Geely Considers Shifting Lotus Production To China

Iconic British sportscar maker, Lotus, may find its future production shifted to China under the ownership of its new parent company, Geely.

Geely chairman Li Shufu described his company’s priority as making Proton and Lotus profitable whilst adding available new technologies to both product lines.

Under this latest ownership shuffle Geely has acquired a 51 percent stake in Lotus as well as 49.9 percent of Malaysian automaker Proton, both previously majority-owned by Malaysian company DRB-Hicom.

In a report by Bloomberg Li was unclear on the scope of any possible Chinese production, including how many models might be scheduled for Chinese production, or if British assembly would remain.

Looking to Geely’s previous efforts with Volvo, it’s possible that Lotus cars could be built in China alongside regular British production, although the sportscar maker’s much lower production volumes could make such a move unnecessary.

Geely