Who owns Lotus? The ownership chain, Lotus Technology Inc.'s stake and the 2026 deal
Facts checked
Lotus is Chinese-owned. Geely bought 51% of Group Lotus on 24 May 2017, with Malaysia's Etika Automotive holding 49%, and in August 2026 acquired Etika's remaining stake, folding Lotus Cars into Lotus Technology. Lotus Technology, the electric arm, is headquartered in Wuhan and listed on Nasdaq in February 2024 with about 10.3% of its shares in public hands; sports cars are still built at Hethel in Norfolk while the Eletre and Emeya come from Wuhan.
Lotus Technology Inc completed the purchase of 100% of Lotus Advance Technologies Sdn Bhd, which owns the Hethel sports car business and Lotus Engineering, on 21 August 2026, putting the whole Lotus brand under one company.
The short answer
| Controlled by | Lotus Technology Inc. |
|---|---|
| Stake | 100% |
| Since | 21 August 2026 |
| Kind | brand |
| Origin | GB |
| Name in Chinese | 路特斯 “LOO-tuh-suh” |
| Top of the chain | Li Shufu |
| Is it Chinese? | Yes |
The chain, step by step
Li Shufu holds a stake in Lotus Technology Inc. at 28.8% since 22 February 2024.
Lotus Advanced Technology Limited Partnership held 186,648,945 ordinary shares, 28.8%, at 28 February 2026. Its partners act in concert with Ming Jun Holdings Limited, which Li Shufu wholly owns, so he may be deemed to own the whole holding.
Lotus Technology Inc. owns Lotus at 100% since 21 August 2026.
Lotus Technology Inc completed the purchase of 100% of Lotus Advance Technologies Sdn Bhd, which owns the Hethel sports car business and Lotus Engineering, on 21 August 2026, putting the whole Lotus brand under one company.
Former owners
Holdings that have ended. They are here because the story needs them and are never part of the current tree.
Geely Holding formerly held Lotus at 51% from 2017 until 21 August 2026.
Geely Holding's Hong Kong arm, Geely International (Hong Kong) Limited, held 51% of Lotus Advance Technologies Sdn Bhd, the Lotus parent, from the 2017 purchase from DRB-HICOM until 21 August 2026. It exercised a put option on 14 April 2025 requiring Nasdaq-listed Lotus Technology Inc to buy that 51%, and the purchase completed on 21 August 2026. Geely remains Lotus's ultimate controlling interest through Lotus Technology.
Etika Automotive Sdn Bhd formerly held Lotus at 49% from 2017 until 21 August 2026.
Etika Automotive Sdn Bhd bought 49% of Lotus Advance Technologies Sdn Bhd from DRB-HICOM in 2017 and held it until 21 August 2026. It exercised its put option on 30 June 2025 requiring Lotus Technology Inc to buy the stake, and remains a large shareholder in Lotus Technology.
Etika Automotive Sdn Bhd formerly held Lotus at 49% from 24 May 2017 until August 2026.
Etika Automotive of Malaysia held 49% of Group Lotus from May 2017 until Geely bought it out in August 2026. Etika's shareholding is why Lotus was, for nine years, part-Malaysian as well as part-Chinese.
| Holder | Holds | Kind | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Li Shufu | Lotus Technology Inc. | holds a stake in | 28.8% | 22 February 2024 |
| Lotus Technology Inc. | Lotus | owns | 100% | 21 August 2026 |
Other recorded holdings in Lotus
Holdings that are not control, kept out of the chain above so that nothing on this page reads as ownership when it is not. A joint venture is a company two parents built together: its percentage is a share of the venture, not a holding in the partner. The same pair can appear twice with different kinds, and both rows are real.
| Holder | What it is | Share | Since | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geely Holding | controls | controls | 24 May 2017 | Geely bought 51% of Group Lotus on 24 May 2017, with Malaysia's Etika Automotive holding the other 49%, and in August 2026 acquired Etika's remaining stake and folded Lotus Cars into Lotus Technology. Lotus Technology, the electric-car arm headquartered in Wuhan, listed on Nasdaq in February 2024 with about 10.3% of its shares in public hands, so a small minority of the business is not Geely-held; the exact current percentage is not published here. |
Lotus: questions people ask
- Is Lotus still British?
- The cars and the engineering are: Lotus builds sports cars and runs Lotus Engineering at Hethel in Norfolk. The ownership is not. Geely has held the controlling interest since 2017, and since 21 August 2026 the whole brand sits under Nasdaq-listed Lotus Technology Inc, whose largest holders are Geely companies, Li Shufu and Malaysia's Etika Automotive.
- Who owns Lotus?
- Lotus Technology Inc has owned 100% of the Lotus parent company since 21 August 2026. Within Lotus Technology, a partnership attributed to Li Shufu held 28.8% and a Geely subsidiary 16.8% at the end of February 2026, with Etika Automotive at 24.1%.
- Did Geely buy Lotus from Malaysia?
- Yes. DRB-HICOM sold Lotus in 2017, with 51% going to Geely Holding and 49% to Etika Automotive, another Malaysian company. Lotus had been Malaysian-owned through Proton since the 1990s.
- Are Lotus cars sold in the United States?
- Yes. The US is one of about fifty Lotus markets, and Lotus showed the Emira at the New York International Auto Show in April 2026.
Related
Sources for Lotus
- Lotus Technology Inc (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission), Lotus Technology Inc., Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2025. Read .
- Lotus Technology Inc (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission), Lotus Tech Completed Acquisition of 100% Equity Interest of Lotus Advance Technologies. Read .
- Lotus Technology Inc (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission), Lotus Technology Reports Unaudited Half Year 2026 Financial Results. Read .
- Lotus Cars, lotuscars.com robots.txt, market sitemap index. Read . Source of the market list; China added separately as Lotus runs a Chinese-market site.
- Wikipedia, Lotus Cars. Read . Geely's 51% on 24 May 2017, Etika's 49%, the August 2026 buy-out, Lotus Technology's Wuhan base and February 2024 Nasdaq listing.
- Lotus Technology Inc (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission), Lotus Technology Inc., Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2025, Item 6.E Share Ownership, footnote 4. Read .