Almost no car enthusiast hates driving. They all have a primitive love for "driving".

Lotus once again emphasized "FOR THE DRIVERS" at the recent 75th anniversary celebration. They hope that in this new era of conflict and complexity, they can use this ancient slogan to attract the attention of the world. In fact, when it comes to "driving" alone, the models or brands that use it as a selling point are gradually declining.

The rapid development of new energy and the application of new technologies have made the tool attribute of the automobile more important. From the disappearance of three-door sedans, to large companies such as Mercedes-Benz integrating product lines and suspending the change of personalized products, to the large-scale application of assisted driving, they are inextricably linked. That is to say, tools do not require driving pleasure, and tools do not require too much personalization.

When I first saw FOR THE DRIVERS at the celebration, I didn’t quite understand the purpose of Lotus’s move. You said you FOR THE DRIVERS, the brand’s two signatures are “lightweight” and “aerodynamics.” You have to take them all back. Eletre has holes all over its body and has aerodynamics, but how can its 2.6-ton body be considered lightweight? Exige, Elise, these representative models, we are even embarrassed to list their weight.

I think there are three high points in the event celebration. One is Lotus owners driving their cars from the track to the event stage. Sitting in the audience at that time, I was extremely puzzled, "Is it because of the Eletre that the fuel-era sports cars are used for such a long time?" The deeper the sports cars stepped on the accelerator when passing by, the harder it was for me to understand the connection between the entire event, and even I felt that the sound of burning gasoline all over the place was a bit mocking.

Lotus in my eyes

My impression of Lotus is completely stuck on the small car Evora. At that time, people said that it was the most refined, best-equipped, and most comfortable Lotus ever known. However, after getting in the car, I still felt the informal ruggedness of the car from the inside out. The taste of style production. The subsequent test drive experience cannot be said to be amazing. The innate imbalance of a mid-mounted rear-wheel drive sports car requires tracking braking to reach the limit. The roar of Toyota's supercharger and the light dynamic feedback are always lingering in my ears. It's handsome, so handsome that it doesn't stick to trivial details. It has charm, but I can't say where the charm comes from. It just feels like there are charming details in every aspect from driving to design. That's the Lotus I understand.

But after watching the entire event, the big screen on the stage slowly lifted up, and in the atmosphere of classical music and modern rap, I suddenly felt that there was a discrepancy between the Lotus I understood and the real Lotus. . As a classic car enthusiast, what I dislike is not the Eletre, but the current intense electrification. This is not fair to Lotus of ALL IN. Classics have classical gameplay, and new eras have new era gameplay. We cannot judge contemporary things by the standards of the past.

FOR THE DRIVERS

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Lotus founder Colin Chapman has a widely circulated saying:

"Increasing power makes you faster on the straights, while reducing weight makes you faster everywhere."

Too many people use this sentence as a counterexample to today's Eletre, but Chap Mann has another sentence that I think is far more meaningful than the previous sentence.

“The courage of a pioneer is not only about innovation, but also about breaking free from the shackles of the past.”

As the first of the three major sports car brands to actively embrace electrification, Lotus The speed of transformation is so fast and the attitude is so determined. The fuel-powered Emira is followed immediately by its own pure electric products. Evija pure electric supercar and Eletre pure electric supercar SUV are all unveiled. In the next few years, Lotus will also launch codenames TYPE 133, TYPE 134, TYPE 135, etc. A variety of pure electric models.

The rapid advancement of electrification has not made Lotus forget its original intention. When I test drove Eletre before, I deeply understood its significance. The first time I tried the Eletre, I was surprised. I always felt that it was strange to drive a Lotus without the sound of gasoline explosion. The touch was exquisite, and the driving dynamics were sometimes advanced and sometimes sharp. It was a wonderful experience. It's not like the impression that Lotus is made for hardcore drivers. I remember sharing it with my colleagues at the time - Eletre was just that.

However, when we look back at history and explore the definition of a certain word in its historical context, you will find that the definition is not eternal. Just like when Toyota introduced the first-generation cruise control function of the Century, the sidenotes in its advertisements were not "cruise control" and "assisted driving", but "autonomous driving." I think the definition of people who love drivers has also changed over the past century of automobiles, not to mention that we are currently experiencing a moment of change in the automobile industry that has not been seen in a century.

We used to talk about hard-core driving experience and hard-core driving machines. In addition to directly expressing the richness of driving dynamics on the surface, there is also a layer of subtext that may be expressed:

"This car is very bumpy to drive in daily life"

"Except for the exhaust, the NVH performance is very bad"

"There are no comfort features"

< p>Is it true that whenever you mention "hardcore driving machine", your brain will automatically ignore at least the above three items? Thinking about it again, who told you that hardcore driving machines don’t have to worry about this? Breaking this unspoken rule and looking at Eletre again, I suddenly discovered that this car has powerful performance and rich driving dynamics, as well as the "high-end sense, high configuration, and comfort" that most hard-core driving machines have been unable to balance. ". In the past, it was difficult to take into account the limitations of the historical background. The application of new technologies in the new era has made driving simpler and easier to touch. This is purity in the true sense.

More than just a driving machine

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At the brand’s 75th anniversary celebration, F1 world champion Jenson Button brought a big surprise to the audience. In the future, Lotus will also launch the brand's first experience IP - The Lotus Drive, Lotus' ultimate driving experience center. The Lotus Drive Ultimate Driving Experience Center will use a professional team, professional track, professional training mode and professional China Automobile and Motorcycle Federation certification to provide users with the ultimate driving experience and help users grow into professional drivers. , to really control the track.

Winning the championship requires long-term accumulation and keen judgment. On the track, Lotus has delivered surprising answers one after another. It is the king of championships and it can dominate the track. Under the wave of electrification, Lotus is actively transforming to embrace electrification and intelligence. The accumulation of 75 years of racing with the wind will surely lead this brand to realize its grand blueprint.

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