Lotus Engineering Targets Growth

After years of dwindling sales, Group Lotus plc’s engineering unit aims to reestablish itself and grow its sales within owner Geely Auto Group and to other carmakers in coming years.

“We’re back in business,” Lotus Engineering chief Miguel Fragoso tells Autocar. In addition to its core lightweighting and chassis technologies, the company increasingly will expand into electrified and other advanced propulsion systems, he says.

China’s Geely Auto, which also owns Volvo Cars, acquired a controlling stake in Lotus in 2017. Lotus Engineering, which once accounted for about half of Lotus’ overall sales, saw its contribution dip to as low as 15% in recent years.

The company has landed development programs with Jaguar Land Rover and two unnamed Japan-based carmakers, according to Autocar.

To help grow the business, Lotus Engineering has hired Dan Burge (pictured) as commercial director. Burge previously worked for Williams Advanced Engineering and Prodrive Automotive Technologies.

Fragoso was named vice president of Lotus Engineering in July 2018, about the same time former Geely chief technology officer Feng Qingfeng was tapped to head Group Lotus. He previously served as the firm’s engineering director for four years.