Caterham breaks all-time sales record

Caterham is in celebration mode following the announcement it sold the largest number of vehicles over a 12-month period during 2021 in its near-50-year history.

The British company, which was acquired by Japanese importer VT Holdings on March 31, 2021, was founded in 1973 to keep the iconic Lotus Seven alive.

Compared to pre-COVID-19 levels, sales grew by 41 per cent with a total order tally of 670 vehicles. This not only beats the 442 orders received in 2019, but also narrowly surpasses its all-time record of 667. This was in spite of pandemic-related supply issues, a lack of limited-edition models, and new ownership.

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The new Seven 170 – Caterham’s lightest and smallest vehicle yet – helped to contribute towards the strong sales, while the Seven 420 was also the brand's best-selling vehicle in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Caterham says more than 50 per cent of its vehicles were sold during the second half of the year, with fewer ordered in the first six months of 2021.

An expansion of its international dealer network has also contributed towards the greater demand. For instance, the opening of a new dealership in Portugal brought in 22 sales between January and December 2021 – more than the total amount of Caterham vehicles sold in the country over the previous decade combined.

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While the company has not officially announced figures for the Australian market, VFACTS data shows just one Caterham was registered in 2021 – the same number as 2020, with zero in 2019 and three in 2018.

Caterham relaunched in Australia in late 2019, following a two-year hiatus due to compliance issues relating to Europe’s then-new WLTP emissions standard.

In addition, sales in Italy doubled (20 in 2021 versus 10 in 2020), while a total of 49 vehicles were ordered in the United Sales – more than double the amount it sold in 2019.

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“The experiences of the last two years have led many people to re-evaluate what they want out of life, meaning Caterham’s philosophy of driver-focused fun and thrillingly-pure performance resonates even more clearly than before,” said Graham Macdonald, chief executive officer at Caterham Cars.

“This is a trend that looks set to continue into 2022 and beyond and, along with the planned expansion of our production capacity, gives Caterham an excellent opportunity to continuing [sic] building a strong foundation for the future.”

In Australia, the Caterham range is limited to the Seven 275, Seven 355 and Seven 485. The smaller and lighter Seven 170 – weighing in at just 470 kilograms – is off-the-table for the local market due to ADR-related size requirements. The marque is exclusively sold within a Lotus dealership in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Cremorne.