Lotus hopes to launch an SUV, two sports cars in the next four years
We’ll believe ‘em when we see ‘em.
Lotus -- a company that hasn't launched a new car since the Evora in 2009 -- is apparently planning to unleash a slew of new products over the next four years. Speaking to Automotive News Europe, Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales says two new sports cars will arrive first, with an SUV to follow a year or two later.
"We are very confident we can launch those sports cars in two years and beat the competition where we want to beat them," Gales tells Automotive News Europe.
Specific details of the new sports cars are pretty vague right now, Gales only saying one will use an updated aluminum platform, while the other will be built around a carbon fiber tub. The latter, naturally, will be positioned as the more premium (read: expensive) of the two cars, slotting above the Evora. As for the SUV, well, your guess is as good as ours at this point, with Gales providing no additional information in the Automotive News Europe interview.
In order to handle this product onslaught, Lotus will reportedly hire 300 people in 2018, all based at the company's headquarters in Norfolk, England. The two sports cars will likely be produced in England, though Gales says the SUV will probably be built in China, as well as one other undetermined location.
Now, you'll forgive us if we're taking this news with a big ol' grain of salt. Lotus is now owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which also owns Volvo Cars, but this is an automaker that hasn't posted a profit in a very long time. We also can't help but remember Lotus' last ambitious attempt at a revitalization, when the company introduced five sports car concepts at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, exactly none of which ever made it to production.
Still, an influx of fresh product -- especially that SUV -- could do wonders for the British brand. Here's hoping.
