Lotus announces new European CEO in wake of UK job cuts

Lotus has revealed the name of its new European boss – former President and CEO of the firm’s Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa regions, Dan Balmer. In an exclusive media briefing at the brand’s Piccadilly showroom in London, Balmer told Auto Express the firm will be “reading the room” – promising investment not only in electric cars, but also its recently-announced ‘Hyper Hybrid’ tech.

Balmer, whose 32-year career history includes stints at BMW, Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin, has been with Lotus for three and a half years – working mostly in Asia and the Middle East. He takes over from Mike Johnstone, who held the position of Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for the two years to September. 

Balmer reiterated the Lotus mantra of “born British, raised globally” – highlighting the brand’s worldwide presence, with a record 7,617 cars sold in the first nine months of 2024. He says the firm is aiming to build and sell 12,000 cars this year, ramping up to 30,000 cars annually by the end of 2026.

In an exclusive interview, Balmer told Auto Express that while the sales mix of its sports cars and EVs currently sits at almost 50:50, he could easily see the firm’s lifestyle vehicles – the Eletre and Emeya EVs, plus future family or GT-oriented cars – accounting for two-thirds of Lotus sales in time. 

That may not be the case short term, however. “That really depends on the macroeconomic conditions that we’re competing with over the next two years – that’s dictating the swing,” Balmer told us. “Competitors [for Emira] are starting to fall away, so we see an opportunity there. That’s the product that’s in demand right now.”

He also sees the introduction of its recently announced ‘Hyper Hybrid’ tech as a worthy addition to the company’s global offering, but wouldn’t reveal which models it would feature in. However, he admitted the current Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) was flexible enough to feature both EV and PHEV in tandem – suggesting it could be retro-fitted to existing cars if they deem it commercially viable.

“The [EPA] starting point is very strong,” he told us. “Having that pure battery-electric solution alongside the hybrid is equally important for us as well. We’re not flipping in terms of doing something different – we’re able to blend two things. It’s exciting.”

Balmer was also keen to emphasise Lotus and parent company Geely’s commitment to advanced driving assistance (ADAS) tech. Lotus is said to be pioneering the systems for high-profile third-party OEMs, though the European boss wouldn’t disclose which companies it was working with. 

When asked if we could see such systems fitted to sports cars like the Emira in the future, he said: “Probably in the way cupholders and connectivity are today; sports cars didn’t have that originally. There’s an expectation that some of these experiences are carried over, but it’ll probably evolve at a slower pace.”

Elsewhere, a spokesperson assured us that the future is bright for Lotus in the UK, and that recent job cuts were more a rationalisation of the workforce rather than anything to do with market conditions or dwindling demand.

With a new, smaller Lotus SUV due in 2025, the maker may use this as an opportunity to introduce us to its new multi-fuel approach and next-generation ADAS features, with more details available in due course.

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