Jinhua Neoplan to Produce Youngman Racer in China Under Lotus Brand

SHANGHAI - August 28, 2007:

Jinhua Neoplan, an affiliate of Zhejiang-based automaker Jinhua Youngman, unveiled the name of the new vehicle to be built under Lotus badge as "Youngman Racer".

Jinhua Youngman has reached an engineering contract with Lotus last year to develop a four-door sedan for the Chinese market. That vehicle is a version of the Proton Gen 2, but as Gen 2 doesn't sound good in Chinese, Jinhua Youngman decides to rename the model.

Technical specifications of Jinhua Youngman were also released yesterday. The model has a length of 4310mm and a width of 1725mm. It is equipped with Campro 1.6L engine with a maximum horse power of 82 KW, 5-or 4-speed automatic transmission is also available.

Inside Line, an auto news website, reported one week ago that Lotus had no intention to partner with the Malaysian state-owned automaker, Proton, to build cars in China. This report is in conflict with earlier Chinese media reports that Jinhua Neoplan will cooperate with Lotus to build a new car model in China.

For more information about the burgeoning auto industry in China please visit http://www.gasgoo.com/Autobiz/list/7/China-News.html