Lotus finds new Sydney home

THE Trivett Group has snapped up the Lotus dealer franchise in Sydney at a crucial time, just weeks ahead of the launch of the Evora coupe.

Trivett will be the sole Sydney outlet for Lotus sales and service, and general manager David Jackson is optimistic about the outlook, despite the global financial crisis.

“The Evora will take Lotus into a different segment of the market, offering more creature comforts than the current models,” Mr Jackson said.

“The range now is sportier. They are track-day cars and are generally the second or third car in a household.”

Mr Jackson said he had already talked to one Lotus owner who was keen to buy an Evora because it has the two extra seats, which would enable him to drive a Lotus even when he had the children with him.

But Mr Jackson said he believed that only a few Evoras would go to existing Lotus owners.

“We have had quite a lot of expressions of interest and only about 15 per cent of them have come from existing owners,” he said.

“The Evora will take Lotus up a segment or two in the market and will have quite a different appeal to the current cars.”

Mr Jackson said that although Lotus sales nationally dropped from 90 to 70 in 2008, sales in Sydney were quite resilient.

“In NSW sales were only marginally down, and we found that with some of the other premium brands we carry,” he said.

Trivett handles 15 brands including Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, Harley-Davidson and Bugatti. It sells more than 7000 vehicles a year and turns over more than $500 million.

Trivett takes over the franchise from another major Sydney prestige car dealer, Rick Damelian.

The general manager of Lotus in Australia, Jonathon Stretton, said the deal with Trivett was well timed given the pending launch of the Evora.

He said the location alongside Bentley in Trivett’s William Street showroom was an appealing part of the deal.

“The Trivett group has established itself over 25 years as a premium brand, much like Lotus, and we are naturally delighted to be a part of each other’s future,” Mr Stretton said.

He said he believed the Lotus attributes of sports and performance would complement Trivett’s other brands.

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