EV Firm Lotus Tech Slashes Annual Deliveries Forecast as EU, US Tariffs Weigh

British sports car maker Lotus unveils its new fully-electric "Emeya" Hyper-GT in New York City, US, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs Purchase Licensing Rights
British sports car maker Lotus unveils its new fully-electric "Emeya" Hyper-GT in New York City, US, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs Purchase Licensing Rights
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EV Firm Lotus Tech Slashes Annual Deliveries Forecast as EU, US Tariffs Weigh

British sports car maker Lotus unveils its new fully-electric "Emeya" Hyper-GT in New York City, US, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs Purchase Licensing Rights
British sports car maker Lotus unveils its new fully-electric "Emeya" Hyper-GT in New York City, US, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs Purchase Licensing Rights

EV firm Lotus Technology slashed its deliveries forecast for the year by more than 50% on Wednesday, citing uncertainty posed by new tariffs in the United States and the European Union.

Import tariffs imposed by the European Union, the United States and Canada on China-made EVs have added pressure on companies manufacturing their vehicles in China, adding to costs.

"After assessment of the evolving market conditions, and uncertainties posed by new tariff policies in US and EU, the company has revised its delivery target for 2024 to 12,000 units," the company said, according to Reuters.

The company is headquartered in the Chinese city of Wuhan and produces cars through a partnership with parent firm Geely .

Lotus Tech, which focuses on all-electric lifestyle vehicles, is part of British sports car maker Lotus Group, which is owned by Chinese automaker Geely and Malaysia's Etika Automotive.

The company was valued at about $7 billion in a deal with a special purpose acquisition company when it went public in February, but its value has since fallen to about $3.8 billion.

After China and Europe, the company began taking orders for the Eletre SUV in markets across the Middle East, Asia and the Americas.

Deliveries for the three months ended June 30 stood at 2,679 units, compared with 2,194 vehicles in the first quarter.

Revenue for the second quarter was $225 million, compared with $111 million a year earlier.

Lotus Tech said its net loss widened to $202 million in the April-June period from $193 million a year earlier.

Its plans to expand and entry into new regions have led to higher selling and marketing expenses, which rose 73% to $204.3 million in the quarter.



French Judges to Decide Next Step in Probe of Telegram Boss Durov

Telegram app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights
Telegram app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights
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French Judges to Decide Next Step in Probe of Telegram Boss Durov

Telegram app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights
Telegram app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights

French investigative judges are due to decide on Wednesday whether to place Russian-born Telegram boss Pavel Durov under formal investigation following his arrest as part of a probe into organised crime on the messaging app.

Durov's detention as he landed at an airport near Paris on a private jet on Saturday evening has put the spotlight on the criminal liability of app providers and fuelled debate on where freedom of speech ends and enforcement of the law begins, according to Reuters.

The judges' decision is expected by 8.00 p.m.(1800 GMT), 96 hours - or four days - after Durov was taken into custody, the maximum period he can be detained before they decide whether or not to put him under formal investigation.

Durov's arrest has also put in focus the uneasy relationship between Telegram, which has close to 1 billion users, and governments.

President Emmanuel Macron, who with his team uses Telegram to communicate, had lunch with Durov in 2018 as part of a series of meetings the French leader had with tech entrepreneurs, a source close to Macron said.

Being placed under formal investigation in France does not imply guilt or necessarily lead to trial, but indicates that judges consider there is enough to the case to proceed with the probe. Investigations can last years before being sent to trial or shelved.

If Durov, who has been in police custody since his arrest, is placed under formal investigation, judges will also decide whether to put him in pretrial detention. One of the factors they will consider is whether he could try to flee.

A source at the Paris prosecutor's office said an update on the probe was likely to be issued late on Wednesday.

-INVESTIGATION

The overall investigation is at this stage directed against unspecified people.

It focuses on suspected complicity in crimes including running an online platform that allows illicit transactions; possessing images of child sex abuse; drug trafficking; fraud; refusing to pass information to authorities; and providing cryptographic services to criminals, prosecutors said.

The prosecutor's office did not say which crime or crimes Durov himself might be suspected of.

Durov's French lawyer did not reply to repeated Reuters requests for comment through emails and phone calls.

Faced with accusations from Russia, and also Elon Musk, over the stifling of freedom of speech with Durov's arrest, Macron took the unusual step on Monday of issuing a message on X about what he said were "false information."

France, he said, was committed to free speech and the independence of the judiciary, which he said had decided alone to arrest Durov.

A source close to the matter reiterated on Wednesday that Macron and his government had nothing to do with the arrest.