Lotus

Whether you call the black and gold cars Lotus after their sponsor or Renault after the tech, they still have their engine manufacturer's logo proudly displayed. Caterham (which has the right to the name Team Lotus but doesn't use it) also carry Renault branding. But for the Korean GP, that's going to change and almost no one outside Korea will know why

When DRB-HiCom took over Proton, there were fears that the bean-counters that descended on Hethel were there to close it down or sell it off. They played their cards close to their chests - but slowly, production numbers began to ramp up, potential purchasers of the company did not wander around the factory, a raft of legal threats (and stupidity) receded as the new management modestly and quietly found out what was wrong, where the money was bleeding from and stopped it and gave the workforce reassurances and support. The next phase is to find new buyers and the first stop after Milan, despite a penal tax rate on foreign cars, is DRB-HiCom / Proton's home: Malaysia.

Dany Bahar has been fired from Lotus. No one is saying exactly why, at least not in public. But it all comes down to two things: money and ambition.

When the UK started charging purchase tax on cars, Colin Chapman found a loophole: if he sold his Lotus cars in kit form, buyers did not have to pay the tax. Caterham Cars started their business as an early - perhaps the first - dealer for Lotus Cars, building kits of the Lotus Seven for customers who didn't trust themselves to build the car from a kit.

The blogosphere has nothing better to do than snipe at Lotus, it often seems. Outrageous and false comments such as "Lotus is bankrupt" and "Dany Bahar is under threat" are common amongst some who appear to be trying to dig a hole for Proton and its sparkling subsidiary. But nothing could be further from the truth - and in Paris, Lotus has proved it with a Motor Show launch to shame far bigger manufacturers.

This is a Lotus. They call it the Elite. And it will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show next week, just one of a range of models, modifications and tech that Lotus has lined up for its biggest ever international show.

There used to be a game to make up versions of names for airlines and car manufacturers. For Lotus, it was said that the name was an acronym for "Lots of trouble, usually serious". Not any more - and the little factory in Norfolk remains a hotbed of innovation. Amongst its projects is serious work on hybrids.

Stuff a Prius - how about a hybrid Evora?

Take a shoe box and turn it into an aerodynamic shape, forge it in lightweight materials and mount it on a chassis that is more space than frame; stick a large but lightweight engine in the middle and paint it dark green with a wide mustard stripe down the middle, from front to back. And now, the finishing touch: yes, it's a Lotus badge. Oh, and one last thing: that paper fluttering in the driver's hand: it's his entry form for the Lotus Evora Cup.

Whilst major motor manufacturers are struggling, specialist sportscar manufacturer Lotus is expanding its R&D and production facilities. And it has full order books.

Lotus Engineering is using the recession to develop and launch a range of new ecology and economy-friendly products. The latest, its Range Extender Engines comes just as oil prices climb above USD70 per barrel.

Reports from Japan say that the government is becoming concerned that some cars are too quiet. Talk about re-inventing the wheel - to solve the problem, all they have to do is ask Lotus.

The announcement that General Motors wanted to buy Chrysler raised a few eyebrows. First, why would the venture capital company that only recently bought it from Daimler-Benz want out so soon; would competition authorities agree; but most of all, where would the money come from?

It was a sad day when I stood in Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre at the British Motor Show in the mid 1980s and failed to buy a British sports car for the sole reason that there wasn't one I liked that had anywhere to put a child seat. Now there is.