[Introduction: Lotus was born to ride the wind, the track is the home field, when Lotus returns to the home field, all that can be perceived by people will be the natural release of the brand's nature. From the F1 races full of honors, to the "fastest race in Zhejiang" by ELETRE R+ and EMEYA, to the grand vision of building "China's 'Goodwood'", Lotus has always had a passion for driving and the track. 】
Written by Yun Li, edited by He Zi
"76 years ago, Lotus was born on the racetrack, and there is no place where the race track is more suitable for hosting the Lotus User Carnival," said Lotus Lotus Day, which was recently held in Zhejiang.
This is Lotus' second LOTUS DAY at the China circuit, following last year's celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Lotus brand in Shanghai. The parade of old cars, the delivery of the track, and the gathering of guests ignited the atmosphere of the race at that time, and also ignited the feelings of fans and users.
It is a carnival, but also a grand event of automobile culture
LOTUS DAY IS HERE AGAIN, ADDING THE FIRST TEST OF EVIJA, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE "WORLD'S FASTEST MASS-PRODUCED PURE ELECTRIC SUPERCAR", IN CHINA.
"LOTUS DAY IS NOT ONLY A CARNIVAL FOR USERS, BUT ALSO AN EXCITING EVENT FOR CAR CULTURE," SAYS LOTUS.
It is undeniable that it is difficult for ordinary manufacturers or brands that lack historical precipitation and cultural soft power to make the track carnival so material, substantial, and flesh-and-blood. Lotus can do it, and can make it an annual festival, which shows the depth of skill.
Passing through the gate of the Zhejiang Competition, it is easy to be captured by the rich atmosphere of the event, the Lotus LOGO background color "Champion Yellow" decorates every wall in the conspicuous place of the Zhejiang Competition, the participants present are all immersed in it, and the track gene buried in the hearts of the drivers is completely awakened, and Lotus users and fans are here to witness the spiritual core of the brand "Drive to Drive".
"Returning driving to driving" is the foundation of Lotus's founding and the foundation of Lotus's car manufacturing values. Even in the era of all-in electrification, Lotus has made light weight and handling fun at the heart of its product development.
As Feng Qingfeng, CEO of Lotus Group, said, "What Lotus wants to build is not just a vehicle from point A to point B, nor just a track beast that crushes opponents, but a dream car that can truly resonate with the driver's heart and awaken the driving instinct." It is precisely because of this that Mao Jingbo, President of Lotus China, said that "Lotus is destined to be a 'driver', and there is only one LOTUS in the world" is sonorous and powerful.
A 1:1 replica of the brand's founder Colin Chapman's private jet and a limited edition of the EVIJA Fittipaldi by F1 champion Jenson Button were unveiled. The EVIJA has a maximum horsepower of 2,039 hp and a peak torque of 1,704 Nm, and accelerates from 0 to 300 km/h in just 9 seconds. The ultimate in lightweight, aerodynamic design and performance ensure that Lotus's racetrack sensibility can shine in the era of intelligence and electrification.
JUST LIKE LAST YEAR, ONE OF THE CORE TASKS OF LOTUS DAY IS "TRACK DELIVERY", WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT MANY MANUFACTURERS WHO ADVERTISE PERFORMANCE AND SPORTINESS ARE HAPPY TO DO, AND LOTUS IS NO EXCEPTION. But in comparison, Lotus's gameplay is significantly more ritualistic. After the representatives of the owners completed the hat throwing and delivery ceremony with Feng Qingfeng and Mao Jingbo, they started the track parade of the new car under the leadership of the guests and champion drivers.
The Lotus journey for users "starts at the track", which is highly consistent with the original intention of the Lotus brand "born for the track". In this way, Lotus is not only a brand, but also the spirit of riding the wind, and the embodiment of track culture and track feelings.
The premise of feelings is historical heritage
Feelings cannot be measured by money. Lotus' on-track sentiment has always been there.
Looking back, Lotus founder Colin Chapman built the MARK 1 with his own hands, and also created the "F1 kit" ahead of its time, and turned history on its head.
According to the data, Lotus has won 7 F1 Constructors' Championships, 6 F1 Drivers' Championships and 81 F1 races in his career on the track.
The Lotus ELETRE R+ has won the title of "Fastest SUV", and EMEYA has won the crown of "Fastest Mass-produced Electric Vehicle" and "Fastest Four-door Sedan". "Fast corners are really fast" has been confirmed by Lotus, which has conquered the track countless times, and is the cry of Lotus's leadership based on product confidence and culture.
Whether it's the exuberant track record or the impact of Lotus's "ground effect" on the development of motor sports and performance cars, Lotus has played an integral part in its history. With electrification coming, Lotus can also bring fun to the tram, which can race on the track and play a role in the production sector. In the same way as a performance EV, Lotus can have a unique way of thinking, guided by historical heritage, which is different.
There is an essential difference between Lotus and the emerging upstarts of car manufacturing, even if the latter can set the price expensive and raise the positioning, but it cannot change the role of the "latecomer", and the term "new car making force" has carried the rejection and even disgust of traditional manufacturers to "capital car-making" and "barbaric entry" since its creation. The old manufacturers believe that most of the new forces lack historical background, and they can't talk about feelings, and they lack reverence for car building.
Is sentimental marketing still good?
What is certain is that Lotus spares no effort to spread the history of the track, the core of the brand, the concept of wind control and the culture of sports cars, and in the final analysis, it is still based on "feelings".
Sentimental marketing can promote manufacturers and users to go both ways to a certain extent, but is it really applicable to a brand of Lotus's level?
It is not known how much of the audience of a sports car brand ultimately pays for it, in fact, compared with "feelings", "brand awareness", "brand influence", "consumption preferences", "consumption motivations", and even "eye-catching" may be more important.
There are many selling points that can be emphasized in the same market of Lotus, but friends such as Porsche and Maserati always seem to be more inclined to "luxury" attributes for both "sport" and "luxury".
Perhaps, rising to the million-level market, whether you have feelings or not, whether you are athletic or not, will become pale in the face of luxury bonuses and face bonuses.
Comments
Lotus intends to make such a track carnival into a Chinese version of "Goodwood", which adds to Lotus's brand feelings, and LOTUS DAY is also made into a sustainable logo celebration and is shaped into a "regular brand". Lotus takes LOTUS DAY very seriously, and hopes that the annual track carnival can become part of the conversation in the brand's sentimental marketing. For Lotus, the competing products of friends are not "good stubble", and if you want to stand out, you must work together with soft and hard power, and the sentimental card is the foothold of the soft power that Lotus is looking forward to. HOWEVER, SENTIMENTAL MARKETING HAS TO PICK THE BRAND AND PRODUCT, WHICH MAY BE APPLICABLE TO MODELS SUCH AS THE CIVIC TYPE-R, ELANTRA N AND SUPRA, BUT IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER IT WILL WORK FOR LOTUS.
(This article is the original of "Heyan Reading Cars", and may not be reproduced without authorization)