Today's Financial Times | Carmaker Lotus plans to end production in the UK

Is this confirmed news ?
https://www.ft.com/.../dc5948e6-6645-405b-a556-df06b1ad26be

 

[freefall_junkie]

Article on PH which sums it up nicely https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/so-its-come-to-this-lotus-mulls-hethel-closure/50014

I think all this talk of moving production to the US is a distraction. It takes years and huge investment to build a plant, train a workforce, set up new supply chains etc and Lotus does not have that much time when it is in such a precarious financial position. Furthermore no rational business will make such a decision when the tariff situation in the US changes literally week to week ( by rational I'm talking Geely here, as PH suggests, Lotus management are in la la land).

 

[Tomwa]

Serious question, are you drunk?

I don’t think you’re even reading what I wrote or responding to it. Your response is so incoherent I feel like you might be quoting me but responding to someone else?

Just reread what I wrote it’s very clear.

I never even mentioned the GTR.

You responded to me, you go Reread MY post. I specifically say that people will always care about specific models, where they are built, what factories, etc.

BMW i3 vs M3. Nissan Versa vs Nissan GT-R. The prior in these cases no one cares where they are built unlike the later

You did not read, and instead rushed to be right on the Internet by saying

"With those examples you are wrong. They’re literally produced in a country other than their origin and they have plenty of demand"

Notice.. notice how you are wrong, but call me drunk and confused? I am clearly not talking broadly about the entire brand in my post. I am speaking to the fact that there are Nissans...and then there are GT-Rs. You cannot treat the brand as a single entity and every consumer the same as any other.

The cars people care about and the companies stake their reputations on are built in county of origin.

 

[Tomwa]

Article on PH which sums it up nicely https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/so-its-come-to-this-lotus-mulls-hethel-closure/50014

I think all this talk of moving production to the US is a distraction. It takes years and huge investment to build a plant, train a workforce, set up new supply chains etc and Lotus does not have that much time when it is in such a precarious financial position. Furthermore no rational business will make such a decision when the tariff situation in the US changes literally week to week ( by rational I'm talking Geely here, as PH suggests, Lotus management are in la la land).

Yeah but what if you already own facilities and people. Ones who aren't building as many cars as you had hoped because the side brand attached to Volvo didn't catch? Do you let that facility sit empty, or do you start adding more models.

Change P***star to "Geely general properties" and start pushing Lotus vehicles through.

 

[Hethel Merman]

I wonder if a solution to the US tariff problem would be to ship over part-built cars to some kind of facility in the USA, to be completed there.

 

[seriously]

I wonder if a solution to the US tariff problem would be to ship over part-built cars to some kind of facility in the USA, to be completed there.

I looked it up over curiosity and that final assembly strategy doesn’t work. The cost of manufacturing needs to exceed 75%+ to avoid US tariffs. Final assembly could not account for that much. The other variable is that this could all change in 4 years.

 

[Black Ice]

The i4 was necessary to sell the emira in China and other Asian countries that tax by cylinder. I don’t think it was a bad move at all.

China is the largest auto market in the world and geely owns a controlling stake in Lotus. They have to be able to sell their cars there.

I think the only “issue” with the I4 is that it’s supposed to sit below the V6, but in reality doesn’t.

As a UK buyer I opted for the I4 as it just seemed like a better package. There’s nothing exotic about a manual gearbox in the UK, and having owned Fords with superb manual ‘boxes I was concerned the manual Emira would be a backward step. Similarly, whilst I like the V6 engine (and it certainly sounds better than the I4) it’s not really special in my opinion. It’s a means to an end, and the M139 does (most of) it better.

Full disclosure: I’ve never owned a car with a DCT before so perhaps I see a novelty value that others don’t, but the I4 appears to be pretty popular over here (I think?).

 

[freefall_junkie]

How long until we see a new Emira FE, Final Edition that is

 

[Davidexige]

Copied from Pistonheads.

 

[Six Speed Stephen]

You responded to me, you go Reread MY post. I specifically say that people will always care about specific models, where they are built, what factories, etc.

BMW i3 vs M3. Nissan Versa vs Nissan GT-R. The prior in these cases no one cares where they are built unlike the later

You did not read, and instead rushed to be right on the Internet by saying

"With those examples you are wrong. They’re literally produced in a country other than their origin and they have plenty of demand"

Notice.. notice how you are wrong, but call me drunk and confused? I am clearly not talking broadly about the entire brand in my post. I am speaking to the fact that there are Nissans...and then there are GT-Rs. You cannot treat the brand as a single entity and every consumer the same as any other.

The cars people care about and the companies stake their reputations on are built in county of origin.

You’re not discussing this in good faith you keep rambling and not addressing the examples I mentioned... I guess you’re just trolling. Good luck in life

 

[Black Ice]

You’re not discussing this in good faith you keep rambling and not addressing the examples I mentioned... I guess you’re just trolling. Good luck in life

I really ought to know better than to get involved here but I think it’s just a misunderstanding. You’ve both made valid points but I’m not sure @Tomwa spotted your Ford examples.

