM Team, racing in the iconic Black and Gold livery.
Lotus Originals is the retail operation for all of Lotus’ non-car products. A diverse collection of luxury apparel, luggage, gifts, toys and limited edition collectables can be bought online at www.lotusoriginals.com or at any of the dedicated Lotus Originals outlets including the flagship Regent Street store in London’s Piccadilly.
More information:
Text and photographs by: Lotus.
