Who owns Lotus?
Lotus, an automotive brand, is owned by Geely (China), which has owned the brand since 23 June 2017.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group — about us. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Zhejiang Geely Holding Group reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇨🇳 China, Hangzhou
- Origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, Hethel
- Founded
- 1948
- Category
- Automotive › Cars › Sports & performance cars
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Lotus
Lotus was founded by Colin Chapman, whose engineering philosophy was to add lightness rather than power, an approach that won seven Formula One constructors' championships. Geely acquired a controlling stake in 2017 and has moved it towards electric performance cars.
Ownership timeline of Lotus
Where Lotus sits in Geely
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Geely ownership tree →
See the full Geely brand portfolio (5) →
Other brands owned by Geely
Geely controls 5 brands on Brandtree, 5 of them in automotive.
Also in automotive
- Geely Auto (1997)
- Lynk & Co (2016)
- Polestar (1996)
- Volvo Cars (1927)
Other brands in sports & performance cars, and who owns them
The 11 brands in sports & performance cars on Brandtree belong to 9 owners. The largest is Volkswagen Group, with 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| CUPRA | Volkswagen Group | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Aston Martin | Aston Martin Lagonda | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Ferrari | Ferrari | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| Ford Mustang | Ford | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Corvette | General Motors | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-Benz Group | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Alpine | Renault Group | 🇫🇷 France |
| Alfa Romeo | Stellantis | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
About the owner: Geely
Geely is a privately held company headquartered in Hangzhou, China, founded in 1986. Brandtree records 5 brands under its control.
Geely began making refrigerator parts in 1986 and became the Chinese carmaker with the deepest foreign holdings, owning Volvo Cars outright and holding stakes in Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin. Almost none of the drivers of its European brands know it exists.
🇬🇧 Lotus and other British brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 552 brands that began in the United Kingdom. 291 of them (53%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Lotus among them.
- Aston Martin — Aston Martin Lagonda 🇬🇧
- BSA — Mahindra & Mahindra 🇮🇳
- Bentley — Volkswagen Group 🇩🇪
- Jaguar — Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles 🇮🇳
- MINI — BMW Group 🇩🇪
- Norton Motorcycles — TVS Motor 🇮🇳
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Lotus?
The parent company of Lotus is Geely, a privately held company headquartered in China.
Is Lotus British or Chinese?
Lotus originated in the United Kingdom in 1948, but it is owned today by Geely, which is headquartered in China. So Lotus is a British-origin brand under Chinese ownership.
Since when has Geely owned Lotus?
Geely has owned Lotus since 23 June 2017.
Is Lotus still owned by Geely?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Lotus is still owned by Geely. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Zhejiang Geely Holding Group — about us — Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, Official document; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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