Caterham Sales Data & Trends for the European Automotive Market

Caterham is a small British manufacturer of lightweight sports cars based on the Colin Chapman designed Lotus Seven. Since 2011, the company is owned by the Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, who is the founder of Air Asia, and also the owner of the Caterham Formula 1 team.

Currently, the brand only sells one model, the Caterham Seven, available in different chassis types and with different Ford (Cosworth)-based engines, ranging from 80 hp to 310 hp. Caterham Cars bought the rights to the design of the Lotus Seven when Lotus ended the model’s production in 1972. In 2007, the model was 50 years in production under two different manufacturers. The car has been developed since, and currently no part is the same as on the original Lotus anymore.

The Caterham Seven is a no-frills, lightweight two-seater sports car with acclaimed performance and handling. It is available in self-build kits and as a factory assembled car. Other manufacturers in the UK and abroad offer similar lightweight sports cars, most notably Westfield, Donkervoort (Netherlands) and Birkin (South Africa), but Caterham owns the legal rights to the Lotus Seven design and name.

The brand also builds the SP/300.R track day car, with 300 hp and a weight of just 545 kg, launching from 0-60mph in just 2,8 seconds. Caterham’s European sales have fluctuated between 66 and 187 cars annually. The plans to cooperate with Renault on its new Alpine sports car fell through as the French continued on their own. There have been no concrete new plans since.

Annual Vehicle Sales

Annual Vehicle Sales Chart

Car sales statistics are from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. Sources: Manufacturers, ANDC, JATO Dynamics.