With rumors of a future for Lotus swirling, the company will live on as its new owner DRB-Hicom has signed off on a three-year plan to fund the British sports car maker.
Though details weren’t disclosed on how much DRB-Hicom will be investing into the brand, it has been confirmed that it has spent over $152 million to keep Lotus alive. During that time, however, the automaker sold enough vehicles to warrant further investing, especially now that everything involved with the buyout from Proton has been completed.
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As for future plans, Lotus will begin by offering new variants based on existing products but sporting improved technology, performance, quality and most importantly, cost. The Lotus Exige S Roadster was the first of these variants, and more will be coming from the Evora and Elise.
Up to the end of May, Lotus had sold 70 vehicles, compared to 80 in 2012. Production will now be increased to 40 units per month with about 85 percent of them being exported.
Lastly, DRB-Hicom confirmed that Dany Bahar’s ambitious plan of five models in five years has been axed for something more practical. The Esprit project however, since it was much further along than the other vehicles, could be revived under DRB-Hicom.
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[Source: Autocar UK]
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