Malaysian Lotus Owners’ Club Formed

Lotus owners in Malaysia tonight gathered at a shopping complex in Bandar Utama to witness the official inauguration of the Lotus Cars Club of Malaysia (LCCM), a development which is said ‘to take manufacturer’s and customers relationship in the local motor vehicle industry to a new realm’.

According to LCCM President Raja Halimaton Shahrin, the formation of the club has taken some one and a half years of planning and has been possible due in no small way to the support given by Proton, the parent company of Lotus.

”Since the Lotus Elise became available in Malaysia in 1999, the owners of this wonderful performance sportscar have been talking about forming a club which we can call ‘home’. All clubs and associations would love to have a roof over their heads and we are no exception,” she explained.

Elaborating further, she said that LCCM will be a vantage point for members to meet, organize social activities and develop a strong relationship with the distributors and manufacturer of Lotus cars. Even before the club was formed, the owners (virtually all having Elises) had been organising drives around the country with strong support from Lotus Cars Asia-Pacific, a division of Proton. Later this month, there will also be an Elise team taking part in the Millennium Merdeka Endurance Race.

A significant activity in LCCM will be the Performance Driving Programme which was established in April this year. The objectives of this systematic and advanced driving programme are to teach Elise owners to drive their cars skilfully and confidently. It was initiated by LCCM’s competitions secretary, Marcus Chye, with the blessings of Lotus Cars A-P and Proton.

“This programme was specifically designed to make the members adept with the unique performance characteristics of the Elise both on and off the track. We want them to enjoy the sheer pleasure of driving the Elise fast and yet be conscious enough to show total respect for road safety,” said Raja Halimaton Shahrin.

She added that it is the club’s vision to become a premier sportscar club in Malaysia which will be known for its constructive contribution to nurturing competent drivers, respecting the environment and raising the level of safety awareness. During this evening’s event, the first 24 graduates of the Performance Driving Programme received their certificates.

Officiating at the inauguration ceremony was Proton Edar CEO Maruan Mohd Said who told the guests present that Proton was very enthusiastic about the establishment of LCCM. He considered it the ‘dawn of a new era of relationship between the manufacturer and Lotus car owners in Malaysia.

Owning a Lotus is, of course, a pre-requisite to become a member of LCCM and if you are keen to acquire one, you’ll have to buy it new since it seems that no owner is willing to part with their car. The good news is that you can still buy a brand new Elise for RM195,000 (without insurance). Lotus Cars A-P Deputy General Manager Oh Kah Beng told AUTOWORLD.COM.MY that they still have about 50 units in stock.

“Demand was slow for a while but my gut feeling is that it’s starting to pick up again and we are getting inquiries and firm orders,” he said.