China-made Lotus RCR to go on sale in Mar '09

Shanghai, December 19 (Gasgoo.com) Chinese carmaker Youngman Auto had its self-developed Lotus RCR ("Jingsu" in Chinese) model rolling off line earlier this month at its Guizhou plant. This first Lotus-brand model made in China is set to go on sale in March 2009, at a price possibly below 100,000 yuan ($14,700), reported Jiangnan Times today citing a Youngman insider.

The Europestar RCR model for Chinese production was developed jointly by Youngman Auto and British Lotus Engineering, with total investment of 2 billion yuan ($293 million). At the 2008 Guangzhou auto show last month, Youngman Auto displayed the RCR as a Lotus model, a smart roadster coupe based on the 2nd-generation Persona sedan model of Lotus Proton.

Youngman Lotus is a joint venture between Youngman Auto and British Lotus Engineering which is an affiliate of Proton. Another Lotus car, the Proton Persona sedan model ("Jingyue"), will also be specially built by Youngman Lotus for the Chinese market. The Jingyue sedan model was unveiled on November 18 at the Guangzhou show.

While it imported the first RCR sedan in January this year for trial sales in the Chinese market, Youngman started to build its manufacturing bases in Guizhou, Tai'an (of Shandong), Ji'nan and Hangzhou. Construction of the Ji'nan and Hangzhou bases will be completed early next year to bring Youngman Auto's annual production capacity to 450,000 units.

Youngman Auto, formerly a commercial vehicle OEM, is entering the passenger vehicle market by making its British partner's models at first. The company will design eight models jointly with Lotus Engineering over the next four years and produce them at the four bases. The models will include the family sedan, Coupe, SUV, MPV and others.

With the Lotus RCR off line and in market first, other self-developed Youngman Lotus models are expected to be made and launched in succession starting 2009. The Proton Persona "Jingyue" sedan will go to market immediately after the RCR "Jingsu" model.