Small Chinese player to start making Lotus cars in China!
Woo Yay! Lotus cars are finally coming to China, and we dont mean via the usual Shanghai port method at super high prices.
The deal will see bus maker, Jinhua Neoplan, based not too far from China Car Times in Jinan city (Provincial capital of Shandong) building the Lotus super cars from kits sent over from the UK and also making Proton vehicles, we’ve always wondered why Proton didnt come to China, it looks like they actually make some decent looking cars these days.
China Car Times is obviously surprised, and shocked by this deal – we really had no idea that Lotus were planning to start Chinese production, and if they were to choose a joint venture partner in China we thought they might choose someone who is already in on the sports car game, rather than a bus maker. Well, if Nanjing can go from truck making, to MG making we’re pretty sure Jinhua Neoplan can start knocking out Lotus and Proton cars.
Jinhua Neoplan is expecting to be rolling out 150,000 cars per year for the Chinese market. China Car Times can cancel the MGTF order, as we’re getting the Lotus Europa instead. Sorry.
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As early as May 2006, Proton’s subsidiary Lotus Engineering, joined Jinhua Youngman in a feasibility study to jointly design, develop and sell completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles. And so they have been “knocking out” cars together for awhile now.
Anyone knows what the status of Lotus actually producing cars in China is? Are they producing cars, are they producing look-alike Lotus cars, are they producing knock-offs, ?..
They have been producing Lotus branded cars under license at Youngman Group.