Lotus Technology Showcases Autonomous Driving Progress at CES 2024

Rhea-AI Summary

Lotus Technology Inc. (LOT) to Showcase Next-Generation Autonomous Driving Solutions at CES 2024

Insights

Automotive Industry Analyst

The announcement by Lotus Technology Inc. regarding their showcase of next-generation autonomous driving solutions at CES and the receipt of approval for Level 3 autonomous driving tests in China is a significant development for the company and the automotive industry at large. The display of advanced software and hardware, including the ROBO Soul, ROBO Matrix and ROBO Galaxy, indicates a strong commitment to innovation in the intelligent driving space. The integration of these technologies into Lotus Tech's vehicles, such as the Eletre and Emeya, positions the company favorably in the luxury electric vehicle market, which is increasingly competitive.

The approval for L3 testing in Wuxi, China's pilot zone for internet of vehicles connectivity, is a strategic milestone for Lotus Tech. It not only demonstrates regulatory confidence in the company's technology but also provides a real-world testing ground to refine their autonomous systems. The potential for Lotus Tech to leverage this approval to accelerate the commercialization of their L3 and L4-ready hardware could be a catalyst for growth, attracting investor interest and potentially impacting the company's market valuation post-merger with LCAA.

Furthermore, the mention of the world's first deployable LiDAR system and the use of multiple sensor types for enhanced vehicle perception underscores the company's technological edge. This could drive consumer demand and strengthen Lotus Tech's brand as a leader in the high-end EV segment. The implications for the stock market include increased investor confidence and possibly a positive reaction to Lotus Tech's shares, especially considering the anticipated Nasdaq listing under the ticker 'LOT' post-merger completion.

Financial Analyst

The merger between Lotus Technology Inc. and L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp (LCAA) is poised to have a considerable impact on Lotus Tech's financial standing and investment attractiveness. The transition to becoming a public company via a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) merger is a trend that has been observed in the tech and EV sectors, offering a quicker route to public markets compared to traditional IPOs. This strategy can provide Lotus Tech with access to capital markets and the liquidity needed to fuel further R&D and expansion efforts.

Investors will be closely monitoring the execution of the Merger Agreement and the subsequent performance of Lotus Tech as a public entity. The successful deployment of the showcased technologies and the progression of autonomous driving capabilities could serve as key drivers of Lotus Tech's revenue growth and market share expansion. The listing on the Nasdaq will increase the visibility of the company to a wider range of investors and could result in increased trading volumes and liquidity.

The stock market impact of this merger and Lotus Tech's technological advancements will largely depend on the company's ability to meet its Vision80 strategy goals and to effectively commercialize its autonomous driving technologies. However, investors should also consider the inherent risks associated with SPAC mergers, including regulatory scrutiny and the performance pressure post-listing, which could influence the stock's volatility and long-term performance.

Market Research Analyst

The autonomous driving sector is rapidly evolving and Lotus Tech's advancements showcased at CES are likely to resonate well with both consumers and investors. The company's focus on high-end autonomous driving features aligns with current consumer trends favoring advanced safety, convenience and technology in vehicles. Lotus Tech's strategic positioning in the luxury EV market, coupled with its innovative autonomous driving technologies, may enable it to capture a significant share of this niche but growing segment.

The global push towards autonomous and electric vehicles, supported by environmental policies and technological advancements, presents a favorable backdrop for Lotus Tech's growth trajectory. The company's presence at CES, a high-profile consumer technology platform and its subsequent testing in Wuxi's 'internet of vehicles' pilot zone, will likely enhance its brand recognition and credibility among potential customers and partners.

From a market perspective, the anticipated completion of the merger with LCAA and the subsequent listing on the Nasdaq could create new investment opportunities and attract attention from institutional investors. The company's progress in the autonomous driving domain could also influence partnerships, mergers and acquisitions within the industry, as competitors and new entrants seek to keep pace with technological developments.

