Lotus Cars Europe boss reportedly steps down
Factory closure U-turn claims Matt Windle after just four months in role as Lotus saga continues
It never rains but it pours at Lotus. Following the will-they, won’t-they drama around Hethel’s future - which certainly doesn’t feel resolved to anyone’s satisfaction at the moment - another senior executive has reportedly moved on from their post. The most senior in fact: it’s Matt Windle, officially head of Lotus Cars Europe, who is said to be leaving after many years in assorted roles throughout the company. Having joined as a Chief Engineer, he rose up the ranks to become Executive Director of Sports Car Engineering before his tenure as Lotus MD and Group VP. Now, after almost nine years at Lotus, Windle is to leave, reports the Financial Times.
The most telling fact seems to be that Windle is going after just four months in his current position. Officially, or according to his LinkedIn at least, that job was President and CEO Lotus Cars Europe, Managing Director Lotus Cars Limited. Not the kind of job you’d expect the incumbent to depart from after a third of the year, particularly given Windle’s predecessor - Dan Balmer - only occupied the role for less than 12 months. The company at the moment desperately needs security and stability, not a revolving door of different execs coming and going. There’s no word yet on the exact reason for departure, or even a confirmation that Lotus Cars Europe is without a figurehead.
The past couple of months will surely have taken their toll, though. According to the FT’s sources, Windle was one of the senior staff members asked by Lotus Technology chief executive Feng Qingfeng to draw up plans for manufacturing to end at Hethel, partly in response to US tariffs. Once those plans came to light, Lotus backpedalled sufficiently far to arrive at a place where it had no plans to cease manufacturing in the UK, instead “actively exploring strategic options” to improve efficiency. The offer of government support must have been welcome. But such a tumultuous period - you’d hardly bet your mortgage on Hethel’s future - was unlikely to pass without casualty, and so Windle joins Balmer and former chief commercial officer Mike Johnstone as recent departures.
What happens next is anyone’s guess. Sales were down in the last quarter 42 per cent, and while losses weren’t quite as catastrophic as previous reports, a Lotus Technology loss of $103mn hardly seems rosy. Clearly, the company will require a new head honcho for the European sector of the business; now we have to wait and see whether that’ll be another known Lotus name, or someone parachuted in from Geely (a suggestion already doing the rounds). Whoever it is, they’ve quite some job on their hands.
- Polestar heading into the abyss
- Volvo beset with amateur software issues, declining sales
- LEVC - well, I’d bet it doesn’t survive to the end of the decade
- Smart hocking beige crossovers; even in EV-centric London I’ve yet to see a single one
- Lotus - spent billions on EVs that make electric Maseratis seem capable
They’ve bled Hethel’s talent. Now they want to reward the incompetent Chinese side of the business?
Genuinely contemplating boycotting Geely products for our next family vehicle. Given their offering, probably not much of a loss.
But going forward I am put off buying another Elise or Evora as I really feel that Lotus are going to abandon the earlier model cars for parts eventually. They just don’t seem to be bothered about the enthusiasts.
Matt Windle leaving is just another nail in the coffin for older Lotus owners.
As a brand with a storied competition history in a world where the only growing market is the high-end, staffed with some of the best chassis engineers anywhere, and with an engine supply from Mercedes, it really shouldn't have been that hard to make a success of Lotus. But yet again we seem to have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
And then to make it a bit cheaper, use the front and door part as the 2/3 of the car, so les to invest, the rear subframe was always a different part from that so a longitudinal engine not really a problem.
Then invent the back part, from the roof/doors to the end for the new real Europa, not that fake thing they made ala Elise with transverse engine etc.
or, make it like those people did with their Radford ala Europa type 62
https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/radford/type-6...
so for Lotus to make it cheaper, use their own already existing aluminium chassis, use 2/3 (front/roof/doors) from one of the 3 types Elise/Exige/Other and fabricate the rear/engine part.
Make Lotus Europa great (compact) again
- edited: just had a look at your history of comments. Quite literally nothing but trolling. I don’t understand why people like you are this way, but I pity you. Sadly this is not the forum for discussions on your mental health but I genuinely hope you find help and happiness somewhere.
I can see the sense in trying to use the Lotus brand to expand into SUVs and luxury 4 door cars to provide the volumes. This is essentially what Porsche successfully did with the Cayenne and Panamera. The problem is that they went exclusively EV. Again, back in 2020 or whenever the decision was made, you can understand why they went that route. Tesla was flying high and it looked like everything would be EV in the next few years. Sadly, for them, it was the wrong decision, and more importantly it was executed very badly. The models have all been poorly reviewed and not very well made from many accounts.
Given the over capacity in the EV business at the moment, especially in China, the future does really look a bit grim....
I liked Matt, he always seemed like a really good guy, but he also presided over the Emira not being the success it should hve been. Is Geely really at fault for that?
But going forward I am put off buying another Elise or Evora as I really feel that Lotus are going to abandon the earlier model cars for parts eventually. They just don’t seem to be bothered about the enthusiasts.
Matt Windle leaving is just another nail in the coffin for older Lotus owners.
Any manufacturer can effectively stop making parts as soon as it's not financially viable. It might be that Lotus actually rely on the income from making spare parts because they don't seem to be making much from new car sales (unfortunately).
As much as I feel for the workers, part of me wonders if Geely getting rid of the brand wouldn’t be the worst thing. Selling the tooling and IP to a business that could actually provide for us enthusiasts.
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