>Subject: Re: Digest lotus-cars.v002.n748
>Sent: 12/17/97 5:20 PM
>Received: 12/18/97 1:46 PM
>From: Chris Kantarjiev, cak@dimebank.com
>To: chapman-era@autox.team.net
> lotus-cars-errors@lists.best.com
> rodbean@ix.netcom.com
>OK, I'll jump into this phrase and pass on the random synaptic firing
>that your message generated:
>
>
>In the last of Dave Bean Engineering's newsletter (at least, the last I
>received, it's a sometime thing), Dave reported on his visit to the
>Lotus factory. One of the things he mentioned is that Lotus have hired
>some "marketing consultants" who are sucking Lotus into the belief that
>the Elise will only sell in the US if it is loaded up with A/C, CD,
>etc. etc. He tried to dissuade them, to no avail.
>
>How did this happen? What can we do about it? How can we get the
>message to the automotive manufacturers that there is a market for a
>light, nimble car with an emphasis on performance, not creature
>comforts and posing?
Frustrating, isn't it? Well I think it comes with being in the minority.
We who would dearly love to take full advantage of the design intent of
the Elise are a minority in the larger scheme of things.
After all, what do you think that average marketing consultant drives?
Certainly nothing without all that luxo stuff, right? Maybe even *two*
phones!
What I really don't understand though is why Lotus would treat the
marketing of a low production, very specialized sort of car as if they
were aiming at the Porsche/300ZX/Corvette market.
Well, you know, I just remembered, most marketing people, and even many
car magazines completely missed the fact that the 3rd gen RX7 was
something apart from the high speed sporty cruiser market. They
complained about it being "tail happy" and said the ride was too rough?
Tail happy for whom? Too rough for whom? It was pretty much left to
individuals to discover a great drivers car for themselves.
The Elise would have to be marketed in the US in a way that would say
what it is in no uncertain terms. They would have to unabashedly appeal
to a market that is small in comparison to the high production sports car
market but, I would have to assume, easily large enough to consume all
the Elises Lotus could produce. It's too bad that they can't be
encouraged to just explore that potential. Ah, I see a flaw. That would
be done by more marketing consultants without a clue. They'd ask stock
brokers what their ideal car would be and we'd be back to square one.
Maybe the problem is that, even with a small company like Lotus, there
are too many layers between us and the engineers.
Rod Bean
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