The Chairman of Group Lotus plc and PROTON Holdings Bhd, and former Prime Minister of Malaysia, was briefed on the current Lotus business plan and future model line-up by Jean-Marc Gales, CEO, Group Lotus plc, before viewing the Lotus assembly line where the new Lotus Evora 400 sports cars are hand built.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Chairman of Group Lotus plc, said, “Over the last 12 months since my last visit to Hethel, I have been greatly impressed with the step change that has been made by the management team at Lotus. The business has made great progress and it is clear that the turnaround of Lotus is underway. It is always a pleasure to visit the home of Lotus and having seen the progress achieved and the forthcoming range of Lotus cars, I am encouraged and excited for the future of the company.”
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO, Group Lotus plc said, “It is an honour for us to welcome Tun Dr Mahathir to Lotus once again and we are grateful for his valuable feedback and comments. We have worked extremely hard to get to where we are today. With the unveiling of the Lotus 3-Eleven and the delivery of the new Evora 400 into European markets already underway we are on track to return to profitability by the end of the financial year, which will be a great achievement.”
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the wheel of a new Lotus Evora 400 at the Lotus HQ, in Hethel, Norfolk
To finish off his visit, Tun Dr. Mahathir drove the Lotus Evora 400 on the Lotus Test Track where he was impressed with the capabilities of the latest sports car from Hethel, complimenting its performance and experiencing for himself the pure driving experience and benchmark handling that has been praised by the world’s automotive press.
