‘Punch In The Stomach’ Lotus Cuts Nearly Half Of Its Workforce In The UK

There aren’t many automotive corporations that will want to change places with Lotus right away. The struggling British-Chinese automaker is outwardly set to chop 550 jobs at its headquarters in Norfolk, England. In any case, that is quite a lot of staff, but once you consider that just 1,300 folks work there in total, the worrying nature of the cuts becomes clearer.

Lotus had previously denied reports that it was going to shut its factory in the world and arrange a brand new plant within the U.S., saying that though it was “actively exploring options in the worldwide market,” it remained “committed to the UK,” in response to the BBC. The automaker has since modified its tune following a review of its “business objectives in step with the present market conditions.” In an announcement to the BBC, Lotus tried to impress on reporters that this was a matter of self-preservation within the UK:

“We consider that is obligatory in an effort to secure a sustainable future for the corporate in today’s rapidly evolving automotive environment, which is seeing uncertainty with rapid changes in global policies including tariffs.

[…]

“It’s actively exploring future growth opportunities to diversify Lotus Cars’ business model, including through third-party manufacturing.”

A member of Parliament who represents the world called the job cuts “terrible news” and a “punch within the stomach” for staff.” I’ve got to agree with him.

If you happen to’ve been maintaining with the Lotus’ recent happenings, none of this could come as much of a surprise. The corporate has been — at best — treading water for many of its life, and things only appear to be getting worse. Hell, this is not even the primary time there have been layoffs in Hethel this yr. In February, the automaker needed to cut to 270 jobs due to weak demand for the Emira sports automotive.

President Trump’s tariffs actually forced the automaker to temporarily pause Emira sales within the U.S. for a time, and only a number of of the super expensive Chinese-built electric Eletre SUV were brought over before deliveries of it were also paused because tariffs would make them even costlier. The Emeya sedan has yet to go on sale, either.

I’m not totally sure where Lotus goes from here, but for a corporation that has spent its whole life circling the drain, it sure appears like a second flush is not that distant. I hope that I’m unsuitable, but I’m often not.