Lotus not liquidating

When a storied car brand moves only 137 units in a year in the UK and 242 in the US, predictions of said marque's demise carry a certain amount of weight -- 137 is not exactly a number that makes an automaker too big to fail. When the manufacturer in question shows up on a government list of companies to be shut down, brand-enthusiast hearts get heavy; the early stages of mourning kick in.

But when the company in question is Lotus, the enthusiast thinks to himself, “Eh, they've been in dire straits before. They're like a plastic, twin-cam cockroach, those folks out in Norfolk.” So when British pub Autocar reports that Lotus had appeared on a Ministry of Justice list of companies to be wound up, it engenders a knot in the stomach, but not a huge knot.

Lotus PR person Tracey Tompsett took to Twitter to quash rumors that the House of Colin was being sent down the tubes, repeatedly tweeting, “Lotus is NOT being liquidated! An official statement to follow soon.” She then tweeted it a couple more times for good measure.

The appearance on the list, according to Group Lotus, is the result of a dispute with a supplier. The dispute, Group Lotus spokesman Alastair Florance told Autocar, “was settled amicably several weeks ago.”

The appearance on the list is the result of a formal obligation to complete the process before a judge. Lotus just announced that the proceedings have been fully resolved by the court, "with no order as to costs."

Since the Lotus Formula One team is an independent entity that merely licenses the name from Group Lotus, the racing unit is unaffected by what's happening in Hethel.

Meanwhile, the uncomfortable question remains: If a dispute with one supplier -- however amicably resolved -- is enough to put the company in danger of liquidation, how much longer can Group Lotus continue in its current form?

By Davey G. Johnson