Departure follows whirlwind U-turn on closing Hethel plant just hours after FT report

London, UK –Matt Windle, who was appointed earlier this April as the European head of Lotus Cars, has announced his departure after a turbulent four-month tenure marked by corporate confusion and public outcry. His exit comes in the wake of a dramatic reversal over proposals to close the revered Hethel manufacturing plant in Norfolk, a decision that was scrapped less than 24 hours after the Financial Times broke the story in June.

Windle’s arrival at the storied British sports-car maker was billed as a fresh start. With a pedigree that includes senior leadership roles at both Jaguar Land Rover and BMW, he was expected to steer Lotus through its electrification push and global expansion plans. Instead, his brief spell has been defined by the Hethel controversy, which threatened to undermine the company’s rich heritage and alienate its homegrown workforce.

On June 12, 2025, the FT reported that Lotus was preparing to shutter its Hethel plant—home to production since 1966—as part of cost-cutting measures and a shift toward contract manufacturing overseas. Within hours, a stunned public and a vocal contingent of employees erupted in protest, calling on management and local MPs to intervene.

By the next morning, the company issued a terse statement reversing the planned shutdown, attributing the leak to “internal miscommunication.” Sources inside Lotus said that Windle, although not solely responsible, became the public face of the debacle, bearing the brunt of criticism from both factory staff and investors uneasy about the brand’s direction.

Industry analysts say that the U-turn laid bare deeper strategic tensions within Lotus’s leadership group. While some executives favored outsourcing production to tap lower labor costs and increase capacity, others insisted that preserving the Hethel campus was essential to maintain the brand’s authenticity and engineering credibility.

“Lotus has always sold a narrative of British craftsmanship,” said automotive consultant Helena Morris. “When you threaten the plant where every Series 1 through Emira rolled off the line, you risk eroding the brand’s soul. The swift reversal indicates the board recognized this, but the damage to internal cohesion was already done.”

Windle’s departure, confirmed in a brief release late Thursday, cited “personal reasons” and did not elaborate on his future plans. A company spokesperson affirmed that Lotus remains committed to Hethel and hinted that a permanent successor would be announced “in due course.”

Local leaders in Norfolk have welcomed the reaffirmation of manufacturing at Hethel, but caution that reassurance alone may not suffice to restore confidence. Caroline Nokes, Member of Parliament for Romsey and Southampton North, urged Lotus to engage directly with staff and the surrounding community to chart a clear, long-term vision for the plant’s future.

As Lotus prepares to unveil its next all-electric model later this year, the search for Windle’s successor will be closely watched. Stakeholders agree that the next appointee must balance savvy global management with a genuine appreciation for the company’s British roots—a tightrope that Matt Windle was unable to walk in his short stint.