Lotus’ Upcoming Electric SUV Arriving in 2022 Along With Another in the Works

In January, Lotus announced a collaboration with Renault’s performance arm Alpine to develop a new electric sports car. Moreover, it has been public knowledge for a couple of years that Lotus’ parent company, Geely, has plans to shift production to China, departing from the long-standing Hethel location in the United Kingdom. The discussion about introducing a Lotus SUV surfaced as far back as 2017, and now, it is materializing with the introduction of not just one, but multiple family-friendly Lotus vehicles on the horizon.

While it remains unconfirmed whether the powertrain of Lotus’ upcoming electric SUVs will stir Colin Chapman’s legacy, the expectation of a 2022 launch has been right on the money.

Lotus has officially announced the debut of its first SUV next year, under the codename Type 132. Following that, a new four-door coupe is set to hit the market in 2023. These initial models are likely to roll out from Lotus’ new Wuhan manufacturing complex, which is slated to commence operations later this year and will be positioned alongside a hi-tech Lotus Technology center that boasts some extraordinary attributes, stated in a modest tone.

According to today’s announcement, “The novel Lotus plant hosts an integrated intelligent test circuit,” which might surprise those acquainted with facilities featuring such tracks. However, the narrative escalates as it adds, “It incorporates an advanced system enabling vehicles to autonomously navigate into service bays without human intervention. The track design facilitates vehicle speeds up to 140mph (230km/h) through 16 turns.”

Witnessing 140-mph automated systems maneuvering around a simulated Grand Prix circuit as part of assembly line operations is a scenario that demands a moment of repose accompanied by a strong libation, from the perspective of an automotive writer. However, should Lotus successfully actualize this concept, it deserves admiration. Allegedly, the purpose behind this innovation is to elevate the driver’s experience to a level akin to an F1 racer, as declared in the release: “The objective of this pioneering technology is to empower drivers to emulate the skill of an F1 driver on the track while enhancing road safety and performance through cutting-edge software and hardware.”

Transitioning back to the SUV lineup, another slightly more compact variant is anticipated in 2025, preliminarily labeled the Type 134. Furthermore, by 2026, a sequel to the Evija, denoted the Type 135 sports car, is scheduled for release.

The forthcoming SUVs, and likely the coupe as well, are designed on the Lotus Premium framework, engineered to accommodate vehicles with wheelbase dimensions varying from 113.7 to 122 inches and outfitted with 92- to 120-kilowatt-hour batteries. Lotus asserts that the embedded technology can propel cars to 60 mph in under three seconds, although this capability might not replicate seamlessly onto the sports car model, hence more details on this front are anticipated in the ensuing five years.

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