Chill guys.

 

[Beachbum]

The argument is that Lotus are considering moving from Hethel to the US, due to poor Q1 & Q2 sales and they want to improve US sales, which they feel have been adversely affected by the 25% Tariff.
The 25% tariff ends for UK cars as of 30th June 2025 and drops to 10%. Given the current 25% is based on the import price, pre all the other taxes, I think someone mentioned that the overall increase is actually about 18% by the time someone gets to buy one. Assuming similar ratios for the 10% tariff, then 10% becomes ~7% to the purchaser.
There is no way Lotus/Geely are going to trump up 100s of millions of pounds to set up a new manufacturing plant in the US, over a 7% price rise.
If they have that sort of money to throw around, they could improve Customer Service and Parts availability and solve so many of the problems they have, that Lotus suddenly becomes a viable competitor to Porsche.
Lotus also needs to improve their marketing. I recently spoke to a neighbour who has been a long term Porsche owner and just bought the latest 911 model(whatever that may be). When I ask if he had considered Lotus, his response was "What do Lotus have on the market currently, all I know of are their EVs". Lotus needs to get the Emira into the public eye and then see if their sales improve, before making other decisions

 

[kitkat]

Have a different source that says they do have plans to build Lotus with a partner in the US but it may not be the British car range.

Reading between the lines — either BEVs or Hybrid cars likely built at the Volvo factory in NC.

Seems a whole lot more plausible now doesn’t it?

 

[Lotustoronto]

Have a different source that says they do have plans to build Lotus with a partner in the US but it may not be the British car range.

Reading between the lines — either BEVs or Hybrid cars likely built at the Volvo factory in NC.

Seems a whole lot more plausible now doesn’t it?

This ^ - There was a report from three years ago (approx) that this was always being planned FYI. - if (and this is a big IF), Lotus moves / adds it's EV/Hybrid lifestyle car manufacturing to the US (for North American market) and price them in the 100K range as originally thought, I do believe they will sell a lot more than people think.

Geely would sell Lotus altogether before shutting down Hethel.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

Have a different source that says they do have plans to build Lotus with a partner in the US but it may not be the British car range.

Reading between the lines — either BEVs or Hybrid cars likely built at the Volvo factory in NC.

Seems a whole lot more plausible now doesn’t it?

Absolutely. They need a solution to the US tariff problem before they launch the TYP 134 later this year. They have to position that vehicle for success, or Lotus really will be finished.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Absolutely. They need a solution to the US tariff problem before they launch the TYP 134 later this year. They have to position that vehicle for success, or Lotus really will be finished.

Type 134 will not be released this year - It is the Eletre that will first get the hybrid powertrain this year and on sale in 2026. This was confirmed in the Q1 reporting.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

Type 134 will not be released this year - It is the Eletre that will first get the hybrid powertrain this year and on sale in 2026. This was confirmed in the Q1 reporting.

Nope. That's not what the CEO said in the investor call earlier this week. This is the product pipeline he presented. You can see that the "new model" TYP 134 is set to debut later this year and go on sale in Q1 2026. He described it as a "world first hyper performance PHEV".

 

[Lotustoronto]

Nope. That's not what the CEO said in the investor call earlier this week. This is the product pipeline he presented. You can see that the "new model" TYP 134 is set to debut later this year and go on sale in Q1 2026. He described it as a "world first hyper performance PHEV".

View attachment 66616

“The first model with the Hyper Hybrid PHEV technology will be unveiled at the end of the year, with sales starting in the first quarter of 2026, Feng said on the call. Autocar has separately confirmed that the model will be a version of the Eletre electric SUV.”

Source - https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/lotus-mulls-phev-sports-cars-commitment-ice-power

 

[B r I a n]

Nope. That's not what the CEO said in the investor call earlier this week. This is the product pipeline he presented. You can see that the "new model" TYP 134 is set to debut later this year and go on sale in Q1 2026. He described it as a "world first hyper performance PHEV".

View attachment 66616

Where is the Type 135?

Lotus's Electric Leap: Emira Paves Way for New 2027 Electric Sports Car

Dive into Lotus's commitment to innovation and sustainability, exploring how the upcoming electric model promises to blend exhilarating performance with cutting-edge technology. Stay ahead with Lotus's electric evolution.

www.lotusofdallas.com

 

[Black Ice]

Am I alone in thinking that a “hyper PHEV SUV” may not be a sales success?

 

[MickOpalak]

Here’s my guess: the Emira will live out its days being built at Hethel. 5 - 10 more years max. The Type 135 hybrid sports car will be built in a Volvo factory somewhere in the US starting in 5 to 10 years. The EVs will continue to be built in China.