All things Lotus lead to Malaysia!

It's official Team Lotus or 1MalaysiaF1 now own Caterham.
Team Lotus is owned by Tony Fernandes and his partners.

I've just posted this comment on the Independent site:
This is great news. Now Team Lotus have an F1 team which feeds into a sports car manufacturer.
Group Lotus must be very jealous!

The Independent also wrote a negative article on the UK coalition governments attempts to encourage private Universities in Britain. I have to say I think a well run Motorsport University would be great! I am a little biased though...

Westfield has entered an agreement with DRB-Hicom to assemble and import their cars... the Lotus 7  replica being the most well known.

Group Lotus is owned by Proton.
Oh well... There is something quintessentially British about Malaysia.

For a country that hardly buys any Lotus cars they certainly are into the brand.

From the Motorsport University perspective Caterham and Westfields allow the students to self assemble and are much cheaper than the real Lotuses coming down the line.

This combined with Team Lotus actually being an F1 team would have a great synergy.

Group Lotus have the finance and political clout to make this happen. They don't appear to have the will.

When I was punting the idea around in KL. Tony Fernandes partners NAZA were often mentioned as bumiputra entrepreneurs who might be interested in the project. Alex Yoong knows all about my plans. He is part of their team. Lets see what transpires.

Interesting times.

BPP (owners of Phoenix University) to take over failing Universities in the UK?Tony Fernandes a Caterham Director!

The ongoing furor over University fees continues in England...
BPP, the owners of the American university Phoenix has been approved to dispense University level education in the UK.
This article was printed by The Mail.
Failing universities face being taken over by private companies


I used Phoenix University a benchmark from a profit point of view when developing a business plan.
They have about half a million students and make a profit of about 13% of turnover. Their fees are much higher than those used in the Malaysian OU for example.
Search this Blog for Phoenix if you want to know more.

Tony Fernandes is a clever boy. He has become a Director of Caterham cars. Good for him.
Now he has a company that can produce sport cars that are affordable with an F1 link.
Sounds familiar!

Tony is not yet in the same position as Group Lotus regarding my plan. Group own an FIA type track in Hethel, which could easily become a campus. He could buy Johor Circuit and the Californian campus, and then enter into negotiations with Snetterton.
Why not?
Group Lotus have known about this proposal in one form or another for nearly a decade. No movement. Sadly.

My old Bernama interview has been uploaded to YOUTUBE

Still waiting for Group Lotus to adopt my proposal.
Google video is shutting down. I have moved the Bernama interview over to Youtube.
This video was done years ago, and my buddy Tilo doctored it so that it could be uploaded easily. The quality took a hit... If only I could get my hands on the original!



As you probably know, I have now changed direction. Johor FIA approved circuit is now my preferred Malaysian site.

Hethel is my preferred European site. Whilst I have identified and informed Group Lotus of my proposed campus in North America.

Should they decide to delve into this they will see that a very good business case can be made for this.

As Group Lotus has failed in it's attempt to get a Regional Development Grant with it's present plan, a new Educational addition to it might well open up the UK Government coffers.

I think it will. We are talking tens of millions of GB Pounds here. Maybe they don't need the money!

Here is a video of a CB Richard Ellis consultant giving an overview of the new Regional Development Grant requirements. CB Richard Ellis are the Estate Agents for the proposed campus in North America.

Dany Bahar has his own blog... http://lotusdanybahar.wordpress.com/

I just read some of Dany Bahars new blog. It's OK.
You can't make comments... Otherwise I would be writing to him now!
Hopefully, Dany and the Proton/Group Lotus team read my blog.
Yesterdays entry on the funding they missed out on proves that their plan needs a little tinkering.
They should follow my suggestions.
There is an old saying 'You can bring a horse to water... but you can't make him drink!'

The UK government does not have as much invested in Lotus as Proton and the Malaysian tax payers. If you want their money you need to add something to your proposal.

Lotus fail on first round Grant bid with UK government. Dany Bahar to present updated proposal?

Sadly Group Lotus Have failed in their first attempt to gain a £27.5million pound grant from the UK Government.
Taken from  The Manufacturer website

Norfolk car manufacturer Lotus has expressed its dismay at missing out on £27.5m worth of funding through the Regional Growth Fund which it would have used to expand its production facilities and invest in R&D.

The second round – for the remaining £950m – is now open for bids and will close on July 1.


I have posted a business plan of sorts which could be tweaked and improved to dovetail into the present Lotus business plan.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011



Open University Business Plan - March 2011
 
Then I bet you would get the funding. On an even more positive note, the UK Governemt would also be incentivised to ensure that the educational side of the plan succeeds.

