Lotus recently displayed its full range on the track at Goodwood Festival of Speed, marking a watershed moment for the Norfolk-based brand as it transitions to a fully electric lineup in the future. Now Lotus has opened its doors to customers by creating its first flagship European global brand centre in Mayfair, London.

Stationed at 73 Piccadilly, Lotus London is positioned at the heart of the most expensive area of London, rubbing shoulders with the most well-renowned luxury companies and providing a space for customers to immerse themselves in the Lotus brand. In 2018, Lotus revealed Vision80 and its plans to transform the brand from a heritage automotive company to an all-electric, intelligent, luxury mobility provider by 2028 – when the business turns 80.

This is all despite recent reports stating that the British marque had made a loss before tax of £145.1m in 2022, leading to a potential 200 job cuts. However, it looks like Lotus is pushing on regardless, focussing its effort on the "production of the Emira sports car and Evija hypercar, with 2023 set to be a record year for vehicle production before we turn our attention to our future EV sports cars". Production has already begun on the Eltre also, with customer deliveries due to begin in the UK and Europe later this summer.

Whilst the factory makes efforts to push its production volume to record levels, it will be up to Lotus London to serve as a showcase and launch venue for these latest vehicles and products. As well as the next generation vehicle line-up - the Eltre, Emira and Evija – customers will also be able to purchase Lotus merchandise and other co-branded products.

Mike Johnstone, Chief Commercial Officer at Lotus Group, said: “The opening of our new store demonstrates our commitment to transform Lotus to a global luxury performance brand. We have seen a huge demand for our products and have ambitious plans to scale rapidly by 2028. Brand centres around the world will play a key role in building both the Lotus brand and long-lasting relationships with our consumers.”

Lotus plans to launch further stores worldwide in key markets including Europe, Asia and the US, hoping to achieve a better financial forecast than in 2022.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Lotus