Page 34 - June 2022

Lo t u s Ha s SeeN It s

Fu t u r e a n d it

Lo o k s l ik e t h is

"Same Courage. New Energy. For over 70 years, Lot us has been a leader in t he
indust ry. Wit h a rebellious spirit and a pioneering perspect ive, we dare t o set new
st andards for innovat ion and performance. Engineered wit h a clear vision for t he
next generat ion of forward- t hinking drivers." from Lot us websit e

Lot us has opened is Chapman Product ion Cent re. in Het hel, Norfolk. The firm calls it 'one of t he
most advanced, low-volume, aut omot ive fact ories in t he world" . It represent s a £100m
invest ment int o t he redevelopment of Lot us?UK operat ions. The fact ory has been named aft er t he

founder of Lot us, Colin Chapman , Clive Chapman, t he son of co-founders Colin and Hazel , joined
Mat t Windle, managing direct or of Lot us Cars at t he opening. Windle t old t he audience: " Lot us is
t ransforming from a UK sport s car company t o a t ruly global performance car business."

The Chapman Production Centre, where the new Lotus Emira will be built, has the capacity to build 5,000
cars a year. It includes a new automated paint center intended to reduce paint usage by 30-40% over
the previous hand-sprayed method. This is
just one of the many innovations the
company will make going forward.

Lot us Bet s on More Product ion,
Elect ric Vehicles, and a New (but last )
Analog, Pet rol Sport s Car, t he Emira
Can Lotus do all that and still retain its
philosophy of minimalism combined with the
incredible lightness of being? The company
believes it can as it introduces its three Es.

Meet t he all-elect ric Elet re, a (gasp) SUV Image from Lotus
Describing Lotus' first all electric SUV as "carved by air", the company also says the 100% electric Eletre

pushes the boundaries of existing technology combined with exciting vehicle dynamics. According to
Gavan Kershaw, Lotus used the Porsche Taycan rather than its Cayenne SUV as the benchmark . It has
absolutely nothing in common, style wise or sizewise with the stunning Emira or the Evija. Still, as an
SUV it is designed for a different purpose and market. Lotus hopes to sell thousands of these, and like
Porsche learned, the SUV can be the model that keeps a passion for producing true sports cars viable.
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