Up to 200 Norfolk jobs at risk as Lotus announces redundancy plan

Sportscar manufacturer Lotus has confirmed it is cutting jobs for the third time in 18 months, with up to 200 UK-based roles at risk.

The company, which is based at Hethel near Norwich, said the redundancies were the result of "market demand and evolving market conditions".

Owned by Chinese firm Geely, Lotus made significant cuts to jobs in July 2023 and January this year, with accounts in 2023 showing car sales had dropped by almost 200% in one year and losses had risen to £145.1m.

It is understood that the majority of the latest job losses will be at the Norfolk factory.

A spokesperson for Lotus said: "The latest proposed organisational changes at Lotus Cars are to ensure that the company has the right organisation structure in place to ensure sustainable operations.

"Following a review of resources in line with market demand and evolving market conditions, the company is optimising its internal processes and structures to achieve its long-term business objectives.

"We anticipate up to 200 UK-based roles to be impacted across Lotus Cars.

"We remain firmly committed to the UK as the heart of our sportscar operations, which will continue in the design and manufacturing of world-class vehicles including the Emira sportscar and Evija hypercar."

Lotus said it would support the redeployment of staff "wherever possible" and that it believed the cuts were "vital" for the company to remain competitive.

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