This report was taken from Autocar & Motor 8th April 1992
The £50,000 Lotus Carlton may be killed off within six months, with production far short of the original target. A senior executive within sister company Opel says: "It will probably be gone by September this year." Vauxhall executives maintain that Lotus Engineering will continue to build the car until the end of 1993, when the current Carlton/Omega model is to replaced. And Lotus Engineering claims that the current build rate of 13 cars per week will be kept up.
When the 165mph plus car was launched in November 1990, General Motors envisaged a three-year programme totalling 100 cars. But with luxury car sales across Europe being decimated, this is believed to be under review. So far, 723 cars have been built. Of these, 600 have been sold in Europe, the major markets being the UK and Germany. In the UK, where Vauxhall is committed to taking 380 units from Lotus, 130 have been sold and a further 50 cars are waiting for completion of purchase. Says one UK dealer: "Some customers have dropped out or asked to go further back down the supply line".
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