Lotus lost £141M in 2022
Discussion
Sorry if this was already reported, but i saw a story/Headline in the times recently saying that Lotus only sold 575 cars in 2022 and loosing £141M. I suppose with only 1 car in the range and supply chain disruption some of this is expected, but their new SUV’s and saloons can not come soon enough.
I also listened to a recent Autocar podcast where they were saying that whilst not at all bad, the new SUV did not feel like a lotus, but perhaps like the quality product this market sector consumer wants.
I know we have all been saying that the sports cars days are numbered, too fast for congested roads, lack of noise/EV future etc……but realising that a famed brand can only sell 575 of it’s hotly anticipated new car worldwide, really paints a poor picture of the health of the sports car sector. I fear that First edition could almost also be Last edition.
I know we are not loosing what we have, but in terms of sports cars i now believe the high water mark has passed where as previously i was more open minded on this.
I also listened to a recent Autocar podcast where they were saying that whilst not at all bad, the new SUV did not feel like a lotus, but perhaps like the quality product this market sector consumer wants.
I know we have all been saying that the sports cars days are numbered, too fast for congested roads, lack of noise/EV future etc……but realising that a famed brand can only sell 575 of it’s hotly anticipated new car worldwide, really paints a poor picture of the health of the sports car sector. I fear that First edition could almost also be Last edition.
I know we are not loosing what we have, but in terms of sports cars i now believe the high water mark has passed where as previously i was more open minded on this.
And unsurprisingly, given the sales figures, they're responding by cutting 200 jobs.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-6625...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-6625...
markcoopers said:
Sorry if this was already reported, but i saw a story/Headline in the times recently saying that Lotus only sold 575 cars in 2022 and loosing £141M. I suppose with only 1 car in the range and supply chain disruption some of this is expected, but their new SUV’s and saloons can not come soon enough.
I also listened to a recent Autocar podcast where they were saying that whilst not at all bad, the new SUV did not feel like a lotus, but perhaps like the quality product this market sector consumer wants.
I know we have all been saying that the sports cars days are numbered, too fast for congested roads, lack of noise/EV future etc……but realising that a famed brand can only sell 575 of it’s hotly anticipated new car worldwide, really paints a poor picture of the health of the sports car sector. I fear that First edition could almost also be Last edition.
I know we are not loosing what we have, but in terms of sports cars i now believe the high water mark has passed where as previously i was more open minded on this.
They could only produce 575 cars, they are supply limitedI also listened to a recent Autocar podcast where they were saying that whilst not at all bad, the new SUV did not feel like a lotus, but perhaps like the quality product this market sector consumer wants.
I know we have all been saying that the sports cars days are numbered, too fast for congested roads, lack of noise/EV future etc……but realising that a famed brand can only sell 575 of it’s hotly anticipated new car worldwide, really paints a poor picture of the health of the sports car sector. I fear that First edition could almost also be Last edition.
I know we are not loosing what we have, but in terms of sports cars i now believe the high water mark has passed where as previously i was more open minded on this.
Just my perception, but at FoS it looked to me like the Emira was an afterthought and it was all about the Eletre. The Eletre also looks better somehow, like this is where the focus is. And this was at a petrol head event… I hadn’t realised until the Eletre reviews came out that Geely setup a separate facility in Germany to design and engineer the Eletre. That’s not exactly an endorsement of Hethel either. It’s a shame that they’re not getting involved with the mainstream business of Lotus and it seems the end result is that folks are losing their jobs.
I'm a die hard Lotus fan but I really despair at how they manage to cock it up every time (Elise excepted). I know that the Emira lauch was beset by a horrible collision of things oustide of their control but still there were things you'd imagine would have been covered by the usual risk register, and other firms seemed to get through it all.
I'm fearful, and I really hope I am wrong, that this may be the beginnings of the end of Lotus manufacturing in the UK. Another poster opined that Geely are probably not interested in sportcars other than the initial halo effect and I think he/she may well be right.
When Geely stepped in I was hopeful it was the dawn of a new era, even though I was uncomfortable with the China connection, now I am not sure.
I'm fearful, and I really hope I am wrong, that this may be the beginnings of the end of Lotus manufacturing in the UK. Another poster opined that Geely are probably not interested in sportcars other than the initial halo effect and I think he/she may well be right.
When Geely stepped in I was hopeful it was the dawn of a new era, even though I was uncomfortable with the China connection, now I am not sure.
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