Photo: PC Auto
The first time we’ve heard Lotus is getting serious about tapping the sport utility vehicle segment, the year was 2015, and the information was understandably vague. Chief executive officer Jean-Marc Gales then took up to clarify the matter, affirming that Lotus is working on “the world’s first lightweight SUV.”
The project then gained momentum as Gales confirmed Lotus is in need of a profit boost that can only be accomplished by a volume-oriented model, after which the first known photo-rendering of the yet-unnamed SUV took the Internet by storm. And size-wise, the newcomer appears to give the Porsche Macan a run for its money. Now that Geely bought Lotus Cars, it’s fairly apparent the lightweight sport utility vehicle is coming together.
The latest development in the saga comes in the form of patent drawings. Brought into the open by Chinese publication PC Auto, the images depict a familiar silhouette with different stylistic details in areas such as the front grille, front air intakes, roofline, and profile. For all intents and purposes, the car in the patent drawings is closer to the finished product than the photo-rendering. Although a little uninspiring, the SUV doesn’t look half bad either.
So what else do we know about the Lotus SUV up to this point? Well, Gales expects the all-new model to double the automaker’s output to 4,000 vehicles per year. Then there’s the curb weight, with the head honcho hoping 1,600 kilograms (3,527 pounds) to be doable. Gales famously said that Lotus would use a four-cylinder engine for the SUV, though it remains to be seen if it’s the supercharged 1.8L Toyota or a different plant altogether, possibly from Volvo.
On that note, what’s your view on Lotus developing a sport utility vehicle? In the day and age Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Rolls-Royce are doing the same thing, is it the natural course of things or just another case of sales volume-driven profanity against an iconic automaker's legacy?
The latest development in the saga comes in the form of patent drawings. Brought into the open by Chinese publication PC Auto, the images depict a familiar silhouette with different stylistic details in areas such as the front grille, front air intakes, roofline, and profile. For all intents and purposes, the car in the patent drawings is closer to the finished product than the photo-rendering. Although a little uninspiring, the SUV doesn’t look half bad either.
So what else do we know about the Lotus SUV up to this point? Well, Gales expects the all-new model to double the automaker’s output to 4,000 vehicles per year. Then there’s the curb weight, with the head honcho hoping 1,600 kilograms (3,527 pounds) to be doable. Gales famously said that Lotus would use a four-cylinder engine for the SUV, though it remains to be seen if it’s the supercharged 1.8L Toyota or a different plant altogether, possibly from Volvo.
On that note, what’s your view on Lotus developing a sport utility vehicle? In the day and age Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Rolls-Royce are doing the same thing, is it the natural course of things or just another case of sales volume-driven profanity against an iconic automaker's legacy?
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