Lotus Elise S1

Filed under: Performance, Etc., Europe, Lotus, Earnings/Financials, Luxury Lotus isn't going anywhere, according to parent company Proton. Autocar reports representatives of Proton's new owner, DRB-HICOM, stopped by Lotus HQ to reassure the company's staff. Dato Sri Haji Mohd Khamil Bin Jamil, DRB-HICOM group managing director, said his company "is not thinking about a sale." While the executive said that he could never fully dismiss the prospect of sending Lotus off to another owner, right now such a move isn't one of his company's top priorities. Instead, figuring out a course for Lotus could take months. In the meantime, Dato Jamil said his company would continue to support Lotus financially. Until recently, Proton was owned by the Malaysian government, but DRB-HICOM purchased the company three months ago. Since then, the future of Lotus has been anything but certain. All production and development stopped for 60 days after the deal was inked, but has now officially resumed. Even so, with no clear long-term decision from DRB-HICOM, it remains unclear whether Lotus will pursue the five-year plan laid out by company CEO Dany Bahar.Proton has no plans to sell Lotus originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 May 2012 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Etc. As automotive enthusiasts by profession, there's nothing we love here at Autoblog quite as much as cars. But a distant second for many of us comes watches. Fortunately, there's no shortage of automotive-inspired timepieces out on the market, but the unfortunate reality for many is that the correlation is just too forced. That's what we love about Officine Autodromo. Rather than amp up their octane count with branding associations or glossy carbon-fiber components, Autodromo takes a deliciously understated approach with minimalist designs that take their inspiration from the tachometers on Italian racing cars from the 1960s and 70s and their names from famous Italian racing circuits. We reported on Autodromo's first collection upon its launch back in November, and now the upstart has followed up with a chronograph version of its slick Vallelunga timepiece. Upgrading on the simplicity of its lug-less case design, the Vallelunga Chronograph features the stopwatch and 30-minute counter sought by many drivers looking for more timing functions out of their wristwatch. It's powered by a a Swiss-made Ronda quartz movement, housed under K1 anti-glare crystal, affixed to the wrist by a perforated leather strap and available with either a white face and brushed stainless steel case or in black on black. You can find further details in the press release below, but the high-res image gallery is worth checking out just for the photo shoot orchestrated in France behind the wheel of four classic Alfa Romeos and a vintage Lotus Eleven.Continue reading Autodromo enhances its functional simplicity with Vallelunga ChronographAutodromo enhances its functional simplicity with Vallelunga Chronograph originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 May 2012 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments