10:30 am, February 19, 2020
THE new manufacturing facility where Lotus will build the Evija all-electric hypercar is being readied for final prototype production.
Series production and first customer deliveries of the two-seater will begin in the summer.
The hall is at the brand’s historic home of Hethel, in Norfolk. It has been built trackside, next to Lotus’ 2.2-mile circuit which has hosted testing and shake-down sessions with many Formula 1 legends such as Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jim Clark and others.
The result is a versatile and inspiring workspace that will see Lotus hand-build up to 130 examples of the Evija. The first year’s production has already been allocated to customers around the world.
Phil Popham, CEO of Lotus Cars, said: ‘This is now the newest car production facility in the world, and to witness it move from the drawing board to reality has been deeply satisfying.’
He proudly unveiled the completed hall to more than 1,400 Lotus employees during a series of staff briefings, telling them: ‘With our new factory ready, we are ahead of the pack in the emerging EV hypercar segment and 100 per cent ready for some healthy competition.’
Work on the new Evija factory began last summer. The interior has been fitted on three sides with gantries which frame the build stations. These have been designed and engineered to be sleek and unobtrusive, though robust enough to carry the necessary power, data and compressed air systems required to assemble the Evija.
An overhead gantry crane, multiple vehicle lifts and a wheel alignment ramp have also been installed.
A state-of-the-art light tunnel will house the rigorous final inspection, before each Evija is driven out directly on to the famous Hethel test track.
The project has involved the co-ordination of 20 specialist contractors with more than 50 experts on site over the last six months.
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