Talk: Matt Windle

Setting out for a new dawn

Probably no other brand has set out for a glorious future more often than Lotus. We have a few thoughts about this – and talk to Lotus CEO Matt Windle.

Just briefly: Lotus founder Colin Chapman died in 1982. General Motors took over in 1986. In 1993 Romano Artioli, who also owned Bugatti Automobiles SpA at the time, took over; shortly afterwards he went bankrupt (not without still having launched the Elise). From 1996, Lotus belonged to the Malaysian construct Proton; at some point, the Swiss Dani Bahar came into the picture and had foolhardy plans that went down the drain in 2012. Then in 2017 the Chinese took over from Geely. At that time, Matt Windle also joined Lotus and has been Managing Director since last year. Perhaps also important: Matt was already at Lotus from 1998 to 2005 – and then belonged to the inner circle at Tesla for seven years.

radical: Lotus has a long, eventful history – in your opinion, which were the most important cars of the brand?

Windle: There were many cars from Lotus that were innovative, but I would say the Elise. The technology of the bonded aluminium chassis was really groundbreaking. And has since been copied by many other brands. It’s everything that Lotus is about – a simple and lightweight solution with enough torsional rigidity to give the Lotus world-class driving dynamics. Our heritage is very important to us and is helping to shape our future. We already have a number of significant vehicles that illustrate Lotus’ history and bring it to life. One example is a 1981 Turbo Esprit, which was the last “company car” of our founder Colin Chapman. We will be adding to the collection over time to connect with owners and fans around the world.

A lot has happened at Lotus over the past five years. First there was the announcement of the Evija (Type 130) electric hypercar, limited to 130 examples, up to 2000 horsepower and costing at least £1.75 million. The thing has actually been seen driving, but from usually well-informed circles it is said that the interest is rather limited. It was followed by the Emira, whose first deliveries are due in the next few days (whatever that means) – this will (probably) be the last thermally powered Lotus.

radical: Cars like the Emira will – probably? – not have a long life, at least not in Europe. But you see the big picture, worldwide?

Windle: The first Emira customer cars will be delivered this summer, so it still has a long life ahead of it! Like all car brands that are sold worldwide, we are subject to the regulations of the individual markets, and these are taken into account as we develop our business strategy.

radical: Should we talk about racing, Formula 1, in this context – or do you want to keep the subject open for surprises?

Windle: I am happy to talk to you about racing! Earlier this month we launched the Emira GT4 race car at an event in Hethel and it is already sold out for the first year. As for Formula 1, I would never say never, but it’s not something we’re considering at the moment.

The Emira was followed by the Eletre (Type 132), Lotus’ first SUV. The first Lotus to be built in China. To put it very kindly: a gentle contrast to everything known from Lotus so far. We are therefore approaching the subject very cautiously.

radical: Lotus has gone through many changes and challenges in the past. But what’s happening now seems to be the biggest thing ever, doesn’t it?

Windle: You are right, Lotus has had an amazing journey, with many ups and downs over more than seven decades. The ongoing transformation is turning Lotus from a British sports car manufacturer into a truly global company and brand for high-performance vehicles. And I am thrilled to be part of the team leading this evolution.

radical: How much of the founder’s spirit will be felt in the brand in the future? Or will Lotus open a completely new chapter?

Windle: Colin Chapman was a visionary engineer and a leader, and many of the innovations that he and his team developed are the reason that automotive engineering and motorsport are the way they are today. This unconventional and slightly rebellious spirit of passion and ingenuity is still alive and well at Lotus today. Just look at the three cars we have introduced in the last three years – the Evija, the world’s most powerful production car with arguably one of the most advanced designs ever; the Emira, our latest petrol car and undoubtedly the best of its kind; and the Eletre, the world’s first hyper-SUV, taking our brand in an exciting new direction.

radical: Lotus lives under the Geely Group umbrella, along with a host of brands. How will you manage to bring a Lotus character to your products? And what will those characteristics be?

Windle: Let me make this clear. Lotus is not using Geely’s SEA architecture. We have announced for 2021 that the next generation of Lotus vehicles – our lifestyle vehicles codenamed Type 132, the Eletre SUV, the Type 133, a four-door sports saloon, and the Type 134, a smaller SUV – will all be built on completely new and proprietary Lotus platforms. This gives us the perfect starting point to develop the Lotus “personality” in each car, including the premium ride and handling that everyone expects.

radical: Of course we understand that Lotus needs an electric SUV – because the (American, Chinese) market is asking for it to make money. How difficult was it to “sell” this “concept” to the workforce in Hethel?

Windle: It was not difficult at all. I would say that the mood of our colleagues in Hethel and throughout the global Lotus community has never been better. The team in Hethel is bringing the Emira and Evija to customers this year and developing the Type 135, a new electric sports car. You can see that the future of Lotus is more certain than it has been for a generation, and we are proud to be part of the journey Lotus is on.

radical: The Elise was built for 25 years. Today, the pace of change in “technology” is much faster than it has been in the last 125 years. How far into the future can you plan at the moment? Like, for example, that solid-state batteries will change the game again.

Windle: That’s a good question. We’ve been guided by Vision80 since 2018; that’s our 10-year plan that takes Lotus to its 80th anniversary in 2028. And as you can expect, with the support of our shareholders, we’re already well advanced in terms of what’s beyond that. 

radical: Ferry Porsche once said: The last car that will be built will be a sports car. Can it also be an electric sports car?

Windle: There is no doubt that customers around the world love sports cars, and there is no doubt that electric technology will be at the heart of the next generation of all cars. We are working on an all-electric sports car, the Type 135, but I want to return the question to you – is electricity the final solution for human locomotion? Lotus’ engineering teams around the world are investigating many other alternative propulsion options.

radical: No, we won’t ask about future products from Lotus. But if you want to tell us something.

Windle: In relation to your last question, I can tell you that our EV sports car, the Type 135, will be launched in 2026 and will be sensational. And I can tell you that this current range of exciting new products is just the beginning. There’s so much more to come from Lotus.

radical: You have one last tank of fuel – where would you go, with which (classic) automobile?

Windle: I would split the tank and put half in the Type 72 to enjoy at the Lotus test track in Hethel, and the other half I would drive to the coast in a Mk I Elise with the top down.

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We have some nice Lotus stories in our archive, a recent drive report with an Elise MkI for example. Or the very detailed history of the Esprit. Or a few thoughts in and around the Elite 504. And otherwise there’s always the archives.