The new model is very light and can reach a speed of 170mph.

Lotus chief operating officer Aslam Farikullah said the event marks the first step towards consolidating and then growing the company.

He commented: ”Our emphasis now is on the finer details of what we do. I believe that the ability of our engineers and workforce makes them among the best in the world. We will leverage on this key strength as we revitalise and strengthen the Lotus brand.”

Lotus’ CEO, Dany Bahar, was recently dismissed and more rumours spread about VolksWagen’s interest in acquiring the British brand from its current owner, DRB-Hicom.

Mr Farikullah added: “I would also like to reiterate that DRB-Hicom is committed to the future of Lotus. When I arrived I found a company full of talent, ambition and pride in the Lotus name. It’s my job now to re-galvanise the company and we will be doing that by investing in our existing talent.”