Geely exercises its Put Option on Lotus UK, enabling reintegration of all businesses under the Lotus brand

Bear with me, as this one is a bit complicated and jargon-heavy. Lotus Technology Inc. announced that Geely, the majority owner of its vehicle manufacturing business Lotus UK, exercised its put option earlier this week to sell its 51% stake in the latter company back to the former company. In layperson’s terms, Geely is out, so Lotus Tech has to buy the 51% of Lotus UK back, putting all those respective businesses back under one umbrella. Still with me? More below.

The Lotus brand was founded in the UK over 70 years ago and has made a name for itself in delivering sporty yet luxurious hypercars. Unlike many of its competitors, Lotus was a relatively early adopter of EV technologies and has previously vowed to become an all-electric brand.

That promise was part of a strategy bolstered by Geely Hong Kong Ltd. (Geely), which acquired 51% of Lotus Advanced Technologies (Lotus UK or Lotus Cars) in 2017. As a result, Geely gained majority control of Lotus’ manufacturing division in the UK and its consultancy division, Lotus Engineering.

Lotus Technology Inc. – The R&D and design business of Lotus Group has been operating as a separate entity since then. In late January 2023, Geely and Lotus Tech signed a Put Option on Geely’s 51% stake in Lotus UK’s equity interests. As of April 14, 2025, Geely has decided to exercise said Put Option, requiring Lotus Tech to purchase that majority stake back, which it intends to do this year.

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Lotus Tech ($LOT) to buy business back from Geely

Lotus Technology Inc. ($LOT) issued a press release today outlining details of Geely’s Put Option announcement. The company explained its intention to purchase 51% of Lotus Cars and reorganize R&D, engineering, and manufacturing under one brand.

The equity interest purchase of Lotus Cars will be a non-cash transaction based on a pre-agreed pricing method between Lotus Tech and Geely, i.e., the 2023 Put Option. Lotus Tech CEO Qingfeng Feng addressed the news:

This acquisition marks a critical milestone in our strategic journey to fully integrate all businesses under the Lotus brand, which will strengthen brand equity and enhance our operational flexibility and internal synergies. We are confident that the transaction will create substantial long-term value for our shareholders.

Mr. Feng may be painting a rosier picture than what is actually going on. It will be beneficial to regain control over Lotus UK and Lotus Engineering to consolidate financials and streamline business operations. Still, an exercised Put Option is hardly ever encouraging news.

Geely remains a massively successful global auto conglomerate and a key piece behind many leading EV technologies across its marques, especially in China. The fact that such a savant in engineering and EV development has left Lotus’ corner is concerning when imagining the future of the veteran UK brand, at least in terms of BEV development.

Lotus Tech… or Lotus Cars? Okay, let’s just call the company Lotus now. Whatever the name, Lotus will continue without Geely but still has support from consumer-focused investment firm L Catterton following a SPAC merger completed last year.

The reintegration of all Lotus businesses is expected to be completed this year. According to a representative for the company, it is now in a blackout period, so they could not comment any further until Lotus releases its Q4/ EOY 2024 earnings on April 22. That report will offer more insight into where the automaker currently stands financially and what plans it has going forward without Geely. Hopefully those plans still include more sexy BEVs!