We may not have heard the last of Bob Lutz yet. According to a report from Autonews, Lotus Cars is interested in hiring the former GM Vice Chairman together with ex-CEO of Rolls Royce, Tom Purves, as advisors to help the company on its five-year turnaround plan to boost worldwide sales from around 2,500 cars in 2009, to 8,000 in 2015.
Citing two people familiar with the matter, the report claims that Lutz, who left GM this past April at age 78, has been in talks with the British sportscar-maker but has not yet received an official offer.
The same goes for Purves, 61, who said in a telephone interview that he "would be happy" to get involved with Lotus, but discussions with the company are not yet final.
"The goal is to make a contribution to projects of the future -- improving the quality, the product offerings and the operations of the company," said Purves. "It's exciting, and there is no question it is a great brand and has a good future."
Lotus Cars CEO Dany Bahar, who left Ferrari to join the British company last fall, has stated that he intends to develop the marque into a full-fledged rival to Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini. And to help achieve this goal, Bahar has already hired managers from Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin and the German engineering and design firm, EDAG.
Lotus, which is now under the ownership of Malaysian carmaker Proton, was owned by GM from 1986 to 1993.
Source: Autonews (sub. req.)
