Published: 7 May 2025
In late March, MBA students from the University of Sunderland in London took their learning into the fast lane with a visit to the Lotus Cars factory in Norfolk. Gaining operational and strategic insight from Lotus staff and learning about the historic manufacturer’s transition to electric vehicles.
Immersive learning, for our students completing their MBA, doesn’t get much more iconic in British car manufacturing than Lotus. With nearly 80 years of manufacturing experience, there is so much insight for students to gain and then apply in course learning.
During the tour, students observed the assembly line of the Lotus Emira model, had the opportunity to speak with the Lotus team, and observe the company’s latest models.
Accelerating into a green future
The students also had the opportunity to see, up close, the stunning Lotus Evija. An electric ‘hyper car’ that set the third fastest-ever lap time at Nürburgring in 2023 - accelerating from 0 to 124 mph in under six seconds. Only 130 of these cars have been produced.
The visit to the Lotus factory is the fifth since the university started its collaboration with Lotus Cars, nearly two years ago. Over 100 MBA students have benefited from the broad operational and strategic management insight gained during through the factory tours and from the highly experienced Lotus staff.
Enhancing student learning
Reflecting on her learning following the visit, Mercy Eke explained - “Observing the production line first-hand deepened my appreciation of production principals, automation, and quality control techniques that we have discussed in class. I saw how lean manufacturing and just-in-time processes operate efficiently in practice, further enhancing my grasp of operational management.”
Dr Ural Arslangulov, Lecturer (PG Business), who organised the visit, said “Experiential learning initiatives, such as the Lotus Cars visits, align with the university’s desire to make learning informative, not only from a theoretical point of view, but also from a practical perspective, linking theory with the real world.
We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Lotus Cars so that more of our students can benefit from this fantastic learning opportunity.”