NEW YORK and SINGAPORE, Jan. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lotus Technology Inc. ("Lotus Tech" or the "Company"), a leading global luxury electric vehicle maker, announced today that its intelligent driving arm, Lotus Robotics, will showcase numerous proprietary next-generation autonomous driving software and hardware solutions at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, USA.

The technologies on display, and Lotus Tech's recent receipt of approval to test conditional automated driving ("Level 3" or "L3") functions on highways in part of China, demonstrate Lotus Tech's progress in executing the brand's Vision80 business transformation strategy and further advancing its global R&D prowess.

The ROBO Soul, ROBO Matrix, and ROBO Galaxy software being showcased at CES provide solutions for advanced driver assistance systems, remotely assisted operation, and cloud data management respectively. The technologies have been employed in Lotus Tech vehicles, contributing to their autonomous driving capabilities. The hyper SUV Eletre and hyper GT Emeya, for example, both feature cutting-edge autonomous driving hardware, aviation-level security and redundancy including dual NVIDIA DRIVE Orin chips, as well as the Company's industry-leading cognition module, which can intelligently identify and avoid risks on the road. Lotus Robotics is also displaying hardware it is developing as part of efforts to accelerate adoption of self-driving technology, including its ROBOCube intelligent street cleaner.

In recognition of Lotus Tech's leadership in intelligent driving, the Company recently received approval to test L3 autonomous driving in Wuxi, a city near Shanghai serving as China's pilot zone for "internet of vehicles" connectivity. This licence allows Eletre drivers to use the vehicle's L3 functionality on designated highways in the city. Eletre is equipped with state-of-the-art L4-ready hardware including the world's first deployable LiDAR system, and leverages five different sensor types to supplement high-definition digital maps with live, 360° perception.

"Lotus Robotics' leading technologies bear testament to Lotus Tech's world-class R&D innovation capabilities and signify a significant step forward in our Vision80 strategy. We look forward to testing these innovative technologies on the roads in Wuxi as we strive to strengthen Lotus Tech's intelligent driving capabilities and deliver even better, safer driving experiences to our customers around the world," said Mr. Qingfeng Feng, Chief Executive Officer of Lotus Tech.

Visit Lotus Robotics at the Las Vegas Convention Center's North Hall, in the Tech East AI (Artificial Intelligence) pavilion at booth 9217 from January 9-12.

As announced in January 2023, Lotus Tech has entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger (the "Merger Agreement") with L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp ("LCAA") (NASDAQ: LCAA), a special purpose acquisition company formed by affiliates of L Catterton, a leading global consumer-focused investment firm. The transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024, and would result in Lotus Tech becoming a public company. Upon completion of the business combination, the combined company is expected to retain Lotus Tech's name as "Lotus Technology Inc." and its American Depositary Shares (ADS) are expected to be listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "LOT."

About Lotus Technology
Lotus Technology Inc., headquartered in Wuhan, China, has operations across China, the UK, and the EU. The Company is dedicated to delivering luxury lifestyle battery electric vehicles, including SUVs and sedans, with a focus on world-class R&D in next-generation automobility technologies such as electrification, digitalisation and more. For more information about Lotus Technology Inc., please visit www.group-lotus.com.

About Lotus Robotics
Lotus Robotics' mission is to accelerate the transition to self-driving technology by creating endless opportunities for how people and goods move using intelligent vehicles and robotics. The company offers end-to-end autonomous driving services including the software for self-driving, autonomous testing capabilities and fleet management offerings on the cloud.

About L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp
L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: LCAA) is a blank check company incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. While it may pursue an initial target business in any industry or sector, it has focused its search on high-growth, consumer technology sectors across Asia. For more information about L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp, please visit www.lcaac.com. 

About L Catterton
L Catterton is a market-leading consumer-focused investment firm, managing approximately $34 billion of equity capital and three multi-product platforms: private equity, credit and real estate. Leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad network of strategic relationships, L Catterton's team of more than 200 investment and operating professionals across 17 offices partners with management teams to drive differentiated value creation across its portfolio. Founded in 1989, the firm has made over 250 investments in some of the world's most iconic consumer brands. For more information about L Catterton, please visit www.lcatterton.com. 

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release (the "Press Release") contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, that are based on beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to Lotus Tech and LCAA. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this Press Release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "should", "expect", "intend", "will", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "predict", "potential", "forecast", "plan", "seek", "future", "propose" or "continue", or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology although not all forward-looking statements contain such terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by LCAA and its management, and Lotus Tech and its management, as the case may be, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of definitive agreements with respect to the proposed Business Combination between LCAA, Lotus Tech and the other parties thereto (the "Business Combination"); (2) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against LCAA, the Combined Company or others following the announcement of the Business Combination and any definitive agreements with respect thereto; (3) the amount of redemption requests made by LCAA public shareholders and the inability to complete the Business Combination due to the failure to obtain approval of the shareholders of LCAA, to obtain financing to complete the Business Combination or to satisfy other conditions to closing and; (4) changes to the proposed structure of the Business Combination that may be required or appropriate as a result of applicable laws or regulations or as a condition to obtaining regulatory approval of the Business Combination; (5) the ability to meet stock exchange listing standards following the consummation of the Business Combination; (6) the risk that the Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations of the Company as a result of the announcement and consummation of the Business Combination; (7) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the Combined Company to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; (8) costs related to the Business Combination; (9) risks associated with changes in applicable laws or regulations and Lotus Tech's international operations; (10) the possibility that Lotus Tech or the Combined Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (11) Lotus Tech's estimates of expenses and profitability; (12) Lotus Tech's ability to maintain agreements or partnerships with its strategic partner Geely Holding and to develop new agreements or partnerships; (13) Lotus Tech's ability to maintain relationships with its existing suppliers and strategic partners, and source new suppliers for its critical components, and to complete building out its supply chain, while effectively managing the risks due to such relationships; (14) Lotus Tech's reliance on its partnerships with vehicle charging networks to provide charging solutions for its vehicles and its strategic partners for servicing its vehicles and their integrated software; (15) Lotus Tech's ability to establish its brand and capture additional market share, and the risks associated with negative press or reputational harm, including from lithium-ion battery cells catching fire or venting smoke; (16) delays in the design, manufacture, launch and financing of Lotus Tech's vehicles and Lotus Tech's reliance on a limited number of vehicle models to generate revenues; (17) Lotus Tech's ability to continuously and rapidly innovate, develop and market new products; (18) risks related to future market adoption of Lotus Tech's offerings; (19) increases in costs, disruption of supply or shortage of materials, in particular for lithium-ion cells or semiconductors; (20) Lotus Tech's reliance on its partners to manufacture vehicles at a high volume, some of which have limited experience in producing electric vehicles, and on the allocation of sufficient production capacity to Lotus Tech by its partners in order for Lotus Tech to be able to increase its vehicle production capacities; (21) risks related to Lotus Tech's distribution model; (22) the effects of competition and the high barriers to entry in the automotive industry, and the pace and depth of electric vehicle adoption generally on Lotus Tech's future business; (23) changes in regulatory requirements, governmental incentives and fuel and energy prices; (24) the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on LCAA, Lotus Tech, Lotus Tech's post business combination's projected results of operations, financial performance or other financial metrics, or on any of the foregoing risks; and (25) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in LCAA's final prospectus relating to its initial public offering (File No. 333-253334) declared effective by the SEC on March 10, 2021, and other documents filed, or to be filed, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") by LCAA or Lotus Tech, including the Registration/Proxy Statement (as defined below). There may be additional risks that neither LCAA nor Lotus Tech presently know or that LCAA or Lotus Tech currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.

Nothing in this Press Release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved in any specified time frame, or at all, or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved in any specified time frame, or at all. The forward-looking statements in this Press Release represent the views of LCAA and Lotus Tech as of the date they are made. While LCAA and Lotus Tech may update these forward-looking statements in the future, LCAA and Lotus Tech specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, except to the extent required by applicable law. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Additional Information
In connection with the proposed Business Combination, (i) Lotus Tech has filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form F-4 (File No. 333-275001) containing a preliminary proxy statement of LCAA and a preliminary prospectus (the "Registration/Proxy Statement"), and (ii) LCAA will file a definitive proxy statement relating to the proposed Business Combination (the "Definitive Proxy Statement") and will mail the Definitive Proxy Statement and other relevant materials to its shareholders after the Registration/Proxy Statement is declared effective. The Registration/Proxy Statement contains important information about the proposed Business Combination and the other matters to be voted upon at a meeting of LCAA shareholders to be held to approve the proposed Business Combination. This Press Release does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed Business Combination and is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the Business Combination.

Before making any voting or other investment decisions, securityholders of LCAA and other interested persons are advised to read, when available, the Registration/Proxy Statement and the amendments thereto and the Definitive Proxy Statement and other documents filed in connection with the proposed Business Combination, as these materials will contain important information about LCAA, Lotus Tech and the Business Combination. When available, the Definitive Proxy Statement and other relevant materials for the proposed Business Combination will be mailed to shareholders of LCAA as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed Business Combination. Shareholders will also be able to obtain copies of the Registration/Proxy Statement, the Definitive Proxy Statement and other documents filed with the SEC, without charge, once available, at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to: LCAA, 8 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 1, #41-03, Singapore 018960, attention: Katie Matarazzo.

INVESTMENT IN ANY SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SEC OR ANY OTHER REGULATORY AUTHORITY NOR HAS ANY AUTHORITY PASSED UPON OR ENDORSED THE MERITS OF THE OFFERING OR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

Participants in the Solicitation
LCAA and Lotus Tech, and certain of their directors and executive officers, may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from LCAA's shareholders with respect to the proposed Business Combination. A list of the names of those directors and executive officers and a description of their interests in LCAA is set forth in LCAA's filings with the SEC (including LCAA's final prospectus related to its initial public offering (File No. 333-253334) declared effective by the SEC on March 10, 2021), and are available free of charge at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to LCAA, 8 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 1, #41-03, Singapore 018960, attention: Katie Matarazzo. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants and other persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the shareholders in connection with the proposed Business Combination will be contained in the Registration/Proxy Statement for the proposed Business Combination when available.

No Offer and Non-Solicitation
This Press Release is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the potential transaction and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of LCAA or Lotus Tech, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act.

Contact Information
For inquiries regarding Lotus Tech
Demi Zhang
ir@group-lotus.com

Brunswick Group
Lotustechmedia@brunswickgroup.com

For inquiries regarding LCAA and/or L Catterton
Julie Hamilton (U.S.)
media@lcatterton.com
+1 203 742 5185

Bob Ong / Bonnie Gan (Asia)
bob.ong@lcatterton.com / bonnie.gan@lcatterton.com
+65 6672 7619 / +86 10 8555 1807

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SOURCE Lotus Technology Inc.

FAQ

What is Lotus Technology Inc.'s ticker symbol?

The ticker symbol for Lotus Technology Inc. is LOT.

What technologies will Lotus Robotics showcase at CES 2024?

Lotus Robotics will showcase ROBO Soul, ROBO Matrix, and ROBO Galaxy software for advanced driver assistance systems, remotely assisted operation, and cloud data management at CES 2024.

What recent approval did Lotus Tech receive for testing autonomous driving?

Lotus Tech recently received approval to test conditional automated driving ('Level 3' or 'L3') functions on highways in part of China.

What vehicles feature Lotus Tech's autonomous driving hardware?

The hyper SUV Eletre and hyper GT Emeya feature Lotus Tech's cutting-edge autonomous driving hardware, dual NVIDIA DRIVE Orin chips, and the Company's industry-leading cognition module.

What is the expected completion timeline for Lotus Tech's merger with L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp?

The business combination with L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.