With a rejuvenated vehicle line-up featuring the Emira and Eletre, Lotus is seeking further expansion in the Asia-Pacific region and recently announced its return to South Korea. Described as a “key conquest market,” the British carmaker signed a partnership with Kolon Mobility Group (KMG), which has come the official importer and sole distributor of Lotus vehicles in South Korea.
As part of the collaboration, a new Lotus brand centre will be constructed in the Gangnam district of Seoul, with construction scheduled to start shortly. This will be complemented by a “one-stop shop” Lotus service centre in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si – both facilities will be launched in the fourth quarter of next year.
The Emira will be the first Lotus model to be sold by KMG from Q1 2024, which will then be followed by the Eletre in Q3 2024. However, brand and product digital marketing starts immediately as the local market website goes live, with an e-commerce feature set to be introduced at a later date.
“Lotus has a long-established and loyal group of customers and fans in Asia-Pacific markets. We are relaunching the brand in South Korea with a new product line-up and strategy, and are confident it will become one of the largest markets in Asia for Lotus, outside of China, as the business continues its global expansion,” said Mike Johnstone, group vice-president and CCO at Lotus.
Besides South Korea, the company is looking to gain a foothold in more Asia-Pacific markets, particularly Vietnam and Indonesia – it already has a presence in Malaysia and Thailand. “We are developing both current and new partners, and exciting opportunities in other new markets, to scale up for the arrival of the Eletre and the new models beyond,” commented Dan Balmer, Lotus’ regional director for APAC, Middle East and Africa.
“Since the launch of Eletre, we have received strong interest from all markets in the region, and we’re already working with those local partners in finalising the launch plans for them. We will confirm those plans in due course,” he added.
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