It’s been a record-breaking six months for Norfolk-based car manufacturer Lotus, as the company revealed it produced a record number of new sports vehicles.

Lotus produced 2,200 vehicles at its Hethel site, representing a 381pc increase on last year.

The bulk of the vehicles built were the Emira sports car, the first new car launched by Lotus since Chinese-owned Geely snapped up a 51 per cent stake in the business in 2017.

Eastern Daily Press: The new Lotus Emira, the last combustion engine car to be launched before Lotus starts electric car productionThe new Lotus Emira, the last combustion engine car to be launched before Lotus starts electric car production (Image: Denise Bradley)

The company also grew its order book to 17,000 vehicles worldwide for the Eletre, Lotus’ first electric 'lifestyle hyper-SUV'.

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Customer deliveries for Lotus' electric SUV began in China at the end of March, and the carmaker expects to deliver to UK and European customers later this summer. 

The growth comes just months after the company announced it would cut 200 jobs as part of a "workforce restructure".

Feng Qingfeng, the boss of Lotus Group, said: “We have spent the last few years laying the foundations for success and today’s announcement demonstrates that Lotus is no longer the same business that it has been in previous years. 

“We are firmly on track to becoming a global performance brand by 2028.