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Lotus Safe For Now, Alpine Revival ‘At Least A 50 Percent’ Chance

Lotus owner Proton has released a statement this week confirming that there are no plans to sell its British sports marque.

This release follows news of the suspension of Lotus CEO Dany Bahar, pending an internal investigation into his conduct.


Lotus owner Proton has released a statement this week confirming that there are no plans to sell its British sports marque.

This release follows news of the suspension of Lotus CEO Dany Bahar, pending an internal investigation into his conduct.

“Lotus can provide value to Proton," the statement reads. "Lotus is an iconic brand with global presence and positioning, coupled with unsurpassed engineering expertise and a talented work force".

Ultimately, the brand's future will depend on Malaysian company DRB-Hicom, which purchased the formerly state-owned Proton and its Lotus marque earlier this year.

It is understood that the value of the Lotus brand to DRB-Hicom is still being evaluated.

It would seem that Lotus is safe for the time-being, even if the same can’t be said for the employment of its CEO.

Renault COO Says Alpine Revival 'At Least A 50 Percent' Chance

Renault's Chief Operations Officer Carlos Tavares has added fuel to the intense rumours of an Alpine revival.

On the eve of F1’s most exotic race in Monaco, Tavares officially unveiled the A110-50 concept by personally lapping the famous circuit in the car.

Officially, the concept's unveiling formed part of the celebrations for the Alpine brand's 50th anniversary. 

The grand nature of the unveiling added to ongoing speculation that the French carmaker will soon launch a reborn Alpine brand, and Tavares was far from shy in discussing the topic.

“There's at least a 50 percent chance of that happening, with the introduction of a single model to begin with, priced between €30,000 and €100,000 (AU$38,000 to AU$127,000)," Tavares told AFP.

He added that if the project was given the go-ahead, Alpine models could reach production as soon as 2015.

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