Lotus announces plans for Esprit replacement

Lotus will build a new mid-engined sports car in 2008, the company announced today. The mid-engined car will be positioned at the higher end of the Lotus range and will occupy the sector vacated by the Lotus Esprit that finished production in 2004. The car will likely be sold as a 2008 or 2009 model. The car will be built at the Lotus headquarters at Hethel in Norfolk U.K. The decision to assemble the new car at Hethel follows an extensive evaluation of a number of manufacturing locations around the world by Group Lotus and its shareholder Proton Holdings Bhd.





Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive for Group Lotus plc says:
"We are very pleased that Hethel has been confirmed by the Board of Directors as the manufacturing location for this vital new car. However the decision to choose Hethel has not been taken lightly and was influenced not only by our past achievements, but also by firm future commitments to improve the efficiencies and flexibilities within our manufacturing facility. We have a lot of work to do between now and the start of production and this will demand much commitment and hard work from us all at Lotus."?