Photo: Lotus
The British maker of ultra-light sports cars has had a pretty rough history. The company has been marred by bad management - because that's the only way to explain why its superb products haven't had the success they deserved.
After being acquired by Malaysian company Proton Holdings Bhd. in 1996 for $65 million, Lotus couldn't really change its luck, with only this year announcing a return to profitability. Too little too late, it would seem, as the Geely deal that saw the Chinese buy 51 percent of Lotus Cars and 49.9 percent of Proton from their Malaysian owners went through.
However, there are plenty of reasons to hope for the best from now on. Geely is the same company that bought then struggling Swedish manufacturer Volvo in 2010 and brought it where it is today: one of the big names in the premium segment and one of the few brands that can trouble the German triumvirate made up of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
But Lotus is a completely different type of company. It currently employs just 750 people and does its business in a small town called Hethel, in Norfolk. Geely plans to change all that, and some of it might require moving production over in China, according to 'The Truth About Cars.'
The way we see it, this could only work as long as the Lotus cars built in China were sold exclusively on the local market. Manufacturing in China is OK for most brands out there - automotive or otherwise - but it could spell the end of Lotus. At least the Lotus that we now know.
The small workforce was part of the brand's appeal. Owning a Lotus made you part of a family, and no matter how many millions a company will pour into its marketing department, this kind of feeling can't be bought.
“Geely is fully committed to revitalizing the Lotus brand which will include new investment and a widened car range,” Li Shufu, the chairman of Geely said. The sad truth is that Lotus needs to change if it wants to survive, and its new owners definitely want that. In fact, they are even looking to make some money out of it.
There's no room for romantics in today's automotive industry, and it looks like one of the few left is going to disappear as well. At least let's hope it will continue to build - in Chine or anywhere else - good sports cars. And none of that SUV crap.
However, there are plenty of reasons to hope for the best from now on. Geely is the same company that bought then struggling Swedish manufacturer Volvo in 2010 and brought it where it is today: one of the big names in the premium segment and one of the few brands that can trouble the German triumvirate made up of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
But Lotus is a completely different type of company. It currently employs just 750 people and does its business in a small town called Hethel, in Norfolk. Geely plans to change all that, and some of it might require moving production over in China, according to 'The Truth About Cars.'
The way we see it, this could only work as long as the Lotus cars built in China were sold exclusively on the local market. Manufacturing in China is OK for most brands out there - automotive or otherwise - but it could spell the end of Lotus. At least the Lotus that we now know.
The small workforce was part of the brand's appeal. Owning a Lotus made you part of a family, and no matter how many millions a company will pour into its marketing department, this kind of feeling can't be bought.
“Geely is fully committed to revitalizing the Lotus brand which will include new investment and a widened car range,” Li Shufu, the chairman of Geely said. The sad truth is that Lotus needs to change if it wants to survive, and its new owners definitely want that. In fact, they are even looking to make some money out of it.
There's no room for romantics in today's automotive industry, and it looks like one of the few left is going to disappear as well. At least let's hope it will continue to build - in Chine or anywhere else - good sports cars. And none of that SUV crap.
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