Lotus in partnership with China’s Chery?

[Wimbledon]

The new Chery (pronounced “Cheery”) A6 coupe has been caught undisguised near Lotus headquarters in Hethel.

Far from Chery’s home in Wuhu, China, the A6’s appearance near Hethel strongly leads us to conclude that Chery has an engineering partnership with Lotus. The largest independent Chinese carmaker has a lot riding on the A6, as the A6 will be Chery’s new flagship model and is expected to be sold in competitive Europe. With stated intentions of becoming a major player in Europe, Chery needs exceptional products to counter negative preconceptions of Chinese cars.

Time will tell if input from Lotus is enough to make the A6 a compelling choice.

Engine choices should include a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder and a 3.0L V6.

In other recent news, Lotus officially announced a partnership with Kia, another Asian carmaker.

Credit for the photos goes to Autocar.

[Lotus Fury]

Lotus has made great strides in expanding their consulting arm in Asia. Their parent company, Proton, has helped setup hub offices for Lotus consulting throughout SE Asia. That area is going to be the largest growth market for automobiles in the next 20+ years just due to the shear number of people that live there.