OCTOBER 17, 2001

Lotus struggling

THERE have been rumors from time to time that Lotus, the Malaysian-controlled sports car company with a famous racing name, might be used at some point as the Malaysians gear up for a stronger presence in Grand Prix racing. At the moment, however, this does not look very likely as the company has just announced a loss of more than $60m for the last year. This has been caused by delays in models and facilities and overly ambitious expansion. The economic climate has also hit the company's consultancy business. The company says that its investment in new facilities will pay off in the longer term and that the results will improve next year.

So who knows?