When it comes to significant auto shows worldwide, the Paris Auto Show easily ranks in the top ten. A fall event, it traditionally marks the resumption of the worldwide auto show season, and gives automakers a second-half-of-the-year event to debut new wares. Sitting out the Paris Auto Show may not be as significant as sitting out the Frankfurt Auto Show or the Detroit Auto Show, but it still draws attention.
As Left Lane News reports, Lotus has made the corporate decision to skip this year’s Paris Auto Show, scheduled to begin at the end of September. We can’t say we’re overly surprised, especially in light of former CEO Dany Bahar’s ousting in June. That’s left the company in the midst of a serious reorganization, although new parent DRB-Hicom insists it won’t be selling the fabled sports car brand in the near future.
Lotus sat out last year’s Paris Auto Show, too, likely due to an absence of significant new products to show. Ironically, it was the 2010 Paris Auto Show that Lotus used to launch five concept cars, including the redesigned Elise, a four-door GT car called the Eterne and an all-new flagship Esprit.
We’ll know more about the Hethel, England based brand in the coming month, but let’s hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
