Lotus confirms new sports car series

Lotus has confirmed a new series of sports cars, with prototype production of the Lotus Type 131 to commence this year from a world-class manufacturing facility in Hethel, Norfolk.

The new manufacturing investment is part of Lotus' Vision80 strategy, which will also see the relocation of two Lotus sub-assembly facilities into one efficient central operation in Norwich city to support higher volumes.

To accompany the $180-million-plus investment into Hethel's facilities, Lotus will be recruiting some 250 new employees. This is in addition to the 670 to have joined Lotus since September 2017, when shareholders Geely and Etika took ownership of the company.

New recruits are required for roles in engineering and manufacturing for both Lotus Cars and the world-renowned engineering consultancy, Lotus Engineering - which opens its Advanced Technology Centre in Warwick later this year.

To acknowledge the forthcoming family of performance cars, Lotus has released an image that hints at the new generation of products that will follow the Elise, Exige and the Evora, which have entered their final year of production in 2021. A full programme of activities is planned to celebrate the current range of three sports cars, starting with the eldest, the iconic Lotus Elise.