This must be just about the point where we can start to discuss Lotus’s new-age electric cars in isolation from the weighty heritage attached to the emblem they bear.
Lotus Technology is in essence one of many new Chinese electric car firms with a range of tech-heavy SUVs and saloons primed for global roll-outs over the coming years; it just so happens it has the privilege of operating under a name we know and revere, much like SAIC’s MG Motor.
New 2024 Lotus Emeya electric saloon revealed with 905bhp
Acknowledge that distinction and the company’s plan to achieve mammoth sales figures with a line of luxurious, capacious EVs becomes a much easier pill to swallow. And even easier still when you consider just how attractively styled and specified these EVs are.
In one fell swoop, the new Lotus Emeya saloon has outpaced, out-ranged and out-teched some of its most formidable rivals, and if it’s as likeable and competent to pilot as the Lotus Eletre SUV, it looks a nailed-on contender for class supremacy.
It's not a Lotus in the traditional sense, maybe, but it's almost certainly bound for venerability comparable to the lithe two-seaters that the brand has always done best.
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In mant ways, I would rather see Lotus dissapear than see this range of Chinese EV's with a Lotus badge glued to it. Better to remember its historic highlights, and glue Geeley badges to these charlatans.
Chunky would turn in his grave - it goes completely against his ethos.
MG is a very similar situation....the current range having absolutely nothing to do with the original company.
At least when SAAB became a part of the dreaded GM, it still had something individual to say about itself....and look at what happened to that.
Lotus engineering has always been first class, we know that, they were always great cars to drive, but perhaps not to live with, the build quality and the reliabilty was never really good enough, and they never really had the budget or the customer base to produce cars that could be used as daily drivers like Porsche could, or as Porsche increasing have a huge parts bin to share.
Things have been getting better, using a reliable Toyota engine has helped.
However Lotus now have an owner "Geely" with deep pockets and a hands off approach, a big good quality parts bin from the likes of Volvo and Merecedes/AMG. They also have brand new state of the art facilities and a decent product range coming on stream.
Perhaps the future might see them sharing dealerships and workshop facilities with Volvo or Polestar or possibly even Mercedes giving them access to a wider customer base, and crucially giving customers easier access to service and repair facilities. Shared facilities would lower overall costs to everyone.
The future could be very bright indeed.