By Chris Ward, June 28, 2025
I think someone forgot to tell the British motoring press that Lotus is already an overseas manufacturer—over half of its annual car production takes place in China. The Lotus Emeya EV sedan and Eletre EV SUV are both manufactured there. The Emira sports car, successor to the Evora, is built at Lotus’s spiritual home in Hethel, Norfolk.
However, the British press recently got wind of the possibility that Lotus may close its Hethel manufacturing base and relocate production to the United States. In fact, Lotus paused production at Hethel in May—a decision reportedly made to help the company navigate the logistical challenges posed by Trump-era tariffs.
The story of Lotus has taken a more optimistic turn in recent years. The company was acquired by Geely eight years ago, which initiated a period of restructuring and modernisation, backed by significant investment. In 2024, Lotus enjoyed the most successful sales year in its history.
Lotus sold over 12,000 vehicles in 2024, a 74% increase from the previous year. Despite this, with mounting liabilities and investment costs, Lotus only just crossed the profitability line. Its performance in 2025 has not met expectations, and Trump’s tariffs have applied additional pressure.
That said, Lotus has made no official statement on the matter. The motoring press attributes the information to a mysterious insider who allegedly leaked the news to trusted automotive site Autocar. But I believe this “source” was created intentionally, tasked with using the motoring press to seed a narrative that isn’t entirely truthful.
My interpretation is that this narrative may be part of a calculated effort by Lotus to influence public and governmental perception, potentially to pave the way for government assistance or strategic concessions. In essence, it’s a soft power move, using media channels to initiate a dialogue without making formal declarations.
Under previous British stewardship, Lotus was locked into a niche of low-volume, enthusiast-centric vehicles—a business model that, while romanticised by the press, was financially unsustainable. Geely’s global strategy aims to change that, and part of the process involves making hard decisions about where and how Lotus manufactures its vehicles.
If Geely ultimately chooses to move production to the U.S., that’s within their purview as a global business. But I believe this is more likely a strategic communication play—a means to elicit engagement from policymakers. If I’m wrong, and this rumour proves to be true, I will personally shut down the Daily Car Blog.