Lotus unveils shared engineering hub to revive UK car production

Lotus is launching a new engineering and manufacturing hub at its Hethel site. The facility will share resources with other carmakers and technology firms. It forms part of a broader effort to support British vehicle production and innovation. The hub will allow companies to collaborate on product development and testing. Lotus, Charge Holdings, Zenos Cars, DR Automobiles, and Cranfield University are already involved. Matt Nice, deputy managing director at Lotus, said it would speed up innovation in the automotive sector.

Paul Abercrombie, group chief executive of Charge Holdings, highlighted Hethel’s integrated environment for engineering and manufacturing. The site has also seen investment in road infrastructure to support further growth. This comes as UK car production fell by 15.5% in 2025, hitting its lowest level since 1952.

Lotus itself produced a record 2,200 sports cars in the first half of 2023 at Hethel. The hub aims to keep specialist British car-making viable through shared infrastructure. It will also benefit from the UK government’s £4bn DRIVE35 programme for the automotive industry. The Hethel hub is designed to boost collaboration and regional growth. It will help sustain British car manufacturing by providing shared resources. The project aligns with national efforts to revive the struggling automotive sector.