Lotus has not one, but two electric SUVs coming this decade
The British marque, which is a lot more Chinese these days, dumped its EV plans on us and it's not just about lightweight sports cars anymore.
You are reading that headline correctly: Lotus, the brand with an ethos for adding lightness, will launch two electric SUVs this decade. If you didn't think the times were changing already, they most definitely are. Lotus said on Tuesday its first new product from this electric era is codenamed Type 132 -- a larger E-segment SUV. It's not far out either with a 2022 launch date planned.
Up next will be a "four-door coupe" codenamed Type 133 set for 2023 before the second D-segment Type 134 SUV launches in 2025. Finally, a brand-spankin' new electric sports car will cap things off in 2026 with the project name of Type 135. Each of these cars will compliment the range-topping Evija electric supercar and the recently revealed Emira sports car. The latter is Lotus' final vehicle to boast an internal-combustion engine.
Underpinning the brand's electric "premium lifestyle vehicles" is what the company calls its Lotus Premium architecture. It suits wheelbases measuring 113 to 122 inches and could receive tweaks in the future to fit other wheelbases, too. But, Lotus has three other platforms under development as well, so it doesn't sound like this is a one-size-fits-all sort of deal. Battery capacity for the platform will fall between 92 and 120 kilowatt-hours and the EV bones will support 800-volt fast charging.
In the end, Lotus hopes to have one heck of a vehicle portfolio on sale by the time the brand celebrates its 80th birthday in 2028, but the marque will be a far cry from Colin Chapman's original company born in 1948. These days, China's Geely controls Lotus as it works to turn the brand into a British Porsche of sorts. To support this, millions of dollars invested created a new Lotus Technology global headquarters in Wuhan, China, a new "Intelligent Technology" subsidiary now lives under the Lotus Group and a new production facility in China will churn out future Lotus vehicles.
It remains to be seen if the world's ready for an electric Lotus, let alone a Lotus SUV, but the ride shoves off next year. Buckle up.
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