Cameron urges Malaysian owners to keep Lotus cars in UK
LONDON, April 18 – Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, said today he had asked the new owners of Lotus to protect the future of the loss-making British sportscar maker, following speculation that production could be moved abroad.
More than 1,000 Lotus workers fear Malaysian company DRB-Hicom is seeking a Chinese buyer for the firm, whose Esprit model found fame for spectacular cameos in James Bond movies.
“I did raise this issue with the Malaysian prime minister and also with the new Malaysian owners of the parent company of Lotus,” Cameron (picture) told parliament, following a trip to Asia last week.
“Lotus makes a key contribution to the UK automotive sector, the sector is doing well, I want to see Lotus succeed. I want to see it have a secure future and we are in contact with the company, monitoring the situation very closely.”
DRB-Hicom bought Proton, the parent company of Lotus, in January and has said it could consider selling the firm. – Reuters
