To make matters worse, tough new American import tariffs began decimating Hethel sales and even caused Geely to talk about moving Emira production to the US. Lotus staff numbers were slashed; irreplaceable managers were ‘let go’.
There were even suggestions (until the UK government intervened) that Hethel would close – a huge blow to the UK’s reputation as a maker of specialist cars.
The situation calmed a little when Geely hurriedly produced assurances that Hethel would remain as Lotus’s sports car headquarters. But the threat still hovers, and current Emira production, slow and sometimes stationary, is far from economic.
So what next? Feeling acutely aware of the disaster that could follow the loss of Lotus’s most important base in the UK, we at Autocar wondered if there was anything we could do beyond reporting the news and expressing regrets.
After discussion, we decided that one bold route to profitability could be to launch a sister model for the Emira that, if specified correctly, might draw buyers from the tariff-free markets of Europe and move Hethel closer to capacity and profitability.
We alighted on a proposal for a sporty but practical Lotus 2+2 EV, more of a family-friendly ‘daily driver’ than the Emira but still around Emira size, because that’s part of the family DNA.
It would have Emira-level performance and dynamics, too, but would be an EV because, as well as being the powertrain of the future, the latest electric powertrain developments promise a spacious and accessible cabin even in such a compact car.
We reckoned that by the time our car would be ready (estimated to be 2028), it could have strong buyer appeal in the UK and Europe (the world’s third-biggest car market, running to 12 million units per year), especially as EV sales keep rising and tariffs aren’t a problem in the region. But what would such a car be like?
To explore this crucial question, we gathered a small team of top British designers and engineers to propose their version of a car to save Hethel, with Autocar as the client.
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