Which company currently owns the Lotus car brand?

Geely currently owns the Lotus car brand through Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.

Geely became Lotus’s controlling owner in 2017, when it acquired a 51% stake in Lotus Cars. The remaining 49% was acquired by Etika Automotive, associated with Malaysian businessman Syed Mokhtar Albukhary. Lotus had previously been owned by Proton, which acquired the British sports-car maker in 1996.

Lotus was founded by Colin Chapman and became famous for lightweight sports cars such as the Seven, Elan, Esprit, Elise, and Exige. Under Geely’s ownership, the company expanded beyond its traditional lightweight petrol sports cars into larger and electric vehicles, including the Evija electric hypercar, Emira sports car, and Eletre SUV.

The ownership answer can be confusing because Lotus remains a British marque headquartered at Hethel in Norfolk, England, while its parent ownership is Chinese. Proton is the former owner, not the current controlling owner. Lotus Technology, the group’s electric-vehicle division, also has a different corporate structure, but Geely remains the principal group owner behind the broader Lotus brand.