Lotus has confirmed proposals to cut up to 200 jobs at its Hethel and Warwickshire base, mainly focused at engineering and administrative roles.
This announcement come just days after it posted losses of £145.1 million – which followed an £86.6m loss in 2021 – caused by a significant fall in sales.
The Geely-owned manufacturer maker sold just 576 cars in 2022, down from 1566 in 2021, which it blamed on supply chain issues in the second half of the year.
Last year, Lotus sold just one model, the Lotus Emira, having ended production of the Lotus Elise, Lotus Exige and Lotus Evora in 2021. The Lotus Eletre entered production this year.
However, the proposed cuts, which Lotus has confirmed to Autocar as affecting engineers and those within 'group functions' (no production roles are at risk), are not as a result on the losses.
Instead, the brand says, it is a separate decision which is part of a move by the Norfolk-based brand to “restructure its workforce". Those affected workers will be found new roles “where possible”.
In a statement, a Lotus spokesman said: "Lotus Cars' proposal for a reorganisation of its business is to ensure that the right organisational structure is in place for us to achieve our business goals and to build a strong, sustainable future.
"This includes a restructure of its workforce, which may involve the loss of up to 200 jobs.
"Wherever possible, we will look to support the redeployment of staff and plan to look for ways to retain specific skills and knowledge within the business, despite the proposed cuts. We believe this is vital to ensuring the organisation is leaner and more competitive long term."
Lotus boss Matt Windle said the car maker "understands the concerns that this proposal will create", adding that it "deeply regrets the potential impact" any reshaping of the business may have "on our employees and their families".
He added: “We have worked very hard to avoid the need to make the proposal but do believe that it is now essential. It is in no way a reflection on our employees who have shown nothing but dedication to us and have worked tirelessly to support Lotus.
"Once the reshaping has been undertaken, and with its strong and experienced management team, Lotus should be a leaner, more competitive organisation, focusing on both producing class-leading sports cars and innovative engineering solutions.
"Our shareholders have made a clear commitment that the UK will remains at the heart of sports car operations, and we continue to focus our efforts on production of the Emira sports car and Evija hypercar."
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