Lotus To Create More Than A Thousand New Jobs in  UK

Luxury car companies including Norfolk-based Lotus, are among the businesses to benefit from the near-£1 billion of grants announced by the Government.

Lotus, based at Hethel in Norfolk, was on the list of companies that had been successful in getting a Regional Growth Fund (RGF) grant.

The company says its Esprit supercar, the Elite coupe, a new Elise roadster, plus the Eterne – a four-seat supercar – and a luxury electric motor, the Ethos will be built at its factory in Norfolk.

It also says it plans to double its annual production to 6-thousand cars by 2015.

The grant for Lotus was described as a "multimillion-pound'' one.

Group Lotus chief executive Dany Bahar said: "To say that we're pleased with the result would be an understatement.

"This funding will play a role in assisting with the realization of our business plan to produce a new range of sports cars with best-in-class performance and emissions."

In all, there were 21 transport-related projects that benefited from grants announced today.

They included a new dry dock in Hartlepool in north west England, improvements to the M1 at junction 10A in Bedfordshire, and improved access at Southampton docks.

Transport Minister Theresa Villiers said: “Transport plays a vital role in creating jobs and contributing to sustainable economic growth.

"The 21 transport schemes approved in principle offer value for money and demonstrate this Government's commitment to investing today in infrastructure, connecting people to jobs, reducing congestion and supporting our future economy.'' heart.co.uk