The company said its Lotus Cars USA, Inc., currently based in Lawrenceville, Ga., will be "co-located" with Lotus Engineering, Inc. in Ann Arbor.
DETROIT, MI - British high-end sportscar maker Group Lotus plc announced Wednesday it is consolidating its U.S. operations to one location in Ann Arbor as it readies for the launch of the 2017 Evora 400 in North America.
The company said its Lotus Cars USA, Inc., currently based in Lawrenceville, Ga., will be "co-located" with Lotus Engineering, Inc. in Ann Arbor.
"This will ensure that both divisions can grow their individual operations, while benefiting from improved efficiency through sharing a number of business functions," the company said in a release.
The move is expected to be complete by the end of July. It is not immediately clear how many employees are affected. An email seeking comment was left with Lotus Wednesday morning.
Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales said the consolidation of business operations in the U.S. is a natural move as it looks gain further footing in North America, the largest sports car market in the world.
"By having both of our USA organisations located in Michigan, we shall be within the heartland of the USA automotive sector, where the headquarters of some of the most important, influential and significant automotive manufacturers and suppliers are based," he said in the release. "This will reaffirm our presence in the North American market, by providing improved customer service, better technical and consultancy support, while ensuring that we have access to a skills base not found anywhere else in the territory. All of this fits with Lotus developing speedily in North America in years to come."
At the same time, Lotus is preparing to launch a 2017 model year Evora 400 in the U.S. Unveiled in Geneva last March, the Evora 400 has 400 horsepower, accelerates from 0-60 miles per hour in 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 186 mph.
The car will have a starting price of $89,000, excluding local sales taxes. Deliveries to North America are expected to begin in December 2015.
Along with the launch, Lotus has expanded its North American dealer network to 47 outlets, with the introduction of four new dealers, including two in California, one in Arizona and another in Calgary, Alberta.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter