The T.27 going through crash tests.
Out of the box thinking is probably the key to the future of the auto industry. Inevitably, the current model of mobile transportation is a resource intensive, energy guzzling dinosaur. And automotive “engineer, designer and entrepreneur” Gordon Murray, of McLaren F1 supercar fame, clearly recognizes that fact.
And that makes his new position on the Lotus board quite intriguing.
As of late, Mr. Murray has been working on his iStream automotive manufacturing process, or “a complete rethink and redesign of the traditional automotive manufacturing process.” Essentially, Murry wants to make urban cars cheaper and greener to manufacture and operate.
By ‘thinking light’, Murray believes that iStream can reduce urban congestion, parking problems and CO2 emissions — oh yeah, and energy consumption — while also reducing costs.
Already, Murray’s ideas have been translated into the T.25 gasoline car and the T.27 plug-in electric car — two cars that Murray has actively shopped for manufacturing partnerships. Is Lotus now set to be that manufacturer of choice? It seems a perfect fit since Lotus also likes to to follow the ‘think light’ mantra.
Anyway, I’m probably being overly presumptuous and optimistic, but I’m definitely looking forward to following Lotus forward to see what kind of impact Murray can have upon Lotus. Maybe, just maybe, Lotus is on the verge of something truly revolutionary.
Sources: NYTimes and Gordon Murray Designs
