Lotus Cars job losses as 'volatile market' and US tariffs blamed
Up to 270 jobs are to go due to "evolving market conditions including the US tariffs", Lotus says.
www.bbc.co.uk
3rd round of Redundancies at Lotus 😞
- Thread starter MiamiBlue
- Start date
www.bbc.co.uk
Exactly. Its a Lotus, not a special run Ferrari. It will depreciate, bottom out and then ride with inflation. Manuals will get a little bump but otherwise spec doesn't seem to mater much. Buy them to drive them. If you can find your spec used go for it and reap the savings.
ShootingSight
Well-known member
Enthusiasts like sports cars, and are willing to put up with poor quality - hence Emira which is fun to drive, and has a joke of an infotainment system. However there is little profit in that market. Porsche and Corvette are the only ones that are likely profitable here. The money to be made in cars is in making SUVs for the masses, and they demand quality - hence Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche all making SUVs and using their sports car reputation as a marketing tool.
So, except for the current market events around tariffs, and the downturn of demand for EVs, buying Lotus was actually a brilliant move for Geeley, allowing them to get the sports car reputation, utilizing their EV technology, and getting into an untapped SUV opportunity. As a bonus, if Lotus know-how in chassis design and styling gave them a boost, it might have been an SUV worth looking at. Who knows, they might even have invested some engineering into the electrical quality issues Lotus traditionally has.
So, except for the current market events around tariffs, and the downturn of demand for EVs, buying Lotus was actually a brilliant move for Geeley, allowing them to get the sports car reputation, utilizing their EV technology, and getting into an untapped SUV opportunity. As a bonus, if Lotus know-how in chassis design and styling gave them a boost, it might have been an SUV worth looking at. Who knows, they might even have invested some engineering into the electrical quality issues Lotus traditionally has.
I can vouch for the terrible customer care, in fact i’d say it’s now non existent
- Thread starter
- #44
4th round of Redundancies
It's a third of the current staff this time, and now 80% of the total UK Lotus staff gone in under 18 months.
www.bbc.co.uk
It's a third of the current staff this time, and now 80% of the total UK Lotus staff gone in under 18 months.
Sportscar manufacturer Lotus to cut 550 jobs at Norfolk base
The BBC understands more than a third of workers at the Norfolk headquarters will lose their jobs.
www.bbc.co.uk
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John_Matrix
Emira Fan
Precursor to production of Emira going to the US?
geoffbland
Emira Fanatic
1,300 working in manufacturing there in July 2025 - this cuts it down to 750.
It's difficult to get actual figures but I think that is roughly the same as in 2017 prior to the Geely takeover.
freefall_junkie
Emira Fiend
Very sad to see. It strongly suggests new Emira sales are drying up. Where on earth are the S or R go faster variants to keep the market interested? It's almost like they have given up.
Interestingly the UK configurator, once I got past the toe curling 'are you a driver or what' strapline, is now only offering the I4.
Interestingly the UK configurator, once I got past the toe curling 'are you a driver or what' strapline, is now only offering the I4.
This is not good. I was wondering if the reason why Matt stepped down and left Lotus was because Geely said they're going to shut down Hethel, and he said basically if Hethel goes he goes, and they said c'ya. This will be a huge mistake. Losing Hethel and moving production to somewhere in the U.S. will lose the mystique of Lotus. There's a reason why the brand has continued with a loyal following all these years.
Geely if you're reading this... learn from the mistake Jaguar made... learn from the mistake Cracker Barrel has just made. Changing the historical identity of certain types of brands is disastrous. A Lotus is more than just a sports car. Work something out with the U.K. government. Contact Donald Trump and work something out. He's a negotiator and loves to make deals. Instead of building a new factory in the U.S., invest in building a network of dealerships and support.
Maybe you can make a deal to make parts in the U.S., then ship them to Hethel to build the cars, and in return there's no tariff on completed cars being sold here. Think.... make a deal. There has to be a way.
Geely if you're reading this... learn from the mistake Jaguar made... learn from the mistake Cracker Barrel has just made. Changing the historical identity of certain types of brands is disastrous. A Lotus is more than just a sports car. Work something out with the U.K. government. Contact Donald Trump and work something out. He's a negotiator and loves to make deals. Instead of building a new factory in the U.S., invest in building a network of dealerships and support.
