11:17 am, August 14, 2023
Lotus has reported a record-breaking first half of the year.
It says that among the highlights of the six months to June 30, the order book for its electric hyper-SUV Eletre and mid-engine sports car Emira grew to about 17,000 vehicles globally.
The Hethel-based manufacturer said it produced more than 2,200 Emiras – a 381 per cent increase on last year – with the Emira order book full for the next two years.
Customer deliveries of the Eletre began in China at the end of March, with deliveries to UK and European customers expected to begin later this summer.
Meanwhile, Lotus expanded its global retail network to 193 stores, opening 24 new outlets over the first half of 2023.
It entered South Korea – said to be one of the biggest luxury markets in the world – via a sales partnership with regional automotive retailer Kolon Mobility Group.
Feng Qingfeng, chief executive of Lotus Group, said: ‘We set an ambitious goal in 2018, with the launch of our Vision80 strategy to transform the business from a traditional automotive brand to become an all-electric, luxury mobility provider in 10 years.
‘We have spent the past few years laying the foundations for success and today’s announcement demonstrates that Lotus is no longer the same business that it has been in previous years.
‘We are firmly on track to becoming a global performance brand by 2028.’
Lotus said it planned to further ramp up production and sales for the second half of the year and expected the full year to surpass all previous years.
The news comes in the wake of an announcement that Lotus would be shedding up to 200 jobs in the wake of deepening losses.
The Lotus Eletre is pictured at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, where customer test drives of the electric SUV took place
