Lotus CEO Disses His Own Hypercar For Being Too Heavy
Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng inadvertently dissed his own product while claiming sports cars over 3,900 pounds are no good.
THE BREAKDOWN
- Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng, speaking at a media event, stated that sports cars weighing over 3,900 pounds are mediocre.
- The current Lotus lineup mainly consists of vehicles weighing over 3,900 pounds.
- Only the Emira, with a 3,200-lb curb weight, lands under Qingfeng's benchmark weight metric.
Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng is in a bit of hot water at the moment. The company head made remarks about sports cars and curb weights that are in direct contradiction to what the company is producing currently.
According to CarNewChina, Qingfeng stated that any sports car exceeding 1,800 kilograms (roughly 3,968 pounds) is mediocre—a figure exceeded by most of the current Lotus lineup. Even the Lotus Evija hypercar has a curb weight of 4,200 pounds. So by the Lotus CEO's own admission, his Evija hypercar is merely mediocre.
There could be some positive influence that comes from Qingfeng's comments, though. Lotus should be aiming for an 1,800-pound curb weight for every vehicle it makes. Especially considering Lotus has a V8 supercar currently in development.
The recently teased Lotus Type 135 will feature a hybrid V8 powertrain making over 1,000 horsepower. If Lotus can keep the curb weight low, the power-to-weight figure would be amazing, and the driving experience should be sensational.
Motor1's Take: No Lotus product should ever be considered mediocre, but Feng Qingfeng speaks the truth. The brand that coined the phrase "adding lightness" needs to return to that tenet. We have high hopes that the upcoming Type 135 will be anything but mediocre.
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