Maybe you can make a deal to make parts in the U.S., then ship them to Hethel to build the cars, and in return there's no tariff on completed cars being sold here. Think.... make a deal. There has to be a way.
ShootingSight
Well-known member
It'd be nice if assembly continued in England, but I'm more concerned that Emira production continue somewhere, even if it is in the US. I think that car is a real contender to the 911, or even the 718 GT4.
Nick Sticks
Emira Fanatic
The V6 SE and the V6 SE Racing Line are still there on the UK configurator - you just have to click and drag the page to the left to reveal them.
It's not entirely obvious but the 5 dots below the row of models information shows there are 5 Emiras in the range.
geoffbland
Emira Fanatic
If Lotus moves manufacturing to the US it will become the new MG.
Shame about the heritage but I guess we still have Caterham (and McLaren I guess).
Promoted to a new role in a different country then kicked out. Different employment laws offering less protection to him?
Why do some think production will move to high labour cost US and not Chyna?
It makes more sense to use cheap labour, very cheap energy costs and the local supply chain that Geely clearly possess.
I did post a couple of weeks ago that the above and Lotus going into administration was likely and no doubt the way to write off £millions in debt for Geely. The UK has the highest energy costs for manufacturers in the West, why on earth would any multinational company keep or open a facility here?
Design will stay here, just as MG has kept their design studion in the UK. A real shame now that Porsche are ramping up the electric Cayman, no new orders for petrol being taken ive been told. No doubt that may change with the current market for ev's not growing as predicted. I have also heard that a soft top Emira has been on the books to be announced but that has been put on the back burner. A Boxster rival would be a hit.
It makes more sense to use cheap labour, very cheap energy costs and the local supply chain that Geely clearly possess.
I did post a couple of weeks ago that the above and Lotus going into administration was likely and no doubt the way to write off £millions in debt for Geely. The UK has the highest energy costs for manufacturers in the West, why on earth would any multinational company keep or open a facility here?
Design will stay here, just as MG has kept their design studion in the UK. A real shame now that Porsche are ramping up the electric Cayman, no new orders for petrol being taken ive been told. No doubt that may change with the current market for ev's not growing as predicted. I have also heard that a soft top Emira has been on the books to be announced but that has been put on the back burner. A Boxster rival would be a hit.
freefall_junkie
Emira Fiend
PH's take https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/lotus-confirms-additional-job-losses-at-hethel/50236
Lotus UK really does seem to be teetering on the brink
Lotus UK really does seem to be teetering on the brink
I agree. I buy cars because of the driving experience and design. Doesn't matter if they are from Japan, Italy, UK, US or anywhere else.
I really hope the brand survives.. there is not much else out there from the Germans or Italians that is interesting in today's compliance driven automotive hellscape.
Unfortunate casualty of tariff war - globalized supply chains cannot be reconfigured in a matter of months and the auto industry barely survives on the margin, much less the exotic/luxury market.
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Well, they can feel free to move the body panel manufacturing to somewhere else... surely having those made with competence and consistency would stem some bleeding from warranty costs 
From a purely selfish perspective, I don't mind if they have to scale back output to stay afloat (and job cuts are a very sad factor in that, for sure) - I just hope the company manages to continue to exist and support the vehicles that already exist.
From a less selfish perspective, I have a lot of sympathy for the people who have been let go, largely due to factors out of their control. I'm glad to hear they are receiving some sort of consideration and support. They should all be proud of the amazing products they managed to create in their time at Lotus.
From a purely selfish perspective, I don't mind if they have to scale back output to stay afloat (and job cuts are a very sad factor in that, for sure) - I just hope the company manages to continue to exist and support the vehicles that already exist.
From a less selfish perspective, I have a lot of sympathy for the people who have been let go, largely due to factors out of their control. I'm glad to hear they are receiving some sort of consideration and support. They should all be proud of the amazing products they managed to create in their time at Lotus.
Oddly, something in the phrasing of the corresponding article on FT suggests that he was removed from the lead role, but is still at Lotus...
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