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.



Iranian Hackers Targeted WhatsApp Accounts of Staffers in Biden, Trump Administrations, Meta Says

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with reporters at a campaign event at ll Toro E La Capra, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with reporters at a campaign event at ll Toro E La Capra, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
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Iranian Hackers Targeted WhatsApp Accounts of Staffers in Biden, Trump Administrations, Meta Says

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with reporters at a campaign event at ll Toro E La Capra, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with reporters at a campaign event at ll Toro E La Capra, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

The same Iranian hacking group believed to have targeted both the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns tried to go after the WhatsApp accounts of staffers in the administrations of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Meta Platforms said Friday.

Meta said it discovered the network of hackers, who posed as tech support agents for companies including Microsoft and Google, after individuals who received the suspicious WhatsApp messages reported them. Meta’s investigators linked the activity to the same network blamed for the hacking incident reported by Trump’s campaign, The AP reported.

The FBI this week said a hack by Iran of the Trump campaign and an attempted breach of the Biden-Harris campaign was part of a broader Iranian effort to interfere with the US presidential election.

A statement Friday from Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instagram, said that the hackers had tried to target the WhatsApp account of individuals in the Middle East, the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as political and diplomatic officials — including unidentified officials associated with the Trump and Biden administrations. A “small cluster” of accounts was blocked by Meta, the company said.

“We have not seen evidence of the targeted WhatsApp accounts being compromised, but out of an abundance of caution, we’re sharing our findings publicly, in addition to sharing information with law enforcement and our industry peers,” Meta said in a statement.

US intelligence officials say Iran’s increasingly aggressive use of cyberattacks and disinformation has several motives: to confuse and polarize voters in an effort to undermine confidence in US democracy, to erode support for Israel, and to oppose candidates that it believes will increase tension between Washington and Iran.