Lotus - summary of financial situation

A decent, simplified summary of Lotus' financial situation. Pretty bleak outlook. If I was a betting man I would say the brand will no longer exist by 2028 unless they build a game-changing model. I found this part of the article to be quite amusing:

In the first-quarter, Lotus delivered just 1,282 vehicles worldwide, or 42% fewer than the same period in the prior year; the shortfall may partly reflect efforts to clear dealer stocks to make room for updated models.

https://archive.is/20250512042043/https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-05-12/trade-war-has-lotus-sportscars-driving-on-fumes#selection-2015.0-2019.151

 

[sixtyy]

thats sad. The car I built was under tariff days before arrival and I had to choose an already built car from a different dealership.

 

[Six Speed Stephen]

Which will expire first? Our warranty or the brand's solvency?

 

[dgedition]

This is why I was surprised of all the talk about a V8 after looking through the financials

 

[MiamiBlue]

They've been here before. Another company usually buys them and keeps the life support on for a few more years.
I would hate to see the brand die, especially with such a rich history.

I very very much doubt we'll see any new models in the foreseeable future. Probably just more special editions of fundamentally the same car.

 

[dgedition]

They've been here before. Another company usually buys them and keeps the life support on for a few more years.
I would hate to see the brand die, especially with such a rich history.

I very very much doubt we'll see any new models in the foreseeable future. Probably just more special editions of fundamentally the same car.

Scary part on this go around is they are a much larger company so its harder for a group to justify grabbing them up.

I hope things turn around because its a blast to drive!

 

[GreyGhost_1776]

Seems they need to get back to their roots. Some downsizing / restructuring on the horizon at minimum.

 

[idleuser]

Geely is the big loser here. Can they continue to subsidize Lotus?

 

[seriously]

Yeah. I'm assuming someone buys Lotus at a discount and Geely pays the price.

 

[Teshoo Lama]

Lotus China EVs in the USA was never going to happen and never will. I can't imagine their US Emira presence is seen as anything more than a global brand building exercise. I guess we'll find out soon just how strategically committed Geely are to this vision.

I was always sceptical, but I see so many Eletres around West London nowadays that I sometimes wonder if Geely aren't on to something. It wouldn't surprise me to see them stick with the plan for a while.

The biggest blow for the company, arguably, has been their horrible battery tech and efficiency, rather than Emira sales. I'd say the branding exercise is going quite well, and the EVs certainly have appeal to some luxury buyers. They're imposing vehicles, with stunning interiors, but practicality is real constraint on sales. I'm surprised the Chinese got this so wrong.

Lotus UK will always have value as a boutique sports car manufacturer and heritage brand, and generally favourable UK-US relations should always ensure their market access. Even if Geely give up, I'm sure (ok, I hope) there will always be another investor with a dream and the arrogance to believe they can succeed where others failed.

 

[PatrickJS]

This is why I was surprised of all the talk about a V8 after looking through the financials

well now we know that was a desperate comment (red flags)