Lotus to hire 200 engineers in new expansion
New employees will be shared between Hethel and forthcoming Warwickshire satellite site
It’s not all doom and gloom in the British car industry this month; Lotus has just announced that it will hire 200 new engineers as it seeks to expand with Geely’s backing. Increasing the workforce is an essential part of the firm’s new growth plans, which include the opening of a new satellite facility in the Midlands, and the launch of its Type 130 electric hypercar.
Geely’s purchase of the brand in 2017 has already triggered the recruitment of 289 staff, pushing the number of employees over the 1,000 mark, but the next emphasis is on boosting production numbers to 5,000 cars a year, which will mean growing the engineering team. Such bullishness is, of course, to be encouraged: who doesn’t want to see Lotus back, fit and firing?
A spokesperson for the firm was keen to stress to PH that the workforce expansion will place jobs at both of its UK sites - emphasising the importance of Hethel at the heart of the operation - but the new Warwickshire operation will certainly have a role in engineering future models. Lotus is expected to replace its ageing Elise in the next decade, with new versions of its higher ranking sports cars likely to follow using shared components.
It goes without saying we can expect engine downsizing and the integration of electrified power in more than just that top £1 million EV model. But if the process keeps one of Britain’s most innovative sports car manufacturers alive and kick during turbulent times, then that can only be a good thing - and who better to turn a low volume EV into a driver’s car than Lotus?
It will be disappointing if they do. I've not long owned a fairly new Elise so I'll be keeping hold of it if they do.
The so called purists talk about wanting a stripped out focussed toy but, and I am sure there is data on this, the reality is that most Lotus cars now come optioned with air con, sound deadening, carpets etc etc so how real is that request??
I think it's inevitable that the new Elise is a bit of a deviation from the old one. A naturally aspirated (ir supercharged) engine is unlikely, as is a manual gearbox and I think we're unlikely to see a kerb weight of under a tonne and consequently unlikely to see unassisted steering. I think Lotus have two options really - aim squarely at the Alpine, or go electric and try to create a new segment for a smallish, lightish electric sports car. Personally I think I'd rather see them do the latter because we already have the Alpine and it's really very good.
The so called purists talk about wanting a stripped out focussed toy but, and I am sure there is data on this, the reality is that most Lotus cars now come optioned with air con, sound deadening, carpets etc etc so how real is that request??
My Elise has A/C (I offset the weight with some carbon bits, not that I'll ever be able to tell the difference), but it is still absolutely a driver's car, just not one that I boil in.
The so called purists talk about wanting a stripped out focussed toy but, and I am sure there is data on this, the reality is that most Lotus cars now come optioned with air con, sound deadening, carpets etc etc so how real is that request??
My Elise has A/C (I offset the weight with some carbon bits, not that I'll ever be able to tell the difference), but it is still absolutely a driver's car, just not one that I boil in.
I agree with the previous comment that jumping past the current crop and leading the way with an electric sports car would be a good plan
Blimey i thought the Elise had already fallen to 1600cc, surely a much smaller capacity without EV couldn't really be classified a sportscar from a performance perspective no matter how light, or pointless if there is an EV option!
Great to know Lotus is expanding and there remains a market for them - we aren't good enough at promoting UK success - whether its ultimately UK owned or not .......
Blimey i thought the Elise had already fallen to 1600cc, surely a much smaller capacity without EV couldn't really be classified a sportscar from a performance perspective no matter how light, or pointless if there is an EV option!
https://www.lotuscars.com/range/elise/
They've kind of done the opposite of downsizing, given that the two Elise platform cars now only come with superchargers and 1.8 or 3.5 litre engines!
The so called purists talk about wanting a stripped out focussed toy but, and I am sure there is data on this, the reality is that most Lotus cars now come optioned with air con, sound deadening, carpets etc etc so how real is that request??
My Elise has A/C (I offset the weight with some carbon bits, not that I'll ever be able to tell the difference), but it is still absolutely a driver's car, just not one that I boil in.
The so called purists talk about wanting a stripped out focussed toy but, and I am sure there is data on this, the reality is that most Lotus cars now come optioned with air con, sound deadening, carpets etc etc so how real is that request??
My Elise has A/C (I offset the weight with some carbon bits, not that I'll ever be able to tell the difference), but it is still absolutely a driver's car, just not one that I boil in.
Looking forward to seeing what the new Elise will be like.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff