Lotus CEO Dany Bahar previously stated that Proton's new owners fully supported Lotus and its future vehicle plans, but DRB-Hicom's actions suggest that might not be the case.
According to Autocar, DRB-Hicom has little interest in dealing with Lotus' $316.7 million debt and is currently shopping around the UK-based car maker.
Although neither side has commented on the subject, recent rumors have surfaced that DRB-Hicom is shopping Lotus to China's Youngman. Youngman has been Lotus' official Chinese importer since 2006 and already produces a vehicle with an "Engineered by Lotus" badge. Youngman, as you might recall, most recently tried to purchase Saab.
We're not ready to write Lotus epitaph just yet, but it sounds as if the sports car maker could be in some deep trouble.
