Yahoo Autos Geely Might Buy Lotus
Chairman Li, the head of Geely doesn't seem to be an impulse buyer. When the moment was right to buy a carmaker in the West, he went for the one with a reputation for safety, backed by a very strong engineering team. The next thing you know, the Volvo XC90 was born, with the production staying in Sweden.
Then, Geely set out to re-invent the London Cab, designing a brand new, lightweight aluminum structure and wrapping it in a composite body. Not so secretly, the TX5's rear-wheel drive platform was developed also to serve as a base for a whole range of zero-emission commercial vehicles in the future, all federalized for Europe.
Unsurprisingly, when the time came to create an all-new brand for the Chinese, American and European youngsters in love with their mobile phones, Geely used Volvo's engineering talent and an international team of designers as well. Only time will tell how successful can Lynk & Co become given its unique business model, but the compact platform underpinning its products will make it into compact Volvos soon enough for you to test out.
And the next for Geely? During a chat with someone close to the fire, I was told that Geely will continue to purchase other automotive companies, and Lotus would make a great deal of sense for an acquisition. After all, what Lotus needs to survive is a new lightweight platform, airbags and a bit of petty cash to spend on bits of carbon fiber. Current owner Proton doesn't seem to have the resources to help them out, while Geely certainly does. And with one foot already set in England, the Chinese seem to be ready for their next move.
Lotus had no comment.
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