It has been no secret that Lotus would be embracing electric technology with their high-flying Evija electric supercar. Sadly it is one of the least accessible cars that you can think of due to its high price and low production. However, if you are itching for an electric Lotus, then perhaps an upcoming electric Lotus SUV could scratch that itch.
According to a report from Autoblog, it has come to their attention that an SUV that Lotus has been developing since 2016 will be getting a fully electric powertrain rather than just a hybrid system, as previously thought. For four years now Lotus has been working on an SUV codenamed ‘Lambda’. Of course, the thought of a Lotus SUV may be blasphemous to many, but the higher selling SUVs and crossovers help finance the fun sports cars that we all love, a necessary evil for even the most purist of car brands at this point (I’ll be watching out for your turn Ferrari).
Commentary of possible brand tarnishing aside, at the start of the development of the Lambda it was believed that the most electrification it would have would be with a hybrid system rather than being full electric, similar to the Polestar 1, a related brand for Lotus who are both owned by Chinese automaker Geely.
In this time span ranging from 2016 to the present day, fully electric cars have no doubt proved their popularity. It is understood that Geely changed plans to have the Lambda have a fully electric powertrain, no part in due to witnessing the amount of EVs that were being sold in China. The initial goal was to have the electric SUV help with tripling Lotus’ tiny production capacity from 1,500 to 5,000 cars annually. This low production count would not help with sales which would probably end up being on the higher end. It is understood that Geely is mulling over having the new electric SUV be produced in its new factory in Wuhan, China to help lower cost down and provide more units to a hungry SUV market.
Details on the Lotus SUV are scarce, but the company has reassured that its commitment to having light and responsive cars will still be followed while developing the Lambda. At this point, it looks like there might be two versions of the SUV, one dual-motor version making about 600 hp and another more powerful version making 750 hp. Current range targets are expected to be somewhere around the 360-mile mark.
The Lotus SUV is still a bit aways and is not expected to be fully unveiled until 2022 with a launch in 2023.
What do you guys think of the prospects of an electric Lotus SUV? Let us know down in the comments below.
