Hyperdrive
Lotus Strays From Low-Slung Sports Cars and Joins SUV Bandwagon
- U.K. company will build a factory in Wuhan and expand at home
- Automaker is deepening ties with Chinese majority owner Geely
Teaser images of the new Lotus Emira released by the automaker.
Source: LotusAfter churning out low-slung sports cars for race tracks and roads in low numbers for seven decades, Lotus Cars is being pulled into the auto industry’s inescapable love affair with the boxy SUV.
The U.K. company majority-owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is building a new plant in Wuhan, China, where it will make “lifestyle vehicles,” Managing Director Matt Windle said in an interview. The factory will have annual capacity in excess of 10,000 vehicles, and Lotus will continue to build its sports cars in Hethel, England, where it expects to triple production over time from the 1,600 cars it aims to sell this year.