Currently reading: Lotus records big sales increase
Sales figures released by the Norfolk sports car manufacturer show an increase of 55% in units sold compared to last year

Lotus has recorded a 55% increase in car sales compared to the last financial year, with sales of 2015 cars since March 2014.

Releasing its financial results for the year to the end of March 2015, Lotus announced that it has recorded its best sales result since the financial crisis in 2008/2009 and seen a marked increase from the 1296 units sold from March 2013 to March 2014.

UK sales more than doubled to 346 units in the last financial year, representing an increase of 102%, while key markets in China, France and Germany recorded impressive sales increases of 186%, 177% and 130% respectively.

Globally, the number of Lotus dealers increased by 36 to 174, while the Lotus Elise was Lotus's best seller in the year with an 80% boost in sales to 729 units. All cars in the range saw improved sales figures, with the Lotus Exige S selling 724 units - an increase of 53% on last year - and the Evora selling 562 models, up 35%.

This substantial sales and product push has been orchestrated by new boss Jean-Marc Gales, who is hoping to boost sales volumes to 3500 in the next three years.

“This positive result is something that we have not witnessed at Lotus for many years,“ said Gales, who replaced Dany Bahar as Lotus group chief executive in May 2014.

”We are meeting both time and budget deadlines, yet we appreciate that we still have hard work to do to maintain the progress.

“Our continued expansion demonstrates the customer confidence in Lotus and that our product development strategy is meeting its objectives, while remaining true to our core pillars of efficiency, light weight, high performance and driving purity in the most desirable packaging,” he added.

Lotus is hoping to continue its renaissance with the Elise 220 Cup and Exige S automatic as well as the Evora facelift, the Evora 400, which was revealed at the Geneva motor show earlier this year and is set to go on sale in August this year.

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289 8 April 2015

@sundym

quote-" lotus since the 1970s and launch of the eclat and esprit under the legendary owner Colin Chapman have realised that going upmarket is the only way to survive"
.....and ever since Chunky took Lotus 'up market' they have been doing just that - 'surviving', hand to mouth. Laying off staff desperately looking for ANOTHER Asian saviour etc.etc.
Quality was never a Lotus strong point, and this is what undermines their ability to move upmarket...unlike Porsche.
What Lotus are good at are joint ventures...i.e. Lotus Cortina, Lotus Sunbeam, Lotus Carlton. Lightness, affordability and handling.
IMO this is what they need to get back to
289 8 April 2015

@KenF

OOOH touchy!
Clearly because my opinion...and it is an opinion - doesn't match yours, I am not entitled to an opinion without you getting rude and personal.
I am wrong occasionally, but I have never been wrong about Lotus yet. So I guess we will see what comes out in the wash! Lets have another look in 3 years time eh?
KenF 9 April 2015

@289

289 wrote:

OOOH touchy!
Clearly because my opinion...and it is an opinion - doesn't match yours, I am not entitled to an opinion without you getting rude and personal.
I am wrong occasionally, but I have never been wrong about Lotus yet. So I guess we will see what comes out in the wash! Lets have another look in 3 years time eh?

Its funny that you think my comment was rude and personal because what I actually did was use your own words against you. Increased car sales ARE good news for Lotus which has been struggling for far too long. I imagine that whatever the news was, that you would take a negative spin on it. And of course you are entitled to an opinion, but on this occasion it wasn't very popular, you don't mind some people sharing their opinions on that do you?

289 10 April 2015

You are surprised that I

You are surprised that I found your assertion " I wonder if the world would be any poorer if you weren't around anymore" & "I imagine you are wrong quite often" - rude & personal?! Clearly we live on different planets.
For what its worth, I hate to see ANY British manufacturer go to the wall, not least in the case of Lotus as I used to live in Norfolk and know quite a few people who would lose their livelihood if the company imploded. So I am not looking to put a negative spin on it as you suggest.
I am merely saying that if you start from a ridiculously low base it is easy to have 'headline 50% uplift' headlines...it just doesn't mean much because it doesn't mean that Lotus is 'out of the woods' or solvent.
However, I have seen this company drag its weary backside from crisis to crisis for so many years now through different owners, with staff layed off- expected to take pay cuts again and again through bad management and grandiose ideas which just don't work for this brand.
I don't care if my opinion "isn't very popular" it IS based on fact (apart from the 'my opinion' bit), and I have plenty of friends so I am not looking to solicit popularity like some desperate MP!
I enjoy dialogue even if we don't agree, but find some of your comments less than polite and probably not thought through before you pressed send. Hence my reply.
289 8 April 2015

@ WC

....still not ACTUALLY got anything of note to about motor cars WC!!
Jeez, your horizons must be small.