With the opening of a new assembly plant in Hubei, China, that’s capable of manufacturing 150,000 cars annually, Geely looks set to begin production of the British sports car in China for the first time, according to reports by Reuters.
The move would benefit both the Chinese and British brand with Geely aiming to produce more high-end vehicles while Lotus thrives from increased production of its sport cars and fast-tracked development of its first ever SUV.
Ever since taking over the British sports car maker, Geely has pledged to unleash the full potential and appeal of the Lotus brand and to compete with the likes of Porsche and Ferrari again.
With plans to introduce an SUV by 2020, the Chinese principal has been aggressive in its expansion of Lotus with a recent RM7 billion investment to increase headcount and production volumes.
Geely also recently named Feng Qingfeng, Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of Geely Auto Group, to succeed Jean-Marc Gales as Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus.
According to the same report, the factory in Wuhan is also capable of manufacturing electric and hybrid vehicles. That should help elevate sales for the Lotus brand should they proceed to expand their line up beyond just sports car as sales only amounted to 1,630 units globally last year.
