#LotusCars

Lotus is struggling. The boutique British brand has been losing money hand over leather-driving-glove-covered fist for several years now, but their new chief-executive has plans to correct the company’s course.

The recovery process for Lotus has begun as the automaker has started cutting costs and expanding sales.

With rumors of a future for Lotus swirling, the company will live on as its new owner DRB-Hicom has signed off on a three-year plan to fund the British sports car maker.

Lotus is getting into the world of two-wheel motorsports, announcing today that the brand will be producing a new motorcycle called the Lotus C-01. 

Lotus Group’s parent company DRB Hicom is predicting some lofty goals for the small sports car company, confident that by 2015 the brand will be selling between  4,000 and 5,000 units per year. 

A new members only club for Lotus owners will be launched in December called ‘Lotus Official Club Italia’ and will feature a calendar of events and activities that celebrate the British automaker.

The signing of 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen to Lotus Renault GP for the 2012 season is generating quite a stir in Grand Prix circles and so far in testing, the team’s new car, the E20 has shown a lot of promise.

So what is Lotus to do with the Exige now? Simple answer, make a V6 version with the engine out of the Evora. But it is no easy swap. The Toyota-sourced V6 engine is bigger, so Lotus has been running a test mule with a wider track and a longer wheelbase.

The original Lotus Elan was an icon, a two-seat, four-cylinder roadster that weighed 1,400 pounds and was the inspiration for the Mazda Miata. The new one couldn’t be more different.

Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley has announced his retirement as the head of the U.K. based sports car maker due to medical reasons. The 70-year-0ld Kimberley has been suffering from severe back pain, underwent surgery in 2008 and has now been advised by his doctors to resign his position.

“Sadly, it is on doctor’s orders that I am stepping down but I will leave confident that Lotus is in great shape with a strong management team fully supported by our shareholder in Malaysia,” Kimberley said in a statement. “It’ll be very hard to leave knowing that there are such exciting times ahead but I’ll take with me many very happy memories. I want to extend my thanks to the company’s shareholder for their unfailing support, my management team and the wonderful staff both at Hethel and at our various operational locations throughout the world. Most of all I want to thank our Lotus customers and loyal fans worldwide for their support over the years.”

Kimberley started his career with Jaguar in 1953 and has since worked in the automotive industry for 56 years. He joined Lotus in 1969, leaving in 1992 to pursue other opportunities with companies like General Motors and Lamborghini, before returning to Lotus in 2006.

Since then Kimberley has over seen the production of the Evora, as well as the expansion of Lotus Engineering, a world renowned high-tech engineering firm.

Kimberley will officially retire on tomorrow, July 17th.

Official release after the jump:

In press release issued by Lotus Cars, the British exotic car maker takes issue with recent reports that a new Formula 1 team for 2010 will run under the banner of Team Lotus. The new team, however, says that’s not the case.