Carmaker Lotus plans to finish production in the United Kingdom

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Lotus plans to end production in the UK after more than 70 years, exposing 1,300 jobs in danger in the latest car industry.

The British sports car manufacturer, which is controlled by Chinese car maker Geely, has struggled to push its suppliers in recent weeks, according to two people in the discussion of discussions, which led to the suspension of temporary production at the Hethel Factory in Norfolk for about a month.

People added that the company is planning to stop production forever in the factory – the only manufacturing base in the United Kingdom – as soon as next year added.

In a statement to the Financial Times, Lotus said she had stopped production from mid -May to manage inventory amid the problems of the supply chain related to US tariffs. The company and Matt Windl, the president of the European car, rejected more commenting on “rumors”. Geely also refused to comment.

GEELY got a 51 percent stake in Lotus in 2017, as part of a deal to invest in the Malaysian owner proton.

Geely was seen at the time as the age of the company, which was established in London in 1948, after years of losses. The Chinese group invested about 3 billion pounds in new technology equipment and factory equipment, but turned its focus into a new factory in Wuhan.

Last year, the Chinese auto group Lotus-Operation Electric Cars-in the United States was included in the United States through a merging process with Shell, which was founded by an investment group supported by LVMH. In April, Technology Lotus said that she will buy GEELY by 51 percent In the United KingdomAfter the Chinese company practiced an option to sell the class.

Lee Shufu, the founder of the billionaire behind Jelly, who also owns Volvo Cars and Polestar, unloaded his global origins and simplified his basic work since last year.

The end of production at the Heithyl plant, which Lotus founded in 1966, will be another blow to the production of cars in the UK, after another closed from Honda and Ford over the past decade.

The production of vehicles in the United Kingdom collapsed in May to the lowest level since 1949 after it forced the Donald Trump War, Aston Martin and other British car makers to stop their shipments to the United States.