There's no such thing as an unimportant year for a car manufacturer, but 2022 is going to be a momentous one for Lotus. It's not every year, after all, that a brand launches its last combustion sports car and reveals its first SUV - an electric one at that. Moreover, Lotus is able to kick off a new financial year by boasting about the old one: its global sales in 2021 were up 24 per cent, it reported today.
Now, 1,710 Lotuses sold is not going to have Porsche quaking in its lederhosen just yet, but that's up from 1,378 in 2020, which is a solid improvement. The additional demand is easy to explain, with Final Editions for both Elise and Exige proving popular as customers sought to get their fix before it was too late. The former was the best seller for Lotus in 2021, even with the Sport 240 and Cup 250 Final Editions being two of the more expensive Elises ever offered.
In Lotus's best global retail sales year since 2011, there were a few surprises. Performance in North America more than doubled, with numbers up 111 per cent, and Belgium of all places enjoyed an increase against 2020 of 37 per cent. As always, Lotus's home market was a strong one: the UK was third biggest market, with sales climbing 29 per cent over the past 12 months. The USA and Japan continue to top the charts.
Lotus MD Matt Windle said of the results: "In difficult circumstances our retailers have delivered what was asked of them and more. It's testament to their hard work, and that of our manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution teams around the world. A huge thank you to everyone involved." With the Emira's place in the history books already secured before customer deliveries, interest is expected to be extremely robust. Don't bet against the Type 132 setting some records of its own, either...
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