Dany Bahar, Lotus boss, suspended from his job
Since ex-Ferrari man Dany Bahar arrived at Lotus it’s all turned in to a bit of a soap opera.
From announcing the creation of six new Lotus cars and plans to turn Lotus in to an East Anglian cross between Ferrari and Aston Martin, to the completely bizarre Lotus PR meltdown rant we saw recently, it’s not been quiet in Hethel since Dany Bahar arrived.
But despite Bahar’s grandiose plans for Lotus all that seems to have happened is a refresh of current models and lots of talk about the new Lotus Esprit – complete with a new Lotus designed engine – promised as just round the corner. So, the story of the last decade at Lotus – just with a lot more noise.
But now new owners of Lotus – DRB Hicom – have sent Dany Bahar on Gardening leave, suspending him from his job after an operational review whilst an investigation about his conduct is carried out.
Whether that conduct refers to the PR rant the other week we don’t know, but DRB Hicom say that the suspension is temporary to facilitate the investigation. The statement from DRB Hicom said:
As a result of a number of media inquiries, Group Lotus plc (“Lotus”) can today confirm that, following an operational review, chief executive Dany Bahar has been temporarily suspended from his role to facilitate an investigation into a complaint about his conduct made by Lotus’ penultimate parent company, DRB Hicom
DRB Hicom may not be able to divest itself of Lotus for two years, but Bahar’s suspension does send clear signals of who will be calling the shots at Hethel in the future.
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