Autosportfoto

Kimi Räikkönen launches Lotus in Lebanon

The legendary marque is opening a new dealership in Beirut in partnership with leading Lebanese automotive dealer RYMCO and luxury real estate and management company Zardman. Lotus' acclaimed Evora, Elise and Exige are set to quicken the heartbeat of one of the most exciting cities in the Middle East.

Lotus Cars Lebanon welcomed the 2007 Formula One World Champion to Beirut in style, throwing an exclusive party at the MAD nightclub and toasting the future of Lotus in the region. The 'Lotus is Back' event was also attended by a few lucky F1 fans, who got to press up against Lotus' speediest models.

Kimi Räikkönen, racing driver, Lotus F1 Team: "It was a great first visit to Beirut and a lot of fun to join the Lotus Car Lebanon team and launch the marque here. Lotus is a really special car company with big ambitions and part of that is returning to Formula One, another is spreading the word around the world."

Dany Bahar, CEO, Group Lotus: "The Middle East is a market of huge potential to Lotus and Beirut is a very strong location for us. There were a lot of competitive bids to host Lotus here, and I am very happy that we've agreed to partner with Zardman and RYMCO who I'm confident will represent our brand perfectly and give customers a fantastic experience here in Lebanon. This is an important step in Lotus' international sales plans."

Fayez Rasamny, Chairman, Lotus Cars Lebanon: "This is a very exciting night for sports car aficionados in Lebanon, and indeed for racing fans. Thank you to Kimi Räikkönen for his special visit, and thank you to Group Lotus for returning to the region and bringing their wonderful cars. We really wanted to be the ones to bring this legendary automotive brand to Lebanon. The Lebanese are massively into premium sports cars and Lotus' racing heritage. I'm confident Lotus Cars Lebanon is going to be a huge success."