The design of the highly anticipated Lotus Type 133 electric saloon has been signed off ahead of its launch in 2023, and details have emerged about how radically different it will be from any of the brand's previous or existing cars.
It will be the first Lotus saloon car since the legendary Carlton – a Vauxhall-based BMW M5 rival – bowed out in 1992. In its positioning, it will provide the brand with a rival to the Porsche Taycan, BMW i4 and Mercedes-Benz EQE.
It will also be similar in its conception to sibling brand Polestar's 5 grand tourer, due on sale around a year later, in 2024. But, suggested Lotus managing director Matt Windle, the two cars will be tangibly differentiated, despite their shared Geely Group origins.
Asked if Lotus could benefit from the UK-based development programme for the Polestar 5, Windle told Autocar: "Yes and no. The importance is keeping that individuality - and we are different companies."
It is not yet clear whether the two cars will share a modular EV platform from the Geely stable (the Eletre platform is said to be a bespoke architecture), nor whether the Type 133 will be available with the Polestar's range-topping 874bhp four-wheel-drive powertrain, but Windle said: "It will be the Lotus ethos in that car. It's a bit more refined, further towards the luxury end of what we're trying to do with our performance luxury brand."
Global Lotus dealers have been shown the final design for the Type 133, he confirmed, "so they know what's coming next - and excitement was very high".
Elaborating on how Lotus and Polestar could collaborate in the future, Windle explained: "Geely is flexible and comfortable with us working with our sister companies, or third parties or other suppliers, OEMs, or anything. There's no direct purchasing or design strategy that they imply on us.
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This may be a day late and a dollar short, but I'm trying to figure out the hierarchy in the Geely automotive group. I thought Lotus was the 'sport car' side of their portfolio (meaning coupes, cabriolet, sedans and SUV/CUV/Crossovers). Volvo is the luxury side, with Polestar being the supercar version of those vehicles. Now, according to this article, Lotus is in the luxury business too?! Geely also has another luxury brand heading to international shores, along with Link and Co, but how does all this work together with all kinds of overlap and competition with their own brands? The only way this makes any since, is if Volvo remains their mainstream luxury brand, with Polestar being above them and Lotus above them. Yet, this would move Lotus from being the 'even man (person?)' vehicle, it has always billed itself as. If Lotus was just above Volvo and Polestar over the two of them, I find it hard to believe buyers would pay that kind of premium for more expensive Volvo's, based on a platform that is far from exclusive, at a price point that has much more interesting competition! Then, on top of that, there are Geely's Link and Co. and there other, new luxury brand to factor into all of this. Lotus getting into other markets, with vehicles other then their classics, in a effort to keep the doors open, is fine and should be applauded. That being said, they should just stick to their minimalist, sports car heritage approach, as a means to separate themselves from the other brands in the Geely portfolio.
Kudos to Lotus for admitting they are following the Porsche template. Chapman would be proud?
Chapman wanted to follow the money and go upmarket, it's what the Esprit was supposed to be the start of and Etna to continue, so he'd probably be in favour.