Lotus to unveil new Malaysian sponsor

Lotus is expected to shortly confirm a new sponsorship deal with Maxis, a leading Malaysian mobile network.

The logo of the Kuala Lumpur based company, whose headquarters is the impressive Maxis Tower near the Petronas Twin Towers, was seen on the front nose of the green T127 car at an event on Tuesday.

The branding was not on the cars driven by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen in Melbourne last weekend.

But the deal is likely to be confirmed this week, as the team embarks on a busy round of promotional activities leading into its home race.

The Maxis logo was seen on the front nose assembly in Kuala Lumpur, at the launch of the new Lotus-branded Proton Satria road car.

Headed by Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, Lotus was disappointed when state oil company Petronas decided to sponsor Mercedes’ new team in 2010 and beyond.

Lotus’ other third party sponsors are the well-known American news network CNN, and the London clothing label Hackett.