Key Takeaways
- Caterham has officially moved headquarters to a new facility dubbed Dartford X.
- Significant Japanese investment increases production capability by 50%.
- This is the first time design, engineering, and manufacturing will occur under one roof for Caterham.
- Project V, an electric sports car concept, may also call Dartford X home in the years to come.
British sports car brand Caterham has announced a relocation to a new global headquarters from which it hopes to grow exponentially in the years to come. But the brand that sells a series of lightweight open-top sports cars based on the decades-old Lotus 7 hasn’t done this on its own – instead, it’s been given a healthy cash injection from an unlikely source: Japan.
The multi-million-pound investment from Japanese retail group VT Holdings has been integral in the relocation, and will see production capacity increase by 50% at the new facility – still located in Dartford, Kent – allowing Caterham to produce up to 750 cars a year. The new HQ will house the production team, but also the engineering, motorsport, and commercial departments.
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Dartford X – A New Dawn For Caterham
The new HQ is built within a nine-acre industrial park development called Dartford X, with the facility itself spanning 54,000 square feet. Closely located to the old factory, it enables Caterham to continue calling Kent its home. It’s taken nine months to outfit the facility for production, and now encompasses an array of facilities to accelerate production of Caterham sports cars now and into the future:
- Latest-tech paint booths
- Engine shop
- Parts warehouse
- 33 manufacturing bays
A single car builder will be allocated to each bay for the final assembly of the Caterham Seven from start to finish, but going forward, something else may also be built at the facility…
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The Caterham Seven Won’t Last Forever
The Seven is already ancient and ultra-niche, but it won’t stick around forever despite its apparent timelessness. However, Caterham Project V could take over as an all-electric sports car that proves EVs can be lightweight. It’s still a concept for now, but Caterham has been open about its intentions to produce Project V, and do so for an extended period of time. Expected to launch in 2026, it weighs less than a Toyota GR86 and has a 268-horsepower motor driving the rear wheels. It’s not an electric Seven (which is coming, too) but rather a closed-roof coupe with 2+1 or 2+2 seating arrangements that could take on the next-gen Porsche 718 Cayman EV.
2026 Caterham Project V
- Engine
- Single Electric Motor
- Horsepower
- 268 hp
- Drivetrain
- Rear-Wheel Drive
- 0-60 MPH
- 4.5 Seconds
- Curb Weight
- 2,624 lbs
But the Seven will remain in production for a while to come, and so long as Caterham doesn’t exceed 1,000 cars per year, even a combustion-powered sports car will be exempt from the ban on tailpipe emissions in Europe. “The 7 isn’t going anywhere, but the world is moving on, and EVs are here to stay in one form or another,” said Caterham CEO Bob Laishley while discussing Project V, describing it as “Our first step down that path [to electrification].”
From Seven To EV: Caterham’s Project V Aims to Redefine Electric Driving
It’s radically different, but still entirely a Caterham.
Speaking of the new HQ, Laishley admitted, “Moving into our new global headquarters is a significant moment in our brand’s history and will be transformational for the business and the future of the Seven,” before adding, “Not only will we be able to increase our production capacity by 50%, but for the first time in our 50-year history the production, engineering, motorsport, and commercial teams will all be housed under one roof. It will make us a more efficient, streamlined business.”
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