Lotus to cut up to 550 jobs at Hethel in restructuring

Lotus Cars has launched a restructuring that could cut up to 550 jobs at its Hethel headquarters in Norfolk, the company said, as the British sports car maker seeks to adapt to volatile global markets and rising trade frictions. The proposals, announced this week, follow a review of the company's business objectives and will enter a formal consultation process to determine how many of the roughly 1,300 roles at the site will be lost.

A company spokeswoman said the measure is intended to create a more flexible and agile operating model that can scale resources with demand and protect the business in "today's rapidly evolving automotive environment," citing uncertainty from recent changes in global trade policies, including US tariffs. Under the proposals, roles across engineering, manufacturing and supporting services are expected to be affected. Lotus also said Norfolk will remain the home of its sports cars, motorsports and engineering consulting operations, and that it is exploring options to diversify through third party manufacturing.

The announcement comes amid a sharp downturn in sales and mounting losses at the group. Lotus reported sales of 2,813 cars in the first half...