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The new boss of Lotus Europe is seeking to broaden production at the brand's UK base to include new models from the wider Geely group.

Matt Windle has been promoted from his position as Lotus Cars MD following the departure of former Lotus Europe CEO Dan Balmer after less than a year.

His broader role coincides with the recent merging of Lotus Cars with the Chinese-based Lotus Technology, which oversaw the brand's so-called lifestyle EVs, the Eletre SUV and Emeya saloon.

“I think it's better for the business,” Windle told Autocar in an interview. “It gives us a solid link between manufacturing and commercial on sports cars but allows me to work wider across the business as well.”

Windle is keen to grow production at Hethel, which earlier this year announced 270 job cuts as demand for the Emira petrol sports car was hit by the sharp increase in tariffs in the US.

“It has been a turbulent start of the year, which has had an impact on the business,” he said.

Lotus last year posted record wholesales (sales to dealers) of the Emira at 5272, up 102%, but Windle is keep to push close to the factory’s limits of 10,000 cars annually. 

"Back in the late 1990s and 2000s, we were building several models at Hethel [including the Elise-based Vauxhall VX220 and Tesla Roadster], and I think that's a business model we're exploring,” he said.

One possibility is the forthcoming Polestar 6 electric roadster. “I think we could build it,” Windle said. “There's an element of transition, because at the moment it's just ICE [at Hethel], but we're going to have to go on that journey.”

The US's new car import tariff has hit Lotus hard, with the company cancelling sales of the Chinese-built Emeya and Eletre in the country due to the now-insurmountable financial hurdles.

Lotus has also halted shipments of the British-built Emira to the US after the new 25% tariff was applied in April, meaning that no cars are heading to a market that last year accounted for a fifth of all Lotus sales.

The deal recently agreed between the UK and US to lower those tariffs to 10% has helped Lotus, but Windle has yet to press go on restarting shipments to the US as he waits for the details.

"The headline numbers have gone out there, but actually the specifics behind it still haven't been clarified,” he said.

“There's product that's ready to ship, but what we don't want to do is jump the gun and end up getting clobbered.

“The tariffs are a negative with where we are now, but they could be a positive."

Lotus’s volume growth has been impressive, given where it has come from, with overall deliveries hitting 12,134 last year, double that of the year before.

However, EV sales are below planned volumes as demand for luxury electric cars has fallen below expectations. 

Lotus is countering that with planned launch of ‘Hyper Hybrid’ range-extended EVs that feature a turbocharged combustion engine.

The first such model will be unveiled at the end of this year for sales starting in China early next year, CEO Feng Qingfeng said on the company’s earnings call on 22 April. No date has been set for European sales, though, Windle said.

The planned new electric sports car to be built in Hethel, meanwhile, is on hold as Lotus assesses likely demand.

“Is the market ready for an electric sports car? I don't really know the answer to that yet,” Windle said. 

One possibility is to install an electric drivetrain and batteries into the current Emira platform and offer it as a variant, but uncertain customer response is hampering decision-making.

“I think being a product strategy person in the automotive industry is probably one of the most difficult jobs areas at the moment,” Windle said.

His message to the UK and EU governments is to keep options open for consumers past 2035, including possibility allowing a longer life for range-extended EVs.

“A full BEV future is maybe not the answer,” he said.

Windle’s elevation to Lotus Europe boss gives him oversight of sales within Lotus’s biggest global market, which accounted for 39% of the company’s global sales last year, at 4743.

He plans to growth that at first by expanding the dealers.

“Network development is a big part of our strategy is around volume growth going forward,” he said. “I think the opportunity is there and it's going to be exciting couple of years.”

The Fiat Grande Panda range has been expanded with a new trim level for the Hybrid model, cutting its starting price to £18,035.

Named Pop, it has been made £1000 cheaper than the previous entry level, Icon, with the removal of its alloy wheels, roof rails, privacy glass and the central armrest inside the car. It instead rides on 16in steel wheels with plastic covers.

Pop retains the 10.25in infotainment touchscreen, LED lights and rear parking sensors found on higher trim levels, however.

The Grande Panda Hybrid is powered by a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine and a 28bhp electric motor, the latter of which can drive the car alone for short distances at speeds below 18mph.

The engine and motor combine to put out up to 108bhp, which is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox. 

The presence of the motor also allows the Grande Panda Hybrid to start up silently, using electric power alone. Similarly, it only uses the motor for low-speed manoeuvres in first or reverse gear, at low speeds.

As well as a lower price, the Pop version of the Grande Panda Hybrid emits less CO2 than the Icon, presumably because its weight is reduced by the removal of extra kit. It's officially rated at 113g/km, compared with the Icon’s 115g/km.

The Grande Panda Hybrid will enter UK showrooms in the coming months as a rival for the closely related new Citroën C3, the Dacia Sandero and the Renault Clio.

The Grande Panda will also be available as an electric car, pairing a 111bhp front-mounted motor with a 44kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery for a range of 199 miles.

The EV can be recharged at up to 100kW on a DC connection, and the front grille conceals a retractable cable for AC charging at up to 7kW.

It's priced from £21,035.