Contrary to an earlier report, Lotus says it will not be building the Europa, or any other car, in China within the next 5 years.
This goes against what Jinhua Neoplan has asserted in a number of articles in the Chinese press, including the China Daily. The truth was discovered in an e-mail sent out to Lotus staff. The email also said that such reports “could affect staff morale or performance” and that “in the future please treat such press comments with the skepticism they deserve.”
Proton, parent company of Lotus , has entered into an agreement with China’s Jinhua Neoplan Vehicle Co. that will see the Lotus Europa built in China. Production for the Europa will be at Jinhua Neoplan’s plant in Jinan, China.
According to the China Daily, the two companies are also working together on producing a four-door sedan. Until now, Jinhua Neoplan had only been producing buses, but plans on producing 150,000 cars annually for the Chinese market as well as export.
