Speaking of our old pal Dany Bahar, Group Lotus has finally named his successor. Unless his plans include committing widespread acts of genocide, I don't think he can be any worse than the man he replaces.
The smartly-dressed fellow next to that red Exige S is Jean-Marc Gales of Luxembourg. Effective yesterday, he is the new head of Lotus.
Before coming to the beleaguered sports car brand he was Chief Executive Officer of the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, and prior to that he was president of PSA Peugeot Citroën, where he is credited with restructuring their sales chain and implementing the DS line of cars. He's also been at Daimler, Volkswagen and GM.
Already, he sounds better than Bahar, who was given the boot way back in 2012 but not replaced until yesterday. What did Bahar do wrong when he ran Lotus, you ask? How much time do you have?
Let's see, there was admitting to not being a "car guy," implementing an untenable strategy of blandness and bloat that went against everything Lotus stood for, spending his time courting celebrities, the Brian May rock opera thing, reportedly using company funds to renovate his house... there's probably other things in there that I have forgotten about, or forcibly blocked from my own memory like a horrific childhood trauma.
Anyway, Lotus has been unprofitable for years, and needs all the help it can get. Here's hoping Gales can lead them in the right direction and oversee the creation of new cars that are in-line with what makes them great in the first place.