Lotus will manufacture its cars in China

As expected, and in line with the plans, production of Lotus in China would come sooner rather than later. And so it will be. The parent group of Lotus, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has invested 1.3 billion dollars in the Wuhan plant where the new cars of Lotus will be assembled.

Since the Chinese giant acquired the company in 2017 at one of its lowest points, the instability it fell into after the dismissal of Dany Bahar and with the cancellation of projects such as the return of the Lotus Sprit, among others, the Eastern capital came to rescue the small yet emblematic British sports car maker from the abyss.

We now know that the company that owns Lotus plans to set up a Lotus factory in the capital of the province of Hubei, the most populated city in central China. A new plant where production of its models will begin.

Geely’s rescue and its consequences

If there is one thing to be grateful to Geely for, it is that it prevented the disappearance of Lotus Cars. That said, whether we like it or not, it would have repercussions for its tradition.

The most striking for the history of Lotus will be seeing an SUV in its dealerships. Because, as each day passes, it is getting closer, an Lotus SUV on sale.

One of the remedies to improve the health of Lotus was to produce types of vehicles other than strictly sports cars. It is clear that, whether due to fashion, marketing or a change of mindset, the trend in the automotive industry is to exploit the SUV segment.

Following the example of brands linked to sports cars such as Porsche, Lamborghini, Maserati and, in the coming months, Ferrari, Lotus is working on an SUV. A new car that could mean for Porsche what the Cayenne represented or what the Urus offers customers of Lamborghini.

Lotus and its factories on opposite sides of the globe

The other positive side of Geely’s acquisition of Lotus is that the Hethel factory, Lotus’s headquarters, seems to be safe. As are its production and jobs. In fact, during 2018, a call for expansion of the workforce in the United Kingdom was opened.

The Chinese corporation intends to expand production and, consequently, sales in emerging economies such as the local one or Russia. This factory, where Lotus cars would also be built in China, would have a total capacity to produce up to 150,000 cars a year. In 2018, the total number of cars manufactured and sold by Lotus was just 1,630 across the entire planet.

This gap between the reality and the future of Lotus involves redefining the brand. Among Geely’s plans is, in addition to offering models outside the traditional canons of the English firm, launching it beyond sports car standards and adding a halo of luxury and distinction.

Lotus could thus become a luxury sports car brand.