Hethel is set to remain Lotus's spiritual home and the place where its sports cars are designed and built. But the vast new Lotus plant in Wuhan seems set to become the brand's powerhouse, definitely when it comes to sales volumes.
Lotus's hefty prediction that it will be selling 150,000 of its 'lifestyle EVS' a year globally as soon as 2028 seems a whole lot more achievable after I took the chance to tour the spectacular new Chinese plant.
Factory manager Xi Tan is one of Geely's most experienced, with a well-established track record for setting up new facilities. The dramatic expansion of the group's activities has given him plenty of experience doing so over the years: Wuhan is the seventh factory of which he has led the establishment, although he admits that the first of those was actually a joint venture with Honda.
Work on what's officially known as the Lotus Global EV Production Centre started in 2019, and it was formally opened in July last year. Situated about 30 miles to the south-west of Wuhan city and close to the Yangtze river, it has plenty of company, being within the Wuhan Technology and Development Zone, home to numerous other car plants and suppliers.
The Lotus site covers around 250 acres and incorporates a press shop, paint shop and final assembly area. There's also a test track, incorporating a kilometrelong main straight and 16 corners, which is used for both shakedown and validation work.
In essence, it's pretty much a self-contained CHINE production facility - one that Lotus has spent a reported $1.5 billion (£1.2bn) building.
That spending is obvious throughout the plant. Production of the Eletre SUV began earlier this year, although it's still ramping up towards high-volume production.
This story is from the May 24, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 24, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Poster car that went from rusty to trusty
One evening, two years ago, George Pappas was being driven down his local high street by a mate and mulling over whether to replace his Mk4 Golf diesel, a recent purchase that was boring him to death, when his girlfriend, also in the car, spotted an old BMW 3 Series at the side of the road with a 'for sale' sign in the window.
THE SEVEN-SEATER THAT VOLVO DARE NOT KILL OFF
The current-gen XC90 has been on sale since 2015 for good reason
GENESIS ELECTRIFIED G80
Where the story begins, in the Hyundai premium marque’s luxury saloon
LEXUSLBX
Can you shrink premium quality to fit an SUV this small? We now know
Rolls boss ready to 'define the next chapter'
Nine months into the job, Rolls-Royce CEO and car guy Chris Brownridge tells STEVE CROPLEY what he's learned and where the firm's heading
Once more, with feeling
AC Cars' recreation of the classic MkII Cobra is at first glance a faithful facsimile of a 1960s performance benchmark. SIMON HUCKNALL drives it
MERCEDES-BENZ CLE
Does a PHEV set-up work in a coupé that exudes such old-school vibes?
ANALOGUE SUPERSPORT
Lotus Elise specialist uprates 1990s icon with an eye on track days
ALPINE A290
The hot hatch is alive and well, and living in France. On both road and track, there's much to savour`
UK HANGS ON TO OLD CARS
Average car age climbs as high prices dampen demand for new models