19 September 2026
Lotus delivered 891 Emira sports cars in the first half of last year. The year before, in the same six months, it delivered 2,476. A drop of 64% on the only petrol car the company still makes, at the only factory it has left in Britain. Behind that number is a year that ended a British institution as it existed. In April, 270 people were laid off at Hethel. In May, production stopped entirely for four months after the United States raised tariffs on British-built cars from 2.5% to 27.5%. The half-year figures showed revenue down 45% to £162 million and a loss of £195 million in six months. In late June, the Financial Times reported that Geely had decided to move Lotus sports car production to America and was considering closing Hethel altogether — a claim Lotus denied within hours while confirming it was "actively exploring strategic options." Then in August, up to 550 more roles went, with sources putting the real figure closer to 700. Close to half the factory in five months. The London headquarters, opened months earlier, was closed. The Park Lane showroom was handed to a dealer group. The head of Lotus Cars Europe left. And on 21 August this year, with almost no coverage in Britain, Lotus Technology — the Chinese company that builds the Eletre and Emeya in Wuhan — completed a 100% acquisition of Lotus UK. Hethel's factory floor now sits inside a Chinese electric car company. The survival plan: Lotus is in talks with Zenos about assembling their cars at Hethel, and describes the site's future as a regional production hub. Colin Chapman laid the foundation stone there sixty years ago this July. Also covered honestly: Hethel is open, Geely put £100m in, and there's a new V8 hybrid due in 2028 reviving the Esprit name. Lotus was also dying under Proton and GM long before Geely arrived. Have you owned a Lotus? Did you ever go to Hethel? Tell me in the comments.
