Surprise of the Year Never before we have seen such an ambitious (and risky) - product offensive. In the Paris Motor Show last October, Lotus new CEO Dany Bahar unveiled five brand new models - Esprit, Elite, Eterne, Elan and Elise Mk3. They abandoned the company's traditional lightweight philosophy for a more sophisticated and upmarket approach like Ferrari. The aim is to turn Hethel into Maranello, no matter in terms of sales result or market positioning. Although we do not agree with the new strategy, it is definitely the surprise of the year. |
| Past winners 2010 China become world No. 1 2009 Gordon Murray T25 2008 Mazda 2 2007 Venturi Astrolab 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2005 Chrysler 300C 2004 Ford GT 2003 Smart Roadster |
