China's Geely adds Proton, Lotus to expand car empire

China's Geely adds Proton, Lotus to expand car empire

A Lotus Group International Ltd. Evora sports car sits on display at the Washington Auto Show in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Chinese billionaire Li Shufu is buying Malaysia’s unprofitable national carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd. pretty much for two reasons: access to 600 million consumers in Southeast Asia and the brand cachet of Lotus Cars.

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