Incidentally. CB Richard Ellis- The company in charge of the sale of the Honda Test facility in California have released a video on the latest round of Regional Growth Funds. Perhaps Dany Bahar might get them involved on a consultancy basis for the next round. They will benefit from Lotus purchasing the California campus.



Group Lotus gave the Hethel Engineering Centre a campus within their campus for the princely sum of £10. The Local government have spent about £8 million on hardware.
I am not sure how successful it has been thus far. An initiative from Group Lotus to up the partnership from an educational standpoint, to allow Motorsport related activities and educational endeavour within their FIA type circuit area may well be looked upon as a welcome addition to the present business plan.

I have no doubt that Lotus can get any and all Educational certification required.

The hardware side would then feed into the online side of education. TV programming could be produced as is now the case with Open University. Online courses could be run etc.

Group Lotus can then buy a North American Campus and  the Johor Circuit in Malaysia.

You then have Europe, Asia, and North America covered from a hardware campus perspective.
Add the virtual campus... and voila!

Go for it Dany. In the short you will get the £27.5 million loan. In the long term you will have the foundation for a long term sustainable business.

Group Lotus get their financing in Place. Good. Now a Motorsport University makes even more sense!

Dany Bahar has been given the money to turn Lotus into a money making entity.
Good!
Now dovetail the University proposal into your plans.
Upgrade Hethel with students in mind. Consider the needs of the disabled in any structure you build.
Take the time to look at my proposal. Give it your approval stamp.
Then the additional funding to buy the Johor campus (price unknown), the (two) North American campuses will materialise. Less than 4 million for the real estate.
Once an educational unit under the group Lotus banner materialises, you will be fighting off international institutions of high repute who would like to participate, and lend their name and expertise to the venture.
Believe me. The four wheeled side of the business is only the tip of the iceberg as far as potential is concerned.

Burnley Football club to open University...

Oh well. The F1 in Sepang was good. Lotus Renault got their second podium in two races. Well done.
Proton and Genii are set to work closer together.
Genii being venture capitalists can certainly help with new ideas and concepts.
Talking of which!
Burnley Football cub are opening their University in September.

A portion of the Lancashire Telegraph article:

BURNLEY FC’s dream to create the country’s first ‘university of football’ is to become a reality in a major boost for the town...

Bosses at the University and College of Football Business (UCFB), which offers three-year degrees accredited by a university in the south of England, said they hope to have capacity for 1,000 students within a few years...

Gordon Birtwistle, Burnley MP, said: “I believe that this will be the only one of its kind in the world. It is an inspirational idea that will have such a positive impact on the town.
“The club has done it all on its own and to see it come to fruition is an amazing feat of achievement.”

The courses offered will all be BA (Hons) degrees in Football Business and Finance, Football Business and Marketing and Football Business and Media, and all will be over three years.

Philip Wilson, chief executive of UCFB, said: “Football involves more than just the game, off the pitch there is the media and marketing, supply chain management, logistics, business and finance and we want the UCFB graduates to leave with transferable skills that they could just as easily take to Mars or Deutsche Bank as a football club.
Mr Wilson said the college would be advertised via UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

Nice to see someone else can think outside the box. I wonder if Genii would find something like this interesting.

Lotus plus Genii with a little Proton Motorsport thrown in... add a few World renowned educational institutions (Lotus Renault are based in Oxford) you get the idea.

Good Luck to all the Lotus participants in Sepang! Private university in England owned by Phoenix?

This weekend in Malaysia they have two Lotuses and one Malaysian backed Mercedes team. Hopefully, they will get someone on the podium!
Whilst in malaysia I have studied a little Martial arts. One of my teachers Sifu Wong has a son who normally competes in GT racing in Japan. He is good, according to his father. Claudio Berro might want to take a look at him for Lotus. I'm sure Alex knows about him.

I have just read an article in the Guardian about the first new private University in England.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jul/26/first-private-university-30-years
In the comments they say it is owned by Phoenix University.
I used their financials to sell the idea to Lotus.
Interesting times!

Proton and Lotus Renault Management in Malaysia for the F1 Grand prix

I see that the Renault team have had a Proton plant trip (Shah Alam) and that the Lotus Rnault management team are in town (Kuala Lumpur). Pic borrowed from Paul Tan

I sincerely hope this talented team take the time to discuss the MUM project.
It dovetails nicely into their plans domestically in both Malaysia and Hethel.
Hethel has been approved for updates and expansion.

 It's global reach also ticks the correct boxes for established and developing markets.
Financially it works (in theory).
Lets do it.