New North American Dealer

Duluth, GA, April 2, 2009 – Lotus Cars USA, Inc. is pleased to announce the continued strategic expansion of its North American retail network by welcoming our newest dealer partner Lotus of Austin into the Lotus family. This new dealership in Austin, Texas increases Lotus' North American retail presence to 52 dealerships – 49 in the United States and 3 in Canada.

Owned and operated by John Eagle Dealerships, Lotus of Austin will be run by Dealer Principal Sonny Morgan who continues as the President of Aston Martin of Dallas and has now relocated to Austin to direct the startup, development and operation of the newest Lotus dealership in North America.

Lotus sales and service will begin in mid-April from a beautiful new showroom and stand-alone service facility to be shared with two other fine historic British marques – Aston Martin and Bentley. Housing these three revered automotive brands together on Research Boulevard in the heart of the hill country, Sonny and his team will offer the full spectrum of fine performance and luxury automobiles to the sophisticated and discerning clientele of Austin.

"With the success we've enjoyed in recent years with our Elise and Exige range of pure and visceral sports cars and the upcoming launch of our all-new 2010 Evora, the world's only mid-engined 2+2 performance car in production, Lotus is at a key growth point in the history of the company," said Arnie Johnson, Director of Operations, Lotus Cars USA, Inc. "It's more important than ever for Lotus to partner with the right retailers and we've found in John Eagle and Sonny Morgan the best possible partners to represent Lotus in Austin."

"We're very fortunate in Austin to enjoy great weather most of the year, spectacular scenery and some of the most enjoyable driving roads anywhere on the planet," said Sonny Morgan, Dealer Principal and Co-Owner of Lotus of Austin. "The true car enthusiasts of Austin and surrounding communities will thrive on the opportunity to enjoy the unparalleled driving experience of a legendary Lotus sports car in our driver's paradise. What a great city to be a Lotus owner!"