An assembly hall sits rusting on a 55-acre factory complex in eastern England, surrounded by a vast expanse of green, productive farmlands. The forlorn structure is a reminder of the latest failed attempt to revive Lotus Cars, a specialist sportscar maker and engineering powerhouse.
In its heyday, Lotus was revered for lightweight racers favored by James Bond and Mario Andretti. The company’s engineering talent alone was so well respected it developed a successful consulting firm with clients that included General Motors, Aston Martin, and Tesla.
But consumer tastes changed. When sports cars gave way to SUVs, Lotus suffered.
Under an ambitious plan hatched in 2009, Lotus started building the new hall in anticipation of producing an expanded lineup of five new models. But the financial crisis and global recession got in the way, and Lotus’s foreign bankroller didn’t want to plow any more cash into the project. No new cars appeared, and sales continued to plunge. Work on the hall stopped dead.
In a sign of how bleak things had gotten, Lotus’s British network of dealers sold an average of just 11 cars per month in 2012.
Now there are signs that things are turning around. Over the past three years, Lotus has been selling closer to 30 cars a month in its home market. Revenue is up, thanks to a combination of cost cutting and sales of higher-priced, limited edition models. Last month, the company said it was on track tobe profitable for back-to-back years for the first time since the late ’90s. Chief Executive Officer Jean Marc Gales has nursed the company back into the black, if barely, and he has reason to be optimistic.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...backed-geely-rescues-british-sports-car-lotus
In its heyday, Lotus was revered for lightweight racers favored by James Bond and Mario Andretti. The company’s engineering talent alone was so well respected it developed a successful consulting firm with clients that included General Motors, Aston Martin, and Tesla.
But consumer tastes changed. When sports cars gave way to SUVs, Lotus suffered.
Under an ambitious plan hatched in 2009, Lotus started building the new hall in anticipation of producing an expanded lineup of five new models. But the financial crisis and global recession got in the way, and Lotus’s foreign bankroller didn’t want to plow any more cash into the project. No new cars appeared, and sales continued to plunge. Work on the hall stopped dead.
In a sign of how bleak things had gotten, Lotus’s British network of dealers sold an average of just 11 cars per month in 2012.
Now there are signs that things are turning around. Over the past three years, Lotus has been selling closer to 30 cars a month in its home market. Revenue is up, thanks to a combination of cost cutting and sales of higher-priced, limited edition models. Last month, the company said it was on track tobe profitable for back-to-back years for the first time since the late ’90s. Chief Executive Officer Jean Marc Gales has nursed the company back into the black, if barely, and he has reason to be optimistic.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...backed-geely-rescues-british-sports-car-lotus