---
title: "Lotus Slashes 2028 Goal As Europe Battery Search Stalls"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/286596626.md"
description: "Lotus Technology is struggling to find a battery partner in Europe, impacting its production goals. CEO Qingfeng Feng noted that the company is now targeting 30,000 cars annually by 2030, down from 150,000 by 2028. The search for a partner is complicated by EU tariffs on Chinese EVs and local manufacturing regulations. Lotus is also seeking UK government investment to manage high costs and may shift some production to the region, focusing on plug-in hybrids to recover share value amidst declining demand for luxury EVs."
datetime: "2026-05-15T17:09:00.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/286596626.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286596626.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/286596626.md)
---

# Lotus Slashes 2028 Goal As Europe Battery Search Stalls

Lotus Technology is facing a tougher Europe challenge as the company looks for a battery partner that could help it localize production and work through the region's complex content rules. CEO Qingfeng Feng said a deal with a battery manufacturer would help Lotus avoid the tremendous cost of building its own cell factory in Europe, but the search has not moved as smoothly as expected. Feng said that in China, Lotus could quickly find five or six suitable partners, while in the EU the process simply didn't work as the company expected.

The pressure on Lotus is rising as the Geely-owned sports-car maker deals with European Union tariffs on Chinese-made EVs and looming regulations designed to rebuild European manufacturing. Lotus builds EVs such as the Eletre sport utility vehicle in China, while its Emira combustion engine sports car is made at the company's historic Hethel plant in the UK. Europe's own battery push has also struggled after the collapse of Northvolt AB and Britishvolt Ltd., with Lotus previously agreeing a deal with Britishvolt. Feng said Lotus is seeking UK government investment for Hethel as it faces high costs and studies whether to shift some production into the region, including a plug-in hybrid Emira and a new hybrid supercar known as Type 135.

For investors, the key issue is that Lotus is still trying to reset its growth story after underestimating demand for luxury EVs. The company is now targeting production of 30,000 cars a year by the end of the decade, sharply below its earlier goal of selling 150,000 vehicles annually by 2028. Feng said plug-in hybrid models could stay in demand for many years and may help Lotus shares recover after their decline since the company's 2024 listing. The hybrid shift could also help in Europe because plug-in hybrid models face lower tariffs than full EVs, though Feng said that tariff benefit is one factor and not the deciding one.

### Related Stocks

- [LOT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LOT.US.md)
- [LOTWW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LOTWW.US.md)

## Related News & Research

- [Geely's Ultra-Luxury Carmaker Lotus Drops Full Electrification Plans, CEO Says](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286362411.md)
- [Lotus scales back EV plans, targets 2028 supercar launch](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286006353.md)
- [ICCT analysis maps global distribution of EV sales](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286786825.md)
- [Lotus Technology Launches ‘Focus 2030’ Strategy and Confirms Hybrid V8 Supercar Plan](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286094404.md)
- [Stellantis joins race to build mini-EVs for Europe](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286873737.md)