Lotus Cars Malaysia, the sole local franchise holder for UK-headquartered Lotus Cars, aims to reestablish the brand in Malaysia.
General manager Tengku Ezan Ley Tengku Mahaleel said Lotus’ new journey in Malaysia will be complemented by the Lotus Emira and the all-new fully electric Lotus Eletre which was launched on Thursday (Apr 13) in the Malaysian market and for the first time in Asia.
“Market share is not a concern at the moment as we want to reestablish the Lotus car brand again in Malaysia,” he told reporters after the launch of the Lotus Eletre, national news agency Bernama reported.
Malaysia’s national car maker Proton was the owner of Lotus Cars from 1996 to 2017. In June 2017, China-based Zhejiang Geely Holding Group became the major shareholder of Lotus Cars with 51 percent, while the remaining 49 percent is owned by Malaysian tycoon Syed Mokhtar Albukhary through Etika Automotive Sdn Bhd, according to the report.
Tengku Ezan Ley said a total 140 bookings has been collected as of today for Lotus Eletre.
In total, 200 units of the hyper sports utility vehicle (SUV) are available for this year. They come in three variants — Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R.
Tengku Ezan Ley said Lotus Cars Malaysia is strengthening its commitment for the domestic market with new model introduction, sales and after-sales initiatives.
He said that the company is also planning to introduce new concept outlets next year and showrooms mainly in the Klang Valley.
To complement the launch of Eletre, Lotus Cars Malaysia and Gentari Sdn Bhd’s wholly-owned subsidiary Gentari Green Mobility Sdn Bhd have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore collaborations in EV charging infrastructure at its facilities, Lotus EV owners’ premises as well as public areas.
Gentari chief green mobility officer Shah Yang Razalli said the MoU is for a period of two years.
The parties are also seeking opportunities to collaborate in the exploration of and including the introduction of Zero Emission Vehicle Fleet solutions in Malaysia, renewable energy deployment at Lotus Cars Malaysia’s facilities and a digital platform.
Since its introduction in June 2022, Gentari through its affiliated entities has deployed more than 150 charging points across 35 locations in Malaysia and over 160 charging points in India. Gentari also said it aims to capture 10 percent market share (circa 25,000 charging points based on current estimates) across key markets in Asia Pacific by 2030.
Gentari aims to install 9,000 public charging points by 2026, with an anchored presence in Malaysia and India.
Keyword: Lotus Cars aims to re-establish brand in Malaysia - report