The Geely-owned car brand Lotus is facing mass layoffs for the second time this year. 200 lose their jobs.
The car manufacturer Lotus plans to make mass layoffs of up to 200 employees in the UK. This happens after other rounds of layoffs in both 2023 and earlier this year.
The organizational changes, as management described the layoffs, affect Lotus Cars' Hethel division, which is responsible for the Emira sports car, the Evija electric hypercar and the Type 135 project – the development of an electric replacement for the Emira and Elise.
In a statement to Autocar , the company says it will seek to retrain staff where possible "to retain specific skills and knowledge within the business".
– The latest proposed organizational changes at Lotus Cars must ensure that the company has the right organizational structure to ensure sustainable operations.
– After a review of the resources in relation to the market demand and the changing market conditions, the company optimizes its internal processes and structures in order to achieve its long-term business goals, it reads.
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The employees themselves were informed that their jobs are in danger on Thursday this week. In total, Lotus expects that "up to 200 jobs in England will be affected".
However, the company says it will try to support redeployment of employees and "plans to find ways to retain specific skills and knowledge within the company". Lotus UK had 1,699 people on the payroll at the end of 2023.
While the brand's managing director Qingfeng Feng will retain his position, Simon Lane, who was the executive director of Lotus's Advanced Performance program, left the company last week.
The all-electric Evija supercar was unveiled by the Advanced Performance team, and despite Lane's departure, Lotus says the Evija project is continuing 'as planned'.
Lotus also says the brand still expects to launch the electric sports car, known internally as the Type 135, in 2027. The Theory 1 concept car, shown this summer, gives a taste of how the car and Lotus' model programs will play out in the future. If there is any future.
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