Ishishini lemoto lihlala lihamba. Ukuba kulo nyaka sele siwubambile “umothuko” wokubona iOpel ithengwa liqela lePSA, emva kweminyaka ephantse ibeyi-90 phantsi kweliso likaGM, iintshukumo kweli shishini zithembisa ukuba azizuphelela apha.
Ngoku kuxhomekeke kwi-Chinese Geely, inkampani efanayo ukuba ngo-2010 yafumana iVolvo, ukuba yenze izihloko. Inkampani yaseTshayina ifumene i-49.9% yeProton, ngelixa i-DRB-Hicom, ebambe uphawu lwaseMalaysia ngokupheleleyo, igcina i-50.1% eseleyo.
Umdla kaGeely kwiProton kulula ukuwuqonda xa kujongwa ubukho obuqinileyo bophawu kwiimarike zaseMzantsi-mpuma Asia. Ngaphaya koko, uGeely uthe isivumelwano siya kuvumela intsebenziswano ngakumbi kuphando, uphuhliso, imveliso kunye nobukho bentengiso. Ngokuqikelelwa kwangaphambili, iProton ngoku iya kuba nokufikelela kumaqonga e-Geely kunye nee-powertrains, kubandakanya iqonga elitsha leCMA eliphuhliswa kunye neVolvo.
Kutheni sigxininisa iProton xa isihloko sikhankanya ukuthengwa kweLotus?
YayiyiProton ukuba, ngo-1996, yathenga iLotus kwiRomano Artioli, ngelo xesha nayo engumnini weBugatti, ngaphambi kokuba oku kudluliselwe kwiVolkswagen.
I-Geely, kwesi sivumelwano ne-DRB-Hicom, ayizange igcine i-stake kwi-Proton kuphela, kodwa yaba ngoyena mnini-zabelo weLotus, ngesabelo se-51%. Uphawu lwaseMalaysia ngoku lukhangela abathengi kwi-49% eseleyo.
Uphawu lwaseBrithani lubonakala luneziseko ezinamandla, ngakumbi ukususela ekufikeni komongameli wangoku uJean-Marc Gales ngo-2014. Iziphumo zibonakaliswa kwi-inzuzo-ingeniso okokuqala kwimbali yayo ekupheleni konyaka odlulileyo. Ngokungena kwe-Geely kwindawo, ithemba livela lokuba liya kufezekisa ngeLotus oko likuzuzileyo ngeVolvo.
I-Lotus yayisele ikwixesha lenguqu. Izinzile ngokwemali, sibona ukuvela rhoqo kweemveliso zayo - i-Elise, i-Exige kunye ne-Evora - kwaye yayisele isebenza kwi-100% entsha esikhundleni se-veteran Elise, eya kusungulwa ngo-2020. Ngaphandle kokulibala isivumelwano kunye neTshayina I-Goldstar Heavy Industrial, eya kubangela i-SUV kwimarike yaseTshayina ekuqaleni kweshumi leminyaka ezayo.
Indlela ukungena kukaGeely kuyakuchaphazela ngayo izicwangciso eziqhubekayo yinto esifanele siyazi kwiinyanga ezimbalwa ezizayo.