Lotus Club Queensland
Dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of the Lotus experience
Login
Register
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Membership
    • Member Login
  • Events
    • Calendar
  • Motorsport
    • Lakeside DTC Timed Laps
    • LAKESIDE DTC RESULTS
  • Magazine
  • For Sale
    • Merchandise
    • Classifieds
  • Posts
  • Galleries
  • Directory
    • Suppliers & Parts
    • Advertisers
  • Archives

Lotus sees brighter future

Lotus sees brighter future as it recruits 100 new staff

By Nick Gibbs | Automotive News Europe | August 2013

Lotus Cars is expanding its workforce 18 months after the UK sport car maker’s future was put in doubt by its new owners.

Lotus will add just over 100 staff at its headquarters near Norwich in eastern England, the company said in a statement.

“It’s been a period of substantial change at Lotus and we are now in a strong position to expand our work on future products and to increase production in our manufacturing facilities,” Lotus Chief Operating Officer Aslam Farikullah said in a statement.

Lotus’ recruitment drive follows a 100 million pound investment by owners DRB-Hicom which Lotus says will enable it to strengthen its engineering, productivity, efficiency and quality.

DRB-Hicom executive chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Khamil Jamil

Last year, Malaysian investment company DRB-Hicom, said it was open to selling the unprofitable carmaker after taking over Lotus parent Proton Holding. Reports said Volkswagen was among potential buyers.

DRB-Hicom fired CEO Dany Bahar in June 2012 and cancelled his strategy to boost annual sales to 10,000 by introducing five new models. Bahar, a former Ferrari global sales and marketing director, had planned to leverage Lotus’s rich history and create a brand to rival Ferrari and Porsche.

DRB-Hicom scaled back plans to expand the sports car brand’s product lineup to five cars from three because it believed the project was not viable.

DRB-Hicom executive chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Khamil Jamil told the Malaysian New Straits Times in January that he aims to at least triple Lotus sales to 3000-4000 to the end of March 2015. He said the main markets would be China, Japan and the United States.

The sales increase would come from new variants of the existing three-car sportscar range of the Elise, Exige and Evora, Jamil told the Business Times in Malaysia in a separate interview.

Lotus declined to confirm Jamil’s comments.

Lotus sells about 1,000 cars a year. The company said its vehicle sales are up by more than 20 percent to 776 cars in the first six months. The company said it will recruit 45 engineers, 40 production line staff and 18 graduates, increasing its staff to 1,200.

Lotus posted a loss of 115.2 million pounds (133 million euros) in its financial year to March 2012, according to figures released by the company earlier this year.

Lotus to build 150kW hyperbike Räikkönen “will stay at Lotus”

Related Posts

duratec-banner

Articles, Homepage, Technical

Duratec Elise – better late than never

marburg-banner

EMRs, Gallery 2022, Homepage, News

Marburg Pub Run – 4 Sept 2022

plus2-banner

Articles, Gallery 2022, Homepage, Technical

Unique +2 Road Trip to Brisbane

Random images

John-Flynn-leading Ormiston-18 Johan and Don George-Rowes-Lotus11-overall-winner IMG_4905 12-Over-hill-and-dale 14-Extra-breakfast-companions-above Host-Brad-centre MG_7635 Lotus-line Shane and Jon george-anita Penny_farthing_man_at_Beechworth_Festival IMG_6417 IBT6_Lunch_at_Heritage_Winery IMG_6195 IMG_8796 IMG_4849 IMG_4410 nathan-05 IMG_2232-2 Photo-28-11-20-8-29-03-pm unnamed 8 Clive-Wade-Joe-Arico-Geoff-Noble-and-Rob-Stevens Terri-and-Geoff-Musgrave-of-Lock-Load-Transport-QLD-with-Elisa-Artioli IMG_0471-0 IMG_2461 IMG_9100 Martin O'Brien DTC Jon Young 1988 Caterham Super 7 - 3 boots-up MG-8182 IMG-0168 IMG_0079 Lotus-Lites NSX_pic2 IMGP2237 IMG_4907 IMG_0529 IMG_8516 IMG_5097 IMG_8500 IMG_8483 IMG_6393 IMG_0380 DSC03842 IMG_4871 main-21 main-3a Mar-main-46 Secret-mens-business main-7 Daryl-Matt-and-John-who-is-registering-for-the-event Jan-main-17 IMG_7419 image_019 IMG_3331 Excel_Henry_3 IMG_5322 IMG_6632 IMG_7610 IMG_4337 IMG_8923 IMG_0547 IMG_7416 20090822_087 Club_Lotus_Dec_08_010 IMG_3897 P5250019 BDR_on_the_prowl IMG_8051 Stepping-back-in-time Garry 20200816_080349 Me_Chasing_Ken_at_the_posted_Speed_limit_of_course IMG_3893 Evaporator-box-2 tony-galletly's-eleven volvos IMG_6151 Adam-and-a-trial-fit-by-Craig-Wilson Ken's beautiful black Europa 2 Wybe-Geertsmas-Lotus-Elite-runner-up-in-Class-1-1950-1962 Joe_gw Heading-for-Mt-Mee-gw Start IMG_0057 main-11 Ford Tonys-Eleven-masterpiece-by-Gavin-Goeldner Fiat-850 free-magazines Rob tonys-eleven Clive following Martin jaguar-c-type steve-and-mary-ann's-europa-and-alfa-brera IMAG6029 main-53

Recent Articles

  • Morgan Park Sprints R4
  • Kev’s Big Day Out
  • Duratec Elise – better late than never
  • Gold Rush Hill Sprint – 2022
  • Marburg Pub Run – 4 Sept 2022
  • Unique +2 Road Trip to Brisbane
  • Leyburn 2022
  • August 2022 DTC

Latest Gallery Images

20220220_093834 20220220_093818 20220220_093827 20220220_093743 20220220_093812 20220220_093730

Search articles by category

Archived articles

Lotus Club Queensland
© Lotus Club Queensland   |   Site by Black Eye Studios