MEDIA INFORMATION

04 December 2013

Lotus Cars Opens New Dubai Showroom

Lotus Cars is delighted to present its latest showroom in the Middle East. ‘Lotus Dubai’ opened its doors today at its prestigious waterside premises in ‘Dubai Festival City’.

Official Opening of Lotus Dubai - left Mr Len Hunt President – Automotive, Al-Futtaim Group and right Mr Aslam Farikullah Chief Operating Officer, Group Lotus plc

Lotus Cars Middle East (the distributor for Lotus cars in the Middle East) is partnering with Trading Enterprises (part of the Al-Futtaim Group) to open the new showroom in Dubai called Lotus Dubai.

It is the latest showroom in the Lotus Cars Middle East portfolio, the first Lotus showroom in Dubai, and commences an exciting and ambitious plan to strengthen the Lotus brand across the region by developing its operation in both existing and new markets over the next 24 months.

Lotus Dubai was officially opened today by Mr Aslam Farikullah, Chief Operating Officer for Group Lotus plc, and Mr Len Hunt President – Automotive, Al-Futtaim Group at a ceremony including key media and senior management from the respective businesses.

Showcasing the stunning Lotus Evora and its supercharged sibling the Evora S, The 425m2 showroom is a state-of-the-art customer focused facility decorated in Lotus’ signature monochrome scheme with bright yellow accents. It is completed with a Lotus Originals boutique and vehicle specification area.

Demand for Lotus sports cars in Dubai and throughout the UAE is such that the team at Lotus Dubai anticipate a strong start to trading with the award winning Lotus Evora and Lotus Evora S being joined by the Lotus Exige S in 2014.

The Lotus Dubai service centre facility, located close to the Lotus showroom will cater for all aftersales needs, with customers provided with a convenient drop-off / pick-up service directly from the showroom in Dubai Festival City.

Aslam Farikullah said, “The UAE is an important and strategic market with great potential for Lotus. With Lotus Cars Middle East and Trading Enterprises, we will introduce customers in Dubai and the UAE to the world of Lotus, one of high performance, award winning cars with world-class ride and handling, and to our brand which is synonymous with motorsport and Formula 1® - both historically and today.”

Len Hunt, also commented, "Al-Futtaim has built strength and credibility in delivering great customer experience through its well established automotive operations in the UAE. We are confident, excited and proud to exclusively introduce the globally recognised brand of Lotus to this market. Representing Lotus and its products which are also centred on style, passion and performance, offers another dimension to the range of vehicles currently presented in the Al-Futtaim portfolio. We are looking forward to a long and successful partnership.”

Jonathan Stretton, Lotus Cars Middle East FZ-LLC General Manager also said, “Partnering with Al-Futtaim is a very positive and important step forward for Lotus Cars Middle East and demonstrates our commitment to building the Lotus brand and product presence in the region. We know that new customers will appreciate Lotus’ core values of innovation, exceptional ride & handling, performance through lightweight and, above all, being great fun to drive.”

ENDS

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About Lotus

Group Lotus plc, wholly-owned subsidiary of DRB-HICOM, is based in Norfolk, UK, and has three operating divisions: Lotus Cars, Lotus Engineering and Lotus Racing.

Lotus Cars builds world class, high performance sports cars including the award-winning Evora, the iconic Elise and the stunning Exige.

Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world's OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy. Global facilities include those in the US, China and offices in Germany and Japan. Lotus is a global high-tech company, committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.

Lotus Racing is the motorsport division of Group Lotus Plc. It builds and develops vehicles for GT racing with the Evora GX, GTC, GT4, and GTS, in addition to racing vehicles such as the Exige V6 Cup and Elise Cup cars. PETRONAS is the Official Lubricants Partner for Lotus Racing vehicles competing in various high profile international GT categories. Lotus also competes in F1® with the Lotus F1 Team, racing in the iconic Black and Gold Livery.

Lotus Originals is the retail operation for all of Lotus’ non-car products. A diverse collection of luxury apparel, luggage, gifts, toys and limited edition collectables can be bought online at www.lotusoriginals.com or at any of the dedicated Lotus Originals outlets including the flagship Regent Street store in London’s Piccadilly.

For more information about Group Lotus please contact:

PR Department, Group Lotus plc, Potash Lane, Hethel, Norfolk, UK, NR14 8EZ

Tel: +44 (0)1953 608264 Email: pr@lotuscars.com