Ben Payne appointed Vice-President of Design, Lotus Group

August 17, 2023 by Lotus

Lotus today has announced the appointment of Ben Payne as Vice-President of Design at Lotus Group.

Ben most recently led the team responsible for the design development of the Eletre hyper-SUV, the company's first vehicle beyond traditional sports cars, marking a key milestone for the business on its journey to become a global performance brand by 2028.

In his newly appointed role, Ben will oversee all design for the Lotus brand, working closely with group leadership and collaborate with the commercial team to drive forward the growth of Lotus. This will ensure design consistency, synergies and creative leadership across the whole brand.

Ben succeeds Peter Horbury, who passed away in June 2023.

Commenting on his new role, Ben Payne said: 'Having worked extremely closely with Peter over the past five years, it was a privilege to call him a friend and great mentor in shaping global creative leadership and influencing my own design philosophy. It's an honour to be taking on this new role, and I am excited to further elevate the brand globally.'

Feng Qingfeng, CEO at Lotus Group, said: 'Lotus is renowned for its world-class design, and Ben has played a key role in ensuring our new lifestyle electric vehicles stay true to the heritage of the Lotus brand. We have ambitious plans to scale rapidly by 2028, and I look forward to working with Ben as we deliver new vehicles and expand into new markets.'

Ben brings an extensive knowledge of automotive design and brand, having held influential roles at Aston Martin and Bugatti, and has diverse consultancy experience with Makkina.

In 2018, Lotus announced its Vision80 strategy and plans to transform the brand from a heritage automotive company to an all-electric, intelligent, luxury mobility provider by 2028 – when the business turns 80.

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The company has seen a huge demand for its products, with an orderbook of over 17,000 vehicles for its Emira sports car and Eletre hyper-SUV. Lotus has ramped up production this year, already delivering Emiras to customers, and expects to deliver the Eletre to customers in the UK and Europe later this summer. The business had a record first half of the year for production and expects the full year to surpass previous sale years.