Lotus EV hypercar plans emerge...
Autocar says a £2m flagship is planned as a statement of intent from Geely. First details here
Now we all know that grand plans for Lotus sports car expansion have, well, not always reached fruition, to put it politely. So while news of a hypercar humbling electric flagship, as reported by Autocar, sounds jolly tremendous, reservations will have to remain until there's something rather more tangible than a render and a rumour.
Still, what's there for now is encouraging. Leveraging the EV expertise of the Geely empire - remember that it now encompasses Volvo, Polestar, Lynk&Co, the London Electric Vehicle Company and more - the Hethel plan is said to be a for a £2m, 1000hp+ electric rocketship to take on the hypercar hierarchy. All while keeping it lightweight, because a heavy Lotus would rather miss the point like a piranha without teeth. No small challenge, then...
Autocar says the concept is currently under the working title of 'Omega' - an odd one to choose, given 'Lotus Omega' has happened before - and is in development at Hethel, as Geely attempts to rejuvenate the HQ. With the car rumoured for a launch early in the next decade, expect a new generation of batteries and motors to deliver improved range, efficiency, charging time and so on. Autocar has cited the NIO EP 9 as the most logical target for now, which you would have to assume the Lotus would need to surpass in terms of power, performance and lap time.
Beyond that, the car will obviously have to be on entirely new architecture, Lotus having never embarked on an electric powertrain before, or indeed anything all-wheel drive. Well, until the SUV, of course.
Predictably enough, Lotus hasn't confirmed anything about the Omega, or Carlton, or whatever this car might actually be. The quote on Autocar is as follows: "Lotus's development team is exploring numerous engineering projects, across multiple vehicle sectors, using several propulsion systems. As part of the development process, these projects undergo continual and stringent valuation and only the best will reach production." Make of that what you will.
If it's pulled off, if it actually happens, then a Lotus EV hypercar could be spectacular. But, of course, we have been here before, so let's see where the project progresses. Is this the way for Lotus to reestablish itself at the forefront of sports car tech, or should the revolution begin from the bottom up? Comments, views and predictions all welcome - we'll update the story when there's more to say.
There was the Evora 414, does that count? OK it's not the same but it certainly suggests experience in alternative powertrains...
https://www.lotuscars.com/engineering/evora-414e-h...
Seems very likely it'll be another heavy, crazy powered straight-line hero type of car if it happens. There's a youtuber who has made a Tesla/Volt powered Evora
t.
There was the Evora 414, does that count? OK it's not the same but it certainly suggests experience in alternative powertrains...
https://www.lotuscars.com/engineering/evora-414e-h...
https://www.lotuscars.com/engineering/vehicle-plat...
...and the fact the Tesla roadster used the Elise chassis.
As to the 4x4 comment, here are Autocar telling us about the new Lotus 4x4 based on the VVA chassis
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/lotus/lotus-pla...
In short Autocar are making stuff up to sell magazines.
Why not use the existing Geely group tech to build a mega hybrid hatch or a profit churning cayenne alternative to enable expansion of the 2 seater range? Its worked well for other groups? Surely the volvo chassis parts bin and lotus suspension know-how and ev powertrains could be worked into something interesting, rather than pouring development into a sector that has such limited scope for potential customers??
Maybe i'm just having a hump because I smashed my favorite lotus coffee mug this week.
And if they are, then maybe they should be concentrating on producing a car that's affordable and has appeal to the many, rather than spending a shed load of cash they don't have on a car, that if it is produced, will just sit in a Billionaires man cave.
Why not use the existing Geely group tech to build a mega hybrid hatch or a profit churning cayenne alternative to enable expansion of the 2 seater range? Its worked well for other groups? Surely the volvo chassis parts bin and lotus suspension know-how and ev powertrains could be worked into something interesting, rather than pouring development into a sector that has such limited scope for potential customers??
Maybe i'm just having a hump because I smashed my favorite lotus coffee mug this week.
On a similar note I wonder what the purpose of a loss making Bugatti was? Fantastic halo that vast majority of people don’t realise is related to VW or Audi? Was it just a vanity project or is there a long term payback?
And if they are, then maybe they should be concentrating on producing a car that's affordable and has appeal to the many, rather than spending a shed load of cash they don't have on a car, that if it is produced, will just sit in a Billionaires man cave.
Personally I think immediately going full-EV is probably a no-brainer since, unlike most brands/manufacturers, Lotus have no real baggage with their own internal combustion engines. Whether some crazily expensive hyper-EV is the right thing to start with rather depends on what Geely intend to do with the brand in the long term and how much they're willing to invest in order to do it.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff