Mr Payne most recently led the team responsible for the design development of the Eletre hyper SUV, the company’s first vehicle beyond traditional sportscars, marking a key milestone for the business on its journey to become a global performance brand by 2028.

In his newly appointed role, Mr Payne will oversee all design for the Lotus brand, working closely with group leadership and collaborating with the commercial team to drive forward the growth of Lotus.

Lotus said that this will ensure design consistency, synergies and creative leadership across the whole brand.

Mr Payne said: “Having worked extremely closely with Peter over the past five years, it was a privilege to call him a friend and great mentor in shaping global creative leadership and influencing my own design philosophy.

“It’s an honour to be taking on this new role, and I am excited to further elevate the brand globally.”

Big shoes to fill: Ben Payne succeeds renowned British designer Peter Horbury who passed away in June

Lotus Group CEO Feng Qingfeng said: “Lotus is renowned for its world-class design, and Ben has played a key role in ensuring our new lifestyle electric vehicles stay true to the heritage of the Lotus brand.

“We have ambitious plans to scale rapidly by 2028, and I look forward to working with Ben as we deliver new vehicles and expand into new markets.”

Mr Payne brings an extensive knowledge of automotive design and brand, having held influential roles at Aston Martin and Bugatti, and has diverse consultancy experience with Makkina.

The late Peter Horbury was known for his design work for Volvo and his success in changing the design language of the Swedish brand, leading to greater car sales.

He worked in a variety of roles in the automotive industry including as executive design director of the Americas for Ford (2004 to 2009) and executive vice president of design at Geely Auto between 2011 and 2021.

Mr Horbury was named UK magazine Autocar‘s designer of the year in 1998 and during his 40-plus year career was actively involved in the design of more than 50 cars as well as trucks, buses, and motorcycles.

In 2018, Lotus announced its Vision80 strategy and plans to transform the brand from a heritage automotive company to an all-electric, intelligent, luxury mobility provider by 2028 – when the business turns 80.

Lotus said that the company has seen a huge demand for its products, with an orderbook of over 17,000 vehicles for its Emira sports car and Eletre hyper-SUV.

It has ramped up production this year, already delivering Emiras to customers and expects to deliver the Eletre to customers in the UK and Europe later this year.

The business had a record first half of the year for production and expects the full year to surpass previous sale years.

By Neil Dowling