Lotus Lightweight Structures Limited

Lotus Lightweight Structures Limited

New Lotus Manufacturing Company Offers Greater Flexibility, Lower Weight Solutions

and Reduced Time to Market for World’s Motor Industry.

Group Lotus plc, the world famous sportscar manufacturer and globally renowned automotive

engineering consultancy, announces the creation of Lotus Lightweight Structures, following the

acquisition of Holden Lightweight Structures Limited today, 15th May 2008.

Lotus Lightweight Structures, which employs 120 skilled engineers, technicians and sales

staff, will be based at the former Holden Lightweight Structures Limited site in Worcester, UK

and will continue to manufacture light weight aluminium and composite structures and

components for its extensive client base as well as growing its business globally through the

company’s association with Group Lotus plc.

Lotus Lightweight Structures will continue to assemble the award winning Lotus Elise, Exige

and Europa aluminium chassis as well as the all new chassis for the yet to be launched Lotus

Project Eagle.

The strategic acquisition of Holden Lightweight Structures Limited and the subsequent

creation of Lotus Lightweight Structures enables Lotus to:

· Create, adapt and change its range of products quickly and effectively, catering for

changing global customer demands.

· Provide an additional in house manufacturing facility.

· Add an additional manufacturing solution for Lotus Engineering’s global client base,

providing lightweight aluminium and composite vehicle components and structures.

Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive of Group Lotus plc, “I am delighted to announce the creation

of Lotus Lightweight Structures following the strategic acquisition of Holden Lightweight

Structures Limited. With this facility, we will continue to expand and lead the world in

lightweight vehicle research, development and production to help our global client base find

ways to reduce the weight and cost from their vehicles. Weight reduction is one of the most

attainable ways to lowering CO2 emissions in vehicles today, as well as improving fuel

economy and performance, and we have a duty to share our technology with the world’s car

makers for everyone’s long term benefit.”

Mike Kimberley continues, “Lotus Lightweight Structures provides additional facilities,

capabilities and expertise to the Lotus Manufacturing portfolio. The Worcester facility, and

dedicated team, complements our Hethel Headquarters and does not substitute any of the

operations in Norfolk, but instead enables our strategic global expansion programme to

proceed to plan. We are now just ten weeks from the unveiling of the next all new Lotus, code

named Project Eagle at the British Motorshow, and we are working hard to bring this fabulous

2+2 to the market in the Spring of 2009. The Project Eagle chassis structure will be the first

product from our new Lotus Lightweight Structures facility. We look forward to increasing our

support to customers, clients and new ecologically driven projects worldwide.”

About Group Lotus plc:

The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Ltd, which has two operating divisions -

Lotus Engineering and Lotus Cars. Lotus Engineering is an internationally recognised automotive

engineering consultancy based in Norfolk, UK. Global facilities include those in Michigan (USA), Kuala

Lumpur (Malaysia), Shanghai (China) and offices in Germany and Japan, with rapid expansion in new

territories such as South East Asia and the Gulf States.

Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world's

OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, offering a full engineering service from initial concept and project design

through development and integration of the complete vehicle to meet all worldwide markets and

customers to full production. This includes third party 'niche vehicle' engineering and manufacture

worldwide.

Lotus Cars builds world class, prestige, high performance sports cars for sale in 37 countries. These

include the iconic Lotus Elise, and the Exige and Europa. Lotus is a global high-tech company,

expanding rapidly and committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering

clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.