The new boss of Lotus has promised to restore the iconic British sports car brand to its former glory.

Dany Bahar, who moved from Ferrari to take over as CEO, believes Lotus has massive potential and will focus on lightweight sports cars and motorsport to reinvigorate the brand.

"Lotus was mentioned in the same sentence as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati in the 1970s-1990s," Bahar told reporters in Malaysia.

He claims to be working on a business plan that will take Lotus back to the top alongside Ferrari within five years.

Bahar succeeds Michael Kimberley, who stepped down in the summer due to health reasons.