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The first production Exige S came off the
assembly line today and very soon the first
customers will experience this exciting new
Lotus, a car which has already produced very
positive headlines in the automotive media
Lotus Chief Operating Officer, Aslam Farikullah
stood proudly by the production line and talks
about the significance of this event
How do you feel about reaching this particular
milestone?
Aslam Farikullah: We are very proud of the Exige
S. It marks the first step towards consolidating
and then growing the company. I know that
customers have been eagerly waiting for this car,
and I assure them that it will be worth the wait.
We wanted to be sure that we had a product that
was absolutely ready before launching it. We are
confident that the right time for the Exige S is
now.
Our new philosophy is simple: We will keep
announcements about our planned products to a
minimum. New models will only be launched when
the product and timing is right. Once we do
launch a new product, we will ensure that we can
deliver to customers anywhere in the world as
scheduled.
What else will be different at Lotus under your
leadership?
Aslam Farikullah: Our emphasis now is on the
finer details of what we do. I believe that the
ability of our engineers and workforce makes
them among the best in the world. We will
leverage on this key strength as we revitalise
and strengthen the Lotus brand.
We can all look forward to exciting times ahead
as we bring the company to the next level. But I
am not a fan of the limelight; I will let our
cars do the talking.
So what is your vision for Lotus?
Aslam Farikullah: I want the Lotus name to
become a by-word in the automotive industry for
integrity, which means delivering quality
products on the dates we say we will deliver
them. As a start, we will refocus our human
resources in order to further strengthen our
Quality Department by 20%, clearly demonstrating
our future intent.
I would also like to reiterate that DRB-HICOM is
committed to the future of Lotus. When I arrived
I found a company full of talent, ambition and
pride in the Lotus name. It’s my job now to
re-galvanise the company and we will be doing
that by investing in our existing talent.
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