Lotus plant will be built in China, Evora GT410 will be sold in Oct

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group announced last year that it has completed the acquisition of a 51% stake in the British luxury sports car brand Lotus, becoming the largest shareholder of Lotus. On July 12th, Feng Qingfeng, vice president and chief technology officer of Geely, chief executive of Lotus, told INA in the interview: “Lotus will build a factory in China in the future.” The new flagship NEV model will be launched at the Shanghai Auto Show next year, and the new Evora GT410 will be introduced to the Chinese market in October.

Mr. Feng said: "In the future, Lotus will continue to enrich its whole product line while maintaining the character of the ultimate kind of sports car, so as to satisfy the die-hard fans' love for Lotus and to meet the needs of more ordinary consumers. For example, in terms of storage space of cars, it will be improved in some future Lotus products.” After the acquisition of Lotus, Geely will continue maintaining its original product characteristics while meeting the needs of more consumers, including the need for new energy products.

How do different car cultures merge?

As we all know, as a traditional hand-built car manufacturers, Lotus only have relatively low annual output with 1600 units a year. However, as one of the large-scale Chinese automakers with assembly line production, how does Geely find the best match with Lotus?

The answer given by Mr. Feng is that hand-built must be applied at the core part, and this part will be retained in the future. Mode of production of other parts will be adjusted according to the actual situation to increase the proportion of automation. One thing to note is that automated and mass production does not mean getting rid of lightweight all-aluminum body. Thus, Lotus new products are worth looking forward to in the future.

It is reported that the new Evora GT410 from Lotus will be launched in this October. It is a pure mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive (MR) sports car. It equips with more carbon fiber to trim its weight to 1,256kg and more aero kit. In terms of power, the new car is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine with a maximum power of 306 kW (410 hp) and a peak torque of 420 Nm. The six-speed manual or automatic transmission makes it possible for a 3.9-second zero-to-96km sprint. The top speed is 305 kilometers per hour.

What kind of marketing method will Lotus adopt in the future?

After the Lotus Evora enters China in this October, Lotus will prioritize the expansion of its dealer channel in the first-tier cities. Consumers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and its surrounding regions will first get access to the latest Lotus products. Due to its unique sports character, Lotus will bring the purest British automotive culture to Chinese consumers by adopting an experiential marketing strategy.

As for the future planning of Lotus in the UK, to build the Lotus Museum is an important initiative to show its soft power. The museum will link the various elements of the brand and provide consumers with a comprehensive product introduction. As for the choice of competing products, Porsche will be one of the crucial opponents of Lotus currently.