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Lotus suing former CEO Bahar over spending on homes, helicopters and watches

More details have come out about the legal suit and countersuit being contested between Lotus cars owner DRB-Hicom and former CEO of Lotus Dany Bahar. Bahar was brought in by Malaysian car company Proton in 2009 to turn Lotus around, and events during his tenure have made just about everyone wonder "What's going on?" That's not unusual - it can take a minute to figure things out when a new leader takes everything in a new direction - but in this case the clouds didn't clear quickly enough.
When the Malaysian government sold Proton to Malaysian auto supplier DRB-Hicom earlier this year, a forensic accounting team from Ernst & Young and The Rothschild Group started going over the books. Not long after, Bahar was suspended in June from his position and then fired. In his countersuit against DRB-Hicom, claims of lavish spending began to surface. Then the stories and leaks and rumors really began, the UK's Financial Mail reporting on more than one million pounds spent on private flights and home renovations, the New Zealand Herald talking about other executives sacked so that DRB could rearrange a 270-million-pound bank loan to Lotus, and rumors on forums about Bahar flying from his home in Norfolk to Hethel HQ and spending 30,000 pounds on motorsports books for his office.
In the latest Bloomberg report it is said that DRB-Hicom seeks 2.5 million pounds ($4 million US) from Bahar "for unauthorized expenses and overpaid salary and bonuses," including the purported expense of 3,000 pounds on watches for company managers. DRB-Hicom also says Bahar made damaging statements to the media, on top of breaching his contractual duties. Bahar's countersuit seeks $10.6 million from DRB-Hicom.

Lotus honors F1 efforts with limited-edition Exige LF1

Lotus has announced a new, special edition of its hardcore Exige for customers in the UK and Europe. Limited to just 81 units (for the Lotus Formula One team's 81 victories), the new Exige LF1 is the ultimate accessory for fans of the British manufacturer's Formula One efforts.
Befitting of a car inspired by the Lotus E22, this particular Exige is finished in the team's traditional black and gold colors, complete with red accents inspired by the F1 racer. The exterior is further enhanced with unique badges that proclaim the LF1's limited-edition status. Matte gold wheels have also been fitted, just like this Lotus' big brother.
This isn't purely a paint-and-stickers job, though. Lotus has also touched up the cabin, offering up black leather and "technical fabric," complete with gold contrast stitching and piping. The seat backs and floor mats feature embroidered logos, while an individually numbered, carbon-fiber plaque sits on the LF1's dash.

Lotus Type 132 electric crossover leaked in patent images

Lotus is preparing to merge into the mainstream by releasing an electric crossover called Type 132. While we won't see the model in the metal until late in March 2022, a series of images leaked out of a patent office have prematurely revealed its exterior design. Discovered by Motor1, the renderings appeared on the website for the Australian patent and trademark office, IP Australia. They're attributed to Wuhan Lotus Cars Co., which is the new division in charge of developing the company's so-called "premium lifestyle" models. What immediately stands out is that the Type 132 — a code-name that most likely won't appear on the production model — looks nothing like the current or past members of the Lotus range; it's not merely a reshaped Emira or a stretched Elise on silts. Its unusual proportions match what we've seen in earlier spy shots, and distinctive styling cues like the thin light bar that stretches across the hatch also appeared in official preview images released by Lotus. Fully electric, the Type 132 is characterized by a short front end fitted with angular headlights, a relatively long wheelbase, and a roof line that's low and rakish; it certainly tilts more towards sport than towards utility. At first glance, the overall design looks less pure than what we're used to seeing from Lotus, though we'll need to wait until the model makes its official debut to tell for sure. What's certain is that the people-hauler depicted in these images is completely different than the one that leaked out of a patent office in China in October 2017. Either what we saw nearly five years ago was something else entirely, or the British firm sent its design team back to the drawing board. We spot several interesting details in the patent images. Look closely, and you'll notice that the Type 132 is not fitted with conventional door mirrors; it features door-mounted cameras, like certain Audi models. And, check out that pod on the roof. While it's almost shaped like an air vent, this is not a car designed for the World Rally Championship. One possibility is that it's there to house the various sensors required to power a semi-autonomous driving system. Lotus is controlled by Geely, which also owns Volvo and Polestar, so it has access to a tremendous amount of technology. Lotus will introduce the Type 132 online on March 29, 2022, and production will begin shortly after in China.