Lotus reveals record-breaking order books for Eletre and Emira

Lotus has confirmed that the first half of 2023 has been a record-breaker for sales, with around 17,000 orders placed for the new Eletre SUV and the Emira sports car.

Okay, so the eagle-eyed among you will point out that we already knew this, but the positive noises are worth hearing all the same.

The Emira was launched in 2022 and 2,200 examples have been built in the UK this year, a 381 per cent increase. Crikey, no wonder order books are full for the next two years.

And deliveries of the Eletre began in China at the end of March, with Lotus’ first electric car (we’re still waiting on the Evija, harumph) expected to arrive in Europe in a few weeks’ time.

The numbers are a welcome relief for a company that lost £145 million and shifted just 567 cars last year. Around 200 job cuts are looming as well, although Lotus has always insisted that these are unrelated to its financial performance.

It also expanded its retail presence this year, adding 24 locations worldwide for a total of 193 stores. This includes expansion into South Korea, which it’s identified as a key market for luxury vehicles.

“We set an ambitious goal in 2018, with the launch of our Vision80 strategy to transform the business from a traditional automotive brand to become an all-electric, luxury, mobility provider in ten years,” says Feng Qingfeng, CEO of Lotus Group. “We have spent the last few years laying the foundations for success and today’s announcement demonstrates that Lotus is no longer the same business that it has been in previous years.

"We are firmly on track to becoming a global performance brand by 2028.”  

Let’s hope so. A Porsche Taycan rival is finished and is set to be revealed later this year. An electric sports car is in the pipeline too, despite the idea of a joint development programme with Alpine